Skip the Wine, Pour the Sake
Downtown · Ashland · Japanese
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 24, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Little Tokyo’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 Little Tokyo isn't really a wine list — it's a placeholder. Two or three house pours wedged between a solid sake menu and a respectable beer selection tells you everything you need to know about where the restaurant's priorities lie, and honestly, we respect the honesty of it.
What's here is about as generic as it gets: a house Chardonnay and a house Cabernet Sauvignon, both from unnamed California brands that could've come off any grocery store shelf. There's no regional curiosity, no attempt to find something that makes sense next to sushi or ramen, and no indication anyone on staff has thought about the wine program in a while. The sake list, by contrast, appears to have actual thought behind it — which tells you where to direct your attention.
You're looking at one to three pours, priced between $6 and $9 a glass, which is fair for what they are. The rotation appears nonexistent — these are house wines that sit and sit. Don't expect anything to surprise you here.
House Chardonnay — $7
At this price point it's hard to complain, and a cold Chardonnay alongside tempura is at least inoffensive. It's the least-bad option on a very short list.
House Chardonnay
Not a gem by any stretch, but if you're dead-set on wine and not sake, this is the move — the Cab will fight everything on the menu, and the Chardonnay at least stays out of the way.
House Cabernet Sauvignon
A generic California Cab has no business next to delicate sushi or clean noodle broths. It'll steamroll the food and you won't enjoy either. Order sake instead.
House Chardonnay + Tempura appetizers
The crisp, neutral profile of the house Chardonnay won't compete with lightly battered tempura the way the Cab would. It's faint praise, but it's the best pairing this list can offer.
❌ The Bottom Line
Little Tokyo is a solid casual Japanese spot that simply doesn't do wine — and that's fine, because their sake is where the real action is. Come for the sushi, drink the sake, and don't stress about the wine list.
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Fair
Basic Stemmed
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Steep
Basic Stemmed
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Acceptable
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