Milly's Wine Bar & Bistro

Walking into Milly's, the two-level space feels like someone in Minneapolis actually cared about building a real wine bar — not just slapping a wine list onto a bistro menu. The list lands somewhere between neighborhood wine bar and genuine discovery zone, with 80-plus bottles spanning Italy, California, Spain, and Greece. That's not a combination you see every day in the Mill District.

The list leans hard into Italy and California, which makes sense given the French-ish bistro framing, but the real surprise is the Greek and Spanish representation — Kir-Yianni 'Akakies' Rosé and Flor De Morca Garnacha are not bottles you stumble across on most Minneapolis wine lists. The 2017 Chiarli Barolo is the anchor of the Italian side, and at $22 a glass it's genuinely accessible for a wine that needs a decade to open up. California gets covered with recognizable names like Mer Soleil 'Silver' Chardonnay and Paso d'Oro Cab, which will keep the crowd happy even if they're not the most adventurous picks. There are gaps — Burgundy and the Loire Valley are basically absent — but for a neighborhood wine bar this is a list with actual ambition.

Eighteen-plus by-the-glass options is a strong program for any restaurant, let alone one with $30-and-under entrées. The range runs from $9 all the way to $24, which means there's a real entry point for casual weeknight sippers and something worth splurging on when the mood calls for it. The 2020 Crognolo Super Tuscan by the glass at $19 is the standout move here — that's a bottle-quality experience without committing to the full pour.