The Lodge Look, The Grocery Store Pour
The Market Place · Irvine · American, Upscale Casual · Visit Website ↗
Updated November 2026
Reviewed June 22, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar – The Market Place’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The warm mountain-lodge aesthetic does a lot of heavy lifting here — exposed wood, lively bar scene, dogs on the patio — and the wine list is clearly an afterthought. What you get is a roster of names that live on grocery store end caps, the kind of list assembled by someone whose main job is not wine.
This is Woodbridge's moment to shine, and not in a good way — Woodbridge Cabernet, Woodbridge Merlot, Woodbridge Pinot Grigio, and Woodbridge White Zinfandel all appear, which tells you everything about the curatorial ambition here. The California and New World mainstream labels dominate: Robert Mondavi, Mark West, Stone Cellar. There's a token nod to Argentina with the Familia Zuccardi Malbec and to Italy with the Feudo Arancio Stemmari Pinot Grigio, but these feel like they wandered in from a hotel minibar rather than a thoughtful selection. The list is short on depth, short on regions, and long on names you'd recognize from a supermarket circular.
The entire list appears to function as a by-the-glass program since there's no visible bottle-only section, which means you're choosing between the same small pool of mass-market pours every visit. Rotation is not a concept this list entertains — what you see today is what you'll see in six months. There's no seasonal energy here, no guest producers, nothing that suggests anyone is tasting through new options.
Familia Zuccardi Malbec — null
It's the one wine on this list with some actual character behind it — Zuccardi is a serious Argentine producer even at entry level, and Malbec's dark fruit and grip make it the most interesting glass in the building. Pricing is unknown from available data, but relative to everything else here, it's the pick.
Feudo Arancio Stemmari Pinot Grigio
Sicilian Pinot Grigio gets zero respect on a list like this, but Feudo Arancio's Stemmari bottling actually has more body and texture than the watery northern Italian stuff most casual spots pour. Among a field of California mass-market whites, this is the outlier worth ordering.
Woodbridge White Zinfandel
There is no universe in which ordering White Zinfandel at a sit-down restaurant in 2024 ends well for you. It's sweet, it's thin, and it signals that the list hasn't been reconsidered since the Clinton administration. Just don't.
Familia Zuccardi Malbec + Campfire Pot Roast
Braised beef and Malbec is one of the most reliable matches in casual dining — the wine's dark fruit and soft tannins lean into the richness of the roast without fighting it. On a list this limited, this is the one pairing that actually makes sense.
The Bottom Line
Lazy Dog is a genuinely fun place to eat, but the wine program is called in from the same distributor that stocks your nearest supermarket. Order a beer, grab a cocktail, or bring your own if corkage is allowed — the list itself gives you very little reason to engage.
· 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
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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