RingSide Steakhouse
Portland's Old Guard Still Throws Punches
Portland · Portland · American, Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 9, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
Walking into RingSide, you know immediately this is a place that takes its wine seriously — the list is thick, the room is dark and leathery in the best way, and the bottles behind the bar are not there for decoration. This place has been doing this since 1977, and the wine program has the receipts to prove it, including a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence it's held since 2002.
Selection Deep Dive
Four hundred to six hundred bottles is a serious commitment, and RingSide leans hard into its core strengths: California Cabernet, Oregon Pinot Noir, and classic Bordeaux — which is exactly the right call for a steakhouse of this caliber. You'll find Caymus, Silver Oak Alexander Valley, Jordan, Leonetti Cellar, and Beringer Private Reserve anchoring the Cab section, while Domaine Drouhin, Adelsheim, and Patz & Hall give the Pinot side genuine depth and local pride. Bordeaux lovers aren't left out either — Chateau Margaux appears on the list, which signals the kitchen isn't the only thing aging well here. Washington gets a nod via Leonetti Cellar, a smart inclusion that most steakhouses outside the Pacific Northwest wouldn't even think to make.
By the Glass
Twenty to thirty by-the-glass options is generous for a steakhouse, and at RingSide that range feels curated rather than just padded with whatever needed to move. The glass program skews toward crowd-pleasing California reds, which is the right call when half the table is ordering a ribeye. Rotation appears limited — this is a Set & Forget list — but the quality floor is high enough that you're not gambling.
Adelsheim Pinot Noir — $60
Oregon Pinot at a steakhouse that actually stocks it properly — Adelsheim is a benchmark producer in the Willamette Valley and tends to be priced more reasonably than the California names on the same list. It's the smart order if you're not going for beef.
Leonetti Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon
Most diners here reach for Caymus or Silver Oak on autopilot, which means Leonetti sits underordered. That's a shame — Leonetti is one of Washington's most storied wineries and the Cab is arguably more interesting and complex than the California crowd-pleasers flanking it on the list.
Opus One
Opus One is a trophy wine, and steakhouses know it — which means they price it like one. You're paying a substantial premium for the name recognition here, and that money buys you more character and more wine elsewhere on this list.
Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon + Prime dry-aged New York strip
Silver Oak Alexander Valley is built for exactly this moment — its softer tannins and generous dark fruit don't fight the char on a dry-aged strip, they lean into it. It's the classic steakhouse pairing done right, and RingSide is one of the few places that has both sides of the equation dialed in.
🔥 The Bottom Line
RingSide is the real deal — a half-century-old Portland institution with a wine list deep enough to reward the curious and safe enough to satisfy the loyal regulars. The markups run steep on the flagship names, but the range and quality here justify the trip, and the Rager badge.
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