Great Burgers, Wine List Phones It In
Downtown Champaign · Champaign · Gastropub · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 11, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Seven Saints’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Seven Saints is a whiskey bar wearing a wine list like an afterthought blazer — it technically covers the requirement, but nobody's fooled. The list is short, safe, and leans hard on whatever California labels stock the back bar without much deliberate curation. If you're here for the bourbon selection or a double smash burger, you're in the right place.
The wine list reads like a grocery store aisle: California Cabernet, California Chardonnay, Mendoza Malbec, Oregon or California Pinot Noir, and a house red and white for good measure. There's no Old World depth to speak of, no grower Champagne hiding in the wings, no natural wine curious enough to raise an eyebrow. What you get is a functional checklist of recognizable varietals that won't offend anyone but won't excite anyone either. The list exists to serve people who want wine with their burger and aren't particularly picky about which wine.
Around eight to ten pours are available by the glass, running $7 to $11, which feels reasonable until you clock that the bottles behind those pours retail for $11 to $14 at your local grocery store. The rotation doesn't appear to change much — this is a set-and-forget program, not one that's getting refreshed with the seasons. On Monday, though, the math gets friendlier.
Mendoza Malbec — $32
At full price it's a tough sell at nearly 3x retail, but catch it on a Monday half-price night and you're suddenly at a reasonable $16 for a bottle that at least delivers the jammy, easy-drinking Malbec you're expecting. That's the move.
Oregon Pinot Noir
It's the one wine on the list that hints at something beyond pure grocery-store logic. Oregon Pinot tends to carry more earthy complexity than the California equivalents even at entry level, and at Seven Saints' price point it's the closest thing to an actual wine decision being made on this list.
California Chardonnay
At $30 a bottle for something retailing at $11, you're paying a 173% markup for a wine that probably reminds you of a Tuesday night at home. Unless it's Monday, leave this one alone.
Mendoza Malbec + Burger
A straightforward Malbec and a proper pub burger is one of the more honest combinations in the casual dining universe. The fruit-forward, low-tannin profile of the Mendoza doesn't fight the beef — it just gets out of the way and lets you eat.
Monday — Reported half-price wine on Mondays based on local reviews and Yelp notes; confirm current structure with the restaurant as the promotion details are not fully documented.
The Bottom Line
Seven Saints is a genuinely fun downtown bar that simply doesn't care about wine, and that's fine — but you should know going in. Come for the whiskey, come for the burger, and if you're drinking wine, come on a Monday.
· Champaign · Wine Bar / New American
Sun Singer is punching well above its weight for central Illinois — the sparkling program alone makes it worth a detour, and the bottle list has enough personality to reward anyone willing to look past the house pours. Send your wine-curious friends here without hesitation.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
South Champaign · Champaign · Farm-to-Table / American
Harvest Market Farmhouse is a perfectly fine neighborhood wine program that punches above its weight exactly once a week — on Mondays, when half-price bottles turn a predictable list into a genuinely good deal. The rest of the week, it's a reliable pour with fair markups, just don't come here looking for discovery.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
South Champaign · Champaign · Italian
Napoli's isn't a wine destination, but it's not trying to be — the list is honest, the prices are fair, and the Italian bottles genuinely complement the food. Send a friend here for dinner without hesitation; just don't send them expecting to discover anything new.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Champaign · Champaign · Diner / Cafe
Lazy Daisy has no business having a wine list this thoughtful, and that's exactly why it earns a Wild Card. Four bottles, zero pretension, and at least two genuinely interesting pours — we'd absolutely tell a friend.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Champaign · Champaign · Mexican
Fiesta Café is a genuinely fun spot for margaritas and big burritos, but the wine list is purely ceremonial — it exists so they can say they have one. Come for the drinks menu, not the wine list.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Champaign · Champaign · Steakhouse
LongHorn Champaign has a wine list that exists so you can say you had wine with dinner — not much more than that. If you're here for the steak, grab the J. Lohr and move on; if you came for the wine list, recalibrate your evening immediately.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Fort Myers River District · Fort Myers · Gastropub
A short wine list at a craft beer and cocktail bar: nine wines, two price tiers, no regions or vintages. Order the Meiomi Pinot Noir with the You Gouda Try This! mac and cheese, or stay on the house wines at $8 and $30; the page is undated, so confirm current wines and ask which price is the glass before you order. This unrated guide covers the posted drinks menu, not service, storage or markups.
· McMinnville · Gastropub
For a ten-bottle list at a McMinnville gastropub, this is punching well above its weight class. The Corollary Sparkling Rosé, Soter Origins, and that Oddero Dolcetto alone justify a look. We don't have pricing to confirm the value story end-to-end, but the selection philosophy is clearly not phoning it in — and in wine country, that's the baseline we should all be holding everyone to.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Riverside · Gastropub
Brickwood isn't a wine destination, but it's a genuinely fair deal — honest prices, lots of glass options, and a list that doesn't try to squeeze you. Send a friend here if they want a decent pour without overthinking it.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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