Iberian coast vibes, deep in North Park
North Park · San Diego · Seafood-focused, gin and vermouth bar with Iberian/Spanish and Californian influences
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · June 21, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Mabel's Gone Fishing’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Mabel's Gone Fishing reads like a love letter to the Atlantic coast of Europe — Albariño, Txakolina, Godello, sherry — all the right words for a room full of tinned fish and crudo. It's compact, intentional, and immediately tells you this place has a point of view. Most neighborhood seafood spots punt on wine; this one did not.
The list leans hard into the Iberian northwest — Galicia, the Basque country, Portugal — and that focus is a feature, not a bug. You've got Albariño and Godello from Galicia, Txakolina fizzing in from the Basque coast, Vinho Verde sneaking in from Portugal, and a sherry section that actually earns its keep. There aren't 80 labels here, but every bottle feels like it belongs next to a plate of shellfish. The one gap is depth on the red side — if you're a Rioja loyalist, you may find yourself drinking white all night, which, frankly, is probably the right call anyway.
The glass program runs roughly 8–12 options and stays true to the coastal European theme rather than hedging with a generic California Chardonnay to please everyone. Fino and Manzanilla sherry by the glass is the move that sets this list apart from 95% of San Diego restaurants — more places should be doing this. Rotation appears to track the seasons, which keeps things interesting if you're a regular.
Txakolina — $60/bottle
At $60 on the list against roughly $24 retail, this is one of the fairer bottle markups on the menu — and Txakolina's bright, saline, slightly spritzy character is basically engineered to drink alongside raw shellfish and conservas. Order the bottle, not the glass.
Fino or Manzanilla Sherry
Most diners will scroll right past it, because sherry still carries the reputation of something your grandmother drinks at Christmas. That's their loss. A 3–5 oz pour of Fino or Manzanilla at $14 with a plate of tinned anchovies or a briny shellfish prep is one of the best value plays on the entire menu — nutty, saline, and bone dry in a way that makes the food taste better.
Spanish Albariño by the glass
At $16 a glass on a bottle that retails around $22, the glass markup math here is aggressive — you're essentially paying full bottle price for two pours. If you want Albariño, spring for a bottle of Txakolina or Godello instead and get better value and more wine. The Albariño isn't bad, it's just the least efficient spend on this list.
Galician Godello + Seasonal crudo or raw fish preparation
Godello from Galicia has enough texture and mineral tension to stand up to the clean, bright flavors of raw fish without steamrolling the delicate prep. It's richer than Albariño but still coastal in character — salinity, stone fruit, a little white pepper. It makes the crudo taste like it was caught ten minutes ago.
The Bottom Line
Mabel's is the rare neighborhood spot where the wine list actually matches the kitchen's ambition — focused, knowledgeable, and genuinely fun to drink through. If you've ever wanted to eat tinned fish and sip sherry like you're in a bar in San Sebastián, North Park will do just fine.
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Crowd Pleasers
Steep
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Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Crowd Pleasers
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Small but Thoughtful
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Crowd Pleasers
Steep
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Acceptable
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