French classics at 3am? Oui.
Flatiron · New York · French · Visit Website ↗
Updated June 2026
Reviewed April 20, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed L'Express’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
A 24-hour French brasserie with a wine list that actually takes itself seriously — that's the surprise here. Most all-night joints are happy to hand you a warm Malbec in a rocks glass; L'Express is holding a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence it's earned continuously since 1999. The list is tight, focused, and unapologetically French.
With 150-250 bottles, this isn't a sprawling cellar — it's a curated tour of France and nothing else, which is exactly the right call for a brasserie on Park Ave South. Burgundy anchors the list with names like Domaine Drouhin and Louis Jadot, while Bordeaux gets some serious representation via Château Pichon Baron and Château Lynch-Bages. The Rhône shows up through Chapoutier and Guigal, and there's Loire coverage with Henri Bourgeois Sancerre and Trimbach Riesling holding down Alsace. It's not encyclopedic, but it's coherent — a list that knows what it is.
Twelve to twenty pours by the glass is genuinely solid for a brasserie format, landing in the $12–$18 range. There's enough here to work through a long late-night dinner without defaulting to the same Côtes du Rhône all night. We'd like to see a little more rotation, but what's here covers the major French bases.
Henri Bourgeois Sancerre — $18
Clean, precise Loire Sauvignon Blanc at a price point that feels honest for New York City. Drinks well above its glass-pour weight next to mussels or a simple salad.
Trimbach Riesling (Alsace)
Most people at L'Express are reaching for Burgundy or Bordeaux — which means the Trimbach Riesling gets overlooked constantly. That's a mistake. Alsatian Riesling at a brasserie is a natural match, and Trimbach is one of the region's most reliable producers.
Château Lynch-Bages
It's a great wine — no argument there — but a Pauillac of this caliber deserves a proper dining room and focused attention, not a 2am burger run. At its price point here, you're paying for the name more than the experience. Save Lynch-Bages for a night built around the bottle.
Guigal Côtes du Rhône (Rhône Valley) + Steak Frites
Guigal's Côtes du Rhône is everything a steak frites wine should be — earthy, dark-fruited, a little rustic, and priced without embarrassment. It doesn't compete with the beef; it completes it. Classic brasserie logic.
The Bottom Line
L'Express is the rare late-night spot where the wine list is worth your actual attention — a focused, all-French selection backed by real sommelier presence in Thor Oren. If you need a serious glass of Burgundy at midnight in New York, this is your place.
SoHo · New York · Italian
A long bottle list with Italian, Burgundy and Champagne sections, fronted by a 22-wine glass page. For a glass, try the Skerk Orange Wine from Friuli at 25/95, and for a bottle on a lighter budget, the Volpaia Vermentino at 60; upstairs in the café, the labeled list pours Palistorti di Valgiano's orange Tuscan blend at Glass $22. Confirm prices before you order, because the site's Upstairs Café dinner menu and the beverage PDF do not match. This unrated guide covers the posted wine lists, not service, storage or markups.
Midtown East · New York · American, French
A Park Avenue restaurant whose posted wine list is a 21-wine glass list. Start with the $18 Leitz Riesling or the $19 Ogier Saint-Joseph. No bottle list is posted online, so ask the restaurant what is available by the bottle. This unrated guide covers the posted glass list, not service, storage or markups.
Hudson Yards · New York · American, Seasonal
A hotel restaurant whose list opens with a 13-pour glass page and then moves through Champagne, Burgundy, Austria and other regions. Start with the $29 Prager Grüner Veltliner or the $24 Do Ferreiro Albariño by the glass alongside the chilled oysters, and confirm current pricing since the list is dated 09.30.26. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
East Village · New York · Southern French, Wine Bar
A glass-only list of 15 Central and Eastern European pours from $18 to $26, with an orange wine section of five. Start with the Gal Tibor Egri Bikavér Superior at $18 or the Kapistoni Tavkveri at $23, and confirm prices because the list is undated. This unrated guide covers the posted by-the-glass list, not service, storage or markups.
Financial District · New York · American
A short posted wine selection, with the full list available by email. Start with the $17 Crafted Cava or the $18 Côte de Brouilly by the glass, and email ahead if you want the full list. This unrated guide covers only the nine posted wines, not service, storage or markups.
East Village · New York · American Steakhouse
A compact glass list at a beef-focused restaurant: 11 pours from $19 to $39 across France, Italy, Germany and California. Start with the $24 Domaine Perraud Chardonnay, or the $30 Signorello 'Edge' Cabernet if you're ordering steak, and confirm current pours because the page isn't dated. This unrated guide covers the posted glass list, not service, storage or markups.
River Market · Kansas City · French
A French-led list with 25 two-price wines up front and a long run of Burgundy, Bordeaux and Rhône bottles behind them. Start with the Chinon Le Garenne at 42 or the Cornas 'Granit 60' at 88, ask which number is the glass price, and confirm prices, since the page is undated. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Union Square · San Francisco · French
A 66-page list that starts with a 20-pour glass page and moves quickly into Burgundy, Rhône and Bordeaux bottles priced in the hundreds and thousands, so decide early whether you are drinking by the glass or committing to a bottle. Start with the $20 Chablis or the $23 Corsican red, and confirm today's list because it carries no print date. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Meatpacking District · New York · French
A French wine list with a wide price ladder: $16 glasses, $40 half bottles and $60 full bottles at the bottom, Pétrus and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti at the top. Start with the $16 Famille Coulon Rhône white by the glass, or spend $115 on the Marcel Deiss Alsace pinot noir, and check prices because the two PDFs show different bottle prices for Delos. This unrated guide covers the posted wine lists, not service, storage or markups.
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