Wine List Reviews

Chuy's – New Braunfels

· New Braunfels · Tex-Mex

The Lazy List

Chuy's is a genuinely great time if you surrender to the margaritas and queso — but the wine list is a placeholder, not a program. Send your friends here for the fajitas, not the Cabernet.

Jetty Bar & Grille

· Everett · Northwest / Seafood

The Reliable

Jetty isn't a wine pilgrimage, but it's a thoughtful little list at a waterfront spot in Everett — fair prices, genuine Pacific Northwest representation, and no obvious embarrassments. Send your friend here for a glass of Pinot Gris and some Puget Sound seafood without hesitation.

Cosmopolitan Grill

· St. George · European / New American

The Reliable

Cosmopolitan Grill is doing more with wine than almost anyone else in St. George, and for a special-occasion dinner in southern Utah, that clears the bar comfortably. We'd love to see them lean into the Central European menu with some old-world wildcards — until then, it's a reliable pour in a town where that's genuinely worth something.

Luca Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar

Downtown Everett · Everett · Italian / Wine Bar

The Reliable

Luca is the kind of reliable Italian date-night spot that Everett needed — the wine program is Italy-focused and food-friendly, even if it doesn't take many risks. Send your parents here for their anniversary; save your deep-dive wine nerding for a dedicated wine bar.

Lombardi's Italian Restaurant – Everett Marina

Everett Marina · Everett · Italian / Wine Bar

The Wild Card

Lombardi's is doing something genuinely unexpected for a marina-side Italian in Everett — a deep, glass-for-glass Washington-meets-Italy red wine program that earns a second look. The pricing leans steep on the high end, but the range and ambition make it worth navigating.

The Clubhouse on Castell

· New Braunfels · Wine bar / lounge

The Wild Card

The Clubhouse on Castell is a legitimate wine bar doing real work in a market that doesn't demand it, and that's exactly why it deserves your attention. Send your wine-curious friends here — they'll leave having drunk better than they expected.

Meraki Greek Grill

· St. George · Greek / Mediterranean

The Wild Card

Meraki is the rare fast-casual spot where the wine list actually makes you stop and think — the Greek producers alone justify a visit, and the depth-to-price ratio on the by-the-glass program is genuinely solid. Just don't spring for the prestige Champagne until they upgrade the stemware.

George's Corner Restaurant

· St. George · American / Bar & Grill

The Reliable

George's Corner isn't a wine destination, but it's not pretending to be one either — there are a few genuinely good bottles hiding in a list that otherwise leans on reliable names. Come for the food, drink the Broc Cellars Rosé or La Posta Malbec, and don't overthink it.

Rustic Cork Wine Bar & Bistro

Port of Everett · Everett · Wine Bar / Bistro

The Wild Card

Rustic Cork is the kind of neighborhood wine bar that Everett deserves — unpretentious, waterfront, and built around wines from right down the road. Show up on a Wednesday with someone worth talking to and let the half-price bottles do the rest.

Switchback Grille

· St. George · Steakhouse

The Wild Card

Switchback Grille made a weird, committed bet on an all-dessert wine list, and honestly? We respect it. If you're ending your meal here, you're in better hands than you'd expect from a steakhouse in St. George.

Consigliere Wine and Sound Bar

Downtown Newark · Newark · Wine Bar / Small Plates

The Wild Card

Consigliere is one of Newark's most interesting wine rooms precisely because it's not trying to be a conventional wine bar — the African diaspora focus and soundtrack-first atmosphere make it a genuine Wild Card worth the trip. If you can handle some ambiguity on the list and lean into the experience, it punches well above its weight.

The Rotunda at Neiman Marcus

Union Square · San Francisco · American

The Reliable

The Rotunda is a lunch experience first and a wine destination a distant second — the list is safe, the markup is real, and you're largely paying for the address and the atmosphere. Come for the crab salad and the occasion, order something bubbly, and don't go in expecting a serious wine program.

Chez Yasu

· Topeka · French

The Lazy List

Chez Yasu clearly puts its energy into the kitchen, not the cellar — but two grocery-store wines at a notable markup is not a wine program, it's an oversight. Order water, order a cocktail, or call ahead and ask about corkage.

The Tack Room Bar & Grill

La Posada Hotel · Laredo · Steakhouse

The Reliable

The Tack Room isn't trying to be a wine destination, and it succeeds at being exactly what it is — a dependable hotel steakhouse list with some solid bottles hiding among the Cab parade. Order the Spanish or Argentine options, avoid the trophy-bottle markups, and you'll eat and drink just fine.

Perry's Steakhouse & Grille – Chandler

· Chandler · Steakhouse

The Reliable

Perry's Chandler is a reliable wine stop for a steakhouse night — 37 by-the-glass options and a solid sparkling section save it from being boring, but the markups and crowd-pleaser roster keep it from being great. Order the Tempranillo or Crémant and you'll drink well; chase the familiar California labels and you'll pay for the brand name, not the wine.

Alma Mexicana

· Winston Salem · Modern Mexican

The Wild Card

Alma Mexicana is a genuine wild card — a modern Mexican restaurant in Winston-Salem with a wine program that's quietly pointing at Old World Europe instead of the expected California house pour. We need the full list to give you the real numbers, but the instinct here is good enough to warrant ordering something other than a margarita.

Toledo Club – Main Dining Room

· Toledo · Private Club / Continental

The Reliable

The Toledo Club wine program is exactly what you'd expect from an old-school private club: safe, a little overpriced, and unlikely to blow your mind. If you're a member taking a guest to dinner, the Iberian section is your best bet — but don't come here chasing a wine experience.

Romanacci Craft Bar & Kitchen – Fairfield

Fairfield · Bridgeport · Italian / Wine Bar

The Reliable

Romanacci is a genuinely pleasant place to drink wine with dinner, even if the list doesn't give you much to geek out over. Send a friend here for the vibe and the food — just keep expectations calibrated on the wine side.

Mercy Wine Bar & Lounge

· Irving · Wine Bar

The Wild Card

Mercy is punching way above its weight for Irving, Texas — a 14-bottle list that somehow covers natural wine, skin contact, sparkling, and old-world obscurities without a single safe-harbor Cab in sight. If you're anywhere near this zip code and you're tired of the same old list, this is your spot.

Rio Grande Winery Tasting Room Las Cruces

· Las Cruces · Winery Tasting Room

The Wild Card

This is a Wild Card in the truest sense — a desert-state tasting room that's actually swinging for something more interesting than you'd expect, at prices that make the experiment low-stakes. If you're in Las Cruces and curious about what New Mexico wine can actually do, this is the right room to be in.

Bon Vivant

· Beaumont · Wine Cafe & Gourmet Market

The Wild Card

Bon Vivant is the kind of place that makes you wonder why every mid-size city doesn't have one — a genuinely curated wine experience with staff who know the list and a vibe that rewards curiosity. If you're driving through Southeast Texas, this is a legitimate detour.

Carrabba's Italian Grill – Lansing

· Lansing · Italian

The Lazy List

Carrabba's Lansing isn't a wine destination — it's a chain with a four-bottle list that skews heavily toward one California region and ignores everything Italian about the menu. Come for the pasta, skip the wine program, or catch one of their Paso Robles wine dinners if the timing works out.

Two Travelers Wine Bar

· Temecula · Wine Bar / Small Plates

The Wild Card

Two Travelers punches well above its weight for a Temecula wine bar — the list is curious, fairly priced, and genuinely fun to explore. If you're in wine country and want to drink something besides the same five Temecula Valley Cabs, this is where you go.

De La Vega's Pecan Grill & Brewery

· Las Cruces · New American Grill

The Reliable

De La Vega's isn't a wine destination, but it's a brewery that actually respects the wine drinker at the table, which is rarer than it should be. Send your beer-loving friends here and trust that the Cab won't let you down.

PAMEC Winery Patio Wine Bar

Old Town · Temecula · Wine Bar / Winery Tapas

The Wild Card

PAMEC is a tight, honest house list from a small producer that's clearly more curious than the average Temecula tasting room. If you want a deep cellar or a globe-trotting list, look elsewhere — but if you want something genuinely offbeat at fair prices on a patio, this is an easy yes.

D.H. Lescombes Winery & Bistro

· Las Cruces · Winery Bistro

The Wild Card

This isn't a wine destination in the conventional sense — it's a winery that happens to have a bistro, and the list reflects that with zero apology. If you're curious about what New Mexico terroir actually tastes like, this is one of the better places in Las Cruces to find out.

La Bella Vita Italian Restaurant

· Las Cruces · Italian

The Reliable

La Bella Vita's wine list won't make a wine geek's heart race, but it's fairly priced, almost entirely available by the glass, and leans into its Italian identity in the right places. Send a friend here if they want a solid glass of Chianti without a lesson.

Eighteen85 Rooftop Bar & Kitchen

· Columbus · Rooftop American

The Lazy List

Eighteen85 is a place to drink wine, not to drink well. Come for the view, order something cold, and set your expectations accordingly — the list won't surprise you, but at least it won't bankrupt you either.

Robbin's Nest Wine Bar & Bistro

Downtown Santa Ana · Santa Ana · Wine Bar / Bistro

The Reliable

Robbin's Nest is exactly what a downtown wine bar should be — approachable, geographically curious, and clearly run by people who aren't just going through the motions. If you're in Santa Ana and want a real glass of wine without the pretense, this is your spot.

Ilani Line & Lure Seafood Kitchen and Tap

· Vancouver · Seafood / Steak

The Reliable

Line & Lure clears the casino restaurant bar by a comfortable margin — fair prices, a thoughtful white wine program, and a Royal Tokaji that earns genuine respect. We'd send a friend here for a pre-dinner glass without hesitation, as long as they stick to the whites.