Breadsticks Yes, Wine List No
West/Central Topeka · Topeka · Italian
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 2, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Olive Garden Italian Restaurant – Wanamaker Central’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Olive Garden Wanamaker arrives laminated, sandwiched between the soup-or-salad upsell and the dessert menu. It's short, it's corporate, and it was clearly assembled by someone in a conference room in Orlando — not by anyone who actually cares about wine.
Roughly 30 labels, split between bargain-bin Italian imports and California supermarket staples. Cavit Pinot Grigio, Riunite Lambrusco, and Roscato Rosso Dolce anchor the Italian side — all perfectly drinkable, none of them surprising. Robert Mondavi Private Selection Cab rounds out California, and that's about as adventurous as it gets. There are no interesting producers, no small regions, no sense that anyone curated this list beyond 'what moves units at a chain restaurant.'
Eight to twelve pours available, all predictable — you're looking at Cavit Pinot Grigio, Chloe Pinot Grigio, Moscato Primo Amore, and the like. At $7–$10 a glass, the prices are honest enough, but the range is basically whatever Sysco had on the truck. No rotation, no chalk-board special, no seasonal anything.
Cavit Pinot Grigio — $7/glass
Look, it's not exciting — but at $7 a glass for a clean, inoffensive northern Italian Pinot Grigio, it does the job without embarrassing you. Lowest risk move on the list.
Riunite Lambrusco
Most people walk right past it, conditioned to think Lambrusco is a relic of the 1970s. They're not wrong about this particular bottle, but a lightly chilled glass of fizzy red with a plate of pasta is genuinely fun — and nobody at the table needs to know you ordered it.
Robert Mondavi Private Selection Cabernet Sauvignon
This is a $12 grocery store bottle. Even at chain restaurant pricing it represents the least interesting way to spend your money here. Save it for a Tuesday night at home when you're watching TV.
Roscato Rosso Dolce + Tour of Italy
The Tour of Italy sampler is a lot — lasagna, chicken parmigiana, fettuccine Alfredo all on one plate. Roscato's gentle sweetness and low tannin actually cut through the richness without fighting the tomato sauce. It's not a sophisticated pairing, but it works better than you'd expect.
The Bottom Line
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.
· Topeka · French
Chez Yasu clearly puts its energy into the kitchen, not the cellar — but two grocery-store wines at a notable markup is not a wine program, it's an oversight. Order water, order a cocktail, or call ahead and ask about corkage.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Topeka · American Bar & Grill
Blue Moose isn't here for wine, and wine isn't here for Blue Moose. Order a local draft and call it a day — but if you absolutely need a glass, reach for the La Vieille Ferme Rosé and manage your expectations accordingly.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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
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
Sandy Springs · Sandy Springs · Italian
Pricci's wine list is the restaurant equivalent of a reliable business traveler — organized, presentable, and rarely offensive, but not the person you call for an adventure. The markup leans steep across the board, and the lack of a visible specials program means you're paying full retail every night. That said, the by-the-glass depth is real, and there are smart Italian picks hiding in the list if you ignore the Napa trophy bottles.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· San Jose · Italian
A Bellagio is doing something right: a 65-bottle Italian-leaning list with 19 glass options, fair pricing, and enough regional Italian depth to make the wine order as interesting as the food order. Staff confidence and dish data are unknowns from where we sit, but the list itself is worth showing up for — especially if you let the Montecucco Sangiovese talk you into a second glass.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Sandy Springs · Sandy Springs · Italian
Cibo e Beve has a functional, crowd-pleasing wine list that serves its room well — but the markup on some bottles is hard to ignore, and the depth of Italian regionality you'd hope for at an Italian restaurant just isn't there. Grab the Gavi or the Verdicchio by the glass and call it a solid night.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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