Rustic Italian soul with serious cellar ambitions
Haight · San Francisco · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 10, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Che Fico’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
A wood-fired, salumi-scented neighborhood spot on Divisadero doesn't exactly scream Barolo cellar — and that's exactly what makes Che Fico so good. The list lands somewhere between a serious Italian enoteca and a California wine bar, with enough depth to reward the curious and enough approachability not to intimidate the table ordering pizza. Tom Folsom has clearly done some homework here.
The Italy focus is strong and specific — this isn't a generic 'Chianti and Pinot Grigio' Italian-American list. You'll find Giacomo Conterno and Bartolo Mascarello holding down the Barolo section, Biondi-Santi and Poggio di Sotto covering Brunello, and a genuinely interesting Sicilian corner anchored by Cornelissen and COS, two producers who don't show up on most neighborhood restaurant lists. California isn't an afterthought either — Sandhi and Au Bon Climat bring thoughtful Central Coast Pinot Noir that actually makes sense alongside the food. The Barbera and Dolcetto selections round out the everyday-drinking tier nicely, so you don't have to commit to a Grand Cru to have a great bottle with your pasta.
Roughly 15-25 options by the glass, with prices running $14–$22, which is reasonable for San Francisco. The by-the-glass program skews Italian, as it should, and rotates enough to stay interesting across seasons. At a place with this kind of cellar, we'd love to see a few more ambitious pours by the glass — the list has the inventory to support it.
Barbera d'Asti — $14
Barbera is Che Fico's sweet spot for value — high acid, low tannin, built for tomato sauce and wood-fired anything. At the lower end of the glass program, it's the move for a table that wants to drink well without overthinking it.
COS Cerasuolo di Vittoria
Most tables walk right past the Sicilian section and head straight for Barolo. Don't. COS is one of the most important natural producers in southern Italy, and Cerasuolo di Vittoria — a Nero d'Avola and Frappato blend — is a genuinely distinctive wine that you won't find on many lists in the city.
Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino
The Biondi-Santi is a legend and deserves its reputation, but at restaurant markup on a lively weeknight at a pizza and pasta spot, you're paying for a name in a context that doesn't quite let the wine breathe. Save it for a proper sit-down with braised meat and two hours to kill — or order it somewhere with better storage visibility and a quieter room.
Bartolo Mascarello Barolo + Braised meats from the wood-fired hearth
Mascarello's Barolo is old-school Piedmont — austere, tannic, built for long-cooked meat. The wood-fired braised dishes at Che Fico have enough fat and depth to stand up to it, and the two together is the kind of combination that makes you forget you're in a neighborhood restaurant.
The Bottom Line
Che Fico punches well above its weight class for a neighborhood Italian — a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in 2024 isn't a surprise once you see the Cornelissen and Mascarello sitting on the same list as your pizza. Send your friends here, order deep into the Italian section, and don't skip the Sicilians.
Embarcadero · San Francisco · Peruvian Seafood
La Mar is a great dinner — the ceviche alone is worth the trip — but the wine list is along for the ride rather than driving it. Order something crisp and cold, enjoy the view, and don't overthink it.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Union Square · San Francisco · American
The Rotunda is a lunch experience first and a wine destination a distant second — the list is safe, the markup is real, and you're largely paying for the address and the atmosphere. Come for the crab salad and the occasion, order something bubbly, and don't go in expecting a serious wine program.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
San Francisco · San Francisco · Wine bar & bottle shop
Bodega SF is what happens when someone actually gives a damn about the list instead of just checking a box. Twenty-six bottles, almost all pourable by the glass, priced fairly, and built around grapes most wine bars wouldn't dare touch — send your adventurous friends here and tell them to skip the safe picks.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
San Francisco · San Francisco · Wine bar
Fig & Thistle is for people who trust a short menu built by someone with a point of view — thirteen bottles, all pouring, all worth talking about. If you need a fallback Cab or a recognizable label to feel safe, this isn't your spot. If you don't, this absolutely is.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
San Francisco · San Francisco · Steakhouse
STK San Francisco has the bones of a wine program and the ambition of a hotel minibar. With only three by-the-glass pours, a list built entirely around safe brand names, and steep markups baked into the concept, this is a place to order a cocktail or splurge on a specific bottle you already know you want.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· San Francisco · Wine Tavern
Big Finish is doing something genuinely different — an all-glass list built around obscure varietals, serious fortified wine, and pricing that doesn't punish curiosity. Send anyone here who wants to drink something they've never tried before and walk away feeling like they learned something.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Healdsburg · Italian
Ciao Bruto is running one of the smallest and most coherent wine lists in wine country, which is either audacious or brilliant — probably both. If you want a 200-label deep-dive, go somewhere else. If you want eight smart picks at prices that won't make you wince, this is the move in Healdsburg.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Geyserville · Healdsburg · Italian
Diavola earns its Wild Card badge because it's a wood-fired pizza joint that punches well above its weight on wine — sommelier on staff, regional focus, and a setting that practically demands you order a second glass. We can't give you the bottle-by-bottle breakdown until we get eyes on a current list, but the bones here are good enough to say: don't just order a beer and move on.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Healdsburg · Italian
Ca'Bianca is a genuinely lovely place to eat, and if the food lives up to its reputation for house-made pasta and classic Italian technique, a bottle of something from the list is absolutely worth ordering. We just can't tell you exactly which bottle to order yet — the wine program's specifics aren't publicly documented well enough for us to make a confident call. When in doubt, ask your server what's local and what they're excited about, and go from there.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
List Variety
Markup
Glassware
Staff
Specials & Deals
Storage & Temp
