Wagyu meets Burgundy in the best way
SoMa · San Francisco · Japanese Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 7, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Niku lands like a serious document — 400 to 600 bottles deep, anchored by some of the most coveted names in both Burgundy and California. This is not a list that got assembled by accident. Someone here genuinely cares, and it shows from page one.
California and France split the spotlight evenly, with Burgundy running so deep you could spend three visits and not repeat a bottle. The heavy hitters are all here — Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Leroy, Domaine Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin, Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet on the French side; Screaming Eagle, Harlan Estate, Opus One, Sine Qua Non, and Kistler on the California side. It's a collector's list as much as a restaurant list, which means the ceiling is sky-high but so is the floor. If you're not deep in the weeds on either region, Ryan Torres and Matthew Montrose are the sommeliers to lean on — they can navigate you toward something genuinely exciting without making you feel like a tourist.
With 20 to 35 by-the-glass options, Niku punches well above the steakhouse average here. The range covers enough ground that you can drink thoughtfully from start to finish without committing to a full bottle — a real consideration when the bottle list skews toward major financial commitments. We'd push the staff to walk you through what's currently pouring; the selection at this level changes meaningfully and the difference between a good and great pour by the glass is everything.
Kistler Vineyards Chardonnay — $80
On a list where bottles routinely climb into the hundreds and thousands, Kistler Chardonnay represents the entry point worth grabbing. It's a legitimate California Chardonnay from one of the state's most consistent producers — rich, structured, and built for a table with serious food. Relative to everything else on offer here, it drinks above its price point on this particular list.
Leroy Bourgogne
Most people at Niku are eyeing the DRC or the Harlan and completely bypass the Leroy Bourgogne. That's a mistake. Village-level Leroy is still Leroy — biodynamic farming, obsessive winemaking, and a house style that makes straight Bourgogne taste like other producers' premier cru. If it's on the list and within reach, order it before someone else does.
Opus One
Opus One is a fine wine. It's also one of the most recognized and most marked-up bottles in the American restaurant system. At Niku's price tier, you're paying a significant premium for a label that's available almost everywhere. On a list with Sine Qua Non and Harlan Estate available, spending your money on Opus One is the least interesting move you can make.
Domaine Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin + A5 Japanese Wagyu
A5 Wagyu is all about fat — intricate, buttery, intense marbling that coats every bite. Gevrey-Chambertin from Rousseau brings exactly the right counterweight: earthy depth, firm structure, and enough acidity to cut through the richness without bullying the beef. It's the kind of pairing that makes you understand why Burgundy exists.
🔥 The Bottom Line
Niku is the rare steakhouse where the wine list earns as much attention as the beef — a Best of Award of Excellence since 2022 that's clearly not just decorative. Prices are steep across the board, but if you're already dropping serious money on A5 Wagyu, the list has more than enough to make the whole evening worth it.
Nob Hill / Van Ness Corridor · San Francisco · American Steakhouse
House of Prime Rib is one of San Francisco's great dining institutions and the wine list knows its assignment — California Cabs to drink with California beef, no fuss. It won't thrill anyone looking for adventure, but it won't embarrass anyone either, and for a night built around tableside carving and Yorkshire pudding, that's probably enough.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Noe Valley · San Francisco · Sardinian Italian
La Ciccia is the rare neighborhood restaurant where the wine list is genuinely part of the experience, not an afterthought stapled to a food menu. If you care about Italian wine — especially anything off the beaten Tuscany-Piedmont path — you should be making reservations here.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
SoMa · San Francisco · Steakhouse with Japanese influence
Alexander's is a serious wine destination dressed up as a steakhouse — the list is deep, the staff knows it, and the room supports it. Just go in eyes open: this is a splurge-or-go-home situation, and the markups reflect exactly where you are.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Embarcadero · San Francisco · Steakhouse, American
EPIC Steak is a reliable, well-executed steakhouse wine program that earns its stripes with real depth, a sommelier who cares, and a few smart curveballs buried in the list. The markups will sting, but if you know where to look — and now you do — there's genuinely good drinking to be had with that view.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Proper
Embarcadero · San Francisco · Seafood, Coastal American
Waterbar is doing the work — a genuinely broad list with smart coastal instincts, fair happy hour pricing, and a dessert wine program that most full-service wine bars would envy. Send your friends here; just make sure they stay through dessert.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Proper
Mission District · San Francisco · Californian-Mediterranean
Foreign Cinema is doing something most San Francisco restaurants aren't — pairing a genuinely thoughtful, terroir-driven wine list with an atmosphere that could've easily gotten away with phoning it in. The markups sting a bit, but the selection earns the trip.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.