Lafayette Steakhouse
Brickell's Bordeaux and California Power Play
Brickell · Miami · American, French · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 7, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
The wine list at Lafayette lands with weight — physically and symbolically. A 300-500 bottle program anchored in California Cabernet and Bordeaux tells you exactly what kind of restaurant this is: somewhere that takes the steak as seriously as the wine that goes with it. The art-forward, architecturally dramatic room in the heart of Brickell sets expectations high, and the list mostly delivers.
Selection Deep Dive
California and France are the twin pillars here, and they're built thick. You'll find Opus One, Stag's Leap CASK 23, Ridge Monte Bello, Silver Oak, Caymus Special Selection, and Jordan all sharing real estate with Chateau Margaux, Lynch-Bages, and Leoville-Barton — that's a credible Bordeaux section by any measure. The depth is real but it skews heavily toward crowd-pleasing icons; if you're hunting for anything outside Napa and the Left Bank, you're going to feel the walls close in quickly. Wine Spectator handed them a Best of Award of Excellence in 2025, and looking at the list, it's deserved — this is a serious program, just not a particularly adventurous one.
By the Glass
With 20 to 40 by-the-glass options, Lafayette is more generous than most steakhouses at this price point. The pours likely mirror the bottle list — California-heavy, Bordeaux-leaning — which means solid options but not much room for spontaneity. We'd love to see a few more rotating selections to keep the program from feeling static.
Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon — $60–$80 (est.)
Jordan consistently overdelivers for its price tier. At a restaurant where Opus One and Margaux dominate the upper shelves, Jordan is the move if you want serious Alexander Valley Cab without the four-digit hangover.
Duckhorn Vineyards Merlot
Everyone in a steakhouse wants Cab, and Duckhorn Merlot gets overlooked for exactly that reason. It's a shame — this is a genuinely complex, age-worthy wine that holds its own against any ribeye on the menu and typically prices out more reasonably than its Napa Cab neighbors.
Caymus Vineyards Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon
Caymus Special Selection is a fine wine, but it's also one of the most heavily marked-up labels in American restaurant programs. You're paying a premium for a name that every table in the room already knows. The juice is good; the value equation at restaurant pricing is not.
Chateau Lynch-Bages + Steak
Lynch-Bages is everything you want from a Pauillac with a great cut of beef — structured tannins, cassis, cedar, and enough acidity to cut through the fat. It's the classic combination executed at a restaurant built specifically for it.
🔥 The Bottom Line
Lafayette is a steakhouse wine list done right — deep in the regions that matter for big red meat meals, stocked with names that earn their reputations, and serious enough to land a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence in its first year. The markups are real and there's no sommelier to guide you through it, but if you know what you want, you'll find it here.
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