Canal Views, Serious Cellar, Suburban Surprise
Las Colinas · Irving · Mediterranean & Italian · Visit Website ↗
Updated August 2026
Reviewed June 27, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Monaco Restaurant’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You're sitting on the Las Colinas canals expecting a predictable steakhouse list, and instead you get Grivot Burgundy, Sasicaia, and a Champagne section that would embarrass most Dallas proper restaurants. This is not the wine list you ordered. It's better.
Seventy-two labels sounds modest until you see what's packed in there: a Champagne section with Bruno Paillard, Delamotte, and the rare Berlucchi '61 Franciacorta Brut Nature 2012 sitting alongside a grower like Liébart-Règnier. The Italian column punches hard — Barolo Riserva from Giovanni Manzone, Barbaresco from Cà del Baio, and Sasicaia for when you need to impress a table. France holds its own with a Grivot Boudots 2020 and a Château la Nerthe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc that almost nobody else in the suburbs is pouring. The one real gap is depth on natural and lower-intervention wines, which feels like a conscious choice toward the classic fine-dining customer rather than an oversight.
Fourteen pours is a strong glass program for a neighborhood restaurant, ranging $10–$22. The Gavalas Assyrtiko 2024 by the glass is the sleeper — Greek whites almost never show up on suburban Texas lists. The $22 top end on glass pours keeps the ceiling reasonable even if the bottle markups drift high.
Caretta 'Cascina Ferrero' Nebbiolo Barolo 2020 — $80
Entry-level Barolo at $80 is genuinely fair for a restaurant of this caliber — you're getting Nebbiolo with real structure and age-worthy bones without cracking three figures. Order this before you eye the Manzone Riserva.
Le Grand Bouqueteau Cabernet Franc Chinon
Loire Cab Franc in Irving, Texas. Almost nobody at this restaurant is ordering it, which means it's probably sitting at perfect temperature and being poured by someone who actually likes it. Earthy, cool-climate, and nothing like the Napa bottles dominating every other table.
Lynch-Bages Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2010
At $550 a bottle, you're paying a serious premium for a wine that's been in someone else's cellar for 15 years with no visibility into storage history. The 2010 is a great vintage for Pauillac, but the markup here is aggressive enough that you'd do better hunting this one down at retail or ordering the Sasicaia at $455 — at least that's a younger vintage with cleaner provenance.
Julien Cecillon 'Les Graviers' Syrah + Lamb Chops
Northern Rhône Syrah and lamb is a classic for a reason — the peppery, meaty character of a Cecillon Crozes-Hermitage-style Syrah cuts right through the fat on lamb chops without overpowering the herb crust. It's the kind of pairing that makes the food taste better and the wine taste better simultaneously.
The Bottom Line
Monaco is genuinely the last wine list you'd expect to find overlooking the Las Colinas canals, and that's the whole point. The markups will sting on the big bottles, but the depth of selection and a sommelier who clearly put thought into this list make it worth the trip — especially if you stick to the $80–$150 sweet spot.
· Irving · Southern Brazilian Churrasco
Fogo de Chão Irving is a reliable call for wine if you go in with calibrated expectations — you're not discovering anything new here, but a South American red alongside a carved Picanha is a perfectly sound plan. The Wednesday half-price wine night rumor is worth investigating before you book; if it holds up, it dramatically improves the value proposition on a list that otherwise skews steep.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Las Colinas · Irving · Italian
Italian Cafe is a reliable neighborhood option for a low-key dinner with wine that won't embarrass itself alongside the food. The wine program isn't the reason to come here — the lakeside atmosphere and comfort Italian cooking are — but it should hold its own for a casual weeknight out. If you're a serious wine drinker, temper expectations; if you just want something decent in the glass with your lobster ravioli, you'll be fine.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Las Colinas · Irving · Italian, steak, seafood
This is not the lazy hotel wine list you're bracing for. Someone made real choices here — Timorasso, Grignolino, Etna Rosso, Vajra — and priced most of them fairly for the setting. It earns the Wild Card badge because nothing about 'Ritz-Carlton in Irving, Texas' prepares you for a list this considered. If you're in Las Colinas for any reason, it's worth sitting down for a glass.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Varietal Specific
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Proper
· Irving · New American / Wine Bar
Bacchus has no business being this interesting with only four bottles on the list, but here we are. If you're open to drinking outside your comfort zone over brunch in suburban Texas, this tiny, weird card is worth the trip.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Deep Ellum · Irving · Bar / Entertainment
Electric Shuffle is genuinely a fun night out — just don't make wine the reason you go. Grab a cocktail, dominate at shuffleboard, and save the bottle hunt for somewhere that actually wants to be in that conversation.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Irving · Wine Bar
Mercy is punching way above its weight for Irving, Texas — a 14-bottle list that somehow covers natural wine, skin contact, sparkling, and old-world obscurities without a single safe-harbor Cab in sight. If you're anywhere near this zip code and you're tired of the same old list, this is your spot.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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