Pretty Room, Punishing Markups, Forgettable List
Fashion District / Downtown LA · Los Angeles · Latin-inspired / Pan-Latin · Visit Website ↗
Updated October 2026
Reviewed June 21, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed DAMA’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
DAMA's wine list arrives looking like it dressed up for the room — and the room is genuinely stunning. But once you flip past the cocktail section and actually land on the wines, the energy deflates fast. This is a list that was assembled to not embarrass anyone, not to excite them.
The list leans on safe international crowd-pleasers: a Malbec from Mendoza, some Rioja Tempranillo, a Carmenère from Chile — all the Latin-adjacent hits you'd expect. There are flashes of personality, like a Txakoli from Getariako Txakolina and an Albariño from Rías Baixas, that suggest someone briefly cared. A Baja wine dinner event hints that Mexican wine could find a real home here, but those bottles don't seem to have made it onto the permanent list in any meaningful way. The gaps — no real depth in South American selections beyond the obvious, nothing adventurous from Canary Islands or Argentina outside Malbec — are hard to miss once you start looking.
The by-the-glass program runs somewhere in the 8–14 pour range, priced $14–$22, which sounds reasonable until you clock the underlying markups. There's no evidence of a rotating glass program or any curatorial effort — what you see is probably what you'll see next month too. For a cocktail-forward spot with this much Latin identity on the plate, the glass pours feel like an afterthought.
2016 Bodega Colomé Malbec Salta — $64
Still a steep 156% markup over retail, but Colomé is one of Argentina's most serious high-altitude producers and at least you're getting quality for the money. On a list this overpriced, this is your least bad option.
Txakoli (Getariako Txakolina)
Most tables are going to order the Malbec on autopilot. Don't. The Txakoli — bright, low-alcohol, slightly effervescent Basque white — is genuinely interesting and the most personality this list has to offer. Order it while the kitchen sends out anything fried or acidic.
2018 Scarpetta Pinot Grigio Friuli
At $48 a bottle for something you can find at Trader Joe's for $15, this is the list's most egregious value crime. It's a fine, uncomplicated Pinot Grigio — but a 220% markup for a crowd-pleasing grocery store white is a hard no.
Albariño from Rías Baixas + Crispy Squash Flowers
The Albariño's bright citrus and saline edge cuts right through the richness of fried batter while echoing any herb or cheese stuffed inside the flowers. It's the most food-forward pairing the list can actually deliver.
The Bottom Line
DAMA is a great place to drink a cocktail in a beautiful room — and that's genuinely not a bad night. But if you came for wine, the list charges Fashion District prices for grocery store ambition, and that's a deal we can't recommend.
· Los Angeles · Brazilian Steakhouse
Fogo de Chão's wine list isn't trying to be a destination — it's trying to support a meat-forward meal without emptying your wallet, and it largely succeeds. The South American focus makes geographic sense, the pricing is fair for LA, and there are a few genuinely good bottles hiding in a otherwise safe list. If you're going for the full churrasco experience, grab the Lapostolle Sauvignon Blanc or the Catena Alta Chardonnay and let the gauchos do the rest.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Beverly Hills · Los Angeles · Italian
Il Cielo punches above its list size with some genuinely smart Italian picks and pricing that — especially on the Barolo — borders on generous. It's not a destination wine list, but it's a thoughtful one, and in Beverly Hills that's worth something. If you're going for a special occasion bottle, head straight to the Piedmont and Montalcino section and don't look back.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Hollywood · Los Angeles · Italian
A big-ticket Italian and Napa list with a genuine glass section: 14 wines by the glass from $15 to $85, then 89 bottles from $55 to $3,000. Start with the Prunotto Barolo at $30 a glass, or the Guidalberto at $145 if you want a Bolgheri bottle, and confirm prices because the page is undated. This unrated guide covers the posted drinks page, not service, storage or markups.
Westwood · Los Angeles · American, Steakhouse
A Cabernet-first list with 30 glasses and a long bottle book, but no wine prices posted online. If you want a known price, the $9 happy hour Bonanza Cabernet by Caymus is the one posted figure, and if you want to step away from Cabernet, try the Il Bruciato Super Tuscan by the glass. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Hollywood · Los Angeles · Neapolitan Italian, Pizza
An all-Italian list that runs from a $50 Bardolino to a $300 Emidio Pepe Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, with 15 wines poured by the glass. Start with the 18 / 72 Rocca del Principe Fiano di Avellino next to the $25 Margherita, or the 16 / 64 Primo Monte orange Trebbiano if you want something off the Chianti track, and confirm prices. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Downtown Los Angeles · Los Angeles · French-inspired, New American
A 19-wine glass list where 17 pours land between $14 and $18. Start with the $13 Noble Vines Pinot Grigio or the $14 Intercept Pinot Noir, and put the $17 French onion soup next to a $52 bottle of Whispering Angel; confirm prices, since the list is undated. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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