New Braunfels

Saltgrass Creekside is not a wine destination, and it doesn't pretend to be — the list exists to sell bottles alongside steaks, and it does that competently enough. If you stick to Jordan or Stag's Leap and skip the grocery-store bottles, you'll drink fine.

We wouldn't send anyone to BJ's Creekside specifically for the wine list — but if you're already there for the Pizookie and a Tuesday lands on your calendar, those half-price bottles are a legitimate deal. Come for the beer, and if you must drink wine, come on a Tuesday.

Saltgrass New Braunfels serves a wine list that was assembled by a committee in Houston and hasn't been questioned since. It functions — you'll find something drinkable — but if wine matters to you tonight, manage expectations before you sit down.

The Root Cellar is a brewery first and a wine destination never — but the list earns its keep with fair prices, a Texas wine you should actually try, and the quietly baffling joy of prosecco on tap next to a craft IPA. Come for the biscuits, stay curious about the wine.

P.F. Chang's New Braunfels isn't a wine destination, but if you know what to order, you won't be stuck drinking something bad. Stick to the by-the-glass whites, avoid the trophy-label markups, and you'll have a fine night.

The Reel isn't a wine destination, but it earns serious respect for sneaking Dutton Goldfield onto a po'boy menu and running Wine Wednesday like it means it. Come on a Wednesday, order the Pinot, and be pleasantly confused about where you are.

Favorite Neighbor is the Wild Card that New Braunfels didn't know it needed — a genuinely curious wine program in a town where 'wine bar' usually means a Malbec and a Pinot Grigio. If you're passing through Hill Country and want to drink something that actually required a decision to stock, stop here.

Water 2 Wine is a genuinely fun detour from the usual restaurant wine list — it's not trying to be a serious cellar, it's trying to be your accessible downtown hangout, and it mostly succeeds. If you're in New Braunfels and want to drink well without overthinking it, this is a solid stop.

Dry Comal Creek isn't trying to be a wine bar with a hundred options — it's a working vineyard pouring its own bottles at prices that feel almost too fair. If you're passing through the Hill Country and want something genuine over something impressive, pull off the road here.

The Grapevine isn't going to convert a serious wine drinker, but it earns its Wild Card badge by showing genuine curation in a setting that could easily get away with doing nothing. Come for the Gruene atmosphere, stay because the glass in your hand is better than you expected.

Cody's is exactly what New Braunfels needs in a downtown wine list — honest, approachable, and priced without attitude. Don't come here chasing discovery, but absolutely come here for a cold rosé and a good time on the patio.

McAdoo's isn't a wine destination, but it's not pretending to be one either. The list is fair-priced and functional — order the Pinot Grigio or the Prosecco, eat your oysters, and enjoy downtown New Braunfels.

Alpine Haus is doing something genuinely surprising — a focused, thematically coherent German wine list in the middle of Texas — and mostly pulling it off. A few misfit bottles and some markup missteps hold it back, but if you order from the German core of the list, you'll drink better than you expected.

Myron's is a dependable, handsome steakhouse with a wine list that matches its DNA — safe, California-heavy, and marked up the way every steakhouse in Texas marks up wine. Come for the prime ribeye and order the Jordan; you'll leave happy.

Huisache is the kind of wine bar that earns its name in a town where the competition is mostly margaritas and Shiner Bock — it's not destination-worthy on the wine list alone, but if you're already in New Braunfels, it's absolutely where you want to be drinking. Send your friends here without hesitation.

Gristmill is a great place to eat and a fine place to drink wine — just don't expect the list to keep pace with the setting's charm. Stick to the Riesling or the Texas pours, avoid the trophy bottles, and let the river do the heavy lifting.