The wine list nobody asked for
Ming Avenue · Bakersfield · Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 23, 2026 · How we review
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.
· Bakersfield · Wine bar + brewpub
BottleShock has a great name and a wine list that hasn't caught up to it yet. Four labels — including a Prosecco and a Chianti Classico you've seen a hundred times — isn't enough to earn the wine bar designation. Until the list grows up, come for the brew side of the menu and treat the wine as an afterthought.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Bakersfield · Hotel lounge
MI Greatroom is doing exactly what a Marriott convention hotel bar is designed to do — serve recognizable, inoffensive wines to people who aren't thinking about wine. There's no shame in that, but there's no reason to come here specifically for what's in the glass. Order the Maso Canali, catch up with whoever you're meeting, and don't overthink it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Bakersfield · American
Yard House Bakersfield is a beer hall that happens to sell wine, and the list makes no effort to hide that. Markups are aggressive, selections are safe to the point of being anonymous, and the only reason to open a bottle here is if your table voted against another round of IPAs. If you're wine-focused, redirect your budget to the Jean-Luc Colombo Rosé by the glass and call it a night.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Bakersfield · Steakhouse and Seafood
This is a wine program that exists only because restaurants are expected to have one. If you're at Sizzler Bakersfield, order a beer, a lemonade, or whatever they're mixing at the bar — the wine list is not the reason to be here, and it's not trying to be.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Bakersfield · Hotel bar and small plates
Brimstone Bar isn't trying to be a wine destination — but whoever put Terre Rouge on the menu made a real choice, and that's more than most hotel bars can say. If you're in Bakersfield and you want something other than a mass-market Cab, this is the move. Just don't come expecting options.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
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
· Hoschton · Steakhouse
Jacks is a genuinely fun neighborhood hang with solid food, but the wine program doesn't match the ambition of the kitchen. If wine is your thing, call ahead or bring your own if corkage is an option — otherwise, lean into the cocktails and enjoy the patio. We'd love to revisit this rating if they ever put some real thought into the list.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East Point · Atlanta · Steakhouse
Malone's earns its loyal following on the strength of its pork chops and tenderloin, not its wine list. If wine matters to your meal, you may want to call ahead and ask what's available — or just lean into a cocktail and let the steak do the heavy lifting. This one's a food-first destination.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Acworth · Steakhouse
AG Steakhouse earns its reputation as a go-to for celebrations and big nights out on Lake Acworth — but the wine program appears to be in service of the experience rather than a destination in itself. If you're splurging on the filet or the Oscar-style halibut, budget accordingly for the bottle too, and don't expect the list to surprise you. A solid place to drink wine; not a reason to come specifically for wine.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
List Variety
Markup
Glassware
Staff
Specials & Deals
Storage & Temp
