Des Moines

Louie's Johnston is exactly what a suburban wine bar should be — a big by-the-glass list, fair prices, and zero pretension. Send your friends here when they want to drink well without a side of attitude.

Club Car is a reliable steakhouse wine list doing exactly what it was built to do: keep Cab drinkers happy and nobody walking out complaining. Don't come here for discovery, but don't leave without ordering the Jordan.

Wasabi Waukee is a genuinely good sushi restaurant that treats its wine list like an afterthought — familiar names, steep markups, and zero curiosity about what wines might actually sing alongside the food. Order the cocktails or sake instead, and save the wine discussion for somewhere that cares.

Louie's Wine Dive is the kind of place Des Moines needs more of — a real wine program in a no-pretense room, with Tuesday half-price deals that make experimenting genuinely low-stakes. It's not a destination list, but it's absolutely a destination night.

Granite City is a brewery that tolerates wine, and the list reflects that perfectly. Drink the beer — it's the whole point of being here.

Bravo! is a fine dinner out if the pasta is what you're after, but the wine list is purely functional — corporate-designed, safely marked up, and entirely forgettable. Order a glass of bubbles or the Chianti, make peace with your choices, and let the food do the heavy lifting.

You're not coming to P.F. Chang's at Jordan Creek for a wine revelation, and that's fine — but show up on a Wednesday, grab a half-price bottle of Whispering Angel or the Browne Family blend, and you'll drink better than the list's full-price reputation deserves. Just don't pay full freight.

Fleming's West Des Moines does what it's designed to do — deliver a confident, California-heavy wine program in a well-run steakhouse setting. We'd send a friend here for a special occasion; we just wouldn't tell them to expect anything they haven't already seen before.

Cooper's Hawk isn't a wine destination in any traditional sense — it's a polished, house-brand operation built for the kind of crowd that wants good wine without homework. For Des Moines' west metro, that's not a criticism; it's a service, and they deliver it consistently.

Biaggi's is a dependable suburban Italian with a wine list that plays it completely safe and prices that would sting if not for Thursday's half-price bottle deal — show up then, order the Chianti, and you'll have a genuinely solid night. Any other day, just manage your expectations.

Johnny's is a perfectly fine place to eat a steak in West Des Moines, but the wine list is a chain-operated afterthought charging boutique prices for grocery store bottles. Drink the cocktails, or bring a bottle and pay the corkage if they allow it.

Johnny's Altoona is a fine place for a steak, but the wine list is a corporate afterthought with markups that consistently punish curious drinkers. Order the Decoy with your filet, skip the Pinot Grigio, and don't expect anyone at the table to geek out with you about what's in the glass.

Americana is a great night out for brunch, cocktails, and good times — the wine list is just along for the ride. Show up on a Wednesday, hit the half-price bottles in the bar, and order the Coppola Claret.

Django earns its place as Downtown Des Moines' best shot at a French wine experience, but the markup math will sting if you're paying attention. Stick to the Burgundy end of the list, order the steak frites, and you'll leave happy — just not at a steal.

Alba is the kind of wine list that makes you reconsider a city's dining scene — thoughtfully curated, genuinely curious, and full of wines you won't find at the steakhouse down the street. Markups on a few bottles are hard to ignore, but the selection alone earns a trip.

The Stuffed Olive is a genuinely fun downtown bar, but the wine list is strictly there for guests who don't want a cocktail. If wine is why you're going out, keep looking — if you're here for the martinis and want something in a glass that isn't shaken, you'll survive.

Harbinger is doing something genuinely unusual for Des Moines: stocking producers that wine-literate diners in Chicago or Portland would recognize and respect. The markups are a real friction point — especially on the Muscadet and Grüner — but if you're eating the tasting menu anyway, a bottle of Ruppert-Leroy or Envinate elevates the whole night. Send your most adventurous friend here and tell them to skip the safe picks.

Mulberry Street Tavern is a legitimately fun place to eat and drink — just don't make wine the reason you go. The markups are aggressive, the list is safe to the point of being forgettable, and Des Moines deserves better from a room this nice.

Baratta's is a South Side institution worth visiting for the homemade pasta and the neighborhood warmth — just don't expect the wine list to match the kitchen's effort. The markups are steeper than they need to be on a list that isn't trying very hard, so order wisely, lean on the lower-priced bottles, and let the food do the talking.

801 Chophouse delivers a competent, well-staffed wine experience that does exactly what a classic steakhouse should — it just won't surprise you, and you'll pay a premium for the privilege. Send a friend here for a business dinner; save the wine exploration for somewhere else.

Fleming's Des Moines is a well-run wine program inside a predictable format — if California reds with your steak is your game, you'll leave happy. Just don't expect any surprises, and watch those markups closely before you start pointing at the big names.

Ruth's Chris West Des Moines is a reliable wine destination if your bar is 'nothing went wrong' — the list is large, storage is proper, and you won't struggle to find something to drink with a $54 steak. Just don't come expecting discovery; come expecting a well-run machine that knows its audience.

Barn Town Brewery is a genuinely solid craft beer destination, and we respect it for that — but the wine program is an afterthought dressed up as an option. Order a pint, save the wine for literally anywhere else.

Splash isn't trying to reinvent wine in the Midwest — it's a polished, California-forward list that does exactly what it needs to do for a seafood restaurant with real ambitions. Send a friend here if they want a reliable bottle with their lobster mac; just don't send the natural wine obsessive.

The New Northwestern is a genuinely pleasant place to drink wine in Des Moines, especially if you let the flights do the heavy lifting. It's not pushing any boundaries, but the setting is great, the pricing is fair, and Etude in a flight pour is hard to argue with.

Prime And Providence has a wine list that's genuinely trying, and in Des Moines that matters — the depth and Old World presence put it ahead of most competition in the market. Just go in knowing the glass pours are a value trap and stick to the bottle list where the occasional deal actually hides.

Johnny's is a fun night out if you're here for the steak and the nostalgia — but the wine list is an afterthought wearing a tuxedo. Order a cocktail, grab the Cristalino if you want bubbles, and don't come here expecting the wine to match the room's ambitions.

801 Chophouse is the kind of wine list that surprises you inside a format that usually doesn't bother. Fair markups, a working sommelier, and depth that goes well beyond the expected — yes, send your friends here for wine.

Table 128 isn't trying to be a wine destination, but with markup this fair and a list that covers meaningful ground, it punches well above its weight for downtown Des Moines. Send a friend here and tell them to drink the French Chardonnay during happy hour — they'll thank you.

Centro is a reliable East Village spot where the wine list does its job without doing anything memorable — the Vite Colte producer is a genuine bright spot worth seeking out, but mostly this is a Napa parade at Midwest restaurant prices. Go for the Italian food; be selective about what you pour.