Orla
Greece on the Pacific, and It Delivers
Santa Monica · Santa Monica · Greek, Mediterranean · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 7, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
The wine list at Orla lands like a love letter to the Aegean — heavy on Greek producers you actually want to drink, not just the token Assyrtiko buried at the bottom of the whites. Sitting on Ocean Ave. with a 150-plus bottle list that leads with Santorini and Xinomavro, this is one of the few spots in LA where the wine program feels as intentional as the food. Wine Spectator handed them a Best of Award of Excellence in 2025, and from the list alone, you can see why.
Selection Deep Dive
The Greek section is the main event — Domaine Sigalas, Argyros Estate, and Gaia Wines Thalassitis cover the volcanic whites from Santorini with real depth, while Kir-Yianni and Alpha Estate hold it down for Xinomavro, Greece's answer to Nebbiolo that most American diners still sleep on. Italy gets a serious nod with Antinori Tignanello and Mastroberardino Taurasi, and France shows up credibly via Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet — not just filler bottles, but names that belong. Domaine Gerovassiliou Malagousia is a particularly sharp call, representing one of Greece's most aromatic and underexplored white grapes. The gaps are minor: if you're hunting for natural wine or deep new world exploration, you're in the wrong restaurant, but that's by design.
By the Glass
Twenty to thirty-five options by the glass is ambitious, and at Orla it mostly pays off — you can drink through multiple Greek regions without committing to a bottle, which is exactly how a list like this should work. Glass pours run $12–$25, which stings a little for the upper end, but access to producers like Sigalas and Gerovassiliou by the glass isn't something you take for granted. We'd love to see more rotation and a few surprises kept in reserve, but the current program is solid enough to build an entire meal around.
Kir-Yianni Xinomavro — $45+
Xinomavro is one of the world's great red grapes — complex, age-worthy, with serious structure — and most tables will walk right past it toward something familiar. Don't. Kir-Yianni is a benchmark producer, and at the entry price point on this list it punches well above its weight against the Italian options nearby.
Domaine Gerovassiliou Malagousia
Malagousia is a nearly extinct Greek white variety that Gerovassiliou single-handedly revived, and it's one of the most distinctive aromatic whites you'll find anywhere — floral, textured, with a savory mineral edge that makes it perfect for this menu. Most people at Orla will order the Assyrtiko. You should order this instead.
Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet
Sauzet is a great producer and the wine is genuinely excellent — but Puligny-Montrachet at a Greek restaurant in a hotel dining room on Ocean Ave. is going to carry a markup that turns a great bottle into an expensive exercise. You're not here for white Burgundy. Drink Greek.
Argyros Estate Assyrtiko + Whole Roasted Fish
Santorini Assyrtiko and whole roasted fish is one of those combinations that exists for a reason — the wine's bracing acidity and saline minerality cut straight through the richness of the fish while amplifying everything oceanic on the plate. Argyros is one of the island's finest estates, and this pairing is why you came to Orla.
🔥 The Bottom Line
Orla is one of the best places in Southern California to drink Greek wine, full stop — the list is deep where it counts, the staff knows what they're pouring, and the setting makes the whole thing feel like a genuine occasion. Yes, the markup will bite on the high end, but for a hotel restaurant with a legitimate Wine Spectator credential and sommeliers who actually care, we'd send you here without hesitation.
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