Great Brisket, Forget the Wine List
Entertainment District · Arlington · Barbecue · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 13, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Lockhart Smokehouse Arlington’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 Lockhart Smokehouse Arlington is exactly what you'd expect from a counter-service barbecue joint parked next to AT&T Stadium — an afterthought. Five bottles, all of them names you've seen at the grocery store checkout line, printed somewhere between the margarita specials and the beer list.
There's no regions strategy here, no producer with a story, no vintage worth mentioning. What you get is a parade of mass-market California brands — Meiomi, Josh Cellars, Kendall-Jackson, Ménage à Trois, Apothic, Coppola Diamond — the kind of lineup assembled by someone who called a distributor once and never called back. To be fair, Lockhart is a barbecue temple first, and the pit masters are not here to talk terroir. But if you're going to offer wine at all, you could at least not insult the customer with a 220% markup on an $10 grocery store red blend.
By-the-glass options exist but the specifics are murky — likely a pour or two pulled from whichever bottles are already open. There's no rotation, no program, no thought behind it. If you're ordering wine by the glass here, just know you're paying full restaurant markup on something that retails for under $15.
Meiomi Pinot Noir NV — $42
It's the least offensive value on a list of bad values. At 133% markup it's still overpriced for what it is, but at least Meiomi has enough fruit and softness to handle smoky brisket without embarrassing anyone. Everything else on this list is marked up even harder.
Coppola Diamond Collection Cabernet Sauvignon NV
Nobody's ordering the Coppola at a Texas barbecue spot, and that's fine — but at $40 it's marginally more interesting than the Josh Cellars Cab sitting right next to it, and the Diamond Collection actually has some structure that can stand up to ribs. Still overpriced. Still not exciting. But it's the dark horse on a very short track.
Apothic Red Blend NV
A $10 bottle marked up to $32 — that's a 220% markup on one of the sweetest, most generic red blends in mass production. Apothic Red is built for people who don't really like wine, and charging $32 for it at a barbecue counter is a boldness that deserves to be called out directly.
Meiomi Pinot Noir NV + Brisket
The smoke and fat in the brisket need something that won't compete — Meiomi's soft, low-tannin fruit profile is loose enough to get along with it. It's not a great pairing. It's the best pairing available on this list, and that's a different thing entirely.
The Bottom Line
Order the brisket, order the ribs, order a Lone Star — and leave the wine list alone. This is not a wine destination and it doesn't pretend to be, except that it's still charging you like one.
· Arlington · Cajun and Seafood
Walk-On's is a perfectly decent sports bar for Cajun food and cold beer — just don't come here for the wine. Eight grocery-store labels with no pricing transparency and zero curation is a wine program in name only. Order the cocktail, order the beer, and save your wine night for somewhere that actually cares.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Arlington · Italian
Piccolo Mondo punches above its Arlington zip code with a genuinely Italy-forward wine list that includes some names worth ordering. We'd love to see pricing and by-the-glass details more clearly published — and without knowing the markups, we can't fully endorse the value play — but the producer selection alone puts this ahead of most neighborhood Italian spots in the DFW suburbs. If you're going, head straight for the Tuscan reds and don't look back.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Arlington · Italian / Pizza
Cane Rosso Arlington's wine list is the restaurant equivalent of a reliable wingman — not the most exciting person in the room, but it shows up, it's priced honestly, and it won't let you down. Send a friend here for pizza and point them toward the San Felice.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Arlington · New American / Bistro
Scutra won't blow a wine nerd's mind, but it's a genuinely solid neighborhood list with a few real finds tucked in. Skip the Josh Cellars, order the Guigal or the Sancerre, and you'll eat and drink well.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Arlington · Arlington · Wine Bar
Chill Coffee and Wine Bar does exactly what it promises — a relaxed, approachable spot to drink something decent without overthinking it. Send a friend here for a casual Tuesday night out; just don't send them expecting a cellar selection.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Lamar / Lincoln Square near Entertainment District · Arlington · Wine Bar
Poured is the kind of neighborhood wine bar that Arlington didn't know it needed — fair prices, a rotating BTG board that rewards repeat visits, and zero attitude. We'd send a friend here on a weeknight without hesitation.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Branson · Barbecue
Come to Gettin' Basted for the barbecue — not the wine. The $5 house pour is a service item, not a program, and there's no evidence anyone is minding the cellar (or even has one). Order a beer, enjoy the smoke, and don't think about wine until you're somewhere else.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Newberg · Barbecue
Storrs Smokehouse is a Wild Card in the truest sense: a no-frills BBQ joint sitting in one of the best wine regions in the country, doing something quietly interesting with a local-leaning list. We'd send a wine-curious friend here without hesitation — just go in knowing you're choosing adventure over depth, and let the smoked meat do the heavy lifting.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Peoria · Peoria · Barbecue
Come to The Blue Duck for the ribs, the whiskey, and the riverfront view — not the wine list. If wine is your thing, order the Decoy and move on; if it's not, you're in the right place anyway.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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