Gastropub Staples, No Surprises, No Regrets
· Plano · New American Gastropub · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · August 17, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Whiskey Cake’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Whiskey Cake Plano is exactly what you'd expect from a place called Whiskey Cake — short, approachable, and not trying to impress anyone. Fourteen labels, all available by the glass, priced mostly between $9 and $15. It's a beer-and-cocktail joint that remembered wine drinkers exist, and honestly, that's not a knock.
The list hits the usual New American gastropub beats: bubbles, whites and rosés, reds — nothing too adventurous but nothing embarrassing either. You've got Chehalem Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley, Daou Vineyards from Paso Robles, and Altocedro from Argentina's Río Negro — a few names worth noting among the crowd-pleasers. The Seeker, Bonanza, and The Pinot Project are perfectly fine restaurant wines but they're also on every mid-tier list in the country. There's no real old-world presence here, no skin-contact wines, no deep regional exploration — but again, this is Whiskey Cake, not a wine bar.
Every single wine on the list is available by the glass, which is the right call for a gastropub format — no one's committing to a bottle of Bonanza with their smash burger. At $9–$15 across the board, the glass prices are fair for a Plano casual dining spot, and the range covers bubbles through reds without making you do any mental math.
Chehalem Pinot Noir — $13/glass
Chehalem is a legit Willamette Valley producer that earns its reputation — getting this at $13 a glass in a gastropub is genuinely solid value. Most places charge more for far less interesting Pinot.
Altocedro
Argentina's Río Negro region is one of the most exciting cold-climate wine zones in South America, and Altocedro is one of its better producers. Nobody at a gastropub is ordering this — which means you can. At $11 a glass, it almost certainly punches above its menu placement.
Bonanza
Chuck Wagner's Bonanza Cab is a bulk-production value play that retails for around $20 a bottle. At $11 a glass you're paying close to full-bottle retail price per pour. It's not offensive wine, but there are better options on this same list for the same money.
Daou Vineyards + Whiskey Cake Burger
Daou's Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon is structured with enough dark fruit and grip to hold up to a rich, charred burger patty. It's the most classically food-forward red on the list and at $15 a glass it's doing exactly what you need it to do.
The Bottom Line
Whiskey Cake Plano's wine list won't earn any awards, but it's fairly priced, decently curated for the format, and has a couple of genuinely interesting picks hiding in plain sight. If you're here for the food, the wine will do its job — and that's a reasonable ask.
The Shops at Legacy · Plano · Pizzeria
Grimaldi's wine list is exactly what it needs to be for a pizzeria — recognizable, inoffensive, and Italian-leaning enough to feel intentional. Just don't expect anyone behind the counter to guide you through it, and steer clear of the California crowd-pleasers when the Tuscans are right there.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Plano · Seafood
Half Shells isn't trying to be a wine destination, and the list knows it — but the seafood-friendly whites, honest pricing, and full by-the-glass program make it a perfectly decent place to drink if you're eating there anyway. Order the Albariño or the Vouvray, skip the Cakebread, and you'll be fine.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Plano · Italian
Palato is doing more with wine than anyone in its neighborhood is giving it credit for — the Enomatic system, the Italian label selection, and fair-to-reasonable pricing make this a genuine find in the Plano dining scene. If you're going for Italian food in the suburbs, this is where you want to drink.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
· Plano · Italian
Lombardi is a reliable dinner destination where the wine list does its job without embarrassing itself — or impressing you. Come for the handmade pasta and the room; just don't expect the list to steal the show.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Plano · Wine Bar
Corner Wines is a small list doing big things, especially if Greek varietals are your thing or you've been wanting to get into them. The value is real, the curation is genuine, and in Plano of all places, that earns some serious points.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Granite Park · Plano · European Bistro
Flamant is a genuinely nice place to drink wine in Plano — the setting does a lot of the heavy lifting, and the Iberian-French focus is a smart identity to build around. The list just needs more courage and more transparency to fully match the room.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Kalamazoo Mall · Kalamazoo · New American Gastropub
Principle isn't a wine destination, but it's a wine list that clearly had some thought put into it — a rare thing for a cocktail-first downtown spot. Send a curious friend here and tell them to order the orange wine.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown / Massachusetts Street · Lawrence · New American Gastropub
Merchants is a beer bar that quietly runs the best sparkling wine list in Lawrence — and with Happy Hour discounts daily and a local glass pour option from VinZant, it's genuinely worth ordering wine here. Just don't show up expecting a red with your burger.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Downtown · New Haven · New American Gastropub
Elm City Social is a great spot for cocktails, a rooftop, and fried chicken and waffles — the wine list is an afterthought, and it knows it. If you're coming here for wine, recalibrate; if you're coming here for a good time and happen to want a glass of something red, the Killka will do the job.
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.
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