Beer's the Star, Wine's the Understudy
Arlington Highlands · Arlington · American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · June 13, 2026
RagingWine reviewed BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Take Vibe Match and we’ll tell you what to order here.
Wingman Metrics
Walk into BJ's and the wine list is clearly an afterthought — a laminated one-pager wedged between the craft beer menu and the Pizookie options. This is a beer hall that happens to sell wine, and the list makes no effort to hide that. If you're here for wine, you've either made a wrong turn or you're on a date with a non-beer-drinker.
The list runs 15 to 25 bottles deep, but 'deep' is generous — it's essentially a greatest hits of grocery store California staples. Dark Horse, Apothic, Hess Select, Ecco Domani: these are brands you recognize from the endcap at Total Wine, not bottles that earned a spot on a restaurant list because someone curated them. There's no meaningful regional diversity, no small producers, no interesting varietals. The Italian presence is a single Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio, which is about as adventurous as the list gets.
Eight to twelve pours on any given visit, all pulled from the same shallow pool of national brands at $7–$12 a glass. There's no rotation to speak of — this is a set-and-forget program that changes when corporate says so, not when a new vintage arrives. Credit where it's due: the pricing is honest, and Wednesday half-price wine night brings most glasses down to the $3.50–$6 range, which is hard to argue with.
Hess Select Chardonnay — $9
Hess Select punches above its weight for a chain list — it's a real winery making real wine, not just a label on a bulk blend. On Wednesday half-price night, you're drinking it for around $4.50 a glass. That's the move.
Hess Select Chardonnay
Most people ordering wine here reach for the Apothic Red out of habit, but the Hess Select Chardonnay is the only bottle on this list from a producer that actually cares about the wine in the bottle. Skip the blend, order this.
Apothic Red Winemaker's Blend
Apothic Red is engineered to taste like dessert — it's sweet, heavy, and built for people who don't really like wine. At full price it's not embarrassing, but there's simply no reason to order it when the Hess Select exists on the same list.
Dark Horse Cabernet Sauvignon + Deep Dish Pizza
Dark Horse Cab is fruit-forward and soft-tannined enough to handle a saucy, cheesy deep dish without fighting it. It's not a transcendent pairing, but it works — and sometimes working is enough.
Wednesday — BJ's runs a national Wednesday Daily Brewhouse Special with half-off wine where legally available. Some locations also report $5 beer and wine during weekday happy hour (4–7 pm Mon–Fri), but this has not been confirmed specifically for the Arlington location.
❌ The Bottom Line
BJ's is a brewhouse, full stop — order the beer, enjoy the Pizookie, and don't overthink the wine list. If wine is your priority on a given night, this is not your destination; if you're here anyway and want a glass, Wednesday half-price night makes the Hess Select Chardonnay a perfectly reasonable call.
Downtown Arlington · Arlington · Wine Bar
Chill Coffee and Wine Bar does exactly what it promises — a relaxed, approachable spot to drink something decent without overthinking it. Send a friend here for a casual Tuesday night out; just don't send them expecting a cellar selection.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Lamar / Lincoln Square near Entertainment District · Arlington · Wine Bar
Poured is the kind of neighborhood wine bar that Arlington didn't know it needed — fair prices, a rotating BTG board that rewards repeat visits, and zero attitude. We'd send a friend here on a weeknight without hesitation.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Arlington · Arlington · Latin/International
Cafe Americana is a solid spot for a burger and a cold beer, but the wine list exists purely out of obligation. Stick to the Cava, avoid the Champagne at all costs, and save your serious wine night for somewhere that actually cares.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Arlington · Arlington · Japanese
If you're here for the hibachi, order a sake and move on — the wine list is an afterthought dressed up as a menu section. The Japanese beverage offerings are the only reason we're not telling you to just drink water.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Entertainment District · Arlington · American bar and grill
Dave & Buster's Arlington is not a wine destination — it's a place where wine exists only because it has to. Order a cocktail, play some skee-ball, and save the bottle for somewhere that actually cares.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
South Arlington · Arlington · Mexican, Tex-Mex chain
On The Border is a margarita restaurant that happens to have a wine list, and the wine list knows it. Order the house margarita, enjoy the fajitas, and save the wine conversation for somewhere else.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Eagle Ranch · Vail · American
The Wild Sage is your dependable neighborhood spot in Eagle Ranch — the wine list won't blow your mind, but it won't embarrass you at dinner either. Watch the markups on the top-shelf Napa bottles and stick to the mid-range, and you'll be fine.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Waterfront · Traverse City · American
Warehouse Kitchen + Cork won't win any awards for depth or ambition, but it plays its hand honestly — fair prices, solid local representation, and a full by-the-glass program that respects your wallet. If you're in Traverse City and want a glass of something local with a water view, this works.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Truckee · Truckee · American
Sunnyside is a casual lodge restaurant wearing a serious wine list under its flannel — the markup is steep and it won't win any awards for staff expertise, but the producer lineup is legitimately impressive for where you're sitting. If you're already at the lake, this is absolutely worth ordering a real bottle.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
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