Beer First, Wine Very Much Last
Aurora City Center · Aurora · Pizza / American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · June 20, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Old Chicago Pizza + Taproom – Aurora’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Old Chicago Aurora is a corporate afterthought dressed up in a laminated insert. This is a beer taproom first, second, and third — and the wine selection makes absolutely no effort to hide that fact. You're here for the deep-dish and the tap handles; the wine is just there so nobody at the table has to feel left out.
About 14 wines by the glass make up the entire program, and it reads like a grocery store shelf circa 2014. We've got Mark West Pinot Noir, Blackstone Merlot, Canyon Road Cab, and 19 Crimes Red Blend on the red side — reliable mass-market names that have never once surprised anyone. Whites fare no better: Cupcake Sauvignon Blanc, Canyon Road Chardonnay, Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay, and Mirassou Moscato round out a list that was clearly built to minimize decisions, not maximize enjoyment. The one nod toward something slightly more interesting is the J. Lohr Seven Oaks Cabernet from Paso Robles and the Tamari Malbec from Argentina, but neither is enough to save a list that plays it completely safe across the board.
All 14 options are by the glass, which is technically the whole list — there's no bottle program worth mentioning. Rotation appears nonexistent; this is a chain-standardized list that likely hasn't changed meaningfully since the last corporate menu refresh. Pour sizes and pricing are unknown, but given the taproom context, don't expect generous pours in proper stems.
J. Lohr Seven Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon — Unknown
It's the one wine on this list that comes from a producer with actual credibility. Seven Oaks is a solid, consistent Paso Robles Cab that punches above its price point — if you're going to drink wine here, this is the move.
Tamari Malbec
Argentina's Tamari is a small but legit producer out of La Rioja, and Malbec actually works with pizza in a way that flabby California reds don't. Most people here will reach for the 19 Crimes out of habit — don't be most people.
19 Crimes Red Blend
The marketing budget on this bottle is inversely proportional to what's inside it. It's ubiquitous, overpriced for what it delivers, and the gimmick-label novelty wore off years ago. Order literally anything else.
Tamari Malbec + Deep-Dish Pizza
Malbec's dark fruit and earthy backbone hold up against the rich tomato sauce and heavy cheese load of a deep-dish without getting steamrolled. It's the one pairing on this list that actually makes sense rather than just being the path of least resistance.
❌ The Bottom Line
Old Chicago Aurora is a perfectly fine place to watch a game and eat pizza — just order a beer like everyone else. The wine list exists to check a box, not to enhance your meal, and no amount of J. Lohr is going to change that.
Stanley Marketplace · Aurora · Oyster Bar / New American
Traveling Mercies is a Wild Card in the best way: an oyster bar inside a marketplace that built a wine list with actual conviction. It's not deep, but it's smart, and smart beats deep when you're eating shellfish in Aurora.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Gaylord Rockies / Gateway Park · Aurora · Steakhouse, American
Old Hickory is a reliable, well-run resort steakhouse wine program — sommelier on staff, proper glassware, wines stored correctly — but it's built for comfort, not discovery. Send a friend here if they want a guaranteed good glass with a great steak; send someone else if they're looking to find something new.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Meadow Hills / South Parker Road · Aurora · New American
Cody's isn't a wine destination and it has no interest in being one — but the list is priced fairly, the pours are recognizable, and there's just enough personality (Baja Tanga, we see you) to keep it from being completely forgettable. Send a friend here if they want wine with dinner, not wine as the reason for dinner.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Southlands · Aurora · American
BJ's Southlands is a perfectly fine place to drink a craft beer, and we mean that sincerely — lean into the thing they actually care about. The wine list is a national chain template on autopilot, marked up past its worth, with zero local character and no sign of anyone tending the program with any intention.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Southeast Aurora · Aurora · Italian-American
Olive Garden's wine program exists to check a box, not to enhance your dinner. Order the Chianti, eat the breadsticks, and save your wine budget for somewhere that's actually trying.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
South Aurora · Aurora · Seafood-focused American Grill
Bonefish Aurora isn't a wine destination, but it's a solid, fairly-priced list for what it is — and that daily happy hour window makes the whole program punch above its weight. Come for the seafood, order the Riesling, and don't miss the 4 PM pour.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
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