Nine Wines, Zero Surprises
· Sandy Springs · Modern Asian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · September 22, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Nam Kitchen’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Nine wines on the list, all available by the glass — which sounds like a feature until you realize it just means there's no bottle program to speak of. The range tops out at $13 a pour and reads like someone picked up a Sysco catalog and called it a day. Nothing wrong here exactly, just nothing to get excited about either.
The list skews heavily Californian — Black Stallion, Broadside, Coppola, Pound by Pound — with a token nod to France via Faively's Pinot Noir and Minuty Rosé. There's no real depth by region, no old-world exploration beyond those two, and the whites lean predictably toward Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Iris Pinot Gris from Oregon is about as adventurous as it gets. The list covers the major grape bases without taking a single risk.
Every single wine is available by the glass, priced between $10 and $13, which makes ordering simple if not exactly thrilling. The range is narrow enough that you'll cycle through your options fast. There's no visible rotation or seasonal program keeping things fresh.
The Bottom Line
Nam Kitchen's wine list is a placeholder, not a program. The pricing is fair and nothing is actively offensive, but nine crowd-pleasing bottles with no bottle service, no rotation, and no real curation is the definition of a restaurant that treats wine as an afterthought. Stick to the Iris Pinot Gris or Broadside Cab and spend your energy on the food.
· Sandy Springs · Steakhouse
Kaiser's Chop House has a wine list that won't embarrass the restaurant, but it won't excite anyone either. If you're sticking to what you know — Duckhorn Chardonnay, a big California Cab — you'll be comfortable here. For the curious diner, the Brittan Basalt Block Pinot and the Naveran Cava are worth hunting down. Just don't expect the list to surprise you.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Sandy Springs · Sandy Springs · Steakhouse / Seafood
Ray's on the River is doing something quietly impressive: running a fair, thoughtful-enough wine list at prices that feel almost out of place at a riverfront destination restaurant in Sandy Springs. It's not a deep cellar, and no one is going to mistake it for a wine destination, but for a bottle of Eroica or a glass of Morgon while watching the Chattahoochee roll by, it earns its keep. Send your friends here and tell them to skip the Moët.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Sandy Springs · Pub / American
North River Tavern is a pub first, and the wine list makes no effort to be anything else. If you're here for a cold draft and a burger, you're in the right place — just leave your wine expectations at the door. Order a beer.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Sandy Springs · Sandy Springs · Italian
Il Giallo is doing something genuinely unexpected for suburban Atlanta: building a focused, Italy-first wine list with real regional depth and glass prices that don't insult you. We'd send a friend here specifically for the wine, which is not something we say about many osterie north of Buckhead.
Surprising Depth
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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