3,700 Bottles Deep and Still Counting
Bellevue · Seattle · Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 17, 2026
RagingWine reviewed John Howie Steak’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Seven hundred labels. Thirty-seven hundred bottles. When the wine list arrives at John Howie Steak, it's less a menu and more a declaration of intent. This is a serious cellar operation, and they want you to know it from the jump.
The backbone here is Washington and California red, and it's formidable — Quilceda Creek verticals stretching back to 1994, Leonetti Cabernet going back to 1996, Dunn, Silver Oak, Caymus, and all five Bordeaux First Growths including Petrus sitting in the wings. The Pacific Northwest representation alone would make most wine bars blush. Global breadth is there too, so it's not purely a cab-and-steak echo chamber, but let's be honest: this list was built for people who want to open something serious next to a dry-aged prime cut, and it delivers at that mission without apology.
By-the-glass specifics weren't available in our research, which is a mild frustration given the depth of the bottle list. With a sommelier on staff and a cellar this size, we'd expect a thoughtful rotating glass program — but we can't confirm counts or current pours, so ask your server directly and push for something off the beaten path.
Washington Cabernet Sauvignon (50 wines under $30 range) — $30
John Howie keeps roughly 50 bottles priced under $30, which is a genuine effort at accessibility given the overall list skews collector-tier. In a room where Petrus is on the menu, finding a drinkable Washington Cab at entry-level pricing is the move for anyone who wants to eat well without financing a second mortgage.
Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon (vertical selections)
Most people walk past the verticals and order whatever they recognize. That's a mistake. Quilceda Creek's older vintages sitting in this cellar represent some of the finest Cabernet produced in Washington State — full stop. If you've never tasted what a decade of bottle age does to a great Washington Cab, this is the place to find out, and the staff can actually walk you through it.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon
Caymus is fine, but it's the safe, expensive choice that every steakhouse in America stocks. At the markup you'll pay here, you're getting a wine you could find at any neighborhood wine shop, in a room that has Quilceda Creek verticals. Don't waste the real estate.
Leonetti Cellar Merlot + Prime Custom-Aged Steak
Leonetti Merlot has the structure and dark fruit concentration to stand up to serious beef without bulldozing it. Washington Merlot at this level is underrated against steak compared to Cab, and Leonetti is the argument for why. Order a properly aged-cut and let this wine remind you that Merlot never actually went anywhere.
The Bottom Line
John Howie Steak is the real deal for anyone who takes their cellar seriously — the depth, the verticals, and the on-staff expertise put it in a different category than most steakhouses. The markups will sting, but if you're here to open something special, the inventory to do it properly is absolutely in that cellar.
Belltown · Seattle · Pizza
Belltown Pizza's wine list won't be the reason you come back, but it also won't be the reason you're annoyed. Fair prices, local representation, and just enough Italian to make sense — it does the job without making you think too hard.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Eastlake · Seattle · Italian
Serafina is a reliable Italian neighborhood spot with a wine list that matches its ambitions — cozy, competent, and a little expensive for what it is. Send a friend here for the pasta and Nebbiolo, but warn them to steer clear of the Prosecco markups.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Capitol Hill · Seattle · French / Northwest Seafood and Wine Bar
Bar Melusine is what Capitol Hill needed more of: a focused, France-forward wine program that actually earns its place next to the food. If you're eating oysters in Seattle, this should be in your regular rotation.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Magnolia · Seattle · Italian
Picolinos is the kind of neighborhood Italian where the wine list genuinely backs up the food, and that's rarer than it should be. Send your friends here if they want a proper Barolo with their osso buco without flying to Turin.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Pike Place Market · Seattle · Italian-American with Northwest influence
The Pink Door is a reliable wine list in a genuinely great room — the atmosphere does a lot of heavy lifting, and the wine program is good enough not to get in the way of a memorable evening. Just watch the markups, stick to the Italian bottles, and let the trapeze act do the rest.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Capitol Hill · Seattle · Modern steakhouse with French-influenced Pacific Northwest cuisine
Bateau is the rare steakhouse where the wine list earns as much attention as what's on the butcher board. Markups keep it from being a total steal, but the depth, the staff, and the Pacific Northwest-first perspective make this one worth the splurge.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Honolulu · Steakhouse
The Capital Grille Hawaii's wine list does what the brand does everywhere — it's safe, corporate, and priced to capture resort-market margins. The Champagne selection is genuinely deep and includes some worthwhile picks like the Paul Bara and the Llopart Cava, but markups are steep and there's little here to excite anyone looking beyond the obvious. If you're here for a steak and want bubbles, you'll find something that works — just don't expect the list to dazzle you.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Waikiki · Honolulu · Steakhouse
BLT Steak Waikiki is a competent, crowd-pleasing steakhouse wine list in a setting where you're mostly paying for the view and the popovers. If wine is central to your evening, call ahead and ask what's actually open — the list's documented depth isn't enough to guarantee a great bottle without some homework. Come for the porterhouse, manage your wine expectations.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Decatur · Steakhouse
Kevin Rathbun Steak has built a by-the-glass program that takes wine seriously enough to include Chablis, Oregon Pinot, and Realm Cellars on the same list — that's not nothing. Markups trend steep at the top end, and without verified dish information we can't tell you what to order with what. But if you're eating here and skipping the wine list entirely, you're leaving the best part of the menu alone.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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