382 Labels Deep and Nobody Warned You
Evanston · Wine Bar & New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · October 10, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Lush Food & Drink’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Three hundred and eighty-two labels at a wine bar in Evanston. That's not a wine list — that's a lifestyle commitment. The menu spans everything from Apimed meads to a 50-year solera Garnacha to vintage Rivesaltes, and if that combination doesn't make you do a double-take, you're not paying attention.
Lush leans hard into the obscure and the oxidative: rancio wines from Roussillon, Floc de Gascogne, Pineau des Charentes, and a Maury Rancio that most diners couldn't find on a map. The dessert and fortified section alone would embarrass most dedicated wine bars. Beyond the sweet stuff, there's a Garofoli Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi and Calcinaia Le Refie representing the Italian side, with scattered sparkling options and a full mead category that is either genius or chaos depending on your mood. Gaps in the red wine and everyday-drinker categories aren't obvious from the extracted data, but with 382 labels, it's hard to feel shortchanged.
Fifty-seven by-the-glass options is a number that demands respect — or at least a longer evening. The glass program includes fortified pours like the Barros 10 Year Tawny Porto at $14/glass and the Barros Ruby Porto at $8/glass, which is a genuinely reasonable entry point for a category most restaurants ignore entirely. Whether the full 57 rotate with any intention or just accumulate over time isn't confirmed, but the range signals real effort.
The Bottom Line
Lush is doing something genuinely unusual in the Chicago suburbs: stocking a 382-label list heavy on oxidative wines, meads, and fortified pours that you won't find at 95% of restaurants in any city. The pricing is honest and the by-the-glass program is serious. If your dinner companion is game to let you order something they've never heard of, this is exactly the right room for it.
· Evanston · Contemporary American
Chef's Station earns its Reliable badge the honest way: a sommelier who cares, a list with actual regional perspective, and a room where drinking something good feels like the obvious move. It's not a destination wine list, but it's a trustworthy one.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Evanston · Vegetarian & Vegan
Blind Faith Cafe is the Wild Card pick precisely because nobody expects a thoughtful wine list here — and that's exactly what makes it worth a second look. It's not going to replace your neighborhood wine bar, but for a veggie dinner in Evanston, this list is doing more work than it gets credit for.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Evanston · Wine Bar & Cafe
Evanston Pour isn't trying to be a destination wine list — it's trying to be the reliable neighborhood spot that doesn't rip you off, and it succeeds at that. Fair prices, drinkable range, zero pretense.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Evanston · French-American Seafood
Oceanique is exactly the wine list you'd want for a white-tablecloth seafood dinner on the North Shore — Old World focused, sommelier-curated, and clearly cared for. Just brace for pricing that matches the ambition, and let the staff steer you right.
Old World Focus
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Evanston · Evanston · New American
The Alcove is doing something quietly ambitious with its wine list in a market where most New American spots phone it in. If you're north of Chicago and craving a proper bottle of Burgundy or Rhône without driving downtown, this is your spot.
Surprising Depth
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Evanston · Neighborhood American Tavern
Ridgeville Tavern's wine list exists to answer the question 'do you have wine?' and not much more. Grab a glass with your meal, keep your expectations squarely at neighborhood-bar level, and you'll leave fine.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Cedar Park · Round Rock · Wine Bar & New American
The Grove is doing something genuinely ambitious for the suburbs — a BTG program this wide and a selection this international deserves your attention. Send a curious friend here and tell them to skip the Mondavi.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· San Francisco · Wine Bar & New American
Ungrafted is not for the indecisive or the wine-by-committee crowd — it's for people who want someone to just tell them what's good and trust that they've thought about it. Six bottles, confidently chosen, is a flex when it works, and here it mostly does.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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