Seagram Building glamour meets serious bottle depth
Midtown East · New York · Japanese · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 8, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed The Lobster Club’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into the Seagram Building to eat yakitori and stare down a wine list that includes Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Henri Jayer is exactly the kind of absurd luxury New York does better than anywhere. The list is thick, serious, and clearly assembled by people who know what they're doing — this isn't a hotel bar afterthought. Peter Marino's room sets the tone and the wine program matches it note for note.
The list runs 400-600 bottles deep with a heavy lean into the classics: Burgundy anchors the whole thing, supported by Bordeaux stalwarts like Château Pétrus and Château Margaux, Rhône heavyweights including E. Guigal La Mouline, and Italian benchmarks from Giacomo Conterno and Antinori. California gets its due respect with Kistler, Screaming Eagle, and Opus One representing the prestige tier. The Champagne section — featuring Salon Blanc de Blancs and Krug Grande Cuvée — is the kind of lineup that makes you want to skip dinner and just drink bubbles all night. Arnoux-Lachaux Vosne-Romanée quietly signals that whoever built this list has taste beyond the obvious trophy bottles.
Twenty to thirty-five options by the glass is genuinely generous for a program of this caliber, and the pour list skews quality rather than just approachable. Expect to spend $16-$40 per glass, which in this zip code and building is not outrageous. Sommeliers Samara Seligshon and Axel Rosas are on the floor to help you navigate — ask them what's pouring well before you default to whatever you already know.
Antinori Tignanello — $Not listed — ask staff
Tignanello punches at a level that justifies its price almost anywhere, and in a room full of triple-digit Burgundy, it represents some of the best value on a list that skews expensive. It's a crowd-pleaser with actual backbone — Super Tuscan with something to say.
Arnoux-Lachaux Vosne-Romanée
Most people at this table are ordering DRC or Jayer at eye-watering prices. Arnoux-Lachaux is the quiet genius move — village-level Vosne from one of Burgundy's most respected houses, with the same silky red-fruit soul at a fraction of the cost. Don't sleep on it.
Screaming Eagle
It's Screaming Eagle. It's Napa. It's a status symbol wearing a wine label. You're in a Japanese restaurant in Manhattan — the markup here will be painful and you'll spend the whole meal thinking about the price tag instead of enjoying the food. Let someone else order it.
Krug Grande Cuvée + Wagyu Sando
Rich toasty Champagne against fatty, umami-forward wagyu in a soft milk bread sandwich is one of those combinations that sounds like a flex but actually makes total sense. The acidity cuts the fat, the brioche-like character of the Krug mirrors the bread, and suddenly you're having the best meal of your year.
The Bottom Line
The Lobster Club is the rare place where a Best of Award of Excellence feels earned rather than inherited — a 500-bottle list built with genuine conviction, backed by knowledgeable staff, in one of New York's most iconic rooms. Markups are real and the room is expensive, but if you're going to spend money on wine in this city, this is one of the better places to do it.
SoHo · New York · Italian
A long bottle list with Italian, Burgundy and Champagne sections, fronted by a 22-wine glass page. For a glass, try the Skerk Orange Wine from Friuli at 25/95, and for a bottle on a lighter budget, the Volpaia Vermentino at 60; upstairs in the café, the labeled list pours Palistorti di Valgiano's orange Tuscan blend at Glass $22. Confirm prices before you order, because the site's Upstairs Café dinner menu and the beverage PDF do not match. This unrated guide covers the posted wine lists, not service, storage or markups.
Midtown East · New York · American, French
A Park Avenue restaurant whose posted wine list is a 21-wine glass list. Start with the $18 Leitz Riesling or the $19 Ogier Saint-Joseph. No bottle list is posted online, so ask the restaurant what is available by the bottle. This unrated guide covers the posted glass list, not service, storage or markups.
Hudson Yards · New York · American, Seasonal
A hotel restaurant whose list opens with a 13-pour glass page and then moves through Champagne, Burgundy, Austria and other regions. Start with the $29 Prager Grüner Veltliner or the $24 Do Ferreiro Albariño by the glass alongside the chilled oysters, and confirm current pricing since the list is dated 09.30.26. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
East Village · New York · Southern French, Wine Bar
A glass-only list of 15 Central and Eastern European pours from $18 to $26, with an orange wine section of five. Start with the Gal Tibor Egri Bikavér Superior at $18 or the Kapistoni Tavkveri at $23, and confirm prices because the list is undated. This unrated guide covers the posted by-the-glass list, not service, storage or markups.
Financial District · New York · American
A short posted wine selection, with the full list available by email. Start with the $17 Crafted Cava or the $18 Côte de Brouilly by the glass, and email ahead if you want the full list. This unrated guide covers only the nine posted wines, not service, storage or markups.
East Village · New York · American Steakhouse
A compact glass list at a beef-focused restaurant: 11 pours from $19 to $39 across France, Italy, Germany and California. Start with the $24 Domaine Perraud Chardonnay, or the $30 Signorello 'Edge' Cabernet if you're ordering steak, and confirm current pours because the page isn't dated. This unrated guide covers the posted glass list, not service, storage or markups.
· Jersey City · Japanese
For a Japanese lounge with a 21-bottle list, Stingray is doing more work than it has any reason to. The Grüner, the Loire whites, and that Grand Cru Champagne are all legitimate finds at prices that won't sting. If you're nearby and want something better than the usual sushi-spot house white, this is worth the detour.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Russian Hill · San Francisco · Japanese
A 60-page beverage list with a full sake section and an even bigger wine section arranged by grape. For wine, the glass page is the easy route: try the $30 Patara Marani Qvevri Rkatsiteli, or spend $40 on the 2002 Tavares Dão. This unrated guide covers the posted beverage list (updated August 2026), not service, storage or markups.
Streeterville · Chicago · Japanese
A French-led list at a Japanese restaurant, with a 20-wine glass page and a separate sake section. Start with the 16 Bourgueil Cabernet Franc by the glass, or the Kazumi Koshu at 39 with the tempura rock shrimp, and confirm current availability since the page shows no date. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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