Sky-high views, sky-high standards, fair prices
Hudson Yards · New York · American, Seasonal · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 8, 2026
Wingman Metrics
Thirty-four floors above Hudson Yards, the wine list lands on your table and immediately earns its keep — 350 to 500 bottles deep with a clear focus on France and California, anchored by serious producers. This is not a hotel restaurant coasting on its view; someone built this list with intention. The Best of Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator is new as of 2025, but the bones here feel like they've been in place longer.
France does the heavy lifting, and it shows in all the right ways — Krug and Billecart-Salmon holding down Champagne, Domaine Leflaive bringing weight to Burgundy, and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti sitting in the cellar for those who want to go there. California gets its proper seat at the table with Opus One and Ridge Monte Bello, two bottles that could easily feel predictable but here read as confident rather than lazy. The Austrian section is the quiet overachiever: Grüner Veltliner from F.X. Pichler and Riesling from Domäne Wachau are exactly the kind of picks that signal a list built for people who actually drink wine. Gaps exist — South America and domestic alternatives to the big California names feel thin — but the depth where it counts is real.
Twenty to thirty options by the glass at $15 to $35 is a solid program for a room like this, and the price ceiling doesn't feel punishing given the address. We'd want to see more rotation and a few more risk-taking pours — a Grüner or a Wachau Riesling by the glass would be a flex — but the range covers enough ground that you won't feel stuck. If you're splitting a bottle, you won't need to.
Domäne Wachau Riesling — $60
Austrian Riesling at a Hudson Yards price point that doesn't make you wince — this is the move for a table that wants something interesting without committing to a triple-digit bottle. Bright, precise, and underestimated by most people at the table.
Grüner Veltliner from F.X. Pichler
Most people at a table like this are reaching for Burgundy or Champagne and sleeping on F.X. Pichler entirely. That's their loss — this is one of the great white wine producers on earth, and finding it here means you should order it before the person at the next table figures that out.
Opus One Napa Valley
Opus One is a perfectly good bottle that exists on every upscale American restaurant list in the country. At the markup you'll pay here, you're paying for the name recognition more than anything in the glass. The Ridge Monte Bello is a smarter, more interesting choice for similar or less money.
Domaine Leflaive Burgundy + Seasonal fish or roasted vegetable feature
Leflaive's white Burgundy has the texture and acidity to stand up to a composed seasonal dish without bullying it — whatever the kitchen is doing with peak-season produce, this bottle finds the edges and sharpens them.
🔥 The Bottom Line
Electric Lemon is doing real work on this wine list — French depth, Austrian personality, and fair pricing for a room with a view that could get away with doing a lot less. Send your friends here, especially the ones who think they only drink Champagne.
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
Decorah · Decorah · American, Seasonal
Rubaiyat has held a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence since 2009, and the list earns it — not by being adventurous, but by being well-chosen, fairly priced, and genuinely cared for in a town where that's not a given. If you're in Decorah and want a proper bottle with dinner, this is your place.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown Phoenix · Phoenix · American, Seasonal
Flour & Thyme earned its Wine Spectator credential, and the Tuesday half-price night makes this one of the better wine value plays in downtown Phoenix. Steer clear of the Caymus, order the Jordan, and let the wood-fired kitchen do the rest.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Proper
Lower East Side · Milwaukee · American, Seasonal
Sanford is quietly one of the most serious wine lists in the Midwest, and its three-decade Wine Spectator track record is no accident. Send your friends here when they think Milwaukee can't do fine dining — then watch them stop talking halfway through the first glass.
Solid Range
Fair
Varietal Specific
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
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