Grill 23 & Bar

A wine list with 14,825 bottles tells you everything you need to know about Grill 23 & Bar's priorities

The wine list runs to 2,540 selections backed by a cellar of nearly 15,000 bottles, with particular depth in California, Burgundy, Bordeaux, Piedmont, Rhône, Champagne, Loire, Germany. If you are looking for a Boston steakhouse that also takes wine seriously, this is the most defensible choice at the $$$ price point.

Book here when the occasion calls for a dining room that can hold its own against the wine you want to drink. Wine Director Brahm Callahan and a full sommelier team including Paul Lee, Tori Testa, Katie Stotler, Erik Cancelmo run one of the deepest programs in the city. Chef Ryan Marcoux leads the kitchen, General Manager Nick Heilmann runs the floor. The ownership group behind the restaurant, Chris Himmel, Ken Himmel, Brian Sommers, has kept the address at 161 Berkeley Street in the Back Bay a consistent reference point for Boston's fine-dining circuit.

When to go and what to think about ordering

The editorial angle that matters most here is seasonal. Grill 23 operates an American menu at the $$$ tier, which at this price level means the kitchen is sourcing to season. New England's calendar is a genuine factor: spring brings local seafood and early produce; summer shifts the balance toward lighter preparations; fall and winter are when a serious steakhouse earns its keep, with heavier cuts, reduced sauces, the kind of wine pairings where a Burgundy or a mature Bordeaux from that 14,825-bottle cellar becomes the obvious call. If you are visiting in winter, the wine list depth becomes more relevant than at any other time of year, the sommelier team's fluency across Burgundy and Bordeaux is worth using.

For food enthusiasts who want depth rather than just a meal, the smart move is to arrive with a specific bottle or region in mind and let the sommelier team build around it. The list's $$$-tier pricing reflects a cellar stocked with serious bottles, not just crowd-pleasers, which means the value proposition improves the more you engage with the program. Casual drinkers ordering a house pour at these food prices will find better value elsewhere in Boston.

Practical details

How it compares

Against Boston's other dinner-only options at the $$$ tier, Grill 23 occupies a specific lane: serious American cooking with a wine program that outpaces most of its local competition. If you want Japanese precision, O Ya and Oishii Boston are the stronger choices, for raw bar depth, Neptune Oyster is hard to beat. But for a room where the wine list is genuinely part of the proposition, Grill 23 has no direct local rival at its price point. Ostra competes on ambiance for special occasions but focuses on seafood rather than a broad American format.

Worth knowing

• The World of Fine Wine 3-Star Accreditation places Grill 23 in a small peer group nationally; comparable recognitions appear at restaurants like Le Bernardin in New York City and The French Laundry in Napa.
• If you are building a Boston fine-dining itinerary, see also Agosto for Portuguese-inspired tasting-menu cooking, Abe & Louie's for a direct steakhouse comparison, 311 Omakase for a contrast in format.
• For a broader view of what Boston offers across all categories, browse our full Boston restaurants guide, our full Boston bars guide, our full Boston hotels guide, and our full Boston experiences guide.
• For wine program context from other leading American rooms, compare with Lazy Bear in San Francisco, Alinea in Chicago, or Single Thread Farm in Healdsburg.