Korean fire meets French finesse downtown
Chicago Loop · Chicago · Korean Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Updated September 2026
Reviewed April 13, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed PERILLA Korean American Steakhouse’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into Perilla, the wine list feels like it was built for the room — confident, polished, and unapologetically leaning into the big names. France and California anchor everything, which tracks given the steakhouse DNA, but the Korean-American concept gives the whole program a more interesting reason to exist than your average chophouse list.
The 150-250 bottle list covers the classics without many surprises: Burgundy via Louis Jadot, Bordeaux royalty with Château Margaux, and California heavy-hitters like Opus One, Kosta Browne, Silver Oak, Paul Hobbs, and Caymus all make appearances. Domaine de la Romanée-Conti showing up is a flex — whether it moves or just anchors the top of the list, it signals that this program is serious. What's missing is anything adventurous outside the France-California axis; there's no real nod to Korean or Asian producers, which feels like a missed opportunity given the concept. The Wine Spectator Award of Excellence since 2025 is recent but earned — this is a list that's been thoughtfully assembled, not just filled in.
With 12-20 glass pours, there's enough rotation to keep things interesting across multiple visits. The team of three sommeliers — Thomas Oh, Jordan Eby, and Leslie Garcia — means the by-the-glass program likely gets actual attention rather than defaulting to whatever the distributor pushed that week. We'd push the staff for their current pours before defaulting to a bottle; the glass program here is worth engaging.
Louis Jadot Burgundy — $50-$80 range
Jadot is reliable, widely available, and often marked up reasonably compared to the prestige bottles on this list — it's the smart play if you want Old World red without the Margaux sticker shock.
Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon
Hobbs gets overshadowed by Opus One and Caymus on lists like this, but it often punches harder in the glass — more structure, more complexity — and tends to sit at a slightly more reasonable price point than the marquee names.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon
Caymus is everywhere and marked up everywhere. It's a solid wine but a restaurant list is the worst place to buy it — you're paying a premium for a bottle you could grab at any wine shop for a fraction of the price.
Kosta Browne Pinot Noir + Galbi (Korean short ribs)
The galbi's caramelized soy-and-pear marinade wants something with ripe fruit and enough acid to cut through the fat — Kosta Browne's lush, full-bodied Pinot hits both marks without steamrolling the Korean flavors.
The Bottom Line
Perilla is a genuinely fun concept with a wine list that mostly keeps up — three sommeliers, serious producers, and a Burgundy-California spine that plays well with bold Korean flavors. The markup is real and the list plays it safe beyond the French-Cali lane, but if you engage the staff and lean into the pairings, this is one of the more interesting steakhouse wine experiences in Chicago.
River North · Chicago · Seafood
A seafood house with a long, mixed list: a Seafood Whites section, Burgundy and Napa depth, and 22 pours by the glass. Order the Marc Brédif "Royal Oyster" Muscadet with a half dozen oysters, or start with the $11/glass Charles de Fère, and confirm current prices. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
River North · Chicago · Mediterranean, Steakhouse
A Napa-heavy bottle list with a real Greek section and a short, priced glass board. Start with the $10 happy-hour Vermentino or, if you are staying for dinner, the AA Sigalas Assyrtiko at $75, and confirm prices and availability when you sit down. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Magnificent Mile · Chicago · Mediterranean
A 38-pour glass list with unpriced Champagne and Burgundy-heavy bottle pages behind it. Start with the $14 Tiberio Trebbiano or the $15 Thymiopoulos Assyrtiko, and ask for bottle prices because the posted bottle pages carry none. This unrated guide covers the posted drinks menu, not service, storage or markups.
Fulton Market · Chicago · Mediterranean, Middle Eastern
A Mediterranean list built around Greece and Lebanon, with 18 wines on the by-the-glass pages. Start with the Kalokaíri rosé (16 / 64) or the Chateau Musar "Jeune Rouge" (19 / 76), and confirm current vintages and prices. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
River North · Chicago · American
A short 14-wine list, with most price pairs between $13 and $15 and four single-price wines at $72 to $80. Order the Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling at $13 | 50, or the Provence rosé if you want the one French wine, and ask which number is the glass price. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
The Loop · Chicago · American Gastropub
A glass list that tags every pour by style, with 18 wines from $15 to $25 and a 128-line bottle list from $50 to $550. Start with The Gage Brut at $15 or the Troupis 'Ekato' orange Moschofilero at $16, and confirm prices because the menu is undated. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Design District · Miami · Korean Steakhouse
Start with the Raventós i Blanc Blanc de Blancs at 16 for a 5 oz glass, then order the Domaine de la Prébende Gamay at 16 or the Raúl Pérez Godello at 17 with the first round of cuts. If you want bottles, the restaurant says its full list has over 1,000 selections, so ask the sommelier. Confirm pours and prices before you order. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or retail markups.
Flatiron · New York · Korean Steakhouse
Cote has built a wine program that treats its list as seriously as its beef program — deep, specific, and staffed by people who can actually help you navigate it. If you're eating here and not drinking something interesting, that's entirely on you.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown Fort Lauderdale · Fort Lauderdale · Korean Steakhouse
Until we can verify the actual list, Cote Fort Lauderdale gets a cautious nod as a reliable corporate wine program—functional but uninspired. Come for the beef, but don't expect the wine list to be the highlight of your night.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Stemless Casual
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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