Korean fire meets French finesse downtown
Chicago Loop · Chicago · Korean Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 13, 2026
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 →
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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.
Lincoln Park · Chicago · American Casual
Summer House is not a wine destination, but it's a reliable place to drink well enough without getting gouged on the low end — just steer clear of the big-name bottles where the markup climbs. Send your friend here if they want something easy and good; don't send them here if they're chasing something serious.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Chicago · Italian
il Carciofo is doing something genuinely rare: building a wine list that treats Italian regional variety as the main event, not the footnote. If you're tired of the same Pinot Grigio and Chianti Classico circuit, this is exactly where you should be eating dinner.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Chicago · Chicago · Steakhouse
STK Chicago is here to sell you a night out, and the wine list is just part of the set dressing. If you care about what's in your glass, eat here for the steak and order water.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Chicago · French Brasserie
La Grande Boucherie Chicago is a reliable wine destination for anyone who wants a French-focused list executed with genuine effort and the occasional smart value. The markups aren't shy, but the BTG program and specials take some of the sting out — go in with a plan and you'll drink well.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
· Chicago · Steakhouse
This is not the wine list you expect to find at The Palm, and that's exactly why it earns attention. Six bottles, zero filler, genuinely fair pricing — if someone's tending this list, they deserve a raise.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Loop · Chicago · Californian
The Oakville Grill earns its Wine Spectator credential and the sommelier duo makes this list accessible, not intimidating. Wednesday half-price wine night alone is reason enough to get a reservation — just let go of the idea that anything other than California is on the agenda.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Active Program
Proper
Miami · Miami · Korean Steakhouse
Cote Miami is the rare place where an 800-bottle cellar feels completely at home next to tabletop Korean BBQ grills — the contrast shouldn't work, but it absolutely does. Send your most wine-obsessed friend here and tell them to bring their credit card and their patience for a long, indulgent night.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
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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