Bloomin' Onion, Wilting Wine List
Central Waco / Valley Mills Drive · Waco · Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 16, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Outback Waco arrives as a laminated afterthought tucked behind the cocktail menu — a short roster of brands you've seen at every grocery store checkout aisle from here to Amarillo. There's no pretense of curation here, and honestly, no pretense of caring either.
Twenty-odd bottles, almost exclusively California, New Zealand, and Australia — and not the interesting parts of any of those places. You've got Meiomi Pinot Noir, Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, and Folie à Deux Ménage à Trois anchoring a list that reads like a Total Wine endcap from 2014. No independent producers, no regional curiosity, no depth beyond what corporate told the franchise to stock. The gaps aren't gaps — the whole thing is a gap.
Eight to twelve pours on any given visit, which sounds fine until you realize it's Yellow Tail Chardonnay, Apothic Red, Cupcake Moscato, and friends. Rotation is essentially nonexistent — this list does not change with the seasons, the harvest, or the decade. What you see is what you'll get next month too.
Meiomi Pinot Noir — $10
It's still a mass-market Pinot from the California coast, but at least Meiomi is reliably fruit-forward and crowd-pleasing enough to hold up next to a ribeye without embarrassing anyone. Relative to everything else on this list, it's the least bad option for the money.
Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc
Nobody orders Sauvignon Blanc at a steakhouse, which means the bottle actually turns over fast enough to be fresh. It's crisp, citrusy, and cuts through the richness of Outback's heavier appetizers better than any of the reds here. Order it before someone suggests the Apothic.
Yellow Tail Chardonnay
Eight dollars and change for a glass of something that retails for $7 a bottle — and that's the whole bottle. The math is offensive, the wine is forgettable, and you deserve better even on a Tuesday in Waco.
Folie à Deux Ménage à Trois Red Blend + Outback Ribeye
The Ménage à Trois is soft, jammy, and low on tannin — which actually works with a well-marbled ribeye since you don't need the wine to cut through fat so much as just not fight it. It's a casual match for a casual night, and that's about as high as the bar gets here.
❌ The Bottom Line
Outback Waco's wine program is what happens when a corporate chain treats wine as a line item instead of an experience — overpriced grocery store bottles with zero staff expertise and zero reason to explore the list. Order the beer, order the cocktail, or BYOB if they'll let you.
Central Waco / Richland Mall area · Waco · American gastropub / brewery fare
BJ's wine list exists because it has to, not because anyone loves it — this is a beer destination first and everything else is an afterthought. If you're here on a Wednesday during happy hour, grab the $5 Dark Horse and call it honest; otherwise, just drink the beer.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Central Waco / Loop 340 · Waco · Casual Chain Italian-American
Olive Garden Waco's wine list is a corporate afterthought dressed up with Italian flags — gouge-level markups on supermarket bottles, no staff expertise, and zero ambition. Order the cocktails, drink the endless coffee, or BYOB if they'll let you. The breadsticks don't need wine anyway.
Grocery Store
Gouge
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Southwest Waco / I-35 corridor · Waco · Steakhouse
Texas Roadhouse is a great place for a hand-cut steak, cold beer, and line-dancing servers — but the wine list is essentially a placeholder. Come for the food, order a Lone Star, and leave the wine ambitions at home.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Central Waco / near Richland Mall · Waco · Steakhouse
Saltgrass is here for the steak, and the steak is genuinely good — but the wine program is an afterthought wearing a price tag. Order the ribeye, split a bottle of Decoy if you must, and don't expect anyone on staff to help you think beyond that.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Woodway / Marketplace area · Waco · Steakhouse
135 Prime is doing more with a wine list than Waco has any right to expect from its steakhouse scene, and the weekly specials show genuine curiosity. Just keep your guard up when the dessert wine list arrives — that's where the house cashes in.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Waco · Waco · American, French
One Thirty Five Prime is the best wine list in Waco and it's not particularly close — a knowledgeable sommelier, a well-kept California cellar, and a room that actually respects the bottle. Just go in knowing you're paying steakhouse prices for steakhouse selections, and you'll have a great night.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
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.