Skip the Wine, Order a Margarita
West Lansing · Lansing · Casual American / Tex-Mex
Reviewed July 7, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Chili's West Lansing isn't really a wine list — it's a laminated afterthought tucked behind the cocktail menu. You're here for a margarita or a beer, and the beverage program knows it too.
What's on offer is essentially a curated shelf from your local Kroger: Barefoot Moscato, Yellow Tail Chardonnay, Dark Horse Cabernet Sauvignon, and a house red blend that changes depending on what the distributor dropped off. There's no regional focus, no attempt at discovery, and zero depth — this is a list designed to check a box, not to serve wine drinkers. The California and Australian commercial brands are fine for what they are, but that's the ceiling here. If you came in hoping to find something interesting between the ribs and the fajitas, you're going to be disappointed.
Roughly six to eight pours available, all in the $6–$9 range, which at least means you won't feel robbed when you inevitably switch to a Modelo. Rotation is nonexistent — these are permanent chain-standard listings that haven't changed since the Obama administration. There's no seasonal program, no weekly feature, nothing to make coming back for the glass pours feel worthwhile.
Dark Horse Cabernet Sauvignon — $8
Dark Horse is a $10 bottle at the grocery store, so a glass pour in the $7–$9 range is about as fair as a chain restaurant gets. It's fruit-forward and uncomplicated, which actually holds its own against the baby back ribs.
House Red Blend
Nobody orders it, but the house red blend — whatever it happens to be regionally — is usually poured generously and priced at the floor. At a place where wine is an afterthought, low expectations are your friend.
Barefoot Moscato
It's $5 at any grocery store in Michigan. Ordering it here at restaurant pricing feels like a personal decision you'll want to revisit.
Dark Horse Cabernet Sauvignon + Baby Back Ribs
The smoky, sticky-sweet rib sauce needs something with enough fruit weight to stand up to it without clashing. Dark Horse Cab isn't subtle, but neither are the ribs — it works because both are playing the same game.
❌ The Bottom Line
Chili's is a perfectly good place to eat a burger and drink a margarita — we mean that sincerely. But if wine is your thing, this list will let you down every single time, and you deserve better than a $8 Barefoot pour.
Old Town Lansing · Lansing · Gastropub
Zoobie's isn't where you go to geek out on wine, but if you're meeting friends for dinner in Old Town and someone at the table insists on a glass, you won't be stuck with regret. Grab the Malbec or the Mawby rosé, let everyone else argue about the beer list.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Okemos · Lansing · Seafood and American
Real Seafood Company Okemos is a dependable neighborhood anchor where the wine list won't embarrass you or excite you — fair prices and familiar faces make it easy, just don't come expecting discovery. Order the La Marca with the oysters and leave the wine nerd hat at home.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Lansing · Lansing · Steakhouse / Roadhouse
Logan's Roadhouse in Lansing is here for the steaks and the bucket of peanuts, not the wine. Order a cocktail or a beer, and save your wine ambitions for a restaurant that's saving some for you.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
South Lansing · Lansing · Steakhouse / Grill
Black Rock is here for the sizzling steak theater, and the wine list is clearly an afterthought that nobody's bothered to revisit. Order a cocktail, spring for the Chateau Ste. Michelle if you need wine, and save your serious bottle budget for somewhere that earned it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Greater Lansing · Lansing · Steakhouse
Morton's Lansing is a safe, well-executed steakhouse wine list that will satisfy a client dinner without anyone raising an eyebrow — or an eyebrow in excitement. Send a friend here if they want familiar names done properly; send them somewhere else if they want to actually discover something.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown Lansing · Lansing · American hotel bistro
This is a wine list for people who aren't really thinking about wine — and that's fine for a hotel lobby bar, but it means you shouldn't be thinking about it either. Order a cocktail, or grab a bottle from a nearby shop and pay the corkage.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.