Big steaks, bigger bottles, predictable picks
Power & Light District · Kansas City · Upscale Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 6, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at 801 Chophouse lands exactly where you'd expect it to: heavy on Napa Cabs, Bordeaux heavyweights, and Champagne for the celebration crowd. It's a list built to impress corporate cards and anniversaries, not to surprise you. That's not a knock — it just means you know what you're walking into.
The list runs 400 to 600 bottles deep, anchored by the usual Napa royalty — Caymus Special Selection, Joseph Phelps Insignia, Opus One — with a respectable nod to Bordeaux via Château Lynch-Bages and supporting coverage of Burgundy and Champagne. Sonoma shows up too, with Silver Oak Alexander Valley holding down the 'slightly more accessible Cab' slot. What's missing is any real adventure: no natural wine, no interesting Southern Hemisphere picks, no deep-cut Italian to speak of. This is a greatest-hits list, executed with care.
The by-the-glass program reportedly runs 20 to 30 options, which is generous for a steakhouse and gives solo diners and mixed-preference tables real flexibility. We'd expect the pours to skew toward crowd-pleasing Cabs and Chardonnay, consistent with the bottle list's personality. Rotation doesn't appear to be a priority — this feels like a static program rather than something that evolves with the seasons.
Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley — $120
In a list where bottles can sprint well past $300, Silver Oak Alexander Valley is the sweet spot — a recognizable, genuinely good Cab that drinks better than its steakhouse markup suggests. It's the move if you want quality without ordering off the trophy shelf.
Château Lynch-Bages Pauillac
Most tables here are ordering Napa on autopilot, which means Lynch-Bages sits underordered relative to how good it is. A classified Pauillac with more complexity and terroir than anything in the Napa heavy-hitter section — and it belongs on a table with a ribeye more than most people realize.
Opus One Napa Valley
Opus One is a great wine, but it's also the most marked-up bottle in the house at a place like this. You're paying a significant premium over retail for the prestige of ordering it in a steakhouse. The wine itself isn't the problem — the price tag in this context is.
Joseph Phelps Insignia Napa Valley + USDA Prime Ribeye
Insignia is a Bordeaux-style Napa blend built for exactly this moment — rich, structured, with enough dark fruit and tannin to stand up to a heavily marbled prime ribeye without getting lost. It's the kind of pairing this list was designed around, and it delivers.
✔️ The Bottom Line
801 Chophouse is a well-run, properly stocked steakhouse wine program that does exactly what it promises and nothing more. Send your friends here for a celebratory bottle of Phelps or a Lynch-Bages — just don't expect to be surprised.
Crossroads / Westside border (Southwest Boulevard) · Kansas City · Spanish tapas / small plates
La Bodega is the Wild Card Kansas City didn't know it needed — a genuinely Spain-focused wine list with fair pricing and a half-price Monday that should be on everyone's weekly calendar. Send your friends here, especially on a Wednesday when the paella and a Rioja Reserva are waiting.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Columbus Park / Downtown Fringe · Kansas City · Classic Italian-American
Garozzo's is a Kansas City institution, and the wine list knows its lane — Italian classics, middle-of-the-road pricing, and zero pretension. Send a friend here for the Spiedini and a Chianti; just don't send them expecting to discover anything new.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Brookside / East Brookside · Kansas City · Seafood-focused American / Oyster Bar
Earl's Premier is a wild card in the best possible way: a thoughtfully curated, seafood-focused wine list hiding in a Kansas City neighborhood spot. Send your oyster-loving friends here and tell them to start with bubbles.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Country Club Plaza · Kansas City · Seafood / Oyster Bar
Jax KC isn't trying to be a wine destination and doesn't need to be — but the list is smarter than the room might suggest, with a few genuine standouts that reward paying attention. Send a friend here for oysters and Sancerre, and tell them to skip the markups on anything California.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Freight House / Crossroads · Kansas City · Italian
Lidia's is a reliable Italian wine destination with a focused list and real sommelier knowledge behind it — the markups sting on the entry-level bottles, but Wednesday half-price wine night changes the math entirely. If you're going any other night, aim high on the list where the value is better.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
Country Club Plaza · Kansas City · Steakhouse Bar
The Capital Grille bar is a reliable destination if someone else is picking up the tab or you're cherry-picking by the glass. The list is deep and well-managed, but the markup math is hard to ignore when you're the one signing the check.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Proper
West Chandler · Chandler · Upscale Steakhouse
Fleming's Chandler is a reliable, well-run wine program that earns its reputation without doing anything surprising — the markup is real, but the staff knows what they're selling and the cellar conditions show it. Send a friend here for a business dinner; just steer them away from the Josh Cab.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Legacy Area · Plano · Upscale Steakhouse
The Capital Grille Plano is a safe, well-executed wine program with real depth on paper and a knowledgeable staff to help you navigate it — but you're paying steakhouse prices for the privilege, and the list rarely strays outside its California comfort zone. Send your clients here, bring your parents here, but don't expect to be challenged.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Shops at Legacy · Plano · Upscale Steakhouse
The Capital Grille Plano is a well-oiled machine — proper storage, knowledgeable staff, and a list big enough to find something worth drinking. Markups are steep and the list plays it safe, but if someone else is paying, there are worse places to order a bottle of Napa Cab with a bone-in ribeye.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
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