Chianti With a Side of Predictability
La Frontera · Round Rock · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 4, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Romano's Macaroni Grill – Round Rock’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Macaroni Grill reads exactly like you'd expect from a chain that also sells breadsticks in the freezer aisle — familiar names, safe bets, nothing that'll surprise you. It's the kind of list where you already know what you're getting before you open the menu. That's not always bad, but it's rarely exciting.
Twenty to thirty labels split between Italy and California, with the Italian side leaning heavily on the most recognizable export names rather than anything with actual regional character. Ruffino Chianti and Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio are the anchors here — workhorses that check the Italian checkbox without doing much else. The California side brings in BV Coastal Cabernet and Kim Crawford (a New Zealand wine that's somehow become a chain restaurant staple regardless of geography). There are no outliers, no grower producers, no regions worth getting curious about.
Ten to fifteen by-the-glass options sound generous until you realize they're essentially the entire list. Pours run $8–$14, which feels fine until you remember these are supermarket-shelf wines marked up two to three times over retail. The rotation appears to be permanent — don't expect anything new showing up seasonally.
Ruffino Chianti — $8
If you're eating chicken parmesan and want something Italian that won't actively fight the food, this is your lowest-risk move on the list. It's not exciting, but at the entry price point it does the job.
BV Coastal Cabernet Sauvignon
Nobody comes to Macaroni Grill hunting for Cabernet, but the BV Coastal is a quietly decent pour — more structured than you'd expect at this tier and a better match for the grill items than anything else on the list.
Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio
Santa Margherita is one of the most aggressively over-marked-up wines in the restaurant industry. You're paying chain-restaurant prices on top of an already inflated retail price for a wine that's perfectly average. Buy it at the grocery store for half the price if you love it that much.
Ruffino Chianti + Chicken Marsala
The Chianti's bright acidity and light tannins cut through the marsala's rich, savory sauce without overwhelming the dish. It's not a revelatory combination, but it's the most coherent wine-and-food moment this list is capable of producing.
The Bottom Line
Macaroni Grill's wine list is functional in the same way a vending machine is functional — it'll get you a drink, but nobody's excited about it. If wine matters to you even a little, you're better off at almost any independent Italian spot in the area.
The Domain · Round Rock · Steakhouse
Fleming's The Domain is a reliable, polished corporate wine program — the 43-glass pour options and some quietly interesting whites (Loosen Bros., Abadía de San Campio, Lucien Albrecht) give it more range than the steakhouse chain label implies. Markups run steep, especially on the sparkling side, so go in with eyes open and steer toward the underordered stuff. Send a friend here if they want a safe, well-executed wine experience with their ribeye — just don't expect any real surprises.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Avery Ranch · Round Rock · Italian / Pizza
Tony C's Avery Ranch earns its place as a reliable neighborhood wine option with a thoughtful Italian core and fair pricing that won't make you regret ordering a bottle. It's not a wine destination, but it's genuinely better than it has to be, and that counts for something.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Round Rock · Round Rock · Italian
North Italia Round Rock doesn't break any new ground, but the Italian-leaning selection, fair bottle pricing, and massive by-the-glass count make it a reliable dinner option for anyone who wants a real wine alongside their pasta. Send your friends here — just steer them away from the Duckhorn.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Round Rock · Modern American
Grey Orchard isn't trying to be a wine destination, but the list punches above its 18-label weight class — fair prices, smart glass pour access, and the RARA bottles keeping things interesting. If you're in Round Rock and want a thoughtful glass over dinner without a lot of drama, this works.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Cedar Park · Round Rock · Wine Bar & New American
The Grove is doing something genuinely ambitious for the suburbs — a BTG program this wide and a selection this international deserves your attention. Send a curious friend here and tell them to skip the Mondavi.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown/North Round Rock · Round Rock · Mexican
La Margarita is a perfectly good Mexican restaurant that has simply decided wine is not its problem. Order a margarita, enjoy your chips, and leave the wine list alone.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Johns Creek · Italian
Pasta Vino isn't trying to be a wine destination, and that's fine — it's a neighborhood Italian with a list that actually makes sense for the room. Pricing is fair across the board, the by-the-glass program gives you real options, and the Italian selections (especially the Chianti duo and the Lugana) show some genuine thought. Send a friend here for dinner knowing they'll drink well without overpaying.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Arlington · Italian
Piccolo Mondo punches above its Arlington zip code with a genuinely Italy-forward wine list that includes some names worth ordering. We'd love to see pricing and by-the-glass details more clearly published — and without knowing the markups, we can't fully endorse the value play — but the producer selection alone puts this ahead of most neighborhood Italian spots in the DFW suburbs. If you're going, head straight for the Tuscan reds and don't look back.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Lakeland · Italian
The Macaroni Grill Lakeland wine list is functional the way a vending machine is functional — it dispenses what you ask for without fuss or personality. The by-the-glass breadth gives casual drinkers options, but the markups on several bottles and the complete absence of anything interesting or Italian-forward make this a list you tolerate rather than enjoy. Order the Lambrusco or the Trapiche Malbec and call it a night.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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