Best Little Roadhouse

The wine list at Best Little Roadhouse is exactly what the name promises — unpretentious, approachable, and built for people who want a decent pour with their steak without overthinking it. Fifteen bottles, fifteen by-the-glass options, and a price ceiling of $52 tells you everything about the philosophy here. This isn't a destination for wine nerds, but it's not trying to be.

The list splits cleanly into crowd-pleasing nationals and a few Oregon nods that give it a regional backbone worth acknowledging. Willamette Valley Vineyards Pinot Noir and Willamette Valley Pinot Gris show someone at least glanced at the local map before printing the menu. The Browne Heritage Cabernet and Acrobat Pinot Noir round out the better end of the red selection, while the Sycamore Lane trio at the bottom anchors the budget tier. Gaps are real — no sparkling, no dessert wine, no Syrah, nothing from outside the Pacific Northwest and California — but for a steakhouse in Salem, the bases are covered.

Every bottle on the list is also available by the glass, which is genuinely useful and keeps the glass program honest — what you order by the pour is what's on the table. Glass prices run $7.50 to $13.50, which is refreshingly reasonable for a sit-down steakhouse in 2024. No rotation or discovery program to speak of, but you can work your way through the list without committing to a full bottle.