Fried Chicken, Caviar, and Serious Champagne
Flatiron · New York · American, Korean · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 8, 2026
Wingman Metrics
You walk into a sleek Flatiron room built around fried chicken and immediately notice the wine list reads like a Champagne house greatest hits album. The contrast is the whole point — and it works harder than it has any right to. This is not a novelty act.
The 400-600 bottle list leans aggressively into Champagne and French classics, with prestige cuvées from Krug, Dom Pérignon, Billecart-Salmon, and Salon Le Mesnil anchoring the top end. Burgundy gets serious real estate too — Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti show up, meaning someone in this building has actual taste and a good relationship with an allocator. The French focus is intentional and consistent, though drinkers hunting for serious New World or Italian depth may find the bench thinner. What's here, though, is genuinely excellent — this list earned its Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence in 2024 and it shows.
With 20-35 pours running $15-$45, the by-the-glass program is one of the better reasons to sit at the bar here. Expect proper Champagne options among the pours — not just token bubbles, but real grower and house options that match the kitchen's celebratory energy. Rotation frequency is unclear, but the presence of five sommeliers on staff suggests someone is paying attention.
Billecart-Salmon Blanc de Blancs — $45 (glass estimate)
Billecart's Blanc de Blancs is a precision instrument — chalky, tense, and laser-focused — and it's one of the more fairly landed Champagnes on a list where prices can escalate fast. Order it by the glass before you commit to a bottle and you'll likely commit to a bottle.
Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet
Everyone comes here for the Champagne program and that's fair. But Leflaive's Puligny sitting quietly on this list is the move most tables miss — it's one of the benchmark white Burgundies in the world and it cuts through the richness of fried chicken and honey butter in a way bubbles can't quite replicate.
Dom Pérignon
Dom Pérignon is a great wine, but it's also the first thing a table orders when they want to signal something rather than taste something. At a restaurant with Salon Le Mesnil and Krug on the same list, defaulting to DP means paying a heavy brand premium when the same money takes you somewhere more interesting.
Krug Grande Cuvée + Korean fried chicken with caviar service
Salt, fat, richness, crunch — and Krug's toasty, complex, slow-oxidative depth meets all of it head-on. This is the pairing the restaurant is quietly designed around, and it's genuinely one of those combinations that makes the concept click.
🎲 The Bottom Line
COQODAQ is a Wild Card in the best possible sense — a fried chicken restaurant with a Champagne cellar that would embarrass most fine dining rooms. Send your friends here, tell them to skip the DP, and order the Krug with the caviar service.
Midtown West · New York · Russian-American
The Russian Tea Room treats wine as an afterthought dressed up in Champagne flutes — five famous labels at punishing prices with no range, no by-the-glass program, and no apparent curiosity about wine beyond what looks impressive on a table. Go for the spectacle, order the caviar, but don't come here expecting a wine list.
Grocery Store
Gouge
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· New York · Restaurant
David Burke Tavern's list is a Chardonnay lover's comfort zone with a solid sparkling section propping up the top — but the narrow focus and steep pricing mean you're paying for familiarity, not discovery. Send a friend here if they want California whites and a glass of Champagne; send them somewhere else if they want to explore.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· New York · Restaurant
Corima's wine list is proof that ten well-chosen bottles beat a hundred thoughtless ones every time. If you care about what's in your glass, this place is worth your attention.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Village · New York · American
Cecchi's is first and foremost a bar, but the wine list is more serious than the neon and noise suggest. Steep markups are the main ding — but if you know what to order, there's real pleasure here.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Acceptable
SoHo · New York · Steak House, Small Plates
The Corner Store is a reliable, well-credentialed wine list doing exactly what a good SoHo steakhouse should — France and California, done with intention, in a room that makes you want to order another bottle. Just watch the markup on the big Bordeaux names and let the Rhône or Burgundy side show you a better time.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Tribeca · New York · American
Farra is punching above its weight class for a neighborhood wine bar, and the Wine Spectator nod is earned — just know that the serious bottles come with serious prices, and the no-sommelier setup means you're doing some of the navigating yourself. Worth it for anyone who knows what they want; potentially overwhelming for those who don't.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Varietal Specific
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.