The wine list nobody asked for
Ming Avenue · Bakersfield · Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · June 23, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Texas Roadhouse’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 Texas Roadhouse Bakersfield is exactly what you'd expect to find next to a bucket of peanuts and a breadbasket: a laminated afterthought. This place is built around cold beer and loud country music, and the wine program knows it — or rather, doesn't care to know anything at all.
Ten to twenty wines, almost entirely from California, and the 'notable' producers are Sutter Home, Barefoot, Woodbridge, and Cupcake — brands you'll find stacked at any gas station with a liquor license. There's no regional exploration, no vintage curiosity, nothing that suggests anyone spent more than fifteen minutes curating this list. The menu skews heavily toward sweet and mass-produced, which tells you everything about who this list is designed for: people who want something red or white and don't particularly care beyond that. If you're eating a ribeye and hoping for even a passable Cab to go with it, temper expectations hard.
Six to ten pours by the glass, priced between $7 and $12 — which sounds reasonable until you realize you're paying chain-restaurant margins on grocery-store wine. There's no rotation, no seasonal swap-in, no sense that the glass list has been touched since the menu was printed. What you see is what you get, forever.
Woodbridge Cabernet Sauvignon — $9
It's the least offensive red on a very short list, and at under $10 a glass it's at least not going to ruin your night the way a $12 Cupcake Chardonnay might. If you're eating a Ribeye and want something in the red family, this is the move by default.
Barefoot Moscato
Nobody comes to Texas Roadhouse for a wine revelation, but if you're splitting a rack of ribs with someone who loves sweet wines, the Barefoot Moscato actually plays — the sugary fruit softens the BBQ heat, and at this price point you're not overthinking it.
Cupcake Chardonnay
You can buy a full bottle of Cupcake Chardonnay at the grocery store for $8. Paying $10–12 per glass here is a hard no. There's no value story, no ambiance premium worth chasing, and the wine itself is aggressively mediocre.
Woodbridge Cabernet Sauvignon + Ribeye Steak
The Woodbridge Cab is soft and fruit-forward enough that it won't fight the butter and char on a Ribeye — it's a low-stakes red that at least has enough body to hold its own next to red meat. Not a pairing anyone will write home about, but it works.
The Bottom Line
Texas Roadhouse is not a wine destination, and its Bakersfield location makes zero effort to pretend otherwise. Order the beer, enjoy the peanuts, and save your wine ambitions for somewhere that has any.
Downtown Bakersfield · Bakersfield · Latin American / Mexican / Spanish / American
Zama is a fun room with a wine list that plays it safe — the markups are real, the picks are predictable, but Wine Wednesday changes the math considerably if you time your visit right. Show up on a Wednesday, order the Riesling or the Bonanza, and enjoy the patio.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Bakersfield · Bakersfield · Steakhouse
Ruth's Chris Bakersfield is a reliable wine stop if your expectations are calibrated to 'corporate steakhouse': proper storage, competent service, and a list that will not embarrass you or excite you. Send a friend here for the steak; the wine is a supporting actor that knows its role.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Bakersfield · Bakersfield · American diner, breakfast and comfort food
Black Bear Diner is a genuinely good diner doing genuinely good diner things — the wine list just isn't one of them. Order the pancakes, drink the coffee, and save your wine curiosity for somewhere that returns the favor.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Unknown · Bakersfield · Steakhouse
Outback's wine list is exactly what you'd expect from a national chain: safe, overpriced for what it is, and clearly an afterthought. Order a cocktail or a beer, enjoy your steak, and save the wine drinking for somewhere that gives a damn.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Bakersfield · Bakersfield · Italian-American
Olive Garden's wine list is a corporate afterthought designed to generate margin, not pleasure — and the Bakersfield location is no exception. Order the cocktails, enjoy the breadsticks, and save the wine conversation for a different night.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Ming Avenue · Bakersfield · Steakhouse / American
Tahoe Joe's is exactly what it is: a dependable casual steakhouse with a wine list that reflects its priorities — comforting, familiar, and not trying to impress anyone. If you want something adventurous, you're in the wrong zip code, but if you just want a reliable Cab with your steak and no drama, this will get the job done.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Princeton · Steakhouse
Ruth's Chris Princeton delivers a competent, corporately assembled wine program that covers the bases without taking any real swings. Markups are steep across the board — this is not the place to drop serious money on a bottle — but the all-by-the-glass format and the Trimbach and Catena Zapata picks give you room to drink well if you choose carefully. Come for the steak; drink strategically.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Portsmouth · Steakhouse
The Library Restaurant is a Wine Spectator award holder that plays it very, very safe — heavy California Chardonnay, a prestige Champagne tower, and markups that favor the house. If you're here for a special occasion and want to pop a Pol Roger at $125 or a Veuve at $155, it's a fine room for that. But if you're hoping to find something unexpected or feel like the wine program is working hard for you, this list isn't going to surprise you.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Golden Nugget Casino · Atlantic City · Steakhouse
Vic & Anthony's is a competent casino steakhouse wine list — it won't embarrass you and it won't thrill you. If you're already there for the steak, grab the Siduri by the glass and don't look too hard at the markups.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
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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