Great Gumbo, Forgettable Wine List
Downtown / Kirkwood · Bloomington · New Orleans–influenced American, Cajun & Creole · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 10, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Uptown Cafe’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The Uptown Cafe is a genuinely good time — buzzy downtown room, solid Cajun food, IU energy in the air. Then the wine list lands and it feels like the restaurant stopped caring halfway through. What you get is a short roster of familiar names that could have been pulled from a grocery store endcap.
The list runs somewhere between 20 and 35 bottles, and the headline producers tell the whole story: Kendall-Jackson, Liberty School, Santa Julia, La Marca. These are dependable, inoffensive brands — they are also wines you can find at any Kroger in America. There's no real regional through-line, no nod to the Cajun and Creole flavors coming out of the kitchen, and no evidence that anyone thought hard about what actually drinks well with spicy pasta and étouffée. The international value tier (Santa Julia Malbec being the lone flag-bearer) doesn't add depth so much as it checks a box.
There are an estimated 8 to 14 pours by the glass, landing between $9 and $14 — which sounds accessible until you realize the bottles behind those pours retail for $11 to $15. The selection doesn't rotate in any meaningful way, so what you see tonight is what you'll see six months from now. It's a program on autopilot.
La Marca Prosecco — $36
Still a markup of over 150% on a $14 bottle, but Prosecco is at least the right call at a lively, noisy restaurant like this one — light, easy, and it won't fight the food. If you're going to spend money here, this is the least painful option.
Santa Julia Malbec
It's a $11 retail bottle marked to $32, so 'gem' is generous — but among the options on this list, it's the one with the most personality. Argentina's Mendoza region gives it enough dark fruit and structure to hold its own against bold Cajun spice, which is more than you can say for the Chardonnay.
Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay
Thirty-eight dollars for a bottle you can buy at Walmart for $14. KJ Chardonnay is fine in a vacuum, but it's a particularly bad match for spiced-up New Orleans cooking, and the markup here is hard to stomach. Order a cocktail instead.
Santa Julia Malbec + Jambalaya pasta
The Malbec's ripe dark fruit and low tannin profile don't get steamrolled by smoky andouille and Creole spice the way a California Cab would. It's not a sophisticated pairing — but it's the best the list has to offer against a spicy, rich pasta dish.
❌ The Bottom Line
Uptown Cafe earns its reputation on the food — the wine list is just along for the ride and charging you for the privilege. Drink whatever's cheapest by the glass and spend your money on a second entrée.
Downtown Bloomington · Bloomington · Eclectic Cafe / Breakfast & Brunch
Come to the Runcible Spoon for the atmosphere, the eggs, and the coffee — the wine list is an afterthought and the restaurant knows it. If you need something in a glass, the Graffigna Malbec won't embarrass you, but don't build your evening around the wine program.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Side · Bloomington · American / Comfort Food
Cheddar's Bloomington is a perfectly fine place to eat a big plate of comfort food, but the wine program is an afterthought at best and a quiet ripoff at worst. Order a cocktail, order a beer, or bring your own if they allow it — just don't come here expecting wine to be part of the night.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Bloomington · Modern Mexican
La Una Cantina is a genuinely fun night out — order the mezcal, order the tacos, and don't overthink the wine list because the restaurant clearly didn't. If wine is your thing, this is a cocktail night.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Bloomington · Turkish / Mediterranean
Anatolia is a Wild Card not because the list is adventurous top to bottom — it's mostly not — but because a Turkish restaurant in a college town with 27 glass pours, a Gigondas, a Jadot Pouilly Fuissé, and an actual Turkish wine from Kavaklidere is doing something more interesting than the Caymus-heavy lineup suggests. Come for the food, skip the safe American blockbusters, and let the Kavaklidere or Gigondas do the heavy lifting.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Bloomington · Indian (Northern and Southern), Halal-friendly
Taste of India is clearly beloved for its food, and it should be — but the wine list is an afterthought that no one has revisited in a while. Order a mango lassi, a Kingfisher if they have it, or save the wine for a restaurant that's actually trying.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
East Side · Bloomington · Japanese (sushi, hibachi, and classic Japanese dishes)
Mori is swinging bigger on wine than any casual Japanese spot in Bloomington has a right to, and we respect the effort. The markups and the California-red tunnel vision hold it back from being a destination wine stop, but if you're already there for sushi, there's a genuinely interesting bottle or two worth finding.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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