Parisian Bistro Comfort With a Solid French Cellar
Upper West Side · New York · French · Visit Website ↗
Updated June 2026
Reviewed April 19, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed French Roast’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at French Roast reads like a greatest-hits tour of France — no detours, no surprises, just the classics you actually want to drink with a croque monsieur at midnight. It's focused and honest, which is more than you can say for most neighborhood bistros in this city. Wine Spectator has been handing this place an Award of Excellence since 2005, and you can see why — it does exactly what it promises.
The list is tightly curated around France, which makes sense given the whole Parisian bistro thing isn't just an aesthetic here. Burgundy anchors the red side with Louis Jadot and Joseph Drouhin doing reliable work, while the Bordeaux corner brings some genuine weight via Château Léoville-Barton and Château Pichon-Longueville — real names, not supermarket fillers. Loire Valley whites (Sancerre, Muscadet) and Alsatian Riesling and Gewurztraminer cover the white side with regional integrity. The Rhône gets its moment too, from easy-drinking Côtes du Rhône up to Châteauneuf-du-Pape, so there's actual range even within the France-only lane.
Ten to sixteen pours by the glass at $9–$16 is a respectable spread for a bistro at this price point. Expect the usual French suspects — a Côtes du Rhône, a Sancerre, maybe a Champagne option from Moët or Veuve to kick things off. The rotation doesn't appear to change much, but when the anchors are solid, that's not necessarily a knock.
Côtes du Rhône — $35
Entry-level bottles from the Rhône punch above their weight here, and at the lower end of the bottle range, this is the move for a relaxed weeknight dinner without overthinking it.
Alsatian Riesling
Most people walk past Alsace on a bistro list and go straight for the Sancerre. Don't. Alsatian Riesling is a natural with the richer French preparations on the menu and it tends to be underordered, which means staff are often willing to talk it through with you.
Veuve Clicquot
Veuve is fine Champagne, but it's also one of the most marked-up labels in any restaurant context. You're paying for the yellow label recognition, not the juice. If you want bubbles, ask what else is available by the glass.
Château Léoville-Barton + Coq Au Vin
The structured tannins and dark fruit of a Saint-Julien like Léoville-Barton stand up to the braised richness of the coq au vin without steamrolling it — this is the kind of match that makes you remember why French wine and French food evolved together.
The Bottom Line
French Roast isn't trying to reinvent the wine list, and it doesn't need to — it's a dependable, well-sourced French cellar at fair prices in a neighborhood that needs more of exactly this. Send a friend here and tell them to skip the Veuve.
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.
River Market · Kansas City · French
A French-led list with 25 two-price wines up front and a long run of Burgundy, Bordeaux and Rhône bottles behind them. Start with the Chinon Le Garenne at 42 or the Cornas 'Granit 60' at 88, ask which number is the glass price, and confirm prices, since the page is undated. 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.
Meatpacking District · New York · French
A French wine list with a wide price ladder: $16 glasses, $40 half bottles and $60 full bottles at the bottom, Pétrus and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti at the top. Start with the $16 Famille Coulon Rhône white by the glass, or spend $115 on the Marcel Deiss Alsace pinot noir, and check prices because the two PDFs show different bottle prices for Delos. This unrated guide covers the posted wine lists, not service, storage or markups.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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