Petit Louis Bistro
Paris in Baltimore, One Carafe at a Time
Roland Park · Baltimore · French · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed March 23, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
The wine list at Petit Louis arrives looking exactly like the room feels — confidently French, a little formal, and not particularly interested in apologizing for either. It's all Burgundy, Bordeaux, Loire, and Rhône, with the kind of focused regionalism that signals a kitchen and front-of-house that actually talk to each other. If you walked in hoping to find something from Argentina or a funky natural pét-nat, wrong bistro.
Selection Deep Dive
The list is entirely French, which is either a feature or a limitation depending on how you roll. You'll find solid Beaujolais representation — Château Thivin shows up and it's a genuinely good producer — alongside Champagne options including Louis Roederer Brut, Alsatian Riesling, and the expected Burgundy and Bordeaux depth. The gaps are real though: no real adventurousness within France itself, and the list leans heavily on familiar appellations without digging into grower Champagne, natural producers, or the more exciting corners of the Loire. It reads like a confident greatest-hits record rather than a curated discovery experience.
By the Glass
The by-the-glass program runs 12 to 20 options depending on the night, which is a solid count for a bistro of this size. Wednesday's Oyster & Wine happy hour drops select glasses to $5, which is genuinely compelling and a rare moment where the pricing equation flips in your favor. Outside of happy hour, glass pours are priced at the upper end of what you'd expect for the neighborhood, so the $5 Wednesday window is worth planning around.
Beaujolais Nouveau 6oz pour — $13
At 6oz for $13 on a wine that retails around $12 a bottle, this is the closest thing to a fair pour on the list. In a bistro setting, Beaujolais Nouveau is exactly what you want — bright, easy, no pretension — and at this price it actually makes sense to order a second.
Château Thivin Beaujolais
Most people walk into a French bistro and default to the Burgundy or the house red. Château Thivin is a legitimate Côte de Brouilly producer making structured, serious Beaujolais that outperforms its reputation at the table — especially with charcuterie and lighter bistro fare. Most diners skip right past it, which means more for the people who know.
Beaujolais Nouveau 2019 Bottle
At $52 for a bottle that retails around $12, this is a 333% markup on a wine that was never meant to age and isn't built for the price point. Beaujolais Nouveau is a fun seasonal pour, not a cellar trophy — and paying $52 for it by the bottle is a tough sell when the 6oz glass pour is a much better deal.
Louis Roederer Brut Champagne + Terrine de Foie Gras
Foie gras and Champagne is one of the oldest tricks in the French playbook, and Roederer Brut has enough structure and acidity to cut through the richness of the terrine without steamrolling it. It also turns your dinner into a minor occasion, which is kind of the whole point of coming to a place like this.
Wednesday — Oyster & Wine Happy Hour: select glasses of wine for $5
✔️ The Bottom Line
Petit Louis is a reliable, well-run French bistro with a list that matches the room — competent, France-only, and a little safe. The Wednesday $5 glass pour during oyster hour is legitimately great; the bottle markups elsewhere will test your patience.
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