A Century-Old Room That Still Delivers
Atlantic City · Seafood, Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Updated June 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 8, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Knife and Fork Inn’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into the Knife and Fork Inn, you feel the weight of 1912 immediately — pressed ceilings, dark wood, the kind of room that makes you want to order something expensive. The wine list matches the vibe: old-school, California-leaning, and not trying to impress anyone who just discovered Jura. This is a room built for Cabernet and steaks, and the list knows it.
With 300–500 bottles and a Best of Award of Excellence stretching back to 2009, this list has real bones. California dominates — Caymus, Silver Oak, Jordan, Far Niente, Opus One — and the Burgundy section leans on reliable shippers like Louis Jadot and Joseph Drouhin rather than any grower-producer deep cuts. There's a solid Chablis from Drouhin and a nod to Oregon with Domaine Drouhin's Pinot Noir, which is a nice gesture toward balance. Don't come here looking for natural wine or anything remotely off-script — this list is a steakhouse greatest-hits album, executed with consistency.
Twelve to twenty options by the glass is a respectable spread for a room like this, and you're likely looking at the usual suspects — a Caymus pour, something from Jordan, maybe a Chardonnay to open with. We'd love to see more rotation and experimentation here, but for a landmark steakhouse in Atlantic City, the glass program does the job without embarrassing anyone.
Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon — $50–$70 est.
Jordan is the sweet spot on a list that skews expensive. It consistently overdelivers for its tier — structured, food-friendly, and a fraction of what Opus One will run you here. Order this with the dry-aged ribeye and don't look back.
Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir
Everyone in this room is reaching for a Cab, and that's exactly why you should order the Drouhin Oregon Pinot. It's the lone Pacific Northwest flag on an otherwise California-and-France list, and it's genuinely elegant — lighter, cooler-climate, and a surprisingly good match for the lobster or crab cakes.
Opus One
It's Opus One. You're paying for the name, the bottle, and the feeling of ordering Opus One in Atlantic City. The wine is fine. The markup at a tourist-adjacent steakhouse is not. Jordan or Caymus gets you 80% of the experience at a fraction of the drama.
Far Niente Chardonnay + Crab Cakes
Far Niente is a rich, full-bodied California Chardonnay with enough weight to stand up to the richness of good crab cakes without bulldozing the delicate seafood underneath. It's the rare Chardonnay that feels at home on a steakhouse list and still earns its place.
The Bottom Line
The Knife and Fork Inn is a legitimate Atlantic City institution with a wine list that respects its own history — California-focused, Burgundy-adjacent, and built for the kind of dinner that takes two hours and ends with a digestif. The markups are real and there's no sommelier to guide you through the deep end, but the bones here are strong enough that you won't go wrong if you stick to the sweet spots.
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