Rick's on the Square

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.