Big views, big list, big steak energy
Embarcadero · San Francisco · Steakhouse, American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 22, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed EPIC Steak’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walk into EPIC Steak and the Bay Bridge through those floor-to-ceiling windows does most of the selling before you even open the wine list. The list itself is thick — somewhere between 300 and 500 labels depending on the season — and it means business. This is not a wine list that's trying to be clever; it's trying to be impressive, and it mostly succeeds.
California dominates, as you'd expect from a San Francisco steakhouse playing to the home crowd, with Russian River Valley Pinot Noir and Chardonnay getting serious real estate. DuMOL shows up as a flagship pick, which tells you the kitchen and floor team understand that Russian River fruit at its best can hold its own against a prime ribeye without getting lost. The international section exists but feels secondary — a supporting cast rather than a co-star. What's genuinely interesting is the occasional curveball, like the Friulano from I Clivi that surfaced during Restaurant Week, which suggests someone behind the list is paying attention beyond the obvious.
With 20 to 30 by-the-glass options, EPIC punches well above average for a steakhouse format — most places in this tier offer you a token eight and call it a day. The glass program leans predictably toward California reds and whites, but the depth means you're not stuck choosing between a grocery-store Cab and a generic Chard. Rotation appears occasional rather than aggressive, so don't expect the list to look dramatically different visit to visit.
DuMOL Chardonnay, Russian River Valley — null
DuMOL's Russian River Chardonnay consistently overdelivers for the category — real texture and precision without the butter-bomb California clichés. At a steakhouse where the Chardonnay is often an afterthought, this is the move for anyone at the table who isn't going red.
Friulano, I Clivi 2017
A northeastern Italian Friulano from I Clivi showing up on a San Francisco steakhouse list is the kind of thing that makes us do a double-take. Most people are here for the big reds, but this wine — mineral, saline, quietly serious — is exactly what you want with a seafood starter or a lighter first course before the beef arrives. Almost nobody orders it. That's their loss.
Generic California Cabernet Sauvignon by-the-glass pours
With a list this deep, defaulting to the obvious house Cab by the glass is a missed opportunity and likely where the margin padding lives. The markup on commodity California Cab at a waterfront steakhouse is not doing you any favors — step up to a bottle or ask the floor staff to point you somewhere more interesting.
DuMOL Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley + Prime ribeye steak
Russian River Pinot is silky enough not to fight the fat on a prime ribeye, but it has enough structure and dark fruit to actually complement the char. It's a counterintuitive call at a steakhouse — most people reach for Cab — but DuMOL's Pinot is serious enough to earn a seat at that table.
The Bottom Line
EPIC Steak is a reliable, well-executed steakhouse wine program that earns its stripes with real depth, a sommelier who cares, and a few smart curveballs buried in the list. The markups will sting, but if you know where to look — and now you do — there's genuinely good drinking to be had with that view.
West Portal · San Francisco · Italian wine bar and small plates
A wine-bar list built around Italian bottles, with prices from $41 to $600 on the Wine List page. Start with the Firmino Miotti Breganze Cabernet 2015 at $18/64 from the glass section, or take the Raina Le Campette Montefalco Rosso 2020 at $42 if you want a bottle, and confirm prices since neither page is dated. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Fillmore · San Francisco · Indian, Regional
A South Indian dinner menu with two wine PDFs behind it: 17 pours on the glass PDF from 15 to 32, then a bottle PDF that starts with grower Champagne. Start with the chilled Florèz God's Own at 15 or the Aldo Viola Moretto at 17, and confirm both lists, since the PDFs are undated and the website Wines tab names some different producers. This unrated guide covers the posted wine lists, not service, storage or markups.
Hayes Valley · San Francisco · Wine bar with California/Italian-leaning small plates
A wine-bar list that ranges from Lebanese sparkling and orange wine to Jura bottles and sherry by the 3 or 4 oz. Start with the Pardusco 2024 chilled red at $14 / $56 or the Apátsági 2022 juhfark at $17, and confirm prices, since the page itself points you to the wine wall for more. This unrated guide covers the posted drinks and bottle lists, not service, storage or markups.
North Beach · San Francisco · Italian
A pizzeria wine list with real range: 24 wines under the Glasses heading, Italian reds sorted by region, and New World reds that include Napa and Paso Robles Cabernet. Start with the $10/$40 house Chianti Superiore, or try the $13/$52 Planeta Ceresuolo with a Margherita, and confirm vintages and prices before you order. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Union Square · San Francisco · French
A 66-page list that starts with a 20-pour glass page and moves quickly into Burgundy, Rhône and Bordeaux bottles priced in the hundreds and thousands, so decide early whether you are drinking by the glass or committing to a bottle. Start with the $20 Chablis or the $23 Corsican red, and confirm today's list because it carries no print date. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Potrero Hill · San Francisco · Italian
A list with two speeds: 29 glass pours from $13 to $45, and a bottle book that runs from $44 to $2,100. Start with the $13 Il Frappato or the $18 Vietti Perbacco Nebbiolo, then look at the Etna Rosso bottles (Tenuta delle Terre Nere 2023 is $82) if you want a bottle. This unrated guide covers the posted drinks list, not service, storage or markups.
River Road · Gatlinburg · Steakhouse, American
The Peddler is a legitimately great steakhouse experience in a gorgeous setting, and the wine list is competent enough to get the job done — but it's a supporting cast, not a destination. Order the Jordan, get the steak, enjoy the river view, and don't expect the list to surprise you.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East Parkway · Gatlinburg · Steakhouse, American
Alamo Steakhouse is genuinely great at what it does — the oak-fired meats are the draw and they deliver. But the wine list is purely functional, overpriced for what it is, and built for tourists who aren't going to push back on a Kendall-Jackson upcharge. Come for the steak, order a bourbon, and save the wine enthusiasm for somewhere else.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Lionshead · Vail · Steakhouse, American
Vail Chophouse is a dependable après-ski and dinner destination that plays its wine program straight down the middle — familiar names, steep but expected mountain-town pricing, and a list that won't let you down if you stick to the California Cabs. We'd send a friend here for the steak and the view, with a note to skip the Josh and go straight to Jordan.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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