The Bloomin' Onion Deserves Better Wine
East Provo · Provo · Casual steakhouse, Australian-themed American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed July 6, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Outback Provo arrives looking exactly like you'd expect — a laminated insert tucked inside a menu designed to sell you a Bloomin' Onion and a Foster's. It's all greatest hits, zero surprises, and the kind of curation that happens when a corporate office emails a PDF to every location in the country.
Thirty to fifty bottles sounds like a range until you realize the list is essentially a roll call of grocery store staples: Josh Cellars, Meiomi, Beringer Founders' Estate. California dominates with a nod to Washington and the obligatory Australian token or two — because, you know, theme. There's nothing wrong here exactly, just nothing interesting either. No indie producers, no regional depth, no reason to linger on the list for more than thirty seconds.
Ten to fifteen pours by the glass at $8–$14 sounds reasonable until you check retail and realize you're paying chain-restaurant tax on bottles that move at Costco for $12. The BTG rotation isn't rotating — what's on the list today was likely on the list two years ago. Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling is the one bright spot in an otherwise predictable lineup.
Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling — $9
Washington Riesling at this price point is genuinely good wine for the money — bright acidity, a little stone fruit, and low enough alcohol that you can keep pace through a long steakhouse dinner. It's the most legitimate bottle on the list.
Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc
Nobody orders Sauvignon Blanc at a steakhouse, which is exactly why it gets ignored — but if you're not in a red wine mood, Oyster Bay's Marlborough SB is clean, citrusy, and actually made with some care. It punches above the company it's keeping on this list.
Josh Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon
Josh Cellars is a $12 retail bottle that shows up on this list at steakhouse markup, making it a bad deal dressed in familiar branding. It's the wine equivalent of ordering the tourist trap dish — everyone does it, almost no one should.
Meiomi Pinot Noir + Outback Center-Cut Sirloin
Meiomi is soft, fruit-forward, and low on tannin — which actually works against a leaner sirloin that doesn't need a big Cab fighting it. It's not a sophisticated pairing, but it's a functional one, and that's about the ceiling we're working with here.
❌ The Bottom Line
Outback Provo is a fine place to eat a steak; it is not a place to think about wine. Order the Chateau Ste. Michelle, enjoy your Bloomin' Onion, and save the wine curiosity for somewhere that shares it.
Downtown Provo · Provo · Chef-driven American fusion, farm-to-table
Block is a solid neighborhood restaurant that happens to have wine — not a wine destination that happens to serve food. If you're in Provo and want something decent in your glass without any stress, it works. Just don't buy the bottle of Pinot.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Downtown Provo · Provo · Italian
La Dolce Vita earns its stripes as a dependable neighborhood Italian with a wine list that actually respects the cuisine it's serving. It's not a destination wine program, but in Provo, it's one of the better options on the table — and that house pour at $4 a glass is almost disarmingly honest.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Sugar House · Provo · Seafood / Steakhouse
Harbor is a reliable upscale date-night option where the wine list won't embarrass anyone but won't excite anyone either. The markups sting a bit — Caymus at $195 is a lot to ask — but the quality of the bottles themselves is real. Send a friend here for a steak and a Pinot, just don't expect them to text you about what they discovered.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East Provo · Provo · Asian Chain
P.F. Chang's wine list exists to upsell familiar names at chain-restaurant margins — it's not built for curiosity, value, or the food it's supposedly serving. If you're eating here, stick to the Cloudy Bay or grab a cocktail and save the wine budget for somewhere that cares.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
East Provo · Provo · Casual Italian, Italian-American
Olive Garden's wine list is a corporate document, not a wine program — it exists to upsell the table, not to make anyone drink better. Stick to the Chianti, skip the Santa Margherita markup, and save the serious wine for a different night.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East Provo · Provo · Brazilian Steakhouse
Come to Tucanos for the meat parade — it's genuinely fun and the churrasco is the whole point. But skip the wine list entirely and order a caipirinha instead; the wine program is a missed opportunity that no one on staff seems bothered by.
Grocery Store
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.