Prime Steaks, Ocean Views, Serious Cabernet
Ilikai Hotel, Ala Moana · Honolulu · Steak House · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 7, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Empire Steak House’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Empire Steak House lands like the view from the Ilikai Hotel — bigger than you expected, with real ambition behind it. California and France are the clear headliners, and Wine Spectator agrees enough to hand them a Best of Award of Excellence. For a steakhouse perched above Honolulu's coastline, this is not a list that's coasting on scenery.
The California heavy-hitters are all present and accounted for — Caymus, Silver Oak, Jordan, Chateau Montelena, Stag's Leap, and Duckhorn Merlot for the crowd that still thinks Sideways was wrong. France shows up with genuine credibility: Chateau Margaux and Chateau Lynch-Bages anchor a Bordeaux section that earns its column inches, and Italy gets a seat at the table with Gaja in the Barolo corner. The list runs 200-400 bottles deep, which is real range for a Hawaii resort-adjacent steakhouse. The gap is anything adventurous — no natural wine moment, no unexpected Rhône detour, nothing that surprises — but for the format, it delivers.
Fifteen to twenty-five options by the glass is a solid pour program for a steakhouse, and the price range of $14-$22 is reasonable given the address and the altitude of the list. Don't expect the pours to rotate much — this feels like a set-it-and-forget-it glass program rather than something a manager is actively curating week to week.
Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon — $60–$80 range
Jordan consistently punches above its price point — it's approachable, food-friendly, and won't make you wince when the bill arrives. In a list full of three-digit Napa names, it's the move for a table that wants quality without the occasion feeling like a mortgage payment.
Chateau Lynch-Bages
Lynch-Bages is one of Bordeaux's best-kept open secrets — technically a fifth-growth, drinking like a second on a good vintage. Most tables here will reach for the California names out of habit. The table that orders Lynch-Bages with the dry-aged ribeye is the smartest one in the room.
Opus One
Opus One is a prestige pour and priced accordingly — but in a restaurant setting with a Hawaii market markup layered on top, you're paying a significant premium for a label that's already expensive at retail. It's a flex, not a value play, and there are better bottles on this list for serious drinking.
Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon + USDA Prime Dry-Aged Ribeye
Montelena is structured and earthy with enough backbone to stand up to the fat and intensity of a dry-aged ribeye — it doesn't try to overpower the beef, it works with it. This is the pairing that earns the view.
The Bottom Line
Empire Steak House is a Wild Card in the best sense — a legitimate wine list in a setting where you'd forgive them for phoning it in. The markups sting a little and no sommelier means you're navigating on your own, but the bones are good and the California-Bordeaux depth is real.
· Honolulu · Steakhouse
Morton's Honolulu gives you a competent, Cabernet-saturated list that will reliably satisfy the guest who came for a big steak and a big red — just don't expect any surprises, and watch the markup on the entry-level bottles. Send a friend here if they want comfort, not if they want discovery.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Waikiki · Honolulu · Latin American / Tasting Menu
El Cielo earns its reputation on atmosphere and food, but the wine program is a black box — and in a city where you're already paying tourist-tier prices, a list you can't see or trust is a list you should probably skip. Order a cocktail and save the wine night for somewhere that wants to earn it.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Waikīkī · Honolulu · Steakhouse
Ruth's Chris Waikīkī is a dependable splurge for steak night, but the wine list is corporate comfort food — Napa-forward, markup-heavy, and unlikely to surprise you. If wine is the point of your evening, this isn't your destination; if steak is the point, it'll get the job done.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Proper
Waikiki · Honolulu · Seafood / Steak
Chart House Waikiki is giving you a safe harbor, not a destination — the list is functional, the by-the-glass selection is surprisingly broad, and a couple of smart picks exist if you know where to look. Come for the ocean views and the fish; just don't expect the wine list to match the scenery.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Honolulu · Honolulu · Hotel Wine Bar
Vintage 1901 is a well-organized hotel wine bar doing exactly what it should — giving visitors something better than the minibar without demanding too much effort or knowledge. The port program is legitimately great and worth your time; the rest of the list is competent, if a little sleepy on value.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Honolulu · Rooftop Wine Bar
Tchin Tchin is a perfectly pleasant place to drink wine with a view, and nearly everything being available by the glass means you can graze without committing to a bottle. Just don't come expecting discovery — come expecting a solid pour and a great sunset.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Hartland · Hartland · Steak House
Palmer's is a reliable steakhouse wine list that delivers exactly what its suburban clientele wants — well-known California names, solid execution, and nothing too weird. If you're a wine adventurer, you'll want to temper expectations; if you're celebrating with a ribeye and a Jordan Cab, you'll leave satisfied.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Town Square · Jackson · Steak House
The Million Dollar Cowboy Steakhouse has a sommelier, a Wine Spectator credential, and a list that knows its audience — which is Jackson tourists who want great steak and great Napa Cab, full stop. Send a friend here if they want a proper California red with a serious piece of beef; just warn them to skip Opus One and let Jordan do the work.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown Milwaukee · Milwaukee · Steak House
Ward's House of Prime is exactly what it says it is: a classic Milwaukee steakhouse with a wine list built to match big cuts of beef. The Wine Spectator Award of Excellence is well-earned, but don't come looking for adventure — come looking for a great California Cab and a slab of prime rib.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
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