Wine Wednesday Makes This Tacoma's Best Kept Secret
South Tacoma · Tacoma · Mediterranean · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 28, 2026
Wingman Metrics
Walking into The Adriatic Grill, the wine list signals that someone here actually gives a damn — 50 to 80 bottles with a clear Mediterranean through-line and enough Pacific Northwest representation to remind you where you are. It's not trying to be a downtown Seattle wine bar, and that's exactly what makes it interesting. For South Tacoma, this list punches well above its weight class.
The list leans into an Italy-meets-Pacific-Northwest identity that makes sense given the kitchen's Mediterranean focus. You've got serious Italian anchors in Masi Amarone della Valpolicella and Marchesi Antinori Chianti Classico sitting alongside Washington State Syrah and Oregon options, which keeps the list from feeling like a greatest-hits import shelf. The Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio is the one crowd-pleaser concession — it's fine, it sells, it's forgettable. The gaps show up in Southern Europe and the Southern Hemisphere, but what's here is coherent and purposeful enough that you won't feel stranded.
Eight to fourteen pours by the glass is a genuinely solid range for a neighborhood fine-dining spot, and the presence of Wine Wednesday suggests the list rotates with some intention rather than sitting stale for months. We'd like to see more adventurous pours make it to the glass program — a Washington Syrah by the glass would be a no-brainer given the list — but the breadth covers enough ground to keep a table of mixed drinkers happy.
Marchesi Antinori Chianti Classico — Unknown
On Wine Wednesday at 50% off, this is a world-class Tuscan producer at a price that belongs in your living room, not a restaurant. Even at full price, Antinori Chianti Classico is one of the more honest values on any Italian-leaning list — and next to the wood-fired meats here, it earns every penny.
Washington State Syrah
Most tables here will default to the Italian bottles, which is understandable — but Washington Syrah is having a serious moment and this is a chance to drink it at a restaurant that actually bothered to stock it. It's the sleeper on the list and the locals-know pick.
Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio
Santa Margherita is the Starbucks of Italian white wine — reliable, recognizable, and marked up everywhere it exists. You're almost certainly paying a premium for the brand recognition when better options are sitting right next to it on this list.
Masi Amarone della Valpolicella + Wood-fired lamb
Amarone is a big, dark, slightly bitter wine built for exactly this kind of situation — charred, fatty, herb-forward lamb off a wood fire. The wine's dried-fruit intensity and grippy tannins hold up to the smoke and richness without steamrolling the meat. This is the pairing that justifies the whole trip.
Wednesday — All bottles of wine are 50% off every Wednesday. The restaurant also hosts wine-focused dinners and tastings throughout the year.
🎲 The Bottom Line
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.
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
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
Downtown Tacoma · Tacoma · Southern and Soul Food
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.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Chandler Fashion Center area · Chandler · Mediterranean
Pita Jungle isn't a wine destination, but the pricing is honest and the pours are fair. Come for the hummus and shawarma, order a glass without overthinking it, and leave happy.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Disney · Anaheim · Mediterranean
Catal is doing the best version of a tourist-district wine list — which still means it's playing not to lose rather than to win. If you're here for a pre-park dinner and want something drinkable without drama, it delivers. Just don't come expecting a wine destination.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Buckhead · Atlanta · Mediterranean
For a hotel restaurant in Buckhead, {Three} Arches is doing more than the minimum — the list is recognizable and functional without being exciting, and the Grüner Veltliner alone earns a small amount of goodwill. Send a friend here if they need wine with dinner; just don't send them if wine is the point of the evening.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.