Big Napa Energy, Big Napa Prices
South Coast Metro · Irvine · Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 22, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Mastro's Costa Mesa arrives like the restaurant itself — heavy, intentional, and not shy about what it is. This is a Napa Cabernet temple dressed in old-Hollywood lighting, and the list makes no apologies for it. If you showed up hoping for adventurous pours, you read the room wrong.
Four hundred to six hundred labels sounds impressive until you realize a significant chunk is Napa Cabernet in various expressions and price brackets — Caymus Special Selection, Stag's Leap CASK 23, Opus One, Screaming Eagle if you're lucky. Bordeaux and Burgundy get respectable representation, and Washington State sneaks in a few bottles worth noticing. The white wine program — anchored by Aubert and Peter Michael Chardonnay — is genuinely strong for a steakhouse, though it's clearly the supporting act. Don't come looking for natural wines, Italian deep cuts, or anything from the Southern Hemisphere.
Twenty to thirty-five by-the-glass options is a generous count, and the price floor starts around $18 and climbs fast — you're regularly looking at $30–$50 for anything worth ordering. Silver Oak Alexander Valley shows up as a recognizable pour that at least delivers on the promise. Rotation appears minimal; this list is built to be stable, not surprising.
Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon — $80–$120/bottle (est.)
In a list full of three-digit trophy wines, Silver Oak Alexander Valley is the one that actually drinks proportionally to what you're paying. It's approachable, reliable, and won't require a post-dinner financial audit.
Peter Michael Chardonnay
Everyone at the table is ordering Cabernet and ignoring this. Peter Michael makes some of the most serious Chardonnay in California, and here it sits on a steakhouse list getting skipped by every table ordering the bone-in. Order it with the seafood tower and feel very smart.
Screaming Eagle
If it's available by the bottle, the markup will be theatrical. Screaming Eagle belongs in a cellar or a charity auction, not a steakhouse environment where you're splitting attention between a Wagyu and a live piano set. The juice is real; the value proposition at restaurant markup is not.
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars CASK 23 + Bone-in Filet Mignon
CASK 23 has the structure to stand up to a serious cut of beef without steamrolling the tenderness that makes a filet worth ordering. It's the right amount of Napa gravitas without going full cult-wine circus.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Mastro's Costa Mesa does exactly what it promises — a polished, deep, Napa-forward list in a room built for expense accounts and anniversaries. If you want value or discovery, you're at the wrong restaurant; if you want the definitive Orange County steakhouse wine experience done with genuine care, this delivers.
Irvine Spectrum · Irvine · American bar & grill
Yard House is a legitimately great spot for a cold draft beer and some bar food with a crowd, but nobody should be coming here for the wine. The list is overpriced, underdeveloped, and exactly what a national chain thinks wine drinkers want — which is to say, not much at all.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Irvine Spectrum · Irvine · Asian-inspired Chinese
P.F. Chang's Irvine Spectrum is never going to be a wine destination, but it's not trying to be — and on Wine Wednesday, with half-price bottles all day, it earns its keep. Show up with a group, order the Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling at $15, and enjoy the lettuce wraps without overthinking it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
The Market Place · Irvine · American (Eclectic, Global-Inspired)
The Cheesecake Factory wine list does exactly what it's designed to do: give a table of eight something recognizable to order without anyone getting weird about it. Just don't come here expecting discovery — come expecting Meiomi, and you'll leave fine.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Irvine Spectrum · Irvine · American (eclectic, global-inspired)
The Cheesecake Factory does a lot of things well — wine is not one of them. Order a cocktail, split something bubbly, or save the serious bottle for a restaurant that earned it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Irvine Spectrum · Irvine · Italian
BRIO's wine list is exactly what it needs to be for a polished Italian chain — safe, accessible, and unlikely to offend anyone. Don't come here chasing discovery, but if you want a glass of Chianti with your pasta in a comfortable setting, it delivers.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
The Market Place · Irvine · American
BJ's wine program exists to check a box, and it does that adequately — especially on Tuesday when the prices get cut in half. Come here for the Pizookie and the craft beers; treat the wine list as a backup option, not a destination.
Grocery Store
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
I-35 / North Creek · Laredo · Steakhouse
Outback Laredo's wine program is a national chain doing national chain things — predictable, overpriced relative to quality, and staffed by people who aren't expected to know anything about what they're pouring. Come for the Bloomin' Onion, stick to a cocktail, and save the wine order for somewhere that cares.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Creek / I-35 · Laredo · Steakhouse
Logan's Roadhouse is not a wine destination — it's a steakhouse chain where wine clearly wasn't part of the concept. Order a beer, order a cocktail, and save the bottle for a restaurant that's actually trying.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Mall del Norte Area · Laredo · Steakhouse
Texas Roadhouse Laredo is a great spot for a $17 steak and a bucket of rolls — the wine list is an afterthought and everyone involved knows it. Order a margarita, or grab the Ste. Michelle Riesling and call it a night.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.