Chain Wine Done Exactly As You'd Expect
Southwest Cedar Rapids · Cedar Rapids · American Casual Dining · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed July 3, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Applebee's Cedar Rapids Southwest arrives as a laminated insert tucked inside a sticky menu, and it tells you everything you need to know in about four seconds. This is not a place that thinks about wine — it's a place that stocks wine because people ask for it. Expectations should be calibrated accordingly.
The list is pure California supermarket shelf: Beringer White Zinfandel, Sutter Home Chardonnay, Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon, and a lone concession to respectability in the Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay. There is no depth, no regional diversity, no interesting producers — just the same bottles you'd find in a gas station cooler in Fresno. The entire selection could be assembled in one trip down the Kroger wine aisle for under $60 retail. If you came here hoping for a Burgundy or even a solid Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, you are in the wrong zip code.
Eight pours by the glass sounds generous until you realize it's essentially the entire list. Prices run $6–$11 a glass, which sounds affordable until you clock what these bottles cost at retail — you're paying restaurant markup on wines that retail for $5–$12 a bottle. The rotation does not rotate.
Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay — $11/glass
It's the only wine on this list that has any legitimate standing. KJ VR is reliable, consistent, and at least made by people who try. It's still marked up aggressively, but relative to everything else here, it's the one pour you won't actively regret.
Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon
Nobody's ordering Woodbridge Cab at a bar and grill expecting greatness, which is exactly the right mindset. It's inoffensive, slightly fruity, and at $7–$8 a glass it won't hurt when you remember you're at Applebee's. Lower your bar, order accordingly.
Beringer White Zinfandel
A $5 retail bottle poured at $6–$7 a glass, and it tastes exactly like it looks: pink, sweet, and deeply unserious. If this is your jam, no judgment — but you can buy a whole bottle at the gas station next door for less than one glass here.
Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay + Spinach & Artichoke Dip
The KJ Chard's buttery oak and soft acidity don't fight with the creamy, cheesy dip — they just coexist peacefully. It's not a revelatory pairing, but it's the best this list has to offer, and sometimes that's enough.
❌ The Bottom Line
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.
Cedar Rapids · Cedar Rapids · Italian
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.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Cedar Rapids · Cedar Rapids · Upscale Steakhouse / Fine Dining American
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.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
NewBo · Cedar Rapids · Steakhouse / Butcher Restaurant
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.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Czech Village · Cedar Rapids · Pub food and American
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.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Active Program
Acceptable
Lindale Mall area · Cedar Rapids · American / Brewpub
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.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Lindale Mall area · Cedar Rapids · Sports Bar
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.
Grocery Store
Steep
Red Flag
MIA
Set & Forget
Hot Mess
Unknown · Abilene · American Casual Dining
Send a friend here for the Chicken Fried Steak and a cold beer — the wine list is a checkbox, not a destination. No one choosing Cheddar's in Abilene is coming for the Burgundy, and the list doesn't pretend otherwise.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Northeast Cedar Rapids · Cedar Rapids · American Casual Dining
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.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Chesapeake · Norfolk · American Casual Dining
The Cheesecake Factory wine list is functional in the same way that an airport moving walkway is functional — it gets you somewhere, but nobody's excited about it. Come for the Chicken Madeira, order a cocktail, or grab the Champagne if you're feeling bold.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.