Soul Food With a Surprisingly Grown-Up Wine List
Downtown Tacoma · Tacoma · Southern and Soul Food · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 28, 2026
Wingman Metrics
You walk into a casual soul food spot expecting sweet tea and maybe a Barefoot Cab on the list — and then you spot Vineyard 29 and Mauritson Wines sitting next to an Australian natural-leaning label. It's a pleasant jolt. Someone here actually cares about what's in the bottle.
The list leans California-heavy with a Pacific Northwest cameo and an Australian wildcard in Fowles Wine, which brings both their Farm to Table and Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch labels to the table — an unexpected and genuinely interesting choice for a fried chicken spot. Buehler Vineyards and ZD Wines round out the California backbone with solid, food-friendly options, while JAX Vineyards and Mauritson add some Sonoma credibility. The gaps are real — no Pinot Noir worth writing home about, and the white wine depth is thin — but the hits outnumber the misses by enough to make this list worth taking seriously.
With an estimated 8–12 pours by the glass, there's enough rotation to keep things interesting across a meal. The selection appears to pull from the same producers on the bottle list, which is a good sign — you're not being poured off-cuts. We'd love to see more whites and rosés represented given the food's richness, but what's here is serviceable and fairly priced.
Fowles Wine Farm to Table — $12
Fowles Farm to Table is a reliable, easy-drinking Australian red that punches well above its price point — bright fruit, low fuss, and exactly the kind of bottle that disappears fast at a table full of fried chicken and shrimp and grits.
Fowles Wine Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch
Most diners skip right past it because the name sounds gimmicky, but Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch is a genuinely interesting Shiraz-dominant blend from Victoria — wild and savory in ways that actually love spiced, smoky Southern food. Order it before someone else does.
Vineyard 29
Vineyard 29 makes serious Napa Cab that belongs on a steakhouse list at $150+ a bottle. At a $15–$25 entrée spot, the markup likely makes it the worst value on the menu — you're paying for a name in a room where the food deserves something more honest.
Mauritson Wines + Shrimp and Grits
Mauritson's Dry Creek Zinfandel has enough spice and structure to stand up to the richness of shrimp and grits without bulldozing it — the peppery backbone plays off the savory, buttery base of the dish in a way that feels almost intentional.
🎲 The Bottom Line
Pacific Southern isn't a wine destination, but it's got a list that respects you — and in a soul food spot in Downtown Tacoma, that's worth something. Come for the chicken and waffles, stay for the Fowles.
Sixth Avenue · Tacoma · Mediterranean and Northwest-inspired, wood-fired grill
Primo Grill is doing more with its wine list than it gets credit for — especially in a city where 'solid restaurant wine program' often means a wall of Meiomi. It's not flashy, but the Pacific Northwest depth is real and the European picks show genuine curiosity. We'd send a friend here without hesitation.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Sixth Avenue · Tacoma · Argentinian-inspired wood-fired steakhouse and Latin cuisine
Asado is a reliable neighborhood wine pick for red meat lovers who want Argentine bottles done with some care and without getting gouged. It's not a wine destination, but it's a solid companion to one of Tacoma's better wood-fired kitchens.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Unknown · Tacoma · Steakhouse
Cuerno Bravo punches above its weight class on wine selection — the Mencía and Betz picks alone set it apart from your average steakhouse list — but the markups across the board are steep enough to sting. Come for the bottle you'd never order anywhere else; just don't expect restaurant-week pricing.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
South Tacoma · Tacoma · Mediterranean
The Adriatic Grill is the kind of neighborhood restaurant that earns a loyal following by doing the right things quietly — a thoughtful wine list, fair pricing, and a Wine Wednesday program that is frankly one of the better deals in Tacoma. If you can get there on a Wednesday with a group and a hunger for lamb, you're having a great night.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Tacoma Mall · Tacoma · Brazilian Steakhouse (Churrascaria)
Texas de Brazil Tacoma is a terrific place to eat a lot of meat. It is not a place to drink interesting wine. The list is corporate, the markups are real, and the effort put into the wine program is a fraction of what goes into the gaucho service. Order strategically, go on a Thursday if that promo holds locally, and spend your wine dollars carefully.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
Downtown Tacoma · Tacoma · Steakhouse
El Gaucho Tacoma is a reliable wine destination if you know what to order and when to show up — Wednesday's half-price program changes the math considerably. The Argentine depth is the real story here; lean into Zuccardi and let the sommelier do their job.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Active Program
Proper
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