The Jug Shop
Category: Beer, Wine & Spirits [Edit]
Neighborhood: Nob Hill1590 Pacific Ave
(between Larkin St & Polk St)
San Francisco, CA 94109 (415) 885-2922
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 9:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat 9:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.
Sun 10:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
25 reviews
San Francisco, CA
"This place is arguably the best wine/spirits store in the city. I'm a fan of American whiskey/scotch and napa valley cabernets and this…" read more »
80 Reviews for The Jug Shop
Lots o' liquor.
$10 wine tasting in the back of the store - looks like a mini bar.
Many versions of IPA and pilsner beers here. Yippie!
Don't search for parking in the neighborhood - they have their own lot!
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Tonight I wandered over to the Jug Shop, looking for a sweet sparkling sake. Haven't you heard? This Fourth of July sparklers are out and sparklings are in. I was imagining myself sitting on the beach, bubbly sake in hand, soaking up warm sun and conversation.
It turns out the Jug Shop has a sake section, but they do not have sparkling sake. The guy working there was quick to tell me that traditional sake is not sparkling. Well, duh. I'm just a girl on a mission for a girly drink, mmm-kay?
Luckily, he was quick with a back-up suggestion, and I snatched up the 2007 Saracco, a light sparkling wine with a hint of fruit, and headed to the register. Another guy stopped me and said, "You're not getting that, are you?" and proceeded to explain to me why a dry Lambrusco is the superior choice, and truly embodies the perfect summer sparkling wine.
I love that the Jug Shop is not a grab-n-go kind of joint. The workers seem personally invested in the wine you choose, and want to know every detail -- "What event's it for? Who will be there? What food are you serving?" -- and ready to debate your selection to the death, if necessary.
As you can imagine, you'll end up with tons of options. The hard part is making a decision.
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No boobies to speak of, but a thorough and quality selection of liquor.
Furthermore, you can't drink boobies.
Don't pretend you haven't tried.
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This place is the epitome of what great customer service and a knowledgeable staff should be like. And, without the wine snob factor.
Chuck is probably as good as it gets in the city for knowing how to get things. If they don't have it, they'll know when they can get it in or where else it can be found.
Only place in SF that I've found me some Shinas Estate 'Guilty' shiraz so i'm happy with it.
Until I move from the bay area, I can't see any reason why I'll ever shop at another liquor store.
Keep up the great work!
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Called there for a keg, and asked if they deliver and they answered, NOOOOO!!!! I'll continue to go to Mike's Liquors. What a JOKE, a $5 non-refundable deposit on pumps and tubs, come on!!!
Never again!!!
great place never have any hassle there, i always get veev acai alcohol there. www.veevlife.com great stuff, I guess it's good for you. lol
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Paige is a ROCKSTAR! I am in search of a good 2003 Spanish wine and I thought I found a great source but alas the wine wasn't available. I emailed the Jug Shop and within mere minutes I had a response about the wine not being available, but she had the 2004. She then emailed a distributor up here about ordering it so I can get it for less since I work for a wine shop. Customer service rockstar!
When I visit SF I will come visit for sure.
Thanks Paige!
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Except for maybe a bar, this is truly the ultimate place to get your inebriation on. They have a vast selection of all types of spirits at this place, and their prices aren't all that bad either. The guys at The Jug Shop are very knowledgeable and very helpful when you don't know anything about wine or any other alcohol related issues. Great place to stock up for drinking parts and the like.
This place looks so unpromising from the outside and has such an uninviting name, that I passed it by for a long while. What a gem I was mssing! Great selection of spirits (particularly whisky) and wines, and very helpful staff. Cheers!
I've used the Jug Shop to supply my beverage needs for several events and they are spectacular - even delivering my cases of champagne and white wine thoroughly chilled and ready to serve. And delivery is FREE (with a minimum purchase).
When you go into the store, there is so much stock it's hard to imagine them NOT having your favorite alcohol. They are extremely helpful and knowledgeable, and I recommend them to everyone - if you need service, go here - not BevMo. I was on a mission last night to find a bottle for a friend who requested syrah or shiraz - and my wine knowledge is shit. Luckily, I remembered that said friend also likes port, so Mr. Jug Shop Wine Guy brought me to the Australia section and picked out about five bottles that he thought would be to my friend's liking. They also have a great selection of vodka (including one of my faves - Ketel One, which my "Jewish dad" used to purchase by the gallon) for reasonable prices. What they DON'T have at the Jug Shop is a good selection of sake and plum wine...so head to J-town for that. (They carry Sake2me, which is like the Bartyles & James of Sake, really.)
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Can't beat the vast selection and prices here. Paige and her team are friendly and reliable -- great for large delivery orders.
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This place has very good customer service, they know their wine and maybe thats why they have many years of success. Maybe this place isn't perfect or the ultimate wine store ever but I really don't know how people can have a problem with such a lovely local store with helpful people working there and with a nice hand selected wine inventory and wine tastings.
With a plethora of overpriced wines stores in Sf the Jug shop is decently priced and stocked.
Being a wino, I can always get a solid bottle here for less then an arm and leg. The staff is cool and they have been in business for I think 30 years.
Great neighborhood store!
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I am always impressed with the selection here, and prices are consistently good for a local place. Customer service is wonderful. They recently had a great wine tasting happy hour to raise money for a family in need. A great community wine shop to support.
If you want to know about Italian Wines, what to get, what they taste like, what region creates certain flavors etc.. I have two words for you...Floribeth Schumacher.
Floribeth works part-time at the Jug Shop and she is an Italian Wine Specialist. I went to an event two years ago at the Italian Consulate and it was so amazing..the best Italian wines - amazing. Sadly the event got some strange folks that caused trouble and they are hestitant to do it again.
Jug Shop also hosts wine tastings so, drop by and put yourself on the email list when they do tastings.
After trying about 10-15 different kinds of Barbera D'Alba, wines I still have one favoriate that stands out of all of them. Sandrone, Barbera D'Alba, 2004....in my opinion is really amazing for the prize. Its about $30 dollars but just amazing.
Or Ask Florabeth...she is awesome!!
Everyone else is also really helpful and really cool... great service!
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An enormous, concrete warehouse full of booze? The Jug Shop is identical to the good old blue law beer distributor stores in Pennsylvania - except that it has the words "Purveyors of Fine Wine and Spirits" scrawled in sexy cursive font across the side of the building. (In Pennsylvania, I don't think they know what "purvey" means except in a select few intellectual circles) That, and it's open on Sundays.
Contrary to popular belief, The Jug Shop carries much more than everyone's favorite jug wine, Carlo Rossi. After parking my car in the LOT, I made a beeline for the left side of the concrete cube to scope out their beer selection. Not bad. Your typical sixers were available cold in the fridge for immediate consumption or room temperature stacked on the floor for pantry backup. It was nice to have that option. The Jug Shop had an above average selection of bomber bottles from microbrews and particularly noteworthy was their reasonably priced Chimay (Chimay is so hot right now). They also had tons of wine and liquor to boot but, as always, my main focus was on the beer.
If I were in the Polk neighborhood or needed a quick fix, I'd definitely swing by The Jug Shop.
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If you're female, it's worth stopping by here just for the t-shirt alone. (Or an unfortunate sporter of moobs with a penchant for self-deprecation I suppose). Ick...
But juggy t-shirts aside - the selection, ease of the merchandising lay-out and helpfulness of the staff are all above the norm. The Jug Shop offers select periodic wine tastings and excellent daily specials that have allowed me to keep my champagne habit going strong without too much of a nick to the bank account. Especially great selection of Italian wines that you won't find at every corner wine shop.
Follow the bouncing jugs and get your drink on.
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The Jug Shop is my new neighborhood stop for hooch. Great selection of wine, liquor, and a decent selection of beer. The staff is always helpful, and, here's the kicker...they have a nice, big parking lot. Who has a free parking lot in San Francisco? Love it.
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The Big Kids Candy Shop... Awe, the beauty of walking into a large shop with a variety of goodies is a fabulous feeling... A feeling that only few places give off and the Jug Shop is one of them.
The selection is grand and the quality ranges from good, great, to phenomenal... They have a wide keg selection as well as the top tequilas and finest alcohols you only get for your father on a big occasion. You'd think the more expensive the better, but it's not always true... I've tried and I'll stick with the average Patron...
The people that work here are friendly, helpful, and extremely knowledgeable. It also helps the convince of the store is only 3 blocks from home... but doesn't help the liver.
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I love the good ole jug shop just like i like my own jugs.
The new location is prime, and the parking is even better even though i live down the street. They have a great selection of all sorts of goodies and you better believe i will be making a stop there to stock up on champagne for this evening's festivities.
Best part, they have a great bottle of Cassis from Dijon for eeeks 22 bucks but it's just SO WORTH IT.
5 stars for pure convenience and selection alone. The old spot across the street had a more 'dirty vibe' which Hubby liked, but I like the new spot. They have all kinds of liquor, beer and wine. The staff sometimes seems more interested in talking to each other than helping a lady out, but whatever. I walk here, but they have parking! Unheard of in this neighborhood.
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This place has a great selection of hard liquor, but sadly... their employees know very little about it. Do not come here with questions about products unless it is a wine question.
This is also the only place I've found that carries the super tasty tequila: Los Abuelos. I will come here just for that.
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The Jug Shop. Hahaha - hee hee hee. I always giggle when I walk by - and yes, I do realize I have the humor of a 12 year old pre-pubescent boy.
Anyway, I live in Russian Hill, so the Jug Shop is very convenient for me, especially when I'm throwing a party that requires a lot of booze (booze that is not Two Buck Chuck). They have a great selection of wine, beer, and other liquors, and the prices aren't going to break the bank either (unless you want them to).
Plus, they have parking! Not that I have ever used this feature, but I can definitely appreciate a good parking lot in SF.
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Every time I come here, I ask them where the pole is.
They don't really think it's funny. -1 star.
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Nice selection of booze, reasonable prices, parking, and here's the kicker: Guinness four pack of cans for $5.99. That's like three bucks less than at the corner store.
The Jug Shop is what BevMo! fails to be. But dare I even compare the two? Wide selection, knowledgeable and friendly staff, classy interior...and an ambiguous name?! Their tastings are awesome, too. My firm gets all their event booze from this place so that's another plus in my book!
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Today I went too far down Polk street looking for a store that sold halogen floor lamps after 7 PM. I failed miserably, so I settled for buying beer instead.
They DID feature Piraat where Healthy Spirits did not. Go figure.
The guys at the counter were all like Oh, Piraat! You're going to be getting drunk tonight!
I guess that goes over well with their usual clientele. Whatever, they were friendly. I imagine they would make fine drinking companions.
I said no, I appreciate the fine taste and smooth composition of this quality ale. The fact that it has 10.5% alcohol is mere coincidence.
I would tell any number of lies to get my hands on this stuff. It's fit to be served in Valhalla.
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The Jug Shop is great for many reasons. The two most important being:
1. This is the only place in the city that I've been able to find Anchor Small Beer. In fact, I may be the only reason they keep it stocked. Luckily, the guys there are really cool and keep ordering it. If you haven't tried this beer, I highly recommend checking it out.
2. They sell Black Maple Hill Premium Small Batch Bourbon. This is the one with the red label that costs about $40 less per bottle than the Black Maple Hill 16yr Bourbon (sold at BevMo) and tastes nearly as good. It's a great premium bourbon value.
Let me know if you try either of these.
An alcoholics mecca on Polk St. Nice selection of beer and wine, decent prices. BevMo is cheaper, but their stock is often old (flat beer). I felt the staff was 'nicer' before the move across the street (the store was bigger too). Getting a little big for their britches with the fenced off tasting in the back.
Oh yeah, they messed up my special orders every time, lied about it, and then tried to shift the blame (-2 stars).
Tip: Good selection of 'top shelf' wine and liquor.
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I find it sad when people do not know about the Jug Shop, or people who do not have one in their neighborhood. I frequent this place, what can I say my roommates and I like us some wine and beer. Its a little scary though when the people who work there can spot me a block away, I mean come on I am not there that often.
To the nitty gritty, huge selection of wine, beer, mixers, and other things that go along (chips, dip etc.). Prices are great, people are great, location is great (in my hood). Nothing more I could ask for, well I take that back.... bring back the Tostitos Southwestern Ranch Dip!!!!!!
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Five fantabulous stars for being the largest distributor of sparkling shiraz in the United States.
Sniff, sniff, I love you, man.
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What a strange name for a purveyor of fine wine and spirits. There really aren't any kind of jugs here. There is a pretty good selection of wines ranging in price, and the prices are quite fair. The inside of the store is a bit dusty, and many of their wines are stored standing up. I like that they have a huge parking lot, so you can pull in and load the car with bottles of wine for the week and then go home and drink them.
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Gotta love this place, and the people that work here. It's so close to my place too!
The changed locations and now there spread is even better! They carry some of everything, and there is a parking lot right in front of the place too, I should know. Last time I was the little old lady from Pasadena stepped on the gas while she was in reverse and hit my car and smashed my front and back bumpers. I was so sad...but the guys who work there came out right away to help us both and with cameras to boot!
I finally got that all taken care of then when I went back in the store they were holding my stuff at the front counter...still expecting me to buy the stuff (haha) and I did because by then I needed it!
Oh, they even got their friend who runs the shop next door to come and open it so I could leave my car there over the weekend since it was smashed. Boy they took care of me!
Great selection and extremely helpful and friendly people running it.
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Most people who know me know that I can be cheap. With money. You know, in an "efficient" sort of way, like "why would I pay full price for those pants now when I can pay half price in the middle of the season and use the rest of the cash for another expensive bottle of wine" sort of cheap. I flinch at spending $40 on a new top but happily fork over the same amount for a nice bottle of Bacchus' delight.
Enter the Jug Shop. First of all, it carries wine from my favorite vintner, which is actually difficult to find. Second, it habitually sells wines for $3 to $5 less than Whole Foods, and if you buy as much wine as I do, then that adds up (it's like getting a free bottle for every x bottles you buy). Third, the staff is always really helpful and loves to make recommendations.
Fourth, it's three blocks away from my apartment. Actually, I'm not sure if that's a good thing.
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Ah, the Jug Shop. I love the people that work here. I mean, I really, really do. They are so helpful and I could just stay there and chat with them for hours and about one of my favorite things--liquor! They've got everything from top shelf booze to wines from around the world. Plus, they know everything about it. Free parking lot too. Can't get any better than that. God bless the Jug Shop!
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Seriously, every neighborhood should have a Jug Shop...life just isn't fair sometimes. This place is cool and they have an awesome selection of beer...if you are up to trying something new, this is the place to go.
Everybody raves about the selection, but i found it to be quite slim pickins. But then again, i grew up in Wisconsin, where we went to the Mega Liquor store every Saturday (just before the Walmart) to load up for the week. We also have Brandy flowing from the sink and Kegarators in the kitchen.
Honestly, the service here is over the top. What they don't have, they will get for you, but the case! These people are dedicated to getting you drunk with the booze you want. Certainly the best liquor store within the area.
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Good selection of hooch. Nice folks. But gun to my head, I am going to Bevmo before a really big party.
One of the best selections of international wines in the city, with a knowledgeable staff to boot. Wine prices are reasonable, but the beer prices are on the high side (I find this to be typical of most wine shops...probably preying on the people who are buying last-second wine/beer to bring to a party).
Five stars for having a PARKING LOT.
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Huge and cheap and scores better than any corner/liquor store in the vicinity.
But what the hell is is with closing so damn early? You gotta plan your drinking early if you want to get supplies here.
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