Cedar Rapids

Biaggi's isn't a wine destination, but the Italian-forward list does enough right that you can drink well if you know where to look. Stick to the Italian bottles, avoid the obvious crowd-pleasers, and you'll leave satisfied.

Midtown Reserve is doing more with wine than anyone in Cedar Rapids has a right to expect, with a list that actually has some range and genuine finds if you look past the house pours. The markups are real and the glass program plays it safe, but for a serious dinner in Iowa, this is absolutely where you want to be drinking.

Butcher's Block is a reliable steakhouse wine list that does exactly what it's supposed to — get Napa Cab on the table with a great piece of beef. It won't excite the adventurous drinker, and the markups sting a little, but if you're here for the meat, the wine will do its job.

Parlor City is a genuinely fun neighborhood pub, and the daily happy hour makes the wine situation tolerable — half-price Moscato d'Asti at 4pm is a perfectly fine life choice. But if wine is your priority tonight, this isn't your stop.

Granite City is a perfectly fine place to drink a pint brewed on-site — that's genuinely the move here. The wine list exists as a formality, not an invitation, and the markups on grocery-store bottles aren't doing anyone any favors.

Buffalo Wild Wings Cedar Rapids is not a wine destination — it's a sports bar that technically serves wine the way a gas station technically sells food. Order a beer, enjoy the wings, and save your wine curiosity for literally anywhere else in Cedar Rapids.

Chili's Cedar Rapids is not a wine destination, and it has absolutely no interest in becoming one. Order the margarita, enjoy the ribs, and save your wine curiosity for a restaurant that shares it.

Order a cocktail. The wine list here is a placeholder, not a program — and the markup on grocery store bottles is a bad deal no matter how you slice it. If your dinner crew is wine-curious, you're better off stopping at a bottle shop on the way.

Order a cocktail. Applebee's does not care about wine and the list proves it — overpriced grocery-store pours with zero curation or effort. If you absolutely must have wine with your Bourbon Street Chicken, grab the KJ Chardonnay and make peace with it.

We wouldn't send a friend here for wine — we'd tell them to order a cocktail, which is honestly what TGI Fridays is built for. If you're trapped here and wine is non-negotiable, stick to the Ste. Michelle Riesling by the glass and keep your expectations proportional to the surroundings.

Outback Cedar Rapids is here for the steak, the Bloomin' Onion, and the Australian theming — the wine list is an afterthought and makes no effort to hide it. Order the Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling if you want something worth drinking, otherwise stick to beer or whatever they're shaking at the bar.

Olive Garden Cedar Rapids is not a wine destination — it never pretended to be, and that's fine. But if you're sitting down here, order the Chianti, skip the Mondavi Cab, and save your serious wine drinking for somewhere that cares.

Biaggi's Cedar Rapids isn't a wine destination, but it's a reliable Italian chain that actually stocked a few wines worth ordering — especially if you steer toward the Italian side of the list. Send a friend here if they need a decent bottle with dinner and don't want to think too hard about it.

Rusciano's isn't a wine destination, but it's not pretending to be one either — the list is focused, fairly priced, and built to drink with the food. Send a friend here for pizza and tell them to order the Barbera.