Delmonico's Italian Steakhouse
Frank Sinatra Vibes, Dependable Pours
Downtown Albany · Albany · Italian, Steakhouse, Seafood · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 9, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
Walk in and the Rat Pack is playing, caricatures are staring you down from wood-paneled walls, and the wine list lands on your table looking exactly like you'd expect — familiar names, no surprises, nothing that's going to make you call your wine-obsessed friend at 9pm. It's comfortable. It knows what it is.
Selection Deep Dive
The list runs 50–80 bottles and leans hard on California and Italy, which at least makes thematic sense for an Italian steakhouse. You've got Hess Collection Cab and Cakebread Chard holding down the Napa end, Davinci Chianti and Tommasi Amarone flying the Italian flag, and MacMurray Ranch Pinot Noir representing Russian River when the list wants to feel a little fancy. Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and Germany show up in supporting roles, but don't expect deep cuts — this is crowd-pleaser territory from top to bottom. There are no indie producers, no funky regional finds, no moment where the list surprises you. It covers the bases, and it does so without embarrassing itself.
By the Glass
Ten to sixteen options by the glass is a respectable spread for a neighborhood steakhouse, and the pricing is genuinely fair — we're seeing consistent 100% markups on pours, which in today's restaurant landscape is almost refreshingly honest. The glass selection mirrors the bottle list: approachable, recognizable, built for the table that just wants something reliable with their pasta.
Mirassou Pinot Noir — $6
At $6 a glass on a 100% markup, you're paying retail-equivalent pricing for a pourable, easy-drinking Central Coast Pinot that works with everything on this menu. It's not going to change your life, but at that price, it doesn't have to.
Tommasi Amarone Valpolicella
Most people at this table are ordering the Cab or the Chianti without a second thought, and the Tommasi Amarone just sits there waiting to be noticed. Rich, concentrated, with the kind of depth that actually matches a 24 oz. Delmonico steak — this is the move if you're spending on a bottle.
Copper Ridge Cabernet
Four dollars a glass sounds like a deal until you remember Copper Ridge is a jug-wine-adjacent California label retailing for $8 a bottle. At a restaurant with actual good options on this list, there's no reason to be pouring from the bottom shelf.
Tommasi Amarone Valpolicella + 24 oz. Signature Delmonico Steak
Amarone's concentrated dried-fruit intensity and grippy structure need a big piece of meat to push back against — and the 24 oz. Delmonico is exactly that. One of the rare spots on this list where the wine and the menu are actually speaking the same language.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Delmonico's isn't trying to be a wine destination, and to its credit, it doesn't pretend to be — the list is safe, the markups are fair, and the Tommasi Amarone gives you one genuinely good reason to order a bottle. Send a friend here for dinner knowing the wine won't disappoint, just don't expect it to impress anyone either.
Comments
Get the Weekly Wingman
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.