RL Restaurant
Ralph Lauren Does Wine Like He Does Outlet Pricing
Magnificent Mile · Chicago · American Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed March 8, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
You walk into a Ralph Lauren flagship store and somehow end up in a restaurant with a 200+ bottle wine list. The list looks impressive at first glance — Romanée-Conti! Tawny ports! — until you realize you're paying luxury fashion markups on commodity wines.
Selection Deep Dive
The list spans France, Italy, and the US with solid breadth but zero personality. You'll find the usual suspects — Sancerre, Sonoma-Cutrer Chardonnay, Jordan Cabernet — all marked up like they're selling handbags upstairs. There's a puzzling inclusion of Michigan ice wine and some Romanée-Conti vintages that signal ambition, but the core list reads like a corporate wine buyer ordered from a distributor's greatest hits catalog. No natural wines, no adventurous regions, nothing that suggests anyone here actually cares about wine beyond filling seats.
By the Glass
The 15-20 glass pours stick to safe territory with predictable options. You're looking at standard Prosecco, basic Pinot Grigio, and crowd-pleasing Chardonnay. Nothing rotates, nothing excites, and the pours are priced like you're paying Michigan Avenue rent with every sip.
Ken Wright Cellars Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2018 — $75
At only 67% markup, this is practically a charity case on this list — a legitimate Oregon producer at the closest thing to fair pricing you'll find here
Rondeau Sparkling Méthode Ancestrale, Bugey-Cerdon
A lightly sparkling, off-dry French pink that nobody orders because they're too busy buying overpriced Prosecco — perfect with the RL Burger
La Linda Malbec, Luján De Cuyo-Mendoza 2018
A 300% markup on a $15 grocery store Malbec is offensive even by Mag Mile standards — this wine should cost $40 less
Sancerre, Lucien Crochet, Loire 2018 + Lobster Roll
Classic pairing that works — the Sancerre's minerality cuts through the butter and complements sweet lobster, even if you're overpaying for both
❌ The Bottom Line
RL Restaurant treats wine like a fashion accessory — high margins, safe choices, zero personality. Come for the Dover Sole and Michigan Avenue vibes, but stick to cocktails or beer unless someone else is paying.
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