Nice Matin
A Riviera Brasserie With Serious Cellar Credentials
Upper West Side · New York · French · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 5, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
The wine list at Nice Matin lands on the table like a small novel — 1,200-plus bottles organized with the kind of intention that tells you someone here genuinely cares. For a neighborhood French brasserie on the Upper West Side, this is a legitimately world-class cellar, and the Grand Award plaques from Wine Spectator going back to 2014 are not just wall decoration. Walter Dunbar and Daniel Tang are the names behind the program, and it shows in every region covered.
Selection Deep Dive
Bordeaux and Burgundy anchor the list in the way you'd hope — Château Margaux, Château Pétrus, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, and Domaine Leroy all make appearances, which puts Nice Matin in a very short list of neighborhood restaurants on the planet. Rhône gets serious treatment too, with Château Rayas representing the appellation at its most cerebral. California isn't an afterthought: Kistler Vineyards and Ridge Monte Bello signal that the American section was built by someone who knows the difference between a trophy Napa Cab and an actual interesting bottle. Italy rounds it out with Giacomo Conterno Barolo and Sassicaia — no shortcuts, no filler.
By the Glass
With 20 to 30 pours available at any given time in the $14–$30 range, the by-the-glass program punches well above what you'd expect for a neighborhood spot. Champagne typically anchors the top end — Krug is on the bottle list and that spirit carries into the glass selections. The range is wide enough that you can drink well without committing to a full bottle, though once you open that list, restraint gets harder.
Kistler Vineyards Chardonnay — $80–$120
Kistler is genuinely hard to find at restaurants, and when a room has it, you drink it. Relative to what the kitchen is producing — bouillabaisse, moules marinières — this is the right move at a price that still feels grounded compared to the Burgundy deep cuts next to it.
Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Most tables at Nice Matin are drinking Bordeaux or Burgundy, which means the Rayas — one of the most singular wines in the Rhône — gets overlooked. Pure Grenache from old vines, almost Burgundian in its elegance, and exactly what you want with duck confit in a room that feels like the South of France.
Sassicaia
A legitimately great wine, but at NYC restaurant pricing it gets marked up into the stratosphere and you can find comparable Italian structure and complexity for significantly less on the same list. Save the Sassicaia budget for a bottle shop.
Giacomo Conterno Barolo + Duck Confit
Conterno Barolo is built for fat and depth — the acidity cuts through the richness of the confit while the tannin structure matches the weight of the dish without steamrolling it. Classic Old World logic, executed in a room that earns it.
🔥 The Bottom Line
Nice Matin is the rare neighborhood restaurant where the wine list is the main event, not an afterthought propping up the kitchen. If you're on the Upper West Side and you care about what's in your glass, this is the room.
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