The Wine List Forgot What Year It Is
North Arlington · Arlington · Japanese
Reviewed June 13, 2026
Wingman Metrics
You flip to the drink menu expecting something interesting — maybe a tight sake selection or a surprising import — and instead you get a greatest hits of grocery store California wine. It's not offensive, but it's not trying either. The Japanese sake and plum wine section is the only part of this list that remembers where the food comes from.
The wine side of this list is essentially a Vendange and Beringer showcase, with Canyon Road rounding out the California budget tier. We're talking Merlot, Cab, Chardonnay — the holy trinity of 'we had to put something on here.' The Japanese beverage section actually shows more personality, with options like Oka Ginjo 'Cherry Bouquet,' Ozenki Nigori, and the Yamahai Daiginjo 'Mirror of Truth,' which collectively outclass everything on the wine side. There are no notable imports, no interesting varietals, and zero evidence that anyone curated this list with intention.
Glass pours run from $6.95 to $10.95, and at those prices you're not expecting Burgundy — but you are expecting something better than Vendange. There are technically 8 or so wine-by-the-glass options when you count house pours and specific labels, which sounds generous until you realize half of them are the same grape in different brand packaging. The Mono Kawa draft cold sake is the sleeper hit of the pour menu and honestly the move if you're drinking by the glass here.
Mono Kawa Draft Cold Sake — $6.95
It's fresh, it fits the menu, and it's almost certainly the best-handled beverage on this list. At this price point, it's the obvious call over anything in the wine section.
Oka Ginjo 'Cherry Bouquet'
Most tables at a Japanese steakhouse are going to default to the Beringer Cab without a second thought. Skip it. The Oka Ginjo is delicate and fruit-forward in a way that actually complements the food, and most people will walk right past it.
Vendange Merlot
This is supermarket wine at restaurant prices. There's nothing wrong with it in an absolute sense, but there's no reason to order it here when the sake selection is sitting right next to it on the menu.
Yamahai Daiginjo 'Mirror of Truth' + Hibachi Scallops
The umami richness of the Yamahai Daiginjo cuts through the butter and char on hibachi scallops without fighting the delicate sweetness of the shellfish. It's the one pairing on this menu that feels like it was actually thought through.
❌ The Bottom Line
If you're here for the hibachi, order a sake and move on — the wine list is an afterthought dressed up as a menu section. The Japanese beverage offerings are the only reason we're not telling you to just drink water.
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