The Rolls Are Better Than The Wine
Unknown · Champaign · Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 11, 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 reads like the shelf tag at a gas station convenience store — Barefoot, Yellow Tail, Kendall-Jackson, and not much else. It's not trying to impress you, and it doesn't. Come for the hand-cut steaks and the warm rolls; the wine program is clearly an afterthought.
We're looking at somewhere between 10 and 20 labels, leaning heavily on California supermarket stalwarts with a Yellow Tail cameo from Australia to keep things 'international.' There's no regional depth, no interesting producers, and zero evidence that anyone curated this list beyond calling a distributor and accepting whatever showed up. If you're hoping for a Napa Cab with some actual pedigree or even a halfway interesting red blend, you will not find it here. The list begins and ends at brands you can grab for under $10 at your nearest Kroger.
Six to ten glass pours sounds reasonable until you realize they're all pulling from the same shallow pool of mass-market bottles. The price points look friendly at first glance — $6.49 to $8.99 — but when you do the math, you're paying 2-3x retail for wine that retails under $10 a bottle. There's no rotation, no seasonal swap, no sign of life.
Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon — $8.99/glass
It's the least bad option on this list. At 167% markup it's the most honest pour they've got, and it's at least a recognizable, consistently made Cab that can hold its own next to a ribeye. Damning with faint praise, but here we are.
Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay
Most people will grab the Cab and call it a day, but if you're eating the Grilled Chicken, the KJ Chard is the only white on this list with any actual structure. It's not exciting, but it works harder than the Barefoot alternatives sitting next to it.
Barefoot Moscato
At $6.49 a glass you're paying $246% markup on a bottle that retails for $6.99. That's more than three glasses' worth of retail wine in a single pour. Barefoot Moscato is fine at a picnic — not at a steakhouse, not at these economics.
Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon + Hand-Cut Ribeye
A ribeye wants a red with enough body and fruit to stand up to the fat and char, and the KJ Cab is the only pour here that even attempts that job. It's the closest thing to a proper steak wine on a list that otherwise has no business near a steakhouse.
The Bottom Line
Texas Roadhouse is a perfectly good place to eat a steak and destroy a basket of rolls — just do yourself a favor and drink a beer or a bourbon instead. The wine list is grocery-store inventory at chain-restaurant markups, and no amount of country music can dress that up.
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Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Crowd Pleasers
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Basic Stemmed
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Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
South Champaign · Champaign · Italian
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Plays It Safe
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Basic Stemmed
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Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Champaign · Champaign · Diner / Cafe
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Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Champaign · Champaign · Mexican
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Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Champaign · Champaign · Steakhouse
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Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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This appears to be a Restaurant Week wine promotion rather than Benjamin Steakhouse's full list, and we'd want to see a complete menu before rendering a final verdict on the overall program. Based on what's sourced here, though, the wine offering is thin for a steakhouse of this caliber — if you're coming for a serious bottle of Cab with your dry-aged ribeye, call ahead and ask what's actually on the full list.
Grocery Store
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
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A steakhouse beverage menu with 30 wines by the glass and a bottle list that is mostly California, with some France, Italy and Portugal. Start with the $9/glass happy hour Bonanza Cabernet if you arrive in the window, or the Eroica Riesling, the only Riesling on the glass list, and ask for prices because regular wine prices aren't posted. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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