French classics at 3am? Oui.
Flatiron · New York · French · Visit Website ↗
Updated June 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 20, 2026
RagingWine reviewed L'Express’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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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.
Downtown · New York · Steakhouse
STK Downtown is a place where people order Champagne to celebrate, not to drink — and the wine program is built accordingly. If you're here for the vibe and someone else is paying, pop the Dom and enjoy it; if you actually care about what's in your glass, you're in the wrong room.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Midtown · New York · Upscale Seafood & Steakhouse
Three happy hour wines do not a wine program make. Ocean Prime is a place you eat well and drink safely — but if wine is a priority, this list will let you down before the bread basket arrives.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
Midtown · New York · Steakhouse
STK Midtown is a great place to see and be seen, but the wine list is there to pad the check, not to excite you. If you're here for the experience, lean on the cocktails or grab a glass of Bonanza at the bar — don't expect the bottle list to reward any real curiosity.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Midtown West · New York · Russian-American
The Russian Tea Room treats wine as an afterthought dressed up in Champagne flutes — five famous labels at punishing prices with no range, no by-the-glass program, and no apparent curiosity about wine beyond what looks impressive on a table. Go for the spectacle, order the caviar, but don't come here expecting a wine list.
Grocery Store
Gouge
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· New York · Restaurant
David Burke Tavern's list is a Chardonnay lover's comfort zone with a solid sparkling section propping up the top — but the narrow focus and steep pricing mean you're paying for familiarity, not discovery. Send a friend here if they want California whites and a glass of Champagne; send them somewhere else if they want to explore.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· New York · Restaurant
Corima's wine list is proof that ten well-chosen bottles beat a hundred thoughtless ones every time. If you care about what's in your glass, this place is worth your attention.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Topeka · French
Chez Yasu clearly puts its energy into the kitchen, not the cellar — but two grocery-store wines at a notable markup is not a wine program, it's an oversight. Order water, order a cocktail, or call ahead and ask about corkage.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Telluride / San Juan Avenue · Telluride · French
La Marmotte isn't trying to be a wine bar — it's a cozy French bistro that happens to have a genuinely thoughtful, all-French, all-glass list that punches well above the Telluride baseline. If you're eating duck confit in the mountains and someone hands you JL Chave Syrah for $26, you say yes.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Napa · Napa · French
Angele is a genuinely good neighborhood anchor in one of the world's most wine-saturated zip codes — fair pricing, familiar producers, and a waterfront setting that earns its keep. It won't challenge you, but it won't disappoint you either, and that's not nothing.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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