Serious Cellar Meets Oceanfront Tandoori
Miami Beach · Miami Beach · Asian, Indian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 7, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at JAYA lands like a quiet flex — no flashy cover, just 350-plus selections that immediately signal this hotel restaurant takes its cellar seriously. Champagne leads the charge, and the French and California sections read like a highlight reel of the last two decades of great vintages. This is not the wine list your average beach resort puts together.
The list earns its Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence with depth across all five of its core regions: Champagne, California, France, Bordeaux, and Italy. You'll find trophy bottles like Château Pétrus 2015, Screaming Eagle, and Salon Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs sitting alongside more approachable but still serious picks like Gaja Barbaresco and Tignanello. The Bordeaux section leans heavily on the prestige estates — Château Margaux, Château Léoville-Las Cases, Château Pétrus — which is great if you're celebrating, but mid-tier Bordeaux options feel thin. Italy is a genuine strength: Sassicaia and Tignanello anchor a Super Tuscan run that holds its own against anything on Collins Avenue.
Eighteen to twenty-eight options by the glass is a real program, not an afterthought — and on Wednesdays, it becomes genuinely dangerous territory with half-price bottles across the list. Glass pour pricing runs $14 to $28, which is fair for the address and the quality level. Rotation isn't confirmed as aggressive, but with sommeliers Cesar Jovenel and Ilber Garcia running the floor, you're likely to get an honest recommendation rather than a default upsell.
Gaja Barbaresco — $280
At $280, Gaja Barbaresco is as close to a deal as this list gets. Retail typically runs $160-180, so the markup is steep but not obscene by luxury hotel standards. For a wine of this pedigree — one of Piedmont's benchmark producers — it's the bottle we'd order without losing sleep.
Château Léoville-Las Cases
Most tables at JAYA reach straight for Margaux or Pétrus, and Léoville-Las Cases gets overlooked as a result. It's a Saint-Julien second growth that consistently punches at first-growth level — structured, age-worthy, and the kind of wine that makes the whole table lean in when you pour it.
Château Pétrus 2015
At $4,500 on the list, Pétrus is a status order, not a wine order. The 2015 is a magnificent bottle — no argument there — but the markup at this level is stratospheric, and you can drink extraordinarily well on this same list for a fraction of the price. Order it if someone else is paying.
Krug Grande Cuvée + Crab and Avocado Cha Cha Cha
Krug Grande Cuvée's richness and toasty depth have enough weight to stand up to the creamy avocado while its acidity cuts right through the crab. It's the kind of combination that makes a Tuesday feel like an occasion — or a Wednesday, when that bottle comes at half price.
Wednesday — Half-price wine bottles on Wednesdays across the list — the single best reason to plan your visit mid-week.
🔥 The Bottom Line
JAYA is a serious wine destination wearing a beach hotel's clothes — the cellar is deep, the sommeliers know their stuff, and Wednesday half-price bottles make one of Miami Beach's best lists suddenly accessible. Markup is steep across the board, but if you pick smart, you'll drink very well here.
Miami Beach · Miami Beach · Mediterranean
HaSalon is the last place you'd expect to find a serious Burgundy program, and that's exactly what makes it a Wild Card worth your time. Come for the dinner, stay for the dance party, and let Yoann Bagat point you toward something from the Côte d'Or you won't regret in the morning.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Miami Beach · Miami Beach · Seafood, Steakhouse
Papi Steak's wine list is built for the room — big, bold, and built to impress — and it does its job well enough to earn a Wine Spectator nod. Send a friend here if they love Cabernet, a good steak, and don't mind paying Miami prices for the privilege.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Miami Beach · Miami Beach · Italian
Macchialina is the rare Miami Beach restaurant where the wine list doesn't feel like an afterthought or a tourist trap — it's a focused, Italy-only program that rewards curious drinkers and won't empty your wallet before dessert. Send a friend here? Absolutely, but tell them to skip the Amarone.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Miami Beach · Miami Beach · Steak House
Smith & Wollensky Miami Beach earns its Best of Award of Excellence — this is a deep, well-managed list with a real sommelier and a Wednesday half-price program that makes serious bottles suddenly accessible. The markups on the trophy wines are steep, but if you know where to look, you can drink very well here.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Active Program
Proper
Miami Beach · Miami Beach · Steak House
Prime 54 is the real deal — a cellar that earns the award on its wall, a sommelier who actually knows the list, and enough depth to reward repeat visits at multiple price points. Just go in with eyes open on the markup, pick your battles, and let Eugenia steer you past the obvious choices.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Miami Beach · Miami Beach · Japanese
Makoto is a genuinely surprising wine list hiding inside a beautiful Japanese restaurant by the ocean — the France and California depth is real, the Wednesday half-price night is a gift, and the Puligny from Leflaive alone is worth the detour. Just know that the markups climb fast once you move into trophy territory, and there's no dedicated sommelier to guide you through it.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Willing but Green
Occasional
Proper
Menlo Park · Menlo Park · Asian, Indian
An Indian restaurant with a Wine Spectator award, a real sommelier, and a Wednesday half-price wine night is exactly the kind of place Raging Wine exists to find. The markups skew steep on the headline bottles, but the program has genuine intention behind it — and that makes all the difference.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Active Program
Proper
Lincoln · Lincoln · Asian, Indian
The Oven is the most surprising wine list in Nebraska and would be a legitimate destination in any city — a kitchen cooking bold, spice-driven food with a sommelier-driven cellar to back it up. Send your friends here and tell them to skip the Caymus.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.