A steakhouse list that actually did its homework
San Francisco · San Francisco · Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · August 15, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Izzy's Steakhouse’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
Twenty wines, all by the glass — that's an unusual move, and at Izzy's it works. You expect the usual steakhouse suspects (Napa Cab, more Napa Cab, a token Chardonnay) and instead the list quietly hands you Vacqueyras, Vermentino, and a Rully Burgundy from a respected négociant. Someone here was paying attention.
For a list this compact, the range is genuinely impressive. There's a full sparkling tier running from an $18 Sumarroca Cava up through Ruinart Blanc de Blancs and Billecart-Salmon Rosé, plus a thoughtful white section that covers Sancerre, a 2017 Girardin Rully, Sandhi from Sta. Rita Hills, and even a Leitz Riesling Feinherb — that last one almost never shows up at a steakhouse. Reds are anchored by the expected Napa Cab presence (Aperture, Mascot), but the supporting cast — Alma Fria Sonoma Coast Pinot, La Ca Nova Barbera d'Alba, Ondarre Gran Reserva Rioja, and an Edmond Latour Vacqueyras — tells a different, more interesting story. The gaps are real: no Oregon, no domestic Syrah, thin on Italian reds for a steakhouse that could easily go deeper there. But for 20 labels, this covers more ground than most lists twice the size.
The entire list is by the glass, which is either brilliant or logistically stressful depending on how good their preservation system is — no information on that front, which gives us pause. Prices run $16 to $66, with most of the interesting stuff landing between $16 and $26. The $66 Mascot Cab is the obvious splurge anchor, but the real action happens in the middle of the list.
Edmond Latour Grenache Blend Vacqueyras, France 2022 — $17/glass
Vacqueyras at $17 a glass at a steakhouse is a minor miracle. This southern Rhône appellation delivers the kind of dark fruit, garrigue, and structure you'd pay double for in a Châteauneuf label. It's built for red meat and it's practically being given away.
Reeve Vermentino Sonoma County 2023
Almost nobody orders Vermentino at a steakhouse, which means this bottle just sits there being delicious while everyone reaches for Chardonnay. Reeve makes a precise, aromatic, slightly saline version that's a legitimately great aperitivo pour or a foil to anything with butter or cream on the table.
Mascot Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2020
At $66 a glass, you're in bottle-price territory for a lot of great wine. Mascot is solid — it's Harlan's second label — but this is a pour priced for the table that wants to signal, not for the table that wants to drink well. Order the Aperture Cab at $24 and save the difference.
Alma Fria Pinot Noir "Plural Vineyard" Sonoma Coast 2023 + Filet Mignon
Filet is the leanest, most delicate cut on the menu and it can get bulldozed by a big Cab. The Alma Fria Sonoma Coast Pinot — cool-climate, high-acid, built for elegance — matches the filet's texture without steamrolling it. This is the pairing a steakhouse list usually can't even make.
The Bottom Line
Izzy's is doing something quietly ambitious with a 20-bottle all-by-the-glass format that skews curious instead of predictable. If you're the person at the table who's bored by the standard steakhouse pour, this list has your back.
· San Francisco · Wine Bar & New American
Ungrafted is not for the indecisive or the wine-by-committee crowd — it's for people who want someone to just tell them what's good and trust that they've thought about it. Six bottles, confidently chosen, is a flex when it works, and here it mostly does.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Jackson Square · San Francisco · New American Tasting Menu
Trestle earns its reputation as a neighborhood gem for the food, and the wine list seems to hold up its end of the deal without trying too hard. We'd feel comfortable here on a date night — just go in ready to ask questions, because we can't promise the list will speak for itself.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Nob Hill / Van Ness Corridor · San Francisco · American Steakhouse
House of Prime Rib is one of San Francisco's great dining institutions and the wine list knows its assignment — California Cabs to drink with California beef, no fuss. It won't thrill anyone looking for adventure, but it won't embarrass anyone either, and for a night built around tableside carving and Yorkshire pudding, that's probably enough.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Noe Valley · San Francisco · Sardinian Italian
La Ciccia is the rare neighborhood restaurant where the wine list is genuinely part of the experience, not an afterthought stapled to a food menu. If you care about Italian wine — especially anything off the beaten Tuscany-Piedmont path — you should be making reservations here.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
SoMa · San Francisco · Steakhouse with Japanese influence
Alexander's is a serious wine destination dressed up as a steakhouse — the list is deep, the staff knows it, and the room supports it. Just go in eyes open: this is a splurge-or-go-home situation, and the markups reflect exactly where you are.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Embarcadero · San Francisco · Steakhouse, American
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.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Proper
· Boston · Steakhouse
STK Boston has the square footage, the lighting, and the noise level of a place that should have a serious wine program — instead it has 142 labels of stuff you've already tried. Order a cocktail, or pick the most interesting bottle you can find and move on.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Chicago · Steakhouse
This is not the wine list you expect to find at The Palm, and that's exactly why it earns attention. Six bottles, zero filler, genuinely fair pricing — if someone's tending this list, they deserve a raise.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Atlantic City · Steakhouse
We wouldn't fly to Atlantic City for this wine list, but if you're already here, this is the last thing you expected and the best reason to sit down. Six bottles, zero safe choices — someone cares, and it shows.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
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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