Old-school Akron steak house done right
Downtown Akron · Akron · Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 29, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Diamond Grille reads exactly like the room looks — classic, confident, and not trying to impress anyone who didn't already want to be here. Eighty labels deep with a predictable Napa-forward lean, it's the kind of list where you know what you're getting before you even sit down. That's not necessarily a knock — comfort and consistency have kept this place running for decades.
Napa Cabernet is doing the heavy lifting here, and it shows — Caymus Special Selection, Silver Oak, Opus One, Cakebread, and Orin Swift's Papillon all make appearances, covering the full spectrum from crowd-pleaser to splurge. There are nods to the old world with Echo de Lynch-Bages and a Pio Cesare Barolo, and Domaine Serene's Evenstad Reserve gives Oregon some love. The gaps are real though: virtually no value-tier alternatives, thin coverage of white wine beyond a couple of California Chardonnays, and Champagne is basically just Bollinger and Moët. This is a list built for steak drinkers who already know what they want.
Nineteen pours by the glass is a genuinely solid number for a steakhouse of this size, spanning $9 to $28. The range skews toward big reds and safe whites, which is exactly on-brand. There's no indication the pours rotate with any urgency, so don't expect to find anything surprising or seasonal in the glass options.
Echo de Lynch-Bages Pauillac France 2022 — Bottle price not published
The second wine of the legendary Lynch-Bages estate, this Pauillac delivers Left Bank structure and class at a fraction of the flagship's price. It's the most interesting bottle on the list for someone who wants to drink well without going full Opus One — and it's criminally underordered at most American steakhouses.
Turley 'Old Vines' Zinfandel California 2022
Everyone at the table is ordering Cabernet, and that's fine. But Turley's Old Vines Zin is a genuinely serious wine from some of California's oldest planted vines — deep, earthy, and complex in a way that surprises people who still think Zinfandel is for backyard barbecues. It holds its own next to a Porterhouse.
Moët-Chandon 'Imperial' Champagne NV
At $109 a bottle, you're paying a steep premium for the most ubiquitous Champagne brand on the planet. Moët Imperial retails widely for well under $60. Spend the same money on the Bollinger Special Cuvée if you want bubbles — it's the better wine and the more interesting story.
Pio Cesare Barolo Piedmont Italy 2019 + Boston Strip
Barolo's natural grip and savory cherry depth is built for red meat, and the Boston Strip's fat and char give the wine's tannins exactly what they need to soften and sing. It's the classic old-world-meets-steakhouse move that never gets old, and Pio Cesare is a reliable, well-priced entry into Barolo without the prestige-label markup.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Diamond Grille is a great steakhouse with a wine list that exists to serve the room, not challenge it — if you already love Napa Cab, you'll be comfortable here. Just go in knowing the markups are real, and seek out the Barolo or the Lynch-Bages if you want your money to do some actual work.
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Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
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Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
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Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
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Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
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Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
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Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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