Detroit's Classic Steakhouse Plays It Safe
Downtown Detroit · Detroit · Steakhouse, Seafood · Visit Website ↗
Updated June 2026
Reviewed March 22, 2026
Wingman Metrics
Walking into the London Chop House feels like stepping into a place that knows exactly what it is — a grand, old-school American steakhouse with no apologies and no identity crisis. The wine list follows suit: leather-bound confidence, heavy on Napa, unapologetically classic. If you came looking for pét-nat or orange wine from Slovenia, wrong address.
The list runs 300-500 bottles deep, which sounds impressive until you realize the soul of it is a Napa Cab parade — Caymus, Silver Oak, Jordan, Far Niente — the Mount Rushmore of safe steakhouse picks. Bordeaux and Burgundy show up to add some Old World credibility, with a Chateau Margaux anchor for the expense-account crowd. The gaps are real: minimal South America, almost no Italy outside of the obvious, and nothing that would make a wine nerd put down their phone. Still, the depth within its chosen lane is legitimate, and the classics are classics for a reason.
Fifteen by-the-glass options at $14-$22 is a reasonable spread for a room where entrees start at $45. Don't expect rotation surprises — this is a set-and-forget program that probably hasn't changed much since last year. What's there is reliable; what's missing is any sense of adventure.
Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County — $55 (estimated bottle entry point)
Jordan consistently overdelivers for the category — polished, food-friendly Cab that doesn't need another decade in your cellar. In a room where bottles climb fast, it's the most honest pour on the list.
Far Niente Chardonnay Napa Valley
Most people beeline for the Cabs and ignore this entirely. Far Niente's Chardonnay is one of the more serious whites in Napa — rich but structured enough to hold up to a buttery seafood starter or the calamari. Steakhouse crowds sleep on it every time.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Caymus is fine wine, but it's also the most-marked-up, most-recognized label in American steakhouse culture. You're paying a significant premium for a bottle you've had a dozen times. At these price points, the markup stings and the novelty is zero.
Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley + Filet Mignon
Silver Oak Alexander Valley runs softer and more approachable than its Napa sibling — that slightly looser structure and touch of vanilla oak is exactly what you want against a lean, buttery filet. It doesn't fight the meat; it finishes the sentence.
✔️ The Bottom Line
London Chop House is a Detroit institution doing exactly what it promised — great room, serious steaks, a wine list built for people who already know what they want. If you're chasing discovery, look elsewhere; if you want a Cab with your veal chop in a room that hasn't forgotten how to treat a guest, this delivers.
Renaissance Center · Detroit · Regional Steakhouse
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Plays It Safe
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Corktown · Detroit · Italian, Swiss
Alpino is doing something genuinely unusual for Detroit — an alpine-themed kitchen with a wine list that actually matches the room's ambition, not just its vibe. Send your friends here, tell them to order Austrian, and sit near the fireplace.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Southfield · Detroit · Northern Italian
Bacco is the kind of wine program that makes you feel like Detroit's been holding out on you — 11,000 bottles, a sommelier who actually knows the cellar, and a room serious enough to let a 2000 Gaja breathe properly. The prices will make your eyes water, but this is a destination list worth the trip.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Rochester Hills · Detroit · Italian
La Collina is a perfectly decent neighborhood Italian spot that treats its wine list like an afterthought — familiar names, steep markups, no real sense of curation or care. Drink the Brunello or order a Negroni and don't look back.
Crowd Pleasers
Gouge
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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The Apparatus Room is the wine list Detroit didn't know it needed — thoughtful, fairly priced, and backed by a sommelier who actually shows up. If you're eating downtown and you care about what's in your glass, this is your spot.
Solid Range
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
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Shanahan's is playing a different game than most Detroit restaurants — the wine list is destination-worthy on its own merits, even if the markups reflect the ambition. If you're serious about wine with your steak, this is where you go.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
St. Johns Town Center · Jacksonville · Steakhouse, Seafood
The Capital Grille Jacksonville is a dependable, well-run wine program that plays it safe at every turn — if you came here for discovery, you're at the wrong restaurant. But if you came for a proper steak, a knowledgeable server, and a California red that won't embarrass you in front of a client, this place delivers.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
Heart of Amarillo · Amarillo · Steakhouse, Seafood
Cellar 55 is doing something genuinely interesting with its Spanish-leaning wine program in a city that didn't ask for it — and that takes guts. The markups keep it from true glory, but if you're eating steak in Amarillo and want something more thoughtful than the usual suspects, this is your place.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Fort Myers · Fort Myers · Steakhouse, Seafood
Connors is a reliable steakhouse wine list that handles the basics with confidence but never asks you to think too hard. Send your parents here — just steer them toward the Roederer and away from the Dom.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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