Nice Glassware Won't Save a Thin List
· Glendale · Modern American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · August 19, 2026
RagingWine reviewed The Lola’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Seventeen labels. That's not a wine list — that's a wine paragraph. The Lola's program reads like someone handed a manager a distributor's starter pack and called it a day. There's nothing offensive here, but there's nothing interesting either.
The list splits cleanly into three buckets: Terrazas and Smoke Tree doing budget duty, Newton doing Napa prestige, and a sparkling section that somehow includes four labels, two of which are Moët variants. The reds are the weakest corner — a Malbec, a Cab, and a Pinot Noir, full stop. No Syrah, no Zinfandel, no Italian, no Spanish, nothing that suggests anyone with a palate made the call. Cape Mentelle shows up twice (a Sauvignon Blanc and a Semillon), which is the only moment the list hints at curiosity, but it's undercut by Canyon Road Moscato sitting two slots away. The geographic spread looks global on paper — Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, France, California — but it's wide and shallow, not deep.
Thirteen of seventeen bottles are available by the glass, which sounds generous until you realize the list is only seventeen bottles deep. At $8–$25 a glass, the pricing climbs fast on the better pours — the Newton Unfiltered Chardonnay and Cabernet both sit at $150 a bottle, which means you're likely paying a premium by the glass too. The sparkling by-the-glass option is Chandon at $12, which is the sanest price on the board.
Chandon Sparkling Wine — $12/glass
It's not a flex, but $12 for a Napa-made sparkling from Moët's American house is a fair pour when every other glass option trends steep. Easy crowd-pleaser and the most honest price on the menu.
Cape Mentelle Semillon
Nobody orders Semillon at a Modern American restaurant in Glendale, which makes it the most interesting thing on this list by default. Margaret River Semillon has real texture and longevity — it's a left-field choice that actually rewards curiosity, if the staff can even find it on the menu.
Moët Agave Nectar Champagne
At $180 a bottle, this is the most expensive wine on the list — and it's a sweetened Champagne novelty product. That's the kind of markup that exists purely because people recognize the Moët name. Pass.
Newton Unfiltered Cabernet Sauvignon + A hearty meat entrée
The Newton Unfiltered Cab is the one bottle on this list with actual weight and structure. It needs something rich to meet it — a steak, a braise, anything with fat and char. It's expensive for what it is here, but if you're going bottles, at least go all the way.
The Bottom Line
The Lola isn't trying to be a wine destination, and the list makes that perfectly clear. If you're eating here, order the Chandon to start, pick the Cape Mentelle Semillon if you want to feel something, and budget the rest of your enthusiasm for the food.
· Glendale · Italian
Lil' Capo isn't a wine destination — it's a pizza destination with wine available, which is exactly what it should be. If you're grabbing a pie before a Westgate event and want something in a glass that won't embarrass the food, the Italian-leaning list does its job without asking too much of you or your wallet.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Glendale · Market / Bottle Shop with Food
AJ's is not a restaurant, but if you're eating in the Glendale area and want to drink well on the cheap, their wine section punches hard for a market format. The selection is thoughtful, the prices are genuinely fair, and finding Pieropan next to the prepared foods is the kind of pleasant surprise that makes us want to keep coming back.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Glendale · Entertainment Restaurant
Dave & Buster's wine list exists because a liquor license requires one, not because anyone here cares. Order a cocktail, grab tokens, and save the wine night for literally anywhere else.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Glendale · Gastropub
Bar Louie is a perfectly fine place to drink a beer or a cocktail, but the wine list is an afterthought dressed up in column formatting. If wine is why you're going out, go somewhere else.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Glendale · Hotel restaurant
Desert Sage is a hotel bar wine list that knows exactly what it is and makes no apologies. Unless DAOU is calling your name, order a cocktail and save the wine for dinner somewhere else in Glendale.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
VAI Resort · Glendale · Rooftop Bar / Small Plates
Amara Rooftop is a place you go for the view and a cocktail — the wine list is an afterthought dressed up in a resort price tag. If wine is your thing, drink something fun downstairs and come up here for the sunset.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Los Angeles · Modern American
Redbird has made a smart, unusual bet: skip the bottle program entirely and let every guest drink whatever they want, one glass at a time. The list is small but genuinely considered, with fair prices across the board and a few real finds — especially that Châteauneuf-du-Pape at $15 a glass. If you're eating here, drink here.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Round Rock · Modern American
Grey Orchard isn't trying to be a wine destination, but the list punches above its 18-label weight class — fair prices, smart glass pour access, and the RARA bottles keeping things interesting. If you're in Round Rock and want a thoughtful glass over dinner without a lot of drama, this works.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Overland Park · Modern American
Silo Modern Farmhouse punches above its suburban weight class with a white-focused list that shows genuine curation and pricing that won't insult you. It's not a destination wine list, but it's exactly the kind of reliable program that makes a neighborhood restaurant worth coming back to.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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