Creating a single Wine Spectator Restaurant Award–winning wine list is an accomplishment in itself. But to offer reliably excellent wine experiences at numerous locations around the world? Now that’s a feat. We tip our hats to these 13 families of restaurants that have put together impressive wine lists in cities across the U.S. and beyond, from a group spreading the culture of Spanish wine bars to steak houses and seafood spots synonymous with lavish dining.
To check out more wine-and-food destinations around the world, see Wine Spectator’s more than 3,700 Restaurant Award winners, including the 94 Grand Award recipients worldwide that hold our highest honor.
Barcelona Wine Bar
24 Restaurant Award–winning locations in the U.S.
Website barcelonawinebar.com
Best of Award of Excellence
Barcelona Wine Bar is one of the nation’s most prominent wine bar chains, with 24 Best of Award of Excellence–winning locations offering Spanish and South American wine and cuisine. Founded in 1996 in Norwalk, Conn., Barcelona Wine Bar first earned Wine Spectator recognition in 2007 and has since expanded to 11 states and Washington, D.C., including recent openings in Minneapolis and Tampa. Inspired by the markets in the Spanish cities of Barcelona and Valencia, the menus are composed principally of tapas, such as empanadas, patatas bravas and jamón serrano. The wine lists average 400 to 500 selections and highlight Spanish and South American producers, as well as organic, biodynamic and sustainable winemaking. Names such as Bodegas Muga, Clos Mogador and La Rioja Alta regularly feature among the Spanish offerings, while South America is represented by the likes of Argentina’s Bodega Mendel and Zorzal and Chile’s Casas del Bosque and Viña Polkura. Diners can enjoy over 40 wines by the glass, as well as extensive Sherry and Port selections. Emily Nevin, who previously worked for Del Frisco’s Grille, serves as corporate beverage director for Barcelona Wine Bar.
The Capital Grille
59 Restaurant Award–winning locations in the U.S.
Website thecapitalgrille.com
Best of Award of Excellence (51 locations), Award of Excellence (eight locations)
The Capital Grille has been a mainstay in Wine Spectator’s Restaurant Awards program since the early 1990s, with 59 locations now recognized across the U.S. This year, 16 Capital Grille locations were elevated from Award of Excellence to Best of Award of Excellence status, reflecting the restaurant group’s continued investment in its wine program. First launched in 1990 in Providence, R.I., Capital Grille is known for its steaks—cut in house and dry-aged for 18 to 24 days—as well as seafood dishes such as lobster macaroni and cheese and pan-seared sea bass. The franchise is part of Darden Restaurants’ portfolio, which includes Restaurant Awards winners Seasons 52 and Eddie V’s Prime Seafood. Corporate beverage director Gabriel Valle oversees the wine lists, which typically feature upward of 350 selections and spotlight top Californian producers such as Far Niente and Ridge alongside global names such as Australia’s Penfolds, France’s Olivier Leflaive and Italy’s Pio Cesare.
Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse
10 Restaurant Award–winning locations in the U.S.
Website davios.com
Best of Award of Excellence (one location), Award of Excellence (nine locations)
Georgia, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia are home to Restaurant Award–winning Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse locations. It all began in 1985 when restaurateur Steve DiFillippo, then only 24 years old, purchased the small Davio’s family restaurant in Boston’s Back Bay, later turning the Davio’s name into an Italian restaurant empire. Today, the chain continues to honor its roots, championing Italy across its food and wine offerings. Beyond antipasti, handmade pasta, seafood and steak offerings, Davio’s serves a variety of gluten-free dishes, such as gnocchi with mushrooms, braised veal Bolognese and lobster risotto. Each location’s cellar boasts more than 195 selections and shows strength in California and Italy, with notable producers including Tuscany’s Brancaia and Castello di Volpaia and Napa Valley’s Frank Family Vineyards.
Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse
16 Restaurant Award–winning locations in the U.S.
Website delfriscos.com
Grand Award (one location), Best of Award of Excellence (16 locations)
A powerhouse in the world of porterhouse, Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse is also a top destination for wine, with its Del Frisco’s Grille outposts. Corporate beverage director Travis Hinkle oversees all the Del Frisco’s wine programs, focusing on selections from California, Bordeaux and Burgundy at the Double Eagle locations (with each steak house offering more than 650 bottlings). Heavy hitters available by the glass have included Louis Latour and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. Besides A5 Japanese Wagyu beef, dry-aged rib eyes and other steaks, Double Eagle has raw bar offerings, a handful of entrées besides steak and sides such as whipped potatoes with chopped chives and lobster macaroni and cheese.
Eddie V’s Prime Seafood
30 Restaurant Award–winning locations in the U.S.
Website eddiev.com
Award of Excellence
Operated by Darden Restaurants, Eddie V’s Prime Seafood is a premier destination for seafood-friendly wines. With dozens of locations scattered from coast to coast, the chain focuses its menus primarily on seafood, with towers piled high with Blue Point oysters, wild gulf shrimp and Maine lobster. Mains include Georges Bank scallops, Parmesan-encrusted sole, seared togarashi-seasoned ahi and morel mushroom–crusted lamb chops, as well as a selection of steaks. Each Eddie V’s highlights more than 200 wine labels, pulling primarily from California. Across “The Perfect Pour” lineup, guests will find wines from Shafer and Silverado Vineyards available by the glass, courtesy of the Coravin preservation system.
Fogo de Chão
84 Restaurant Award–winning locations in the U.S.
Website fogodechao.com
Award of Excellence
Arguably one of Brazil’s most prominent exports, the steak house Fogo de Chão has spread across the U.S., with 74 Award of Excellence–winning locations focused on the wines of South America. Centered on churrasco, the barbecue tradition of southern Brazil, Fogo de Chão offers a rodízio-style dining service where staffers bring around a rotating selection of fire-roasted meats served on espadas, sword-like skewers. The meats can vary from lamb chops and roasted chicken to Brazilian steak cuts such as picanha (top sirloin) and fraldinha (bottom sirloin). Corporate beverage director Maurice van den Broeck oversees the chain’s wine programs,with an average of 180 selections per location, which focuses on reds from Argentina, California and Chile. Notable by-the-glass picks include Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile’s Valle de Colchagua and Malbec from Argentina’s Vista Flores.
Mastro’s Steakhouse, Mastro's Ocean Club and Morton’s, the Steakhouse
80 Restaurant Award–winning locations across the U.S., Canada, China, Mexico, Singapore and Taiwan
Websites mastrosrestaurants.com, mortons.com
Grand Award (one location), Best of Award of Excellence (25 locations), Award of Excellence (54 locations)
Both operated by Landry’s Inc., the Mastro’s and Morton’s steak houses have a lot in common—both going all-in on prime beef, seafood and wine offerings. Mastro’s also offers nightly live entertainment, and the restaurant’s sibling Ocean Clubs focus on sushi, raw bar options and cooked seafood. A Grand Award winner since 2019, the Mastro’s Steakhouse at the Post Oak Hotel in Houston has a 4,250-selection, 40,010-bottle program overseen by wine directors David Anderson, Julie Dalton, Keith Goldston and Shaun Prevatt that shows strength in California, France (particularly Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne and the Loire Valley) and Italy (Piedmont and Tuscany).
Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille
22 Restaurant Award–winning locations in the U.S.
Website perryssteakhouse.com
Award of Excellence
In 1979, the Perry family opened a small butcher shop and deli in their hometown of Houston. Since then, founder Bob Perry’s son, Chris, has expanded the original operation into 22 Award of Excellence–winning Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille locations. The chain offers a wide array of steaks, including bone-in cowboy and tomahawk rib eyes, plus an assortment of koji-aged beef and lamb options. Menus also feature starters such as crab cakes and bacon-wrapped gulf shrimp, small and large towers of chilled seafood and several soups and salads—including Perry’s signature wedge. The wine lists—each offering 135 selections—are particularly strong in California labels, with producers such as Cardinale, DAOU and Rodney Strong on offer. There are plenty of international options as well, including Barolo from Gaja, Mosel Riesling from Dr. Loosen and Northern Rhône Syrah from E. Guigal.
Seasons 52
45 Restaurant Award–winning locations in the U.S.
Website seasons52.com
Award of Excellence
A central player in the Restaurant Awards program since 2003, Seasons 52 currently has 45 Award of Excellence–winning locations across 20 states. The menus concentrate on American fare, with standards such as flatbreads, soups and salads alongside a handful of steak and seafood entrées, such as wood-grilled Alaskan halibut and a surf-and-turf pairing of filet mignon and Maine lobster tail. The wine lists champion California wineries such as Cakebread and Faust, with international offerings from producers such as France’s Gérard Bertrand and New Zealand’s Spy Valley.
STK
25 Restaurant Award–winning locations across the U.S., the U.K. and Europe
Website stksteakhouse.com
Award of Excellence
STK steak houses offer a modern, energized take on the classic American chop house, with 25 Restaurant Award–winning locations, including 17 in the U.S. and three overseas. Since launching in the mid-2000s in New York City, the brand has expanded into major markets such as Las Vegas, London and Milan. Known for its stylish design, in-house DJs and vibrant social scene, STK balances nightlife flair with steak house tradition. Menus feature a wide selection of steaks, from dry-aged tomahawks and bone-in strips to premium Japanese A5 Wagyu beef, along with appetizers such as tuna tartare and jumbo crab cakes. The wine lists span regions but tend to emphasize California, with labels such as Caymus, Decoy and Rombauer on offer. International selections have included Château Mont-Redon and Moët & Chandon from France and Masi and Il Poggione from Italy. More than 30 wines are available by the glass, and the cocktail menu includes signatures such as the Cucumber Stiletto (vodka, St-Germain, cucumber and mint) and Not Your Daddy’s Old Fashioned (Bourbon, Madagascar vanilla and toasted almond bitters). Corporate beverage director Stephanie Castaneda oversees the wine program of every STK location.
Wolfgang’s Steakhouse by Wolfgang Zwiener
17 Restaurant Award–winning locations across the U.S., China, Japan, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia and South Korea
Website wolfgangssteakhouse.net
Best of Award of Excellence (9 locations), Award of Excellence (8 locations)
Inspired by his decades of experience as head waiter at the iconic Peter Luger Steak House in Brooklyn, Wolfgang Zwiener set out to make his own mark on the industry in 2004 by founding his first eponymous restaurant in Midtown Manhattan. Before his death in January 2025, Zwiener had expanded his Wolfgang’s Steakhouse empire to 22 locations across six countries, with 22 now holding Restaurant Awards. The chain is known for its cuts of prime beef, from filet mignons to tomahawks, as well as classic steak house sides such as baked potatoes, creamed spinach and shrimp cocktail. Wine lists typically include strong options from Napa Valley, such as Beringer, Colgin, Dunn and Groth, as well as steak-friendly international wines from France’s Château Lynch-Bages, Italy’s Antinori and Spain’s Telmo Rodríguez.
Edited by Julia Larson, Greg Warner and Megan Tkacy
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