Steak Is The Star, Wine Is An Afterthought
North Topeka · Topeka · Steakhouse
Reviewed July 2, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list here reads like a greatest hits album you've heard a thousand times — Decoy, Meiomi, Kendall-Jackson, La Marca. It's not offensive, but it's not trying either. This is a list built for people who want something familiar to wash down a ribeye, not for anyone chasing something interesting.
Thirty to fifty bottles sounds like a range, but when the producers skew almost entirely toward high-volume California and Washington labels, the number stops mattering. Decoy Cab and Meiomi Pinot are grocery store staples — reliable, mass-produced, and priced here well above what you'd pay at Total Wine. There's a nod to Italy with La Marca Prosecco, but that's more of a toast option than a serious wine play. No old-world depth, no regional surprises, nothing that suggests anyone with real wine knowledge assembled this list.
Ten to sixteen pours sounds generous until you realize they're mostly the same names rotating between glass and bottle. At $8–$15 a glass, you're paying mid-tier restaurant prices for supermarket wine, which is a deal that only works in LongHorn's favor. Rotation appears nonexistent — what's on the list today is almost certainly what's been on the list for a while.
Decoy Cabernet Sauvignon — $12
If you're going to drink from this list, the Decoy Cab is at least a wine with some structure behind it — it holds up against a fatty ribeye better than anything else on offer here.
La Marca Prosecco
Nobody comes to a Western steakhouse for bubbles, but ordering a glass of La Marca before your steak lands is actually a decent move — it's light, it cuts through early app grease, and it's a lower-stakes spend than committing to a full bottle of red.
Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay
KJ Chardonnay retails for around $14 a bottle. Whatever they're charging per glass here makes the math ugly fast, and it's a buttery, oak-forward pour that doesn't do much for a steakhouse menu.
Decoy Cabernet Sauvignon + Outlaw Ribeye
Decoy Cab is a soft, fruit-forward California red — not a complex wine, but the dark fruit and mild tannins work against the fat and char on a ribeye without fighting it.
❌ The Bottom Line
LongHorn's wine program exists to check a box, not to enhance your dinner. Order the steak, skip the wine list, and if someone insists, point them to the Decoy Cab and move on.
West Topeka / Wanamaker Corridor · Topeka · Tex-Mex
Jose Pepper's is a great spot for a frozen margarita and a chimichanga — the wine list just isn't why you're here, and it knows it. Order the cocktails and don't look back.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East Topeka · Topeka · Italian
The wine list at Olive Garden East Topeka is a corporate document, not a wine program — marked up steeply on bottles that deserve no such confidence. Order a cocktail, split a bottle of the house Chianti if you must, and save your wine curiosity for literally anywhere else in Topeka.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West/Central Topeka · Topeka · Italian
The wine list exists because every Italian restaurant has to have one — not because anyone here is passionate about it. Drink the Cavit, enjoy the unlimited breadsticks, and save the serious wine drinking for somewhere else.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
South Topeka · Topeka · Seafood
Red Lobster's wine list is exactly what you'd expect from a national chain that treats wine as an afterthought — familiar names, steep markups, zero curation. Order the Riesling, enjoy the Cheddar Bay Biscuits, and don't come here looking for a wine moment.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Topeka · Topeka · Italian-American
Olive Garden is not a wine destination and was never trying to be one — the list exists to move bottles, not to inspire anyone. Order the Il Grigio if you want something worth drinking, otherwise stick to the Chianti and save your wine energy for somewhere else.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Topeka · Topeka · Seafood
Red Lobster North Topeka's wine list is a functional, forgettable chain program — it won't ruin your dinner, but it's not the reason to come here. Stick to the Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling, eat your weight in Cheddar Bay Biscuits, and set your expectations accordingly.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Ridgeland / Jackson Suburbs · Jackson · Steakhouse
Kathryn's wine list is the culinary equivalent of a classic rock radio station — you know every song, there are no bad choices, but you're not going to discover anything new. Send a friend here if they want a reliable Napa Cab with their ribeye and zero decision fatigue.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North McAllen / 10th Street corridor · McAllen · Steakhouse
LongHorn McAllen isn't a wine destination, but it's not trying to be — and the pricing is honest enough that you won't feel robbed. Order the Riesling, enjoy your steak, and save the deep-dive wine conversation for somewhere else.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Bridgeport · Steakhouse
Joseph's is a dependable, no-surprises steakhouse wine list that serves its room well — if you're a Napa Cab loyalist dropping $60 on a steak, you'll be comfortable here. Just don't expect the list to challenge you, and watch the markup on the headline bottles.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.