Coal-Fired Pizza, Convenience Store Wine
Irving Mall Area · Irving · Pizza · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 27, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Grimaldi's Pizzeria – Irving’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Grimaldi's Irving is about as ambitious as a paper menu — eight labels, mostly grocery store regulars, priced like they're doing you a favor. It's a beer-and-wine program that exists because the liquor license requires one, not because anyone here spent time thinking about it. The coal-fired pizza is the draw; the wine is an afterthought.
Eight bottles split between Italy and California, and neither region gets the respect it deserves. On the Italian side, Stemmari Nero d'Avola and Poggiotondo Chianti are perfectly fine Sunday-sauce wines that deserve better company than Meiomi and Cavit. The California side leans hard into recognizable brand names — Freakshow Zinfandel, Liberty School Cab — crowd pleasers that move units but don't inspire. There are no surprises here, no deep cuts, nothing that would make a serious wine drinker pause.
Six of the eight bottles pour by the glass, which is actually a reasonable ratio for a list this small. Pours run $9–$14, which sounds fine until you realize the Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio underneath it is a $10 retail bottle. The rotation appears to be set-and-forget — don't expect anything new showing up here with the seasons.
Stemmari Nero d'Avola — $30 (est.)
Sicilian Nero d'Avola is a legit pizza grape — dark fruit, medium tannin, enough acid to cut through cheese and charred crust. It's the one bottle on this list with a real sense of place, and it belongs here more than the Meiomi does.
Mille Gradi Sangiovese
Most people at a pizza joint default to whatever Cab is cheapest, but Sangiovese is the move — it's the grape that Italian grandmothers have been drinking with tomato-based food for centuries. This one gets overlooked because the name doesn't ring any bells, which is exactly why you should order it.
Cavit Pinot Noir
At a 174% markup over a $9.49 retail bottle, this is the worst deal on a list full of mediocre deals. Cavit is a Trentino co-op wine that belongs on an airplane, not on a restaurant list charging $26 for the privilege. Pass.
Poggiotondo Chianti + Coal-fired pizza
Chianti is basically engineered for this situation — bright acidity, earthy red fruit, and enough grip to stand up to a char-edged crust and San Marzano tomato sauce. It's the most geographically honest pairing on the menu and it actually works.
The Bottom Line
Grimaldi's is worth the trip for the coal-fired pizza; the wine list is not worth thinking about. Order the Chianti or the Nero d'Avola, don't look at the markup math, and focus on the pizza.
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Fogo de Chão Irving is a reliable call for wine if you go in with calibrated expectations — you're not discovering anything new here, but a South American red alongside a carved Picanha is a perfectly sound plan. The Wednesday half-price wine night rumor is worth investigating before you book; if it holds up, it dramatically improves the value proposition on a list that otherwise skews steep.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Las Colinas · Irving · Italian
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Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Varietal Specific
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Proper
· Irving · New American / Wine Bar
Bacchus has no business being this interesting with only four bottles on the list, but here we are. If you're open to drinking outside your comfort zone over brunch in suburban Texas, this tiny, weird card is worth the trip.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Deep Ellum · Irving · Bar / Entertainment
Electric Shuffle is genuinely a fun night out — just don't make wine the reason you go. Grab a cocktail, dominate at shuffleboard, and save the bottle hunt for somewhere that actually wants to be in that conversation.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Irving · Wine Bar
Mercy is punching way above its weight for Irving, Texas — a 14-bottle list that somehow covers natural wine, skin contact, sparkling, and old-world obscurities without a single safe-harbor Cab in sight. If you're anywhere near this zip code and you're tired of the same old list, this is your spot.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Belltown · Seattle · Pizza
Belltown Pizza keeps wine short: ten wines between the beer and cocktail sections. Order the Château Minuty Prestige Rosé at $12/glass, or the Mark Ryan The Vincent if you want a Washington red with your slice. Ask which of the two prices on each red is the glass, and confirm the whites' prices before you order. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
Downtown / Creekside · Ashland · Pizza
Creekside Pizza isn't a wine destination, but it doesn't pretend to be — and at these prices in this market, the honest, unpretentious list earns a pass. Send a friend here if they want something decent to drink without a lecture or a markup.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Harrisburg · Pizza
Bacco isn't trying to be a wine bar — it's a pizzeria that respects the Italian tradition enough to pour the right wines at honest prices. Send a friend here without hesitation; just steer them toward the Lugana.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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