The Wine List Time Forgot
North Bismarck · Bismarck · Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 15, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Kobe's Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Take Vibe Match and we’ll tell you what to order here.
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Kobe's is exactly what you'd expect to find tucked behind a hostess stand in 2004 — and it hasn't moved since. Eight labels, most of which you could grab at any gas station with a liquor license, greeted us with all the enthusiasm of a shrug emoji. This is a wine list that exists because a restaurant has to have one, not because anyone cared.
The full roster reads like a greatest-hits album from the bargain bin: Beringer White Zinfandel, Woodbridge Pinot Grigio, Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay, Blackstone Merlot, Robert Mondavi Pinot Noir, Jacob's Creek Moscato, Jacob's Creek Cabernet Sauvignon, and a Relax Riesling for the adventurous. The one genuinely interesting pour — Takara Plum Wine from Japan — at least nods to the restaurant's cuisine, even if the $24.95 bottle price is doing a lot of heavy lifting on a $13.99 retail product. There are no small producers, no regional curiosity, no attempt to find something that might actually complement hibachi or sushi. California bulk wine and Australian supermarket brands carry the entire bench.
Four house-wine-by-the-glass options clock in at $8.95 each — a Chardonnay, White Zinfandel, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon — and here's the strange twist: the house pours are actually priced at or below retail, which makes them the only honest transaction on the list. The named-label pours jump to $9.95–$10.95 a glass, which is fine until you remember what's in the glass. Rotation is not a concept this list has encountered.
House Merlot — $8.95
At $8.95 a glass against a $9.99 retail bottle, the house Merlot is essentially priced at cost — practically unheard of in restaurant wine math. It's not exciting, but if you're ordering wine here, this is the least punishing option.
Takara Plum Wine
It's overpriced at $24.95 a bottle and the markup is steep, but it's the only wine on this list that actually belongs in a Japanese steakhouse. Sweet, slightly tart, and genuinely fun with sushi or anything with a teriyaki glaze — it's the one pour that makes contextual sense, even if your wallet takes a hit.
Beringer White Zinfandel
A $7.99 retail bottle sitting at $19.95 on the menu — that's a 149% markup on pink sugar water. Skip it here, skip it everywhere.
Relax Riesling + Hibachi Shrimp
The residual sweetness and bright acidity in the Relax Riesling cuts through the buttery hibachi char and plays well against the soy-ginger sauces that typically land with the shrimp. It's the most food-friendly bottle on this list by a significant margin.
❌ The Bottom Line
Kobe's is a fun night out for the hibachi show and the sushi — just don't expect the wine list to be part of that fun. Order a Japanese beer, grab the house pour if you need wine, and save the serious drinking for somewhere else.
North Bismarck · Bismarck · Seafood
The wine list is exactly what you'd expect from a national chain — minimal effort, minimal reward. The $5 pours keep it from being a total write-off, but you're not coming to Red Lobster Bismarck for the wine, and nobody expects you to.
Crowd Pleasers
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Bismarck · Fine Dining Bar
For Bismarck, Pirogue Grille is doing respectable work — familiar producers, reasonable variety, and a glass program that won't leave you stranded. Just go in knowing the markups are steep, pick your battles, and let the 'J' Pinot or Sokol Blosser do the heavy lifting.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Northwest Bismarck · Bismarck · Pub / Bar Food
Old Town Tavern is a solid neighborhood pub that happens to have wine on the menu — emphasis on 'happens to.' Come for the steak dinner and the patio, order a beer or a cocktail, and treat the $5 Coastal Vines as a convenience, not a destination.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Bismarck · Bismarck · Italian Chain
Olive Garden Bismarck is a fine place to eat breadsticks and catch up with family. It is not a fine place to drink wine — the list is predictable, the markups are punishing, and nobody here is losing sleep over the cellar. Order the Riesling or the Chianti Classico, skip everything else, and save the serious bottle for a different night.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Bismarck · Bismarck · Steakhouse & Seafood
40 Steak + Seafood is doing exactly what a North Bismarck steakhouse should do with wine — safe, recognizable, and reasonably well-stocked — but don't come here looking for adventure or value. Come for the ribeye, pick Jordan or Goldeneye, and call it a win.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Bismarck · Upscale American Fine Dining
Pirogue Grille is doing the right things for Bismarck — a real wine list, proper glassware, and enough by-the-glass options to keep a table happy. The markups trend steep and the list plays it safe, but if you want a serious bottle with a serious steak in the middle of North Dakota, this is where you go.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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