Pizza's Great, Wine's an Afterthought
Northside / Oakwood Mall area · Eau Claire · Pizza / Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 16, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Johnny's Pizza Shop’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Johnny's Pizza Shop is exactly what you'd expect from a casual pizza spot parked near an Oakwood Mall — it's short, safe, and clearly not the point. Eight by-the-glass options, all familiar names, no surprises. If wine is your priority tonight, you're in the wrong zip code.
The list leans almost entirely on California workhorses: Mark West Pinot Noir and a trio of Sycamore Lane bottles (Cab, Merlot, Zinfandel) do the heavy lifting on the red side, while house pours of Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, and Chardonnay cover the whites. There's no regional exploration here, no Italian varietals to match the Italian-leaning menu, and no bottle list to speak of from what we can confirm. The parent brand — Johnny's Italian Steakhouse — has a legitimate 160-bottle program with a Wine Spectator award, but none of that DNA seems to have traveled down the street to the pizza shop.
Eight pours in the $8–$10 range keeps this accessible, and the price point is fair for a casual pizza joint in Eau Claire. That said, the rotation appears locked in place — Sycamore Lane has been a grocery-aisle staple for years, and there's no sign that this list ever changes. You get what you get.
Mark West Pinot Noir — $10
It's the one glass pour here with actual brand recognition and a track record. At $10, it's a reasonable pour that won't embarrass you — and it's the closest thing to a deliberate wine choice on this list.
Sycamore Lane Zinfandel
Nobody orders Zinfandel at a pizza place, which is a shame — a jammy, fruit-forward Zin is actually a natural match for tomato-heavy, pepperoni-laden pizza. It's the most logically placed wine on this list even if nobody planned it that way.
Sycamore Lane Merlot
Sycamore Lane Merlot is the wine equivalent of a screensaver — it exists, it moves, but nobody's paying attention to it. There's nothing wrong with it exactly, but at a pizza shop with better red options on the same list, there's no reason to land here.
Sycamore Lane Zinfandel + Pepperoni pizza
Zinfandel's bold fruit and spice backbone cuts through the fat of the cheese and amplifies the savory punch of pepperoni. It's the most intuitive pairing on the menu, even if no one at the restaurant will tell you to order it.
❌ The Bottom Line
Johnny's Pizza Shop is a solid neighborhood pizza spot that treats wine as a beverage category, not a program. Come for the pizza, order a beer or a $10 glass of Mark West if you need wine, and save the serious bottle for the steakhouse next time.
Water Street · Eau Claire · Pizzeria / Chain
This is not a wine program — it's a liability hedge so they can say they serve wine. Come for the pizza, order the beer.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Northside / Hwy 53 riverfront · Eau Claire · Supper club / American steakhouse
The Edge isn't going to win any awards for wine ambition, but it's honest, fairly priced, and perfectly calibrated for what it is — a classic supper club where the wine list supports the meal without getting in the way. Send a friend here for the prime rib, and tell them to order the Borgonero.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Golf Road · Eau Claire · American casual, bar & grill, wood-fired steaks and burgers
Grizzly's wine list won't win any awards, but it's functional enough for a neighborhood grill where the real star is whatever's coming off the wood fire. Stick to the Trapiche or the Ruffino, take the $1 off at the bar during happy hour, and save your wine ambitions for somewhere else.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Owen Ayres Court · Eau Claire · Italian Steakhouse
Johnny's is doing the most with a crowd-pleasing formula — 160 bottles, a Wine Spectator nod, and a list that won't offend anyone. Markups on the trophy bottles are hard to defend, but if you know where to look, there's a solid night of wine here for a reasonable bill.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Eau Claire · Eau Claire · Italian, Steakhouse
Johnny's isn't trying to reinvent the wine list — it's trying to make sure you drink well with your steak, and it succeeds. Send a friend here if they want reliable California pours at fair prices without having to think too hard about it.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Redmond · Redmond · Pizza / Italian
Vicino is a genuinely surprising wine program hiding inside a casual pizza concept — the Italian-focused list has real depth and some prestige bottles that belong in a much fancier room. Markups on the top shelf are aggressive, but if you stick to the mid-tier and the glass pours, you're eating well and drinking better than you had any right to expect.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Moose · Jackson Hole · Pizza / Italian
Dornan's isn't a wine destination, but it's a solid, honest pour in one of the most spectacular settings in the American West — and for a counter-service pizza spot inside Grand Teton National Park, that earns real respect. Send a friend here if they want something cold and drinkable with a view; just don't send them expecting to be surprised.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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