Greek Wine in Chicago? Finally, Someone Gets It.
Fulton Market · Chicago · Greek · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 13, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Lyra’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You walk into Lyra's moody, buzzy Fulton Market dining room and the wine list feels like it actually belongs here — not an afterthought bolted onto a pretty restaurant. The Greek focus is real and committed, not a token Assyrtiko dropped in next to a wall of California Cabs. This is one of the few spots in Chicago where you can actually explore Greek wine with intention.
The list runs 120-180 bottles and leans hard into Greece, which is exactly what it should do. Santorini is well represented with Domaine Sigalas and Hatzidakis both showing up for Assyrtiko — two of the island's benchmark producers — alongside Gaia's Thalassitis, which is a serious third option in the same grape. Northern Greece gets love too: Boutari Naoussa and Alpha Estate both bring Xinomavro to the table, the grape that deserves to be talked about the way people talk about Nebbiolo. Domaine Gerovassiliou's Malagousia rounds out the white side nicely. California fills out the gaps with crowd-pleasing anchors like Kosta Browne and Ridge, keeping the list accessible without being lazy.
With 12-18 pours running $12-$22, the by-the-glass program has real range for a cuisine-focused restaurant. The hope is that Greek bottles rotate through the glass program — an Assyrtiko by the glass at a Greek restaurant in Chicago is exactly what the city needs more of. The pricing ceiling at $22 is reasonable for the Fulton Market zip code.
Boutari Naoussa Xinomavro — $45–$65
Xinomavro is the Nebbiolo of Greece — high acid, savory, structured — and Boutari is the accessible entry point into the grape. At the lower end of Lyra's price range, you're getting a wine that would command serious attention in a blind tasting. Order this before the table defaults to something familiar.
Domaine Gerovassiliou Malagousia
Most people at this table are reaching for the Assyrtiko, and understandably so. But Malagousia is the white grape that Greek wine geeks actually get excited about — floral, aromatic, lower acid than Assyrtiko, and genuinely distinctive. Gerovassiliou basically rescued the variety from near-extinction. Skip past it and you're missing something.
Kosta Browne Pinot Noir
Kosta Browne is fine wine, no argument there, but you didn't come to a Greek restaurant in Fulton Market to drink a $90+ Sonoma Pinot that you could order at a hundred other places in Chicago. The markup on well-known California names rarely favors the diner, and the opportunity cost here is real — that money goes much further on the Greek side of this list.
Domaine Sigalas Assyrtiko + Whole Roasted Fish
Sigalas Assyrtiko is high-acid, mineral, and saline in a way that almost tastes like it was designed to sit next to fish pulled from the Aegean. The whole roasted fish at Lyra is the move anyway, and this pairing is about as culinarily honest as it gets — same soil, same sea, same table.
The Bottom Line
Lyra earns its Wine Spectator nod by doing something genuinely rare in Chicago: building a wine list that takes Greek producers seriously and prices them fairly. If you've been sleeping on Greek wine, this is the restaurant that will change that.
· Chicago · Brazilian Steakhouse
Fogo de Chão Chicago's wine list is built for throughput, not discovery — it's reliable, reasonably ranged by the glass, and anchored by South American selections that at least make thematic sense with the food. The markups are steeper than we'd like and the list won't excite anyone who drinks wine as seriously as they eat meat, but the Catena Malbec and the Bodega Garzón Albariño are legitimate picks that rise above the crowd-pleaser baseline. Come for the churrasco, drink the Catena, and don't overthink it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
River North · Chicago · Seafood
A seafood house with a long, mixed list: a Seafood Whites section, Burgundy and Napa depth, and 22 pours by the glass. Order the Marc Brédif "Royal Oyster" Muscadet with a half dozen oysters, or start with the $11/glass Charles de Fère, and confirm current prices. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
River North · Chicago · Mediterranean, Steakhouse
A Napa-heavy bottle list with a real Greek section and a short, priced glass board. Start with the $10 happy-hour Vermentino or, if you are staying for dinner, the AA Sigalas Assyrtiko at $75, and confirm prices and availability when you sit down. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Magnificent Mile · Chicago · Mediterranean
A 38-pour glass list with unpriced Champagne and Burgundy-heavy bottle pages behind it. Start with the $14 Tiberio Trebbiano or the $15 Thymiopoulos Assyrtiko, and ask for bottle prices because the posted bottle pages carry none. This unrated guide covers the posted drinks menu, not service, storage or markups.
Fulton Market · Chicago · Mediterranean, Middle Eastern
A Mediterranean list built around Greece and Lebanon, with 18 wines on the by-the-glass pages. Start with the Kalokaíri rosé (16 / 64) or the Chateau Musar "Jeune Rouge" (19 / 76), and confirm current vintages and prices. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
River North · Chicago · American
A short 14-wine list, with most price pairs between $13 and $15 and four single-price wines at $72 to $80. Order the Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling at $13 | 50, or the Provence rosé if you want the one French wine, and ask which number is the glass price. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Central City · Salt Lake City · Greek
A short, Greek-focused list (with one bottle from Cyprus) that is easy to scan from light to full. Start with the Skouras Moschofilero or the St. George Agiorgitiko at $15 a glass, then ask about the rotating glass; if you bring your own bottle, the list posts a $15 corkage fee that is waived when you buy a bottle in house. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Seaport · Boston · Greek
A 31-wine list where Greece is a minority, six wines among Italian, French, Spanish and American bottles, so choose the Greek ones on purpose. Start with the Kir Yianni Naoussa Xinomavro (16 | 64) and ask which number is the glass, or go to the Theopetra white from Meteora at 75. This unrated guide covers the posted drinks selection, not service, storage or markups.
Downtown · Walla Walla · Greek
Yamas is a casual Greek eatery that has absolutely no business having a wine list this interesting — and we mean that as the highest compliment. If you're in Walla Walla and want to drink something genuinely unexpected without spending fine-dining money, this is your spot.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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