Safe Pours, Fair Prices, Good Enough
· St. Paul · Vietnamese · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · October 8, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Ngon Vietnamese Bistro’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Sixteen labels isn't much to work with, but Ngon keeps the price ceiling reasonable and nearly every bottle on the list is also available by the glass — which is genuinely useful. The list reads like a grocery store shelf that got a light editorial pass: familiar names, a couple of quiet surprises buried in the middle.
The list leans hard on California crowd-pleasers — Woodbridge, Kendall Jackson, La Crema, Decoy — with a few Italian whites (Sant'Elena and Italo Cescon Pinot Grigio) and a French rosé from Bieler to round things out. There's a sparkling section with Villa Baroncinno Brut and Abel Charlot Brut, and a Levesque Reserve Vidal Icewine that feels genuinely out of left field on a Vietnamese menu. What's missing is anything that speaks directly to the food: no off-dry Riesling, no Grüner, no Beaujolais — grapes that would actually flatter lemongrass and fish sauce. The DAOU Rosé and Cote Des entry add a little intrigue, but this is mostly a list built for comfort, not adventure.
Fifteen of the sixteen bottles are available by the glass, which is a real commitment and makes this a solid spot if you want to mix and match across a meal. Glass prices run from $6 (Woodbridge Chardonnay) up to $18 (DAOU Rosé), with most options landing comfortably in the $10–$14 range. The range isn't exciting, but the access is.
The Bottom Line
Ngon's wine list isn't going to impress anyone who cares deeply about wine, but it's not trying to. Pricing is fair, nearly everything pours by the glass, and the Bieler rosé is exactly what you should be drinking with a bowl of pho. Send a friend here for dinner without worrying they'll get fleeced — just steer them away from the DAOU.
Downtown Minneapolis · St. Paul · French-Mediterranean / New American
Fhima's is a reliable wine list in a room that deserves one — the glass count is impressive, there are genuine finds buried in there if you look past the Cabs and Chardonnays, and the Italian selections in particular show real range. Markups lean steep on the bigger names, so stay mid-list and you'll eat and drink well. Yes, send a friend here for wine — just steer them away from the Austin Hope.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· St. Paul · Cocktail Bar and Italian
The Vermilion isn't a wine list for every night out, but it's one of the most intentional specialty lists we've seen in the Twin Cities — a full dessert and fortified wine program executed with actual conviction. If you're the kind of person who's ever wanted to work through a Tokaji, a Madeira, and a Macvin du Jura in one sitting, this is your spot.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Rondo · St. Paul · Cafe and New American
Golden Thyme deserves every bit of its community love, and the kitchen is cooking at a level the wine list hasn't caught up to yet. Come for the jambalaya linguine and the catfish po'boy — just don't plan your evening around what's in the glass.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· St. Paul · French
Restaurant Aubergine is running an eleven-bottle wine program that punches well above its weight class — the selections are specific, considered, and genuinely adventurous for a French spot in the Twin Cities. If you want a deep cellar and a leather-bound wine bible, look elsewhere; if you want someone's honest, well-edited point of view in a glass, this earns your attention.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· St. Paul · Mexican
Boca Chica is almost certainly a great neighborhood spot for Mexican food, but the wine program is an afterthought. Eight unlabeled house varietals and a White Zinfandel on the menu is all the signal you need — order the sangria, order a margarita, and save the wine night for somewhere else.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Roseville · St. Paul · Italian / Steakhouse Hybrid
Chianti Grill is not here to challenge you — it's here to give you a familiar Italian-American night out with wine that won't embarrass anyone. Watch the markups on the California pours, lean into the Italian section, and order the Chianti flight at least once.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Honolulu · Vietnamese
The Pig and the Lady is running one of the most thoughtful small wine lists in Honolulu, and the fact that it's attached to a Vietnamese restaurant makes it even more interesting. If you show up expecting a standard Southeast Asian wine afterthought and find Domaine Huet Chenin Blanc and a Hungarian pet-nat, you should probably order both. This is the Wild Card badge in its purest form — surprising, intentional, and worth your attention.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Atlanta · Atlanta · Vietnamese
NAM Kitchen is doing something genuinely unexpected: running a thoughtful, fairly priced 68-label wine list inside a Vietnamese restaurant, anchored by a strong sparkling section and some legitimately food-smart white wine choices. If you're the kind of person who wants a real glass of wine with your bún bò Huế, this is worth knowing about.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Capitol Hill · Seattle · Vietnamese
Ba Bar is the kind of place that makes you rethink what wine belongs next to a bowl of pho — and gets the answer right. It's not a wine destination, but it earns its Wild Card badge by caring more than any Vietnamese street food spot has to.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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