The Musso & Frank Grill
Hollywood's Oldest Room Still Pours Like It
Hollywood · Los Angeles · American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 7, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
Walking into Musso & Frank feels like stepping into a film noir where everyone knows how to drink. The wine list lands on your table with the same quiet confidence as the red-jacketed waiters who've probably been here since Sinatra was alive. Five hundred to seven hundred selections, anchored in California and France — this isn't a list that's trying to impress you; it just does.
Selection Deep Dive
The list leans hard into California royalty and French classics, which is exactly what you'd want from a room that opened in 1919. Ridge Monte Bello, Stag's Leap Cask 23, Dominus Estate, Chateau Montelena — these aren't trend-chasing picks, they're the wines that defined American wine culture, and Musso & Frank has been pouring them longer than most wine lists have existed. France shows up through Louis Jadot Burgundy selections and Chateau Margaux, giving the list genuine old-world backbone alongside its California muscle. Italy is present but plays a supporting role — the real story here is Napa and Bordeaux doing what they do best.
By the Glass
The by-the-glass program runs 12 to 20 options, which is respectable for a list this size. Don't expect a rotating natural wine flight or anything experimental — this program is built for the person who wants a proper glass of Chardonnay with their sand dabs and doesn't need to make it complicated. Far Niente Chardonnay showing up by the glass would be the move here if you're not ready to commit to a bottle.
Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon — $80
In a list stacked with century-defining Napa names, Beringer's Private Reserve often flies under the radar next to the Opus Ones and Dominus bottles — but it's one of the most consistent, age-worthy Cabs in California and typically lands at a price point that doesn't make you wince when the check arrives.
Louis Jadot Burgundy
In a room full of Napa power players, the Jadot Burgundy selections are easy to scroll past. Don't. They're the quiet counterpoint to all that Cabernet bravado — and with grilled lamb chops on the table, they make more sense than anything else on the list.
Opus One
Opus One is a great wine. It's also one of the most marked-up bottles on every steakhouse list in America. You're paying a significant premium for the name recognition here — the Ridge Monte Bello or Stag's Leap Cask 23 will drink just as memorably for less damage to your wallet.
Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon + New York strip steak
The wine that put California on the map in 1976 and a cut of beef that's been on this menu since before that — Chateau Montelena's structured tannins and dark fruit cut through the richness of a properly aged strip steak in a way that feels less like a pairing and more like the point of the whole evening.
🔥 The Bottom Line
Musso & Frank isn't trying to be the coolest wine list in Los Angeles — it's content being the most authoritative one, and that's a distinction worth respecting. Sommelier Serge Kiraz and a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence back up what the room already tells you: wine here is taken seriously, even if the prices remind you that Hollywood never comes cheap.
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