The Wine List Your Hotel Deserves, Unfortunately
Downtown Lansing · Lansing · American hotel bistro · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed July 7, 2026
Wingman Metrics
You flip open the menu at The Bistro expecting maybe a surprise — a local Michigan producer, something with a little personality — and instead you get a greatest hits album of grocery store brands. Josh Cellars. Meiomi. Kim Crawford. It's the wine list equivalent of a hotel lobby: functional, inoffensive, and completely forgettable.
The list runs somewhere between 15 and 25 bottles, which sounds reasonable until you realize the range spans roughly three brands and two regions — California and 'also California.' There's no Michigan representation, which is a genuine miss given how far the state's wine industry has come, and no old-world options to speak of. La Marca Prosecco is the one nod toward anything bubbly or Italian-adjacent, but it's more CVS endcap than wine program. The whole thing reads like a corporate Marriott template dropped into a Michigan hotel without anyone asking if it fit.
Six to ten pours available, which sounds like a reasonable by-the-glass program until you clock that it's basically the full list. At $9–$14 a glass, you're paying close to half the bottle price for wines that retail around $12–$15 at your nearest Total Wine. The rotation appears nonexistent — what's listed is what's listed, month after month.
La Marca Prosecco — $9
If you're going to drink here, bubbles are the move. La Marca is a known quantity, it's hard to mess up Prosecco service, and at the low end of their glass price range it's the least painful option on the menu.
Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc
It's not exactly a hidden gem in the wild, but in this context it's the most food-friendly wine on the list. Crisp, high-acid, and it actually works against a flatbread or a salad without fighting the food — which is more than you can say for the Meiomi.
Meiomi Pinot Noir
At hotel markup, you're paying $13–$14 a glass for a wine that costs $12 a bottle at Costco. The sweetness and jammy weight make it a tough match for anything on this menu, and the value equation simply doesn't hold up.
Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc + Flatbread
The bright citrus and herbaceous snap of the Kim Crawford cuts through cheese and any roasted vegetable or chicken topping on the flatbread. It's not a transcendent pairing, but it's the most coherent one available on this list.
❌ The Bottom Line
This is a wine list for people who aren't really thinking about wine — and that's fine for a hotel lobby bar, but it means you shouldn't be thinking about it either. Order a cocktail, or grab a bottle from a nearby shop and pay the corkage.
East Lansing · Lansing · Mexican
El Azteco is a beloved college-town institution, and the wine list knows its place — it's there so you can technically order wine, not because anyone thought hard about it. Stick to the margaritas; they're the real program here.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East Lansing · Lansing · American, Brew Pub, Bar
Beggar's Banquet is a beloved East Lansing institution and the wine list reflects that — it's comfortable, familiar, and a little overpriced. Come on a Wednesday when half-price bottles make the steep markups survivable, order the bubbles, and remember that the beer list is probably the real reason everyone keeps coming back.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
East Lansing · Lansing · American bar & grill
Peanut Barrel is a beloved East Lansing institution and a genuinely great place to grab a burger and a beer — emphasis on the beer. The wine list is a placeholder, not a program, and no one at the table or behind the bar is pretending otherwise.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Lansing · Lansing · Hotel Restaurant
If you're staying at the Crowne Plaza or just need a reliable glass of wine before a meeting in Lansing, Kindred Table won't let you down — prices are fair, the producers are legitimate, and nobody's trying to fleece you. Just don't come expecting discovery.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Old Town Lansing · Lansing · Gastropub
Zoobie's isn't where you go to geek out on wine, but if you're meeting friends for dinner in Old Town and someone at the table insists on a glass, you won't be stuck with regret. Grab the Malbec or the Mawby rosé, let everyone else argue about the beer list.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Okemos · Lansing · Seafood and American
Real Seafood Company Okemos is a dependable neighborhood anchor where the wine list won't embarrass you or excite you — fair prices and familiar faces make it easy, just don't come expecting discovery. Order the La Marca with the oysters and leave the wine nerd hat at home.
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.