Houston's Italian anchor with serious cellar credentials
Uptown Park · Houston · Italian, Mediterranean · Visit Website ↗
Updated June 2026
Reviewed April 28, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Lombardi Cucina Italiana’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Lombardi arrives feeling like a love letter to the Italian peninsula — Tuscany and Piedmont front and center, California riding shotgun. It's polished without being stuffy, which fits the room: white tablecloths but not a museum. A Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for 2025 confirms this isn't an afterthought list.
Italy dominates the way it should at a place like this — Barolo from Ceretto and Marchesi di Barolo, Brunello from Banfi and Poggio Antico, and Super Tuscans headlined by Tignanello and Sassicaia. Gaja Barbaresco anchors the prestige end of the Piedmont section and signals the kitchen takes its Italian bonafides seriously. The California contingent is tight but credible: Jordan and Stag's Leap Wine Cellars give Cab-lovers a familiar handhold without overpowering the Italian identity. Gaps show up in Southern Italy and white varietals — if you're hunting Vermentino or Greco di Tufo, you'll be underwhelmed.
The by-the-glass program runs a respectable 12-20 options, which gives a table of mixed drinkers real options beyond house pours. We'd expect Chianti Classico, a Super Tuscan, and at least one California Cab to anchor the list, plus a handful of whites. Rotation feels limited — this reads more like a set menu than a living program.
Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley — $65
Jordan is one of California's most consistent Cabs and regularly retails around $30-35 — even at Italian restaurant markup it clears the bar as the most approachable premium bottle on the California side of the list.
Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino
Banfi gets the clicks because it's the name everyone knows, but Poggio Antico makes a more focused, terroir-driven Brunello that most tables walk right past. If it's on the list, it's the move.
Sassicaia
Sassicaia is a legend, full stop — but at a restaurant it's almost always marked up to a price point where you're paying for the name more than the glass. Save it for a bottle shop and order the Tignanello instead.
Ceretto Barolo + Osso buco
Barolo and braised veal shank is one of the great Italian pairings for a reason — the wine's tannin and acid cut right through the richness of the marrow while the cherry and tar notes echo the gremolata. Ceretto's approachable style makes it work without needing another decade in the cellar.
The Bottom Line
Lombardi is a dependable upscale Italian with a wine list that earns its Award of Excellence — Italy is well-represented and the prestige bottles are genuinely exciting. Pricing leans steep and the program could use more energy, but for Houston's Uptown Park crowd looking for a Barolo with their pappardelle, this delivers.
· 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.
Scottsdale · Scottsdale · Italian, Mediterranean
A short, Italian-leaning wine list with a note that the full list is available on request. Start with the Planeta Grillo at 12/40 or the Noussan Petit Arvine at 23/80, ask which number is the glass price, and confirm everything, since the files are linked with 2024 dates in their names. This unrated guide covers the posted wine PDF, not service, storage or markups.
River Oaks · Houston · Italian, Mediterranean
Zanti's list is large and Italy-heavy, and the glass pages are the easiest way into it. Order the $16 Nozzole Chianti Classico Riserva, or splurge on the $35 Caparzo Brunello with the braised lamb ossobuco. Confirm vintages and availability, since the list is marked October 2026. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Decatur · Decatur · Italian, Mediterranean
Café Lily is your dependable Decatur neighborhood restaurant that happens to take its wine seriously enough to earn a Wine Spectator nod — nothing flashy, but never a disappointment. Go on a Tuesday, order the lamb, and let the half-price wine night do the rest.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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