Great Diner, Forgotten Wine List
Downtown Spokane · Spokane · American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 12, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Frank's Diner Downtown’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You walk into a gorgeous vintage railroad dining car, order your eggs Benedict, and then glance at the wine list — four options, all of them the kind of thing you'd find on a gas station shelf. This is a diner first, last, and always, and the wine program reflects exactly that level of priority.
Four wines. That's the whole list. White Zin, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, and Merlot — all California, all anonymous, all clearly chosen to check a box rather than actually serve wine drinkers. There's no producer information, no vintage, no sense that anyone spent more than ten minutes curating this. If you care even a little about what's in your glass, the wine list at Frank's will feel like an afterthought, because it absolutely is one.
All four wines are available by the glass at $8 flat, which is at least honest pricing for what you're getting. There's no rotation, no seasonal swap, no sense that this list has changed since the dining car was last refurbished. Four pours, take it or leave it.
Chardonnay — $8
At $8 a glass with no producer markup games to navigate, the Chardonnay is the most inoffensive option here — it's cold, it's white, and it won't embarrass you next to your pancakes.
Merlot
Nobody's ordering Merlot at a diner in 2024, which means it probably gets rotated through faster than you'd expect — fresher bottle, slightly less oxidized. It's the dark horse of a very short race.
White Zin
White Zinfandel on a wine list in the present decade is a sign. Not a good one. Skip it and order a coffee — you're in a diner, and the coffee is almost certainly better.
Chardonnay + Eggs Benedict
The hollandaise needs something with enough body to cut through it, and a California Chardonnay — even a generic one — brings just enough weight and mild acidity to hold up against that richness. It's not a revelation, but it works.
The Bottom Line
Frank's Diner is a Spokane classic worth visiting for the atmosphere and the corned beef hash — just don't come here for the wine. Order a Bloody Mary and call it a morning.
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One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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