Midtown's Bold Red Stronghold Earns Its Stripes
Midtown East · New York · American Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 8, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Empire Steak House’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Empire Steak House lands with the kind of weight you'd expect from a classic Midtown power-dining room — 400 to 600 bottles deep, anchored by Bordeaux and California Cabs that were clearly chosen with intention. It's a list built for the table ordering the Porterhouse for two and a bottle of something serious. No surprises, but absolutely no apologies either.
The backbone here is exactly what a Best of Award of Excellence recipient should look like: Château Margaux and Château Latour anchoring the French side, Sassicaia and Tignanello flying the Italian flag, and a California contingent that reads like a greatest hits — Opus One, Caymus, Silver Oak, Stag's Leap, Jordan. Brunello di Montalcino producers round out the Italian depth, giving the list legitimate old-world credibility beyond just the trophy names. The gaps show up in lighter styles — if you're not here for a bold red, the list thins out considerably. But if bold reds are the mission, this list delivers at every price point from accessible to obscene.
With 15 to 25 pours available, the by-the-glass program is above average for a steakhouse of this caliber — enough range to let a table of mixed drinkers find their footing before committing to a bottle. The quality of what's being poured by the glass isn't fully detailed in the program intel, but given the cellar they're pulling from, expect the pours to punch well above the typical steakhouse glass. Rotation appears limited, so don't expect anything surprising to show up mid-season.
Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon — $60–$100 range
Jordan is the smart play at a room full of three-figure Napa bottles. It's polished, food-friendly, and consistently reliable — the kind of Cab that doesn't need to prove itself but does anyway. In a list where Opus One is lurking, Jordan is how you drink well without the receipt regret.
Tignanello
Most tables here are locked in on Bordeaux or Napa Cab, which means Tignanello often gets overlooked. That's a mistake. This Super Tuscan brings Sangiovese structure with Cabernet Sauvignon muscle — a genuinely different experience that holds its own against any Porterhouse on the menu and typically sits at a more reasonable price point than the Bordeaux first-growths flanking it.
Opus One
Opus One is a great wine, but it's also one of the most marked-up bottles at every upscale steakhouse in America. You're paying a serious premium for a label that everyone recognizes, in a restaurant that will extract maximum margin from that recognition. The wine itself won't disappoint — the bill will.
Sassicaia + Dry-aged prime ribeye
Sassicaia's Cabernet-dominant blend brings enough structure and savory depth to stand up to the intense fat and char of a dry-aged ribeye without overwhelming it. The wine's backbone cuts through the richness, its earthy notes echo the crust on a properly aged cut, and the finish lingers long enough to bridge bites. It's the kind of pairing that makes the whole meal feel like it was planned.
The Bottom Line
Empire Steak House is doing exactly what a serious Manhattan steakhouse wine program should do — deep cellar, prestigious producers, proper storage, and a list that rewards the guest who knows what they're looking for. Markups are steep, but this is Midtown and you knew that walking in; the Wine Spectator credential is earned, not just displayed.
Midtown · New York · French Brasserie
La Grande Boucherie earns its place as a reliable stop for wine in Midtown, especially if you're leaning French. The glass list is genuinely wide and has some smart picks buried in it — the Fleurie and the Wiemer Riesling both punch above their price points. Markups trend steep as you climb the bottle list, so your money works hardest in the by-the-glass section. If you're here for the brasserie experience, the wine program holds up its end of the deal.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· New York · Steakhouse
BLT Prime's wine program is glass-only, which limits your options if you came for a big bottle moment, but the pricing is honest and the selection is more thoughtful than most steakhouses bother with. If you're keeping it casual and ordering by the glass, you can drink well here without feeling taken advantage of — and that's not nothing in this city.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· New York · Restaurant
The Palm Midtown is not where you'd expect to find Puzelat and Ruth Lewandowski sitting next to each other on a wine list — which is exactly what makes it worth a second look. Six bottles is a short menu, but all six are defensible picks at prices that don't insult you. If you're in the mood to trust the list and not overthink it, this works.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Murray Hill · New York · Classic American Steakhouse
Wolfgang's is a reliable steakhouse wine experience in the sense that you know exactly what you're getting: a list built around the bottle you already know, priced for the room you're sitting in. If you're here to close a deal over a Porterhouse for Two, the wine list will do its job without embarrassing anyone — but it's not going to surprise you, and it's almost certainly going to cost more than it should. Go in with eyes open and a strong second-choice red in mind.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· New York · Mediterranean
Zaytinya's wine list is a rare thing in New York: a focused, regionally coherent program that commits hard to Greek and Eastern Mediterranean varieties without making you feel like you need a flashcard to order. The by-the-glass selection alone — 18 options, all under $18, featuring producers most wine lists wouldn't touch — makes this worth visiting even before the food arrives. If you eat here and order a Cabernet, that's on you.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
SoHo · New York · Italian
A long bottle list with Italian, Burgundy and Champagne sections, fronted by a 22-wine glass page. For a glass, try the Skerk Orange Wine from Friuli at 25/95, and for a bottle on a lighter budget, the Volpaia Vermentino at 60; upstairs in the café, the labeled list pours Palistorti di Valgiano's orange Tuscan blend at Glass $22. Confirm prices before you order, because the site's Upstairs Café dinner menu and the beverage PDF do not match. This unrated guide covers the posted wine lists, not service, storage or markups.
· McLean · American Steakhouse
We don't fully understand how a six-bottle list this good ended up at The Palm Tysons Corner, but here we are. If you're eating here and care about wine at all, this list deserves your attention — especially that Sancerre at $23. It's a small program, but it's a thoughtful one, and in a category full of lazy steakhouse lists, that counts for a lot.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· The Woodlands · American Steakhouse
We're working with event-night evidence, not a full house list, so drawing firm conclusions about Del Frisco's Grille's everyday wine program would be dishonest. What we can say is that a six-wine promotional dinner built around one producer family isn't a reason to make this your wine destination. Come for the steakhouse experience — but don't expect the wine list to be the main event.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
· Ashburn · American Steakhouse
Eddie Merlot's is a dependable upscale steakhouse that delivers on the beef side of the equation. The wine program appears to be functional rather than inspired — a crowd-pleasing list built to sell confidently, not to excite. If you're coming for a business dinner or a straightforward date night and want a Napa Cab with your prime-aged ribeye, you'll be just fine. If you want something to talk about on the drive home, you might need to bring your own bottle or do a little pre-visit homework.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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