Mob-bar vibes with a serious Italian cellar
West Hollywood · Los Angeles · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Updated September 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 10, 2026
RagingWine reviewed The Nice Guy’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into The Nice Guy, you half-expect someone to tell you the table in the back is reserved for Tony Soprano — marble bar, brass fixtures, booths that mean business. The wine list matches the room: unapologetically Italian with enough California muscle to keep the locals happy. It's a list that knows its audience and doesn't apologize for it.
The list runs 150-250 bottles and leans hard into the Italian classics — Barolo from Piedmont, Brunello di Montalcino, Amarone della Valpolicella, and a solid showing of Super Tuscans round out the peninsula's greatest hits. California holds its own corner with Napa Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay doing the heavy lifting for the crowd that refuses to leave the New World. There's real depth here for a restaurant-bar hybrid, and the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence since 2024 isn't just window dressing — someone curated this with intention. The gap is anything outside Italy and California; if you're hunting for a Loire Chenin or a Rhône Syrah, keep walking.
Twelve to twenty pours by the glass is a respectable spread, landing between $14 and $22 — fair for La Cienega on a Friday night when the room is packed three deep. We'd expect the BTG list to mirror the bottle program's Italian focus, which means there's likely a Brunello or Barolo adjacent option for those who want to go big without committing to a full bottle. Rotation isn't documented as active, so don't count on the list changing seasonally.
Amarone della Valpolicella — $90–$130 range (bottle)
Amarone is perennially underordered at Italian restaurants because people flinch at the name, which means bottles move slower and markups sometimes ease up. At a list topping out around $250, a proper Amarone in this range is the move for the table that wants something dramatic without going full splurge.
Super Tuscan (Tuscany)
Super Tuscans get overshadowed by the Barolo and Brunello heavyweights on a list like this, but they're often where the kitchen-to-table sweet spot lives — more fruit-forward, earlier-drinking, and versatile enough to work across the whole menu from pizza to branzino.
Napa Valley Chardonnay
At a scene-heavy West Hollywood Italian spot, Napa Chard is the safe order for the table that isn't really thinking about wine — and the markup reflects that. You're paying for the name recognition, not the experience. Spend those same dollars on something Italian and you'll drink better.
Barolo (Piedmont) + Cacio e Pepe
Barolo's tannins and acidity cut right through the fat of the pecorino and the heat of the pepper, and the dish's simplicity lets the wine be the star. It's the kind of pairing that makes you feel like you made a smart decision in a room where people are mostly ordering by vibes.
The Bottom Line
The Nice Guy is a place where the room often upstages the list, but the list can absolutely hold its own if you order Italian and ignore the California reflex. Send a friend here for a Barolo and the Cacio e Pepe — just don't expect the staff to guide them there unprompted.
Los Angeles · Los Angeles · Wine Bar / Butcher Shop
Butchr Bar is doing something genuinely different: a tight, weird, well-priced wine list in a space where you'd expect a refrigerator of craft beer. Go for the Arneis, stay for the field blends, and don't overthink it.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Adams · Los Angeles · Wine shop & bar
Adams is doing something genuinely rare in LA: a community-anchored wine bar with actual conviction behind the list and staff who can back it up. Send your friends here, especially the ones who think they don't like wine.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
· Los Angeles · Wine Bar
Augustine is doing the work: a genuinely eclectic 66-bottle list, half of it available by the glass, with pricing that respects what it's selling. If you like exploring wine without having to commit to a full bottle, this is exactly where you want to be.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
· Los Angeles · Wine Bar
Buvons is for people who already know what natural wine is and want nine well-chosen pours without a 50-page list getting in the way. If that's you, you'll feel right at home.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Los Angeles · Los Angeles · French Bistro / Wine Bar
Bar Etoile is doing exactly one thing, and it is doing it with conviction — if you want grower Champagne from serious small producers in a French bistro setting, this is your room. If you want options, look elsewhere.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Los Feliz · Los Angeles · Wine Bar
Tabula Rasa is the kind of wine bar that rewards regulars — the list rotates, the prices are fair, and the room alone is worth the visit. We'd send friends here on a Tuesday without hesitation.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
· Healdsburg · Italian
Ciao Bruto is running one of the smallest and most coherent wine lists in wine country, which is either audacious or brilliant — probably both. If you want a 200-label deep-dive, go somewhere else. If you want eight smart picks at prices that won't make you wince, this is the move in Healdsburg.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Geyserville · Healdsburg · Italian
Diavola earns its Wild Card badge because it's a wood-fired pizza joint that punches well above its weight on wine — sommelier on staff, regional focus, and a setting that practically demands you order a second glass. We can't give you the bottle-by-bottle breakdown until we get eyes on a current list, but the bones here are good enough to say: don't just order a beer and move on.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Healdsburg · Italian
Ca'Bianca is a genuinely lovely place to eat, and if the food lives up to its reputation for house-made pasta and classic Italian technique, a bottle of something from the list is absolutely worth ordering. We just can't tell you exactly which bottle to order yet — the wine program's specifics aren't publicly documented well enough for us to make a confident call. When in doubt, ask your server what's local and what they're excited about, and go from there.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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