RFK Rankings · Honolulu
Best Wine Lists in Honolulu 2026
Restaurant cellars & sommelier programs · Honolulu · 6 lists ranked · Updated June 2026
Compiled by the Restaurants for Kings editorial team · Published June 17, 2026 · Updated June 17, 2026 · Reviewed by Fredrik Filipsson, Editor-in-Chief · How we rank · Corrections
Every bottle on a Honolulu wine list crossed an ocean to get there, which makes the city's serious cellars an act of logistics as much as taste. The deepest of them sit on the Halekulani waterfront in Waikiki, where La Mer has held a AAA Five Diamond rating since 1990 and Orchids runs a Coravin wine bar, and the rest run from a Chinatown chef's counter to the modern-local rooms of Hawaii's regional-cuisine pioneers. Here is who each list suits, what to expect walking in, and how to book it. Six, ranked on depth, the by-the-glass program and value rather than trophy labels alone.
1.La Mer
Hawaii's longest-running Five-Diamond room with a Best of Award cellar. Reserve ahead for neo-classic French and aged Bordeaux.
La Mer at the Halekulani in Waikiki is the wine anchor of Honolulu, Hawaii's longest-running AAA Five Diamond restaurant, holding the rating every year since 1990 and a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence list. Chef Alexandre Trancher cooks neo-classic French overlooking the water, and the cellar runs to age-worthy bottles and a deep selection of half-bottles, the most serious wine service in the islands. This is the city's grand occasion, the booking for a couple marking something who want a long, formal oceanfront evening and a floor that can pull an aged Bordeaux. The prix fixe and degustation run from around 195 dollars per person before wine. Reserve two to three weeks ahead, mention the occasion, and ask the floor for an aged bottle and a half-bottle pairing.
Book on the Halekulani site; ask the floor for an aged Bordeaux and a half-bottle.
2.Orchids
Halekulani's oceanfront room with a Coravin wine bar and a global cellar. Book it for Sunday brunch and a by-the-glass flight.
Orchids, the Halekulani's oceanfront seafood room in Waikiki, pairs an open-air view over Diamond Head with the Cattleya Wine Bar, where a Coravin system lets the floor pour rare bottles by the glass that most rooms would only sell whole. Chef Christian Testa's cooking marries European technique with Hawaiian flavor, and the cellar spans Italy, France, Portugal, the United States and Lebanon. This is the booking for a couple who want a brighter, daytime sense of occasion and the chance to taste widely without committing to a bottle. The famous Sunday brunch runs about 85 dollars for adults. Reserve two weeks ahead, ask for a table by the rail, and let the floor build a by-the-glass flight on the Coravin.
Book on the Halekulani site; ask the floor for a Coravin flight by the glass.
3.Senia
Chinatown's chef-counter star with a sommelier who roams off the map. Try it once for the counter and a grower pour.
Senia, on the edge of Chinatown, is the modern chef's-counter star of Honolulu, opened by chefs Anthony Rush and Chris Kajioka and built around wine director Chris Ramelb's restless, off-the-map list. The by-the-glass program nods to the classic regions but also wanders to lesser-known dots on the map, the most exciting wine thinking in the city. The 12-course Chef's Counter runs about 288 dollars, while the dining room offers plates from roughly 20 to 40 dollars. This is the booking for a couple who care about wine and want a sommelier who surprises them rather than a trophy cellar. Reserve well ahead for the counter, sit where you can watch the kitchen, and let Ramelb lead the pairings.
Book on the Senia site; let the wine director lead you to a grower pour.
4.MW Restaurant
Wade Ueoka and Michelle Karr-Ueoka's modern-local room with a smart list. Settle in for mochi-crusted fish and a cold Riesling.
MW Restaurant on Kapiolani Boulevard near Ala Moana is the modern Hawaii Regional room of James Beard-recognized chefs Wade Ueoka and Michelle Karr-Ueoka, and it carries one of the smartest, most food-friendly lists in the city. The wine is built to drink with the refined local cooking and the daily-changing menu rather than to flex, with strong by-the-glass and a leaning toward bright whites for the seafood. This is the booking for a couple who want polished, contemporary island cooking and a floor that matches a bottle to the plate. Mains run roughly 30 to 48 dollars before wine. Reserve a week or two ahead, save room for Karr-Ueoka's desserts, and ask the floor for the best white by the glass.
Book on the MW Restaurant site; ask the floor for a bright white with the fish.
5.Roy's Waikiki
Roy Yamaguchi's flagship pairs Hawaiian fusion with a deep, glass-rich list. Pencil it in for misoyaki butterfish and a Pinot.
Roy's Waikiki on Beach Walk is the flagship of Roy Yamaguchi, a founding father of Hawaii Regional Cuisine, and the room has long run one of the broadest, most by-the-glass-rich wine programs in the islands. The list is built for the bold Hawaiian-fusion cooking, with enough range to put a Pinot Noir next to the signature misoyaki butterfish or a crisp white beside the short ribs. This is the dependable celebration booking, the room for a group or a couple who want lively, recognizable island cooking and a strong glass pour rather than a cellar to study. Plan on 40 to 70 dollars for mains before wine. Reserve a week ahead, save room for the molten chocolate soufflé, and ask the floor for the best Pinot by the glass.
Book on the Roy's site; ask the floor for a Pinot with the misoyaki butterfish.
6.Merriman's Honolulu
Peter Merriman's Ward Village room built on island farms and a tidy list. Worth a trip for the Keahole lobster.
Merriman's Honolulu in Ward Village is the city outpost of Peter Merriman, another pioneer of Hawaii Regional Cuisine, and its wine list follows the farm-to-table cooking with a tidy, well-chosen selection rather than a deep cellar. The strength is the match between the bottle and the island ingredients, with bright whites and food-friendly reds chosen for the macadamia-nut-crusted fish and the Keahole lobster pot pie. This is the booking for a couple who want sunset, local sourcing and a clean, well-priced glass rather than a wine study. Mains run roughly 36 to 46 dollars before wine. Reserve a week ahead, ask for a sunset table near the open front, and let the floor pour a crisp white with the lobster.
Book on the Merriman's site; ask the floor for a crisp white with the lobster.
Avoid for a wine night
Once great, not now
Vintage Cave Club. The Ala Moana club was once home to a famous 500-plus-bottle cellar, but the café has closed and the club's status is unreliable as of 2026, so do not build a wine night around it. For real cellar depth, book La Mer or Orchids on the Halekulani waterfront instead.
The Waikiki tourist steakhouses. The big-name chain steak rooms along Kalakaua pour fine by the glass, but their lists are mark-up-driven and tuned to visitors rather than collectors. For depth and a floor that knows the cellar, go to Halekulani or Senia.
How to drink well in Honolulu
Because every bottle is imported, the depth lives where the buying is serious, so plan the night around the Halekulani: La Mer for the grand French occasion and aged Bordeaux, Orchids for the Coravin wine bar and a by-the-glass flight. Book these two to three weeks ahead through the hotel site, where the best oceanfront tables and Sunday brunch seats go first. For an aged bottle at La Mer, mention it when you book so the floor can have it ready.
The discovery and the value sit at the chef-led rooms: Senia for a sommelier who surprises you, MW and Merriman's for bright whites with island cooking, Roy's for a strong glass pour. Tell the floor what you are eating and what you want to spend, and let them match the bottle to the plate. And wherever you go, if you are celebrating, say so when you book so the room can make a night of it.
Frequently asked
Which Honolulu restaurant has the best wine list?
La Mer at the Halekulani in Waikiki holds our top spot. Hawaii's longest-running AAA Five Diamond restaurant, holding the rating since 1990, carries a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence list with age-worthy bottles and a deep selection of half-bottles, the most serious wine service in the islands. Chef Alexandre Trancher cooks neo-classic French. Reserve two to three weeks ahead and ask the floor for an aged Bordeaux.
Where can I taste rare wine by the glass in Honolulu?
Orchids at the Halekulani runs the Cattleya Wine Bar, where a Coravin system lets the floor pour rare and age-worthy bottles by the glass that most rooms only sell whole. The cellar spans Italy, France, Portugal, the United States and Lebanon. Ask for a table by the rail and let the floor build a by-the-glass flight on the Coravin.
How much does a good bottle cost at Honolulu restaurants?
Plan on 60 to 130 dollars for a genuinely good bottle at most of these rooms, with the ceiling higher at La Mer and Orchids on the Halekulani waterfront. Because every bottle is imported, mark-ups run a little higher than the mainland. The smart move is to set a number with the floor, or lean on the Coravin by-the-glass program at Orchids and the pour list at Senia.
Do you need a reservation for these Honolulu wine restaurants?
Yes, and well ahead for the destination rooms. La Mer, Orchids and Senia release tables ahead and the best oceanfront tables, Sunday brunch and counter seats go first, so book two to three weeks out. MW, Roy's and Merriman's are a little easier but still worth reserving. For an aged bottle at La Mer, flag it when you book.
Which Honolulu restaurant has the most exciting sommelier program?
Senia, on the edge of Chinatown, is the pick for wine discovery. Wine director Chris Ramelb builds a restless by-the-glass program that nods to the classic regions but wanders to lesser-known dots on the map, alongside the chef's counter from Anthony Rush and Chris Kajioka. Sit at the counter and let Ramelb lead the pairings.
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