Wine Down Tuesday Can't Save This List
The Market Place · Irvine · American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 22, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse – The Market Place’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Pull up the wine list at BJ's and you'll feel like you're scrolling the end cap at a Total Wine. The usual suspects are all here — Dark Horse, Apothic, Ecco Domani — and nothing is going to surprise you. This is a beer chain that sells wine because it has to, not because anyone in this building is particularly excited about it.
The list leans hard on California value brands and a handful of international crowd-pleasers, which is exactly what you'd expect from a corporate program built to offend no one. There's no regional depth, no interesting producers, and no sign that anyone curated this with anything more than a distributor's sales sheet. Italy shows up via Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio, which is about as adventurous as the list gets. If you came here hoping to find something from Paso Robles, the Rhône, or really anywhere with a story worth telling, you're going to be disappointed.
The by-the-glass program runs roughly 15–20 options, which sounds generous until you realize it's essentially the same labels in different formats. Pricing sits in the $7–$15 range on a normal night, which is reasonable for what you're getting. The real move is Wine Down Tuesday, when glass pours go half-price — at that point, a $7–$8 pour becomes genuinely hard to argue with.
Hess Select Chardonnay — $10
This one actually retails for more than BJ's charges on their takeout/delivery program, which means you're technically getting it below cost. It's a step above the Dark Horse tier — real fruit, a little structure — and at this price point it's the most honest pour on the list.
Hess Select Chardonnay
Most people reaching for white wine here are going to default to the Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio out of habit, but the Hess Select is the better bottle. Hess has actual estate vineyards in Napa and Monterey, and the Select tier punches above the grocery-store competition it's sitting next to on this list.
Apothic Red Winemaker's Blend
Apothic Red is built for people who want their wine to taste like a dessert — it's sweet, soft, and engineered for mass appeal. At $10 the markup is nearly nothing, so at least you're not getting ripped off, but life is short and there's a Hess Select on the same list.
Dark Horse Cabernet Sauvignon + Deep dish pizza
Dark Horse Cab is ripe, fruit-forward, and has enough body to hold up against the cheese and tomato weight of BJ's deep dish. It's not a sophisticated pairing — but neither is the setting, and that's fine. Sometimes you just want pizza and red wine and a big TV.
Tuesday — Wine Down Tuesday offers half-price wines by the glass and discounts on select bottles. Offers can vary by location and are subject to change; BJ's does not publish a specific list of included wines for this location.
The Bottom Line
BJ's wine program exists to check a box, and it does that adequately — especially on Tuesday when the prices get cut in half. Come here for the Pizookie and the craft beers; treat the wine list as a backup option, not a destination.
· Irvine · Brazilian churrasco (rodizio steakhouse)
The real headline here is the Monday–Thursday deal: half-price South American bottles under $150, available in both the dining room and bar. That's a legitimately good incentive to plan your Fogo visit mid-week. The wine list isn't pushing any boundaries, but at half-price it doesn't need to — grab something from Argentina, let the gaucho do his thing at the table, and call it a win.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
· Irvine · Steakhouse
Fleming's Irvine delivers exactly what it promises: a wide, competent, California-forward wine list that covers all the bases for a steakhouse crowd. The markup is real — this is not a list for value hunters — but the by-the-glass depth is genuinely good and the Loosen Bros. Riesling at $11 is the rare honest deal hiding in plain sight. If you want adventure, look elsewhere; if you want a reliable glass with your ribeye in Irvine, this gets the job done.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Irvine · New American
Benchmark is a genuinely pleasant surprise for Irvine — a short, owner-driven list that punches above its modest size by leaning hard into Paso Robles producers who actually deserve your attention. If you're a Cab-or-nothing drinker, you might feel constrained; if you're willing to follow the owner's enthusiasm toward Law Estate Grenache or a Bodega de Edgar Tempranillo, this list rewards the curious.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Irvine · New American
Reunion Kitchen isn't trying to be a wine destination, and the list proves it. Three by-the-glass pours from mass-market California producers, priced at a premium — this is a wine program on autopilot. Order a cocktail or a beer and save the wine for somewhere that actually thought about it.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Corona del Mar · Irvine · New American and Seafood
CdM is genuinely worth your Wednesday. Half-price wine on an already polished dinner menu is a real offer, and the room alone justifies a reservation. We just can't tell you which bottle to order yet — the wine program is opaque enough that you'd be flying blind without a server who actually knows the list. Come for the Dirty Pasta and the vibe; if the wine follows, consider it a bonus.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Irvine Business Complex · Irvine · Northern Italian Steakhouse
Davio's Irvine is the wine list equivalent of a reliable business-class seat — comfortable, well-organized, and priced at a premium you'll notice. The by-the-glass program is the real strength here; thirty options with some genuinely good producers mixed in means you can eat well and drink reasonably well in the same visit. If you're hoping to geek out on the bottle list or find anything that'll make you lean forward in your chair, keep looking — but for a weeknight dinner or a client meal, this gets the job done without embarrassing anyone.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Roswell · Roswell · American
Canton St. Social is a solid neighborhood restaurant in historic downtown Roswell, and the wine program appears to be built for exactly that — supporting a good night out without overcomplicating things. We don't have enough sourced wine data to tell you what to order, which means your best move is to ask your server what's pouring well that night and go from there. Worth a visit for the food and atmosphere; the wine list is a work in progress as far as our research goes.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Worcester · American
The Boynton is a great neighborhood spot for a cold beer, a burger, and a game — and that's exactly what it should be. The wine program is along for the ride, not driving the car. If wine matters to you tonight, this isn't your destination; if you're here for the food and the vibe, order a beer and enjoy it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Atlanta · Atlanta · American
Hard Rock Cafe Atlanta's wine list is a Lazy List by every measure — grocery store brands, steep markups, no specials, and a rotating staff with little incentive to know what's in the glass. If you're here for the memorabilia and the atmosphere, lean into a cocktail or a beer. If wine is non-negotiable, the Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling or Columbia Crest Cab will get you through the night without regret.
Grocery Store
Steep
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.
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