East Texas Steakhouse That Gets Wine Right Enough
Downtown Tyler · Tyler · Southern / Comfort Food / Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 8, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Rick's on the Square’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Rick's lands exactly where you'd expect for a lively downtown steakhouse in Tyler — familiar names, approachable prices, and nothing that's going to make a wine nerd do a double-take. It's not trying to be a wine destination, but it's not embarrassing itself either. Think of it as a solid supporting cast to the certified Angus beef headlining the menu.
The list runs 35-45 labels deep, leaning hard into California with Sonoma and Napa doing the heavy lifting — Decoy, La Crema, Rombauer, Silver Oak, and Château Montelena all make appearances, which gives the Cab-and-steak crowd plenty to work with. There's a nod to Italy with Santa Margherita and Cavit Pinot Grigio, a lone Austrian Grüner Veltliner from Lorenz V that feels genuinely out of place (in a good way), and port options from Fonseca and Taylor Fladgate to close out the meal. The gaps are real — no Burgundy, no Spanish reds, no aged bottles worth hunting — but for a steakhouse in East Texas, the breadth is respectable. South America shows up via Concha y Toro and Caymus Red Schooner Malbec, which rounds things out without adding much excitement.
Around 15-20 pours by the glass is genuinely generous for a restaurant at this price point, spanning whites, reds, rosé, sparkling, and even port — so you're not stuck ordering a bottle if you just want one good glass with your ribeye. Prices run $7 to $25 a glass, which keeps things accessible. The rotation doesn't appear to change much, but the range means most people at the table will find something that works.
Liberty School Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles — $25 (bottle, inferred from list range)
Liberty School consistently punches above its retail price with structured tannins and dark fruit that hold up to a slab of certified Angus beef — and at the lower end of the bottle price range here, it's the smartest move on the red side of the list.
Lorenz V Grüner Veltliner, Austria
Nobody ordering a steak in Tyler, Texas is reaching for Grüner Veltliner — which means it's probably sitting unloved on this list. That's a mistake. It's crisp, peppery, and actually cuts through rich Southern food better than the Pinot Grigio everyone's defaulting to. Order it before your tablemates catch on.
Rombauer Chardonnay, Carneros
Rombauer is a perfectly fine wine, but it's also one of the most marked-up bottles in America — restaurants charge a premium because the name moves bottles, not because the juice justifies it. At $155 on the high end of this list's range, you're paying for the label. The La Crema Chardonnay does 80% of the job for a fraction of the price.
Shafer One Point Five Cabernet Sauvignon, Stag's Leap District + Certified Angus Ribeye
Stag's Leap Cab has that structured backbone and cassis-driven richness that was basically engineered to sit next to a well-marbled ribeye. Shafer's One Point Five is the kind of bottle that makes the whole dinner feel like a bigger deal than it is — and Rick's carries it, which earns some real credit.
The Bottom Line
Rick's on the Square isn't a wine destination, but it's a reliable steakhouse list with fair pricing and enough range to keep everyone at the table happy — and that Grüner Veltliner hiding in plain sight is reason enough to look past the Kendall-Jackson crowd. If you're eating steak in Tyler, you could do a lot worse.
South Tyler · Tyler · Upscale Steakhouse & American Seafood
III Palms is doing what a lot of upscale Texas steakhouses do with wine — safe, familiar, and marked up — but the food quality and atmosphere give it enough credibility to recommend for a proper night out. Just catch Happy Hour, order the Elk Cove, and leave the Rombauer for the table next to you.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Tyler · Tyler · Farm-to-table New American
The Grove isn't a wine destination, but it's doing more with its list than most restaurants in East Texas dare to try — and Wine Wednesdays from 7 to 9 PM genuinely move the needle. Show up on a Wednesday, avoid the grocery-store bottles, and you'll leave happy.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
South Tyler · Tyler · Upscale American Steakhouse & Winery Restaurant
Kiepersol is a genuine Wild Card — a winery-first experience in East Texas that pulls off the estate dining concept with more polish than you'd expect this far from Hill Country. If you want to explore what Texas wine can actually do, this is one of the more honest places to find out.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
South Tyler · Tyler · American Grill and Steakhouse
Copper Grill is a reliable neighborhood spot that won't challenge you on wine — and that's fine, because it's not trying to. Send a friend here for a solid steak and a glass of something familiar, but remind them to skip the Caymus markup.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown / Square · Tyler · Steakhouse / Fine Dining
Jack Ryan's is a reliable steakhouse wine list in a pretty room — it'll get the job done, especially if you steer toward Jordan or Stag's Leap and avoid the Caymus trap. Don't come here expecting to discover anything, but you won't leave disappointed if you order smart.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Loop 323 / South Tyler · Tyler · American / Brewpub
BJ's is a perfectly fine brewhouse with decent food and great beer — the wine program just has no business being the reason you show up. Order a craft pour, enjoy your Pizookie, and come back to wine somewhere that tried.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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