David Chang's LA joint drinks better than expected
Chinatown / North Industrial DTLA · Los Angeles · Korean / New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 21, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Majordomo’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into Majordomo, you half-expect a wine list that's an afterthought to the smoked short rib — but it's not. The list lands somewhere between serious and playful, which is exactly right for a room that serves pa jeon next to large-format beef ribs. It earns your attention fast.
The list runs 150-250 labels deep with a genuine point of view: classic Old World anchors like Raveneau Chablis and Domaine Tempier Bandol sit alongside natural-leaning picks like Hiyu Wine Farm out of Oregon and Beaujolais cru producers that actually know what they're doing. There's even a David Chang collaboration red blend — Command + Conquer — that feels at home here rather than gimmicky. Gaps exist on the affordable end; the list skews toward the $100+ tier with fewer entry-level wins. But for a Korean-inflected American restaurant in an industrial DTLA warehouse, the depth and ambition are genuinely surprising.
The BTG program runs roughly 10-18 options, which is respectable range for a list this size. We didn't find verified glass prices, which is a transparency miss, but the selection appears to rotate with some intention rather than just defaulting to bulk Chardonnay and Cabernet. If the sommelier team is steering the glass list the way they've curated the bottles, it's worth asking what's pouring that night.
Beaujolais Cru (producer on list) — $60+
Beaujolais cru at a restaurant this caliber is almost always the smart move — bright, food-friendly, and chronically underordered, which means the markup pressure is lower. It's the bottle that makes your table look smart without wrecking the bill.
Hiyu Wine Farm
Most people walk past Oregon natural wine at a Korean-American restaurant without a second look, which is exactly why you should order it. Hiyu is a biodynamic farm in Hood River making some of the most interesting, textured wines in the Pacific Northwest — it earns its place on a list this serious.
Command + Conquer Red Blend
The David Chang collab is a fun story, but celebrity-adjacent wine at a restaurant that made it doesn't need your charity. The markup on a house-adjacent bottle is almost never kind, and the list has far more interesting bottles for the same or less money.
Domaine Tempier Bandol + Large-format smoked short rib
Tempier's Bandol — built on Mourvèdre — is one of the few wines that can actually stand up to deeply smoked, fatty beef without getting steamrolled. The wine's iron, herbs, and dark fruit push back on the richness and cut through the smoke. It's a serious pairing for a serious plate of meat.
The Bottom Line
Majordomo's wine list is the best argument for ignoring your preconceptions about a celebrity chef's LA warehouse restaurant — it's ambitious, well-curated, and staffed by people who actually care. Prices climb quickly, so go in with a budget in mind, but yes, send your wine-loving friends here.
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Fogo de Chão's wine list isn't trying to be a destination — it's trying to support a meat-forward meal without emptying your wallet, and it largely succeeds. The South American focus makes geographic sense, the pricing is fair for LA, and there are a few genuinely good bottles hiding in a otherwise safe list. If you're going for the full churrasco experience, grab the Lapostolle Sauvignon Blanc or the Catena Alta Chardonnay and let the gauchos do the rest.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Beverly Hills · Los Angeles · Italian
Il Cielo punches above its list size with some genuinely smart Italian picks and pricing that — especially on the Barolo — borders on generous. It's not a destination wine list, but it's a thoughtful one, and in Beverly Hills that's worth something. If you're going for a special occasion bottle, head straight to the Piedmont and Montalcino section and don't look back.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Hollywood · Los Angeles · Italian
A big-ticket Italian and Napa list with a genuine glass section: 14 wines by the glass from $15 to $85, then 89 bottles from $55 to $3,000. Start with the Prunotto Barolo at $30 a glass, or the Guidalberto at $145 if you want a Bolgheri bottle, and confirm prices because the page is undated. This unrated guide covers the posted drinks page, not service, storage or markups.
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Hollywood · Los Angeles · Neapolitan Italian, Pizza
An all-Italian list that runs from a $50 Bardolino to a $300 Emidio Pepe Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, with 15 wines poured by the glass. Start with the 18 / 72 Rocca del Principe Fiano di Avellino next to the $25 Margherita, or the 16 / 64 Primo Monte orange Trebbiano if you want something off the Chianti track, and confirm prices. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Downtown Los Angeles · Los Angeles · French-inspired, New American
A 19-wine glass list where 17 pours land between $14 and $18. Start with the $13 Noble Vines Pinot Grigio or the $14 Intercept Pinot Noir, and put the $17 French onion soup next to a $52 bottle of Whispering Angel; confirm prices, since the list is undated. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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