Jazz, Steaks, and a Solid Bottle
Country Club Plaza · Kansas City · Modern American · Visit Website ↗
Updated July 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · March 27, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Chaz on the Plaza’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
Walking into Chaz feels like someone built a wine list to match the room — polished, dependable, and aimed squarely at the expense-account crowd. The 150-plus bottle list lands in familiar territory: California heavyweights, a few French anchors, and the kind of names that read well on a table for two. It's not trying to surprise you, and honestly, it doesn't need to.
The list leans hard into California, with the usual suspects — Jordan Cab, Rombauer Chard, Duckhorn Merlot — doing the heavy lifting. Old World representation exists but feels like a supporting cast rather than a co-lead, with French and Italian options rounding out the back half of the list. Depth is real enough at 150-plus bottles, though adventurous drinkers looking for natural pours, grower Champagne, or anything under the radar will come up short. This is a list built for people who know what they like and don't want a lecture about it.
Fifteen to twenty-five options by the glass is a strong showing for a hotel restaurant, and the happy hour drop to $8 a glass on select reds and whites is genuinely worth showing up for. The pours skew familiar — Meiomi Pinot Noir, Rombauer Chardonnay — which is fine for the crowd but leaves little room for discovery. Rotation doesn't appear to be aggressive, so what you see is largely what you get week to week.
Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon — $8 (happy hour)
Jordan at happy hour pricing is a legitimate deal — this is a $50+ bottle retail, and catching it at the bar during the early window is the move at Chaz. Quality is consistent, the cab sings next to a dry-aged strip, and you're not paying full markup.
Veuve Clicquot Brut NV
Most people at Chaz are here for red wine and steak, which means the Champagne gets overlooked. Veuve Clicquot NV is a legitimate bottle — toasty, structured, and versatile enough to work from the first course through dessert. In a room full of Cab drinkers, ordering bubbles here feels like a quiet win.
Meiomi Pinot Noir
Meiomi is a $14 bottle at every grocery store in America. Ordering it at a hotel steakhouse with restaurant markup means you're paying two to three times what it's worth for something that leans sweet and simple. There are better options on this list for the same money.
Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon + Dry Aged Prime KC Strip
Jordan Cab is built for exactly this moment — the dark fruit and firm structure cut right through the fat on a dry-aged strip without overwhelming the beef. It's a classic pairing for a reason, and Chaz executes both sides of it well.
The Bottom Line
Chaz on the Plaza is the kind of place you take someone when the night needs to feel special but you don't want to gamble on the wine list. The markup stings, the list plays it safe, but the sommelier is there, the glass pours are plentiful, and happy hour turns a steep list into a reasonable one.
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
Healdsburg · Sonoma · Modern American
Valette is the wine country restaurant experience done right — deeply local, properly staffed, and serious about what's in the glass, even if the markups ask you to pay for the zip code. Send your friends here if they're already in Healdsburg; just tell them to skip the Phelps.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Annapolis Towne Centre · Annapolis · Modern American
Cooper's Hawk Annapolis is exactly what it is — a well-run, corporate winery restaurant where the wine list exists entirely in-house and the experience is built for people who want wine to be easy, not educational. Send your parents here without hesitation; send your wine-obsessed friend somewhere else.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown / Penn Square · Lancaster · Modern American
Plough isn't a destination wine list, but it's a fair and functional one — honest pricing, decent glass selection, and just enough global range to keep things interesting. If you're in Lancaster for the food and the vibe, the wine program won't let you down; just don't come expecting to be surprised.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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