Italian Muscle Cars in a Posh Houston Room
River Oaks · Houston · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Updated October 2026
Reviewed April 28, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed La Griglia’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at La Griglia arrives with some weight to it — 250-plus bottles skewing hard toward Italy, which is exactly what you want when you're sitting under colorful murals in one of Houston's splashiest Italian dining rooms. Wine Spectator handed them an Award of Excellence in 2024, and you can see why the moment you hit the Piedmont section. This is not a list that's phoning it in.
Piedmont and Tuscany run the show here, and they run it well — Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello di Montalcino, and a Super Tuscan lineup that includes Sassicaia and Tignanello, which are the names people actually want to see. Producers like Gaja and Antinori anchor the Italian side with serious credibility. California gets its corner too, led by the crowd-favorite duo of Caymus and Silver Oak Cabernet — predictable choices, sure, but they sell for a reason and they're here if you need them. The list doesn't stray far from its Italian-Californian lane, so if you're hunting for Burgundy or Rioja, you may feel a little stranded.
With 20-35 by-the-glass options, La Griglia isn't stingy about letting you explore without committing to a bottle. The glass program likely pulls from both the Italian and California strengths of the broader list, giving you a real shot at finding something worthwhile for a solo pour. We'd love to see more rotation and seasonal programming here — the program feels solid but a bit static.
Chianti Classico Riserva — $45
Entry point into serious Tuscan Sangiovese without the Brunello price tag — this is the bottle that lets you eat well and drink well on the same ticket.
Barbaresco
Everyone reaches for the Barolo, but Barbaresco often delivers the same Nebbiolo complexity with a little more finesse and, frequently, a friendlier price point — don't sleep on it.
Caymus Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
Caymus is fine wine, but it's also one of the most marked-up bottles on any restaurant list in America. You're paying a premium for a label everyone already knows — the Italian side of this list has far more interesting options at a better relative value.
Sassicaia + Wild Boar Chop
A bold Super Tuscan built on Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc needs something equally assertive — the gamey, rich wild boar chop is exactly that match, and this is the kind of pairing that makes you remember a dinner.
The Bottom Line
La Griglia is a genuinely reliable wine destination for Italian-focused bottles in Houston, with real sommelier support and a list that earns its Wine Spectator credential. The markups keep it from being a true Rager, but if you navigate toward the Italian side and away from the celebrity California labels, you can drink very well here.
· Houston · Steakhouse
Six bottles shouldn't work this well, but The Palm Houston's list reads like someone with actual taste had five minutes and zero budget to fix the wine program — and somehow nailed it. We can't speak to service knowledge or storage conditions with confidence, but the value here, especially that Lucien Crochet at $23, is hard to argue with. If you're eating at The Palm anyway, ignore every instinct to order something familiar and trust the list.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Houston · Seafood Steakhouse
Truluck's Houston wines by the glass read like an afterthought appended to what is probably a serious seafood and steak menu. Eight safe, mid-tier California and Spanish pours at steep per-glass pricing is not a wine program — it's a placeholder. If wine matters to your evening, manage expectations or ask what's available on a full bottle list that wasn't captured here.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Ave · Houston · Upscale American Seafood and Steakhouse
Eddie V's is a reliable choice if someone else is picking up the tab and you want a well-maintained list with competent staff to guide you through it. For a self-funded wine night, the likely markups at this price point mean you're paying for the room as much as the bottle — which is fine, as long as you know that going in.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Montrose · Houston · Mediterranean
A very large list organized as Boundaries and Frontiers, with a short glass page that includes Champagne, Portuguese wines, port and madeira. Order the $15/glass Gota Branco, or ask about the Luis Seabra Douro red at 90 (unit not posted) from the Portugal pages, and confirm current availability. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Montrose · Houston · European
A Montrose restaurant with a color-and-country wine list, a separate Rosé & Orange page, and an 18-wine glass list on the dinner menu. Try the Foillard Beaujolais-Villages at 86 (unit not posted) or the Campuget rosé at 14|52 from the glass list, and check the half-off wine windows on the menu. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Downtown · Houston · American Bar
A short, tidy wine list at a bourbon bar, with a bottle price printed next to every glass. Order the Jermann Pinot Grigio at $16 a glass if you want white, or the Altocedro Malbec at $15 if you want red, and confirm prices because the page isn't dated. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
· Lafayette · Italian
Cafe' Bella looks like a genuinely pleasant place to eat Italian in Lafayette, and the atmosphere alone earns it a shot. But until we can document the wine list properly — real bottles, real prices — we can't give you the specific guidance you deserve. Go for the Eggplant Parmigiana and the room; ask your server what they're pouring by the glass and take it from there.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· West Palm Beach · Italian
Santucci runs a tight, Italy-focused wine list that rewards the curious — Etna wines, a real Barolo by the glass, a Sicilian Frappato at a fair price. Markup is reasonable across the board, and the all-pours-available-by-the-glass setup is a genuine differentiator in this price range. If you're eating Italian in West Palm Beach and you want to drink something more interesting than the Chianti default, this list earns your attention.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Billings · Italian
Ciao Mambo has assembled an Italian wine list that would hold up at a serious restaurant in a much larger market — Vietti Barolo, Marchesi di Gresy Barbaresco, and a Valle d'Aosta oddity on the same list in Billings is genuinely impressive. Without pricing or glass program data we can't call it a Rager, but if you're passing through Montana and want a real bottle of Nebbiolo with your pasta, this is your move.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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