The Lodge Look, The Grocery Store Pour
The Market Place · Irvine · American, Upscale Casual · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · June 22, 2026
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.
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Puesto is a fun spot, but the wine list is essentially decorative — five Baja bottles isn't a program, it's a placeholder. Order a mezcal cocktail and revisit this decision when they decide to take wine seriously.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Tustin/Irvine · Irvine · Steakhouse / Seafood
The Winery is a reliable date-night pick for wine drinkers who want something beyond generic and don't mind paying for the atmosphere. We'd want more pricing transparency before calling it a destination, but as a polished local option in Irvine, it's doing the work.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Proper
Irvine Spectrum · Irvine · Steakhouse / New American
Del Frisco's Grille is a reliable wine stop if you know what you're doing and keep expectations tuned to 'comfortable chain steakhouse' rather than 'serious wine destination.' The sommelier presence is real, the list is competent, and a few smart picks — particularly in the whites — reward guests who look past the Rombauer and Whispering Angel.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Irvine · New American / Gastropub
Bosscat is a solid spot for craft cocktails and a good time — the wine list just isn't the reason to come. If you're committed to wine, go Emmolo or Austin Hope and call it a night; everything else is paying a premium for the familiar.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Tender Greens puts real care into its food, and that makes the wine list feel like an even bigger letdown — six bottles, no pricing transparency, and zero curiosity. Order the food, drink the water, and come back when they decide the wine program deserves the same attention as the salad.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Irvine · Burger / New American
Eureka built a genuinely solid burger-and-beer concept, and the wine list confirms they know exactly where their priorities lie. Come for the burgers, come for the beer — but if wine matters to you tonight, eat somewhere else.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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