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Binny's Beverage Depot
Categories: Food Beer, Wine & Spirits Food Specialty Food Cheese Shops Beer, Wine & Spirits, Cheese Shops [Edit]
1720 N Marcey St(between Willow St & Wisconsin St)
Chicago, IL 60614
Neighborhood: DePaul
(312) 664-4394
- Nearest Transit:
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North/clybourn (Red Line)
Armitage (Brown Line, Purple Line)
- Hours:
Mon, Wed, Sat 8 am - 9 pm
Tue, Thu-Fri 9 am - 9 pm
Sun 11 am - 6 pm
- Price Range:
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$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
206 reviews for Binny's Beverage Depot
Review Highlights
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"Sam's is now my first stop when looking for cheeses." In 92 reviews -
"Great selection, found everything we wanted." In 19 reviews -
"The have multiple tasting stations set up on any given day." In 3 reviews
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206 reviews in English
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Review from Tim M.
Chicago, IL
4/29/2012
When I needed wedding alcohol, there was only one place to go. I already shop here when I need something I can't get at the corner store (and it is my chief Malört supplier), so I figured it was a good wedding supplier too.
Worked with Jeff, and he helped us with recommendations and quantities for our reception. We got a good variety of beer, wine, and liquor at good prices. Their wine person also made a recommendation on wine we could save as a keepsake.
The return process was quick and painless - they oversell you on the original order, but you can take back unopened cases and liquor, so we got about 25% of our order refunded. The only warning - make sure you order stuff you like, because they can't take back open cases of the cheap beer. We'll be trying to get rid of Miller Lite for a while... :) -
Review from Evelina L.
Chicago, IL
4/12/2012 2 Check-ins Here
This is such a great store and a convenient location! Everyone inside is also super helpful and offer up their personal favorites and choices, sometimes it feels like you are talking to a bartender... Just wish there was a stool and a bottle openner right next to you ;)
No matter what alcohol you need, they have it. During the holidays, this was our choice to pick out everyone's gifts - from champagne, to whiskey to fancy beers - everyone loved their choices.
Check out their cheese bar as well - great selection and lots of help!
Cheers! -
Review from Allison V.
Chicago, IL
3/19/2012 2 Check-ins Here
This place used to be Sam's but now that Sam's is gone, Binny's has taken it over.
It is still the same setup inside.
Huge aisles of wines, liquors and a very large beer selection.
This last time I was searching for Rum...There is a whole half of an aisle designated to JUST RUM. Awesome sauce.
They now have a large area to make your own 6-packs and they actually had a large selection of decent beers to choose from.
Staff is helpful and friendly.
Bike parking is at the Far North side of the building. -
Review from Caroline M.
Chicago, IL
3/16/2012
I haven't been here since they were Sam's, and I love the changes! I found Sam's to be very organized, but overwhelming. The new layout is great. Still organized, but much more user friendly.
My favorite thing was finding a vino that I fell in love with when I went to Girl and the Goat, and for the life of me, I couldn't remember the name, ie: drunk. :P Then. There it was. My baby. Sitting there looking all pretty. For $12!! I know it was at least a $45/bottle on their menu, damn mark-up. I also picked up a wine that was about $10 less than across the way at Whole Foods Market.
My only disappointment was seeing a very limited selection of Three Floyds beers. Other than that, I was very impressed. -
Review from Marc R.
2/29/2012 1 Check-in Here
Crazy parking on the weekend. Be careful of the SUV driving moms getting booze for that dinner party and the frat boys and sorority girls getting kegs after going to the gym, but there is a reason the lot is full - this place has an amazing selection of booze, talented and knowledgeable staff, and good prices on often hard to find stuff.
These guys are great at what they do. I watched as one of the wine guys helped a guy who I think plays for the Cubs pick out a bottle of wine. His wife was pretty but not too smart (hey, who knows - carrying a giant diamond ring is work right?) and the wine guy was very friendly and helpful to them - and eventually convinced her that the cheaper wine was better and that people would enjoy it more than if she had just grabbed the most expensive wine in the category as she was going to do on impulse. Now, that is a cool dude, who loves wine and wants people to enjoy their drinks more than make a sale.
Hat's off to Binny's for being my favorite place to get booze for over 15 years! -
Review from Anthony M.
Chicago, IL
This place is a Mecca for drinking! I can not tell you how many times I drove by this location after leaving Trader Joe's. In fact, I was heading to the Binny's downtown when I saw this location. According to my wife it has been here for a while. Where have I been?
I walked in here on a Friday night and was amazed at how many people we're buying liquor at 7pm. In fact, I realized this is where all of the single people come to start there weekend. Luckily I'm married. This is my public service announcement to those single people looking to find a date before getting drunk.
This place has everything. I could spend hours looking through there huge wine selection. I also recommend you join the Binny's club too because there are many special discounts on liquor. I was able to get 3 bucks off of my bottle of ketal one and a buck off of my case is Sam Adams. Winning!!!
They also have mixers, ice and cigars. Which is important to complete any night!!!
I highly recommend you swing by here for all of your drinking needs. The prices are really good and are a little better then all of the other stores around (except for Trader Joe's wine)!
Cheers to all of my friends...time to raise your glasses and stock up at Binny's! -
Review from Anna T.
1/7/2012
Once upon a time in Chicago, there was a girl who loved booze. She loved beer, wine, spirits, and even accoutrements such as beer glasses and wine openers! One day, this girl was just strolling around the neighborhood when she saw the Binny's sign and something within her told her to go in immediately.
And then the skies parted and the sun shone through and there it was: the MECCA of beverage depots. Binny's has everything you could ever ask for and MORE! I've found both my regular favorites as well as some new and adventurous wines and beers to try. They also often have beverage tastings so if you're looking for an excuse to drink at a seemingly inappropriate time of the day, this is the place to do it. The staff is also pretty knowledgeable so if you're overwhelmed by the selection, there's someone to help guide you through. Just try not to spend ALL your hard-earned dough here - save some for food ;) -
Review from Tim R.
3/5/2012
Booze emporium. When I lived in the area, between this location, and another at Clark & Halsted, they always had whatever alcoholic oddity I was seeking. You can put together an order online and they'll box it up ready for you to collect.
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Review from An P.
Chicago, IL
1/14/2012
I was here New Year's Eve which is the equivalent of showing up at Toys R Us on Christmas Even. Fortunately for me it was not yet party o'clock and I needed a few things before the New Year's bash. I picked up a 1.75 Litre bottle of E&J Brandy and a fifth of Courvoisier.
My friend had much more refined tastes and needed to get a more expensive bottle of booze. The man in charge of the floor seemed to have been going six ways from Sunday but stopped and opened up the top shelf room with $10,000 bottle of booze among other picks. He was very helpful in chucking out ideas and showing us different bottles but eventually he did not try to oversell my friend and gave her a cheaper bottle.
It was a breath of fresh air to see someone do a damn good job and display his knowledge of booze without pretension. Unfortunately for me, I got sick before the NYE festivities and did not get to drink my booze! -
Review from chris c.
Chicago, IL
3/27/2012 1 Check-in Here
Great selection, helpful staff, good prices. Can't find too much fault at all here.
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Review from Kenny O.
10/9/2011 1 Check-in Here
I love Binny's! It's Chicago's cheaper (albeit just as nice) version of California's 'BevMo'
I came here to buy a couple bottles of cheap wine before dinner at a BYOB restaurant in LP. I walked in, took a while to make my selections, found bottles that I'd happily pay 2x their price for, bought them, and walked out.
Can't be simpler than that. The prices here are amazing. -
Review from Aesha W.
Chicago, IL
12/27/2011 1 Check-in Here
I've never been to Binny's before, and expected them to be a place that sold subpar liquor. But the hunt for an absinthe spoon had me here to wander. Unfortunately, though their website lists the spoon, they don't carry it in store. But I did find other things.
I don't drink a lot of alcohol, and what I do drink tends to be on the extremely sweet side - dessert wines, almost like pop. Anything else is too dry for me. I did find my way to their wine section, and quickly scouted out the moscato d'Asti, which is a favorite of mine. I ended up leaving with seven bottles to test out at some point, including two that I've had before, at a restaurant (Castello del Poggio) and at home (Sarraco). Finding the Sarraco was especially nice. I found this at Provenance 3 years ago and loved it, so I ended up buying a case. Unfortunately, I haven't really seen it there since and the last few times I've been there I haven't seen a moscato, period. Finding this favorite of mine at Binny's, and at a really good price (on sale for $10.99), was an added bonus.
Now that I've stocked up on wine, I can't wait to taste them. While this amount of wine could easily last me a year or more, I'll probably end up tasting them sooner than that so I can visit again, Binny's card in hand, and pick up several bottles of my favorites. -
Review from Kevin T.
12/18/2011
Massive selection of all alcohol.
Reasonably priced though tf you're looking for wine in general I prefer Wine Discount Center (a few bucks cheaper).
otherwise Binny's is good too. friendly, helpful, knowledgeable staff, if you're looking for something in particular, don't be afraid to ask, they're rarely wrong.
lots of events, wish they had more frequent buyer's discounts. -
Review from Gina S.
10/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
I go to Binny's enough that it was about time I become a club member, it's like any store value or savers card. Free to sign up, just sign away your name, number & address.
-Huge selection of everything: beer, wine, spirits and more.
-Great value on most of my stable booze beverages.
-They have a cheese market too!Listed in: Cheesehead
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Review from Steve S.
Norwalk, CA
11/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
Great selection of alcohol here at Binny's! It's what I can believe is the Chicagoland equal to my lovely west coast BevMo! They have a great selection of beers here, and once again, not being from the midwest, it's so cool to see the forbidden beers available here!
Any time I am around here I stock up on Founders and Goose Island to take back to SoCal with me :) -
Review from k E.
Chicago, IL
2/28/2012
Great selection and service. The gourmet market exceeded expectations!
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Review from Jason H.
Chicago, IL
2/4/2012
This place is pretty fantastic. Whenever my Wisconsin friends come, this is a destination for them. Just so many options from wines, beers, liquor and whatever else you can think of, and from micro-stuff to foreign stuff most places don't have. The staff is knowledgeable too (although sometimes they're pretty busy trying to get us good deals. Definitely the best place I've found when you're trying to stock your booze.
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Review from Kortney M.
Chicago, IL
3/31/2011
I love you Binny Mc Binster!
This binnys is one of my favorites, ITS HUGE! All of the employees are super nice, helpful and knowledgeable! -
Review from Angie M.
12/16/2010
I like to give the gift of booze during the holidays. People like to drink. I look like a hero for providing sales reps with a bottle of champagne.
While I loved Sam's and was a huge devotee of their store, I can still get down with Binnys. Same huge warehouse space. Same reasonable prices. Same, well, pretty much everything except that instead of huge shelves of wine, the bottles are stored in bins (heh... just got that) on their sides. While this stocking method does make perusing the booze more challenging, I'm not going to hate. Just give this girl her wine and no one gets hurt, okay?
One thing I do kind of miss about the Sam's days was the abundance of employees always there to answer my questions like, "Do you still carry Running Horse Merlot?" and "Is this rye appropriate for making old fashioneds?" and of course, "I know this bottle of champagne only costs $20, but is it totally foul?" Now, in the Binnys days, I'm forced to navigate through oodles and oodles of choices without so much as a whisper of the offer of assistance. It's a little frustrating.
I can't complain too much, though. I did walk out of Binnys last night with 15 bottles of liquor for a VERY reasonable price. Don't judge me. I have lots of people to shop for this holiday season. And guess what? They're going to be liquored up and happy thanks to my awesome Booze-mas presents. -
Review from Christine F.
Chicago, IL
1/6/2011
Ok, if you like beer, or wine, or any alcohol really, you will love this place. My husband and I were like kids in a candy store.
The beer selection is AMAZING. I feel like a lot of places play down their beer selection but oh man, Binnys totally blew away my expectations.
So many beers. SO MANY. OHMAHGOD. Rows and rows of them. The employees were super helpful in helping us find some good selections, because, really, like I said.... the selection is completely overwhelming.
Too bad they don't have the beer that I tasted in Belgium...but I think I can rest easy now, because if Binny's doesn't have it it's likely it's not even sold in our state. I can stop looking.
Cheers to Binnys!Listed in: Mmmm. Beer.
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Review from Bill G.
1/2/2011
Have shopped here twice while helping friends stock up for big parties. Great selection, found everything we wanted. And we wanted A LOT. Spent $700 on the most recent trip.
Prices on hard liquor are excellent, wine prices are good, beer prices are only par. Wine selection not the widest I've seen (I've lived in California for 10+ years) but I did find some older vintages of excellent wines. My one dislike is that the wine bottles are in baskets, not on shelves, which makes them harder to browse.
Part of the reason I mentioned $700: no snide comments or questions from the staff about the size of our purchase. I've gotten crap at other places on much smaller purchases. At Binny's we simply got help boxing it up and carrying it to the car. -
Review from Patrick W.
Chicago, IL
Updated - 11/18/2011 18 Check-ins Here
For a Binny's this is a pretty good one. It's huge. The liquor & wine sections both have separate rooms for the "expensive" stuff which is kinda nice to check out. I mean who doesn't want to look at a $12,000 bottle of wine that you know you'll never have or really want to have!? The humidor is of a decent size and the selection is alright too. The staff is helpful enough but could be more friendly. My only real gripe is that they don't carry the gallon of Buffalo Trace anymore which is a shame because the 5th just doesn't last long around our house.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/4/2011
I go to Binny's because sometimes I have to. I used to go to the one in Downers Grove and since… Read more »
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Review from Courtney W.
Chicago, IL
11/18/2011
I love this Binny's. It is a gem in the middle of Chicago for sure. I recently took a wine course and have now become obsessed with trying wine from all different regions. They carry some really hard to find labels and I was very impressed. Also, the membership program is amazing and most of the time you end up paying even less than their rock bottom prices. The staff is also extremely friendly and will make excellent recommendations with just a few details to work with. I love that this place has a parking lot and has an extensive wine collection that is well labelled.
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Review from Lisa R.
1/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
Not being a local, but visiting enough each year, this place (used to be SAM's) was a regular stop for me and my wino friends. They were one of the ONLY spots we could find our favorite imported French brut rose champagne, Bougey de Cerdon.
When Binny's bought SAMS's, we were a bit nervous at the changes that might happen. Our fears were pretty much unfounded. The new owners cleaned up the "warehousey" feel, slapped up a couple of coats of paint and kept the basic quality and selections the same.
The cheese was what we were really after yesterday, for a party for today. We ended up with some very nice selections, difficult to find in other places; truffle de tremor, a cream,y double cream Roquefort blue (no, it doesn't taste like feet, so shut it), a beautiful goat's milk tomme de chevre and a Rosemary manchego.
The cheese portion of the shoppe is very customers service oriented, they let you try as many tastes as you like before you end up buying an imtred cheese at $30/pound. It is serious business.
On my way out, I stopped in the Italian reds section and picked up a few bottles of the 2005 Musella Amarone, it is like drinking Italian sunshine at sunset on a Tuscan hill in the late afternoon. It's magically delicious.
This store has some rare find, a nice, helpful staff, decent prices and adequate parking. I'm glad they didn't ruin the old, happy, helpful vibe and I'll keep coming back every time I am here in Chicago. -
Review from Bea K.
Chicago, IL
11/29/2011 1 Check-in Here
Love Binny's. The staff has always been great; They carry my purchases to my car on a dolly and load the stuff. Really great! And samples on Saturdays. They always convince me to buy new things! Good prices all the time, and they will even deliver!
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Review from harper m.
Cook, IL
7/9/2011
We worked with Binny's as a vendor for our wedding. They drop off and pick up right to your venue. They buy back unopened cases of liquor beer and wine after the wedding, which saved us a bunch of money and avoided the hassle of getting stuck with tons of liquor.
We worked with Jeff via phone and email and he was super nice and easy to work with. Im a customer for life. -
Review from Brett D.
Updated - 4/14/2010 1 photo
Wow. Just Wow.
I'm honestly in awe right now and for a myriad of reasons...
For starters, I fully expected to hate my shopping experience here. As a dutiful Sam's fan and devotee of their now defunct brand, I was fully prepared to be disenchanted, unimpressed and frustrated at what would eventually become of my favorite booze bank. I anticipated a plummet in quality of stock, degeneration in the expertise level of staff, friendliness of service and general overall vibe of the shopping experience.
Well, bring me round the Binny's Bend! I stand - or sip - corrected. Yes, it's true. Proven wrong on all counts.
The staff was phenomenal, attentive, eager and gracious. Accumulation of beer, spirits, wine, liquors and beyond has been EXPANDED. Literally bottles upon bottles lined up in the aisles Bed, Bath & Beyond style (aka you can sortajustbarely get your cart through). More than ample selection on top of collections of new products and rare finds makes Boozy Brett a happy gal. Informed help was on hand and expertly pointed me to yummy Grenacha and Viognier finds as well as a score of my beloved Lagunitas Maximus Douple IPA. Double IPA? Double BONUS!
The total package was rounded out by no-strings-attached help out to my car and an easy switch of my old Sam's loyalty card to a new and shiny Binny's one, saving me $18.26 on my total purchase. Slash those prices!! Wanted to complain and stomp my feet, change is never fun. Well, typically. In this case the change is delightful, welcome to the neighborhood, Binny's!Listed in: Get Your Grapes Off!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/31/2008
Sam's Wine & Spirits is booze mecca, but with umpteen reviews and counting, I'm obviously already… Read more »
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Review from Jeff A.
12/9/2009
Binny's Rocks!
This location was formerly SAM'S but is now part of the Binny's Phenomena...
I always loved this Sam's Location, and I am told by the new Binny's staff that this is the largest Binny's in the chain...
I bought so many of my favorite beers the other day, some amazing wine and even some liquor for my bar... The selection is seemingly unending!!!
The Cheese selection is off the hook! I bought some gorgonzola that burns so good! The ladies were quick to sample any of the cheeses I wanted and I was able to purchase 3 top notch cheeses!
Watch out for all the liquor beer and wine samples, one could catch a buzz trying to buy the right bottle...
This place is great!
Binny's you rock my world! -
Review from Krsna V.
6/12/2007
Great selection of wines and spirits. I feel like a kid in a candy store, only that i am an adult in a liquor store.
The snack section is very useful, they have many snacks that go well with your wine. I usually buy the regular wines I drink (Sancerre and Sauvignon Blanc)
But, the last time I came here, I noticed that my Sancerre and Sauvignon Blanc were pricier than other stores. -
Review from Joseph W.
Los Angeles, CA
10/23/2008
One of the best wine stores I've ever been in, period. Great selection of bargain stuff from many regions such as the Rhone, Argentina, Central Coast, even Bordeaux. Extremely friendly staff, competitive prices (about $3-$5 more than K&L but what can you expect - they are THE best wine store :)
I spent an hour here and got a few random wines to share with the friends I was staying with and was pleasantly surprised by every purchase. Could have spent a lot more money and time here, but an hour was enough to put my poor non-wine-obsessed friend through :) -
Review from Liz X.
Chicago, IL
7/24/2007
I don't normally write reviews on a place that already has almost 100 reviews, but as a oenophile, I feel that I am obligated to review Sam's.
I thought I had the pick of the litter out in Los Angeles with K and L Wine Merchants, but this place blows K and L out of the water (sorry, my beloved K and L...yes, I know, I'm fairweather). The sheer selection and space involved is a fantasy....AND there's parking! (I'm still getting to know Chicago, so I'm still amazed by places that have free parking).
Although I love wine, I don't profess to know much about it. For me, a good gage of a wine shop, is the number of South American wines they have to offer. Some of the very best wine shops I've been to, who tout selection, will only offer 6-10 Argentine wines and maybe 15 Chilean wines. Well, Sam's has an entire half aisle devoted to just Chilean and Argentine wines. I thought I had seen most that are sold in America, but I was happily wronged when I stepped into the warehouse of libations that is Sam's. Sam's even has a decent selection of South African wines. And after being spoiled (or what I THOUGHT was being spoiled out in Cali), I thought it was going to be difficult finding some of my favorite NorCal wines, but Sam's comes to the rescue.
Now I can't attest to the staff and their amount of knowledge yet, but I will be back to check it out. Sam's also has a nice little corner of the store for specialty cheeses, deli items, and other accoutrements to accompany the vino. Perfect one stop shopping for a wine and cheese get together.
The prices are decent and quite cheap, but I've seen a lot of the same brands for $1-2 cheaper. But I'm so impressed by the selection, that it might just be worth it to pick up a few bottles that you can't just get anywhere for a few bucks more.
If you haven't checked it out (which by the number of reviews, is unlikely)...it is definitely a MUST. Especially for all of you new oenophile transplants like me. Makes me like Chicago even more.... -
Review from Lauren K.
3/11/2010
I don't frequent liquor stores often, I don't usually buy liquor to keep in the house. I feel scuzzy walking into liquor stores for some reason. Maybe it's because most of them are tiny little stores with butch looking cashiers smoking cigarettes and staring at each person who walks in.
But I went to Binny's because I wanted some wine to keep in the house, and suddenly that scuzzy feeling went away. My negative view of liquor stores was lifted.
I felt as if I had to go up and down each aisle just to look at the vast variety of it all. I've never heard of some of this stuff, but it sure was interesting to look at.
Then I discovered that half of the store..er...warehouse was filled with wine from countries that I didn't even know made wine..wow. I'm by far no wine expert what so ever, I just like to have a glass of merlot here and there. That said, the staff is very helpful and I think they picked up on my blank facial expressions as I stared at the $187 bottle of merlot right next to the $15 one, wondering if that extra $172 really tasted THAT good.
Oh...and they have a FREE parking lot!
Good job, Binny's, I'll be back. And that's not just the merlot talkin'! -
Review from Andrea R.
9/13/2006
I've been to Sams on many occasions and needed to make a stop there to buy enough drinks for 150 people. I realized there was absolutely no way I would be able to carry this all myself so I gave them a call and asked if they could deliver. Unfortunately I only gave myself a few hours to spare so regular delivery was out of the question, but they did send a messenger for just an extra $15. Not having to carry it all myself was definitely worth $15!
Aubrey, the customer service rep on the phone, could not have been more helpful in figuring out exactly what I needed. The only reason I'm giving Sams 4 stars instead of 5 stars is that they delivered the wrong order (in addition to my right order). I was confused where all the beer came from, but was happy to drink it until they showed up a few hours later and asked for their beer back. However, mistakes do happen all the time so I didn't think it was a big deal.
I highly recommend a trip to Sams for any alcoholic/party needs! -
Review from D A.
Chicago, IL
1/9/2009
Sam's was recently sold, and the new owners fired all of the experienced old-timers. The place is not the same anymore.
I recently received a "Mind Blowing Monday: #1-Ranked Pinot for LESS THAN $10!" email from Sam's, where they super-hyped the 07 Mark West Pinot Noir for their special price of $9.99, ranting: "this wine will disappear quickly (remember there are plenty of bargain hunter Pinot fanatics around the country already draining the supply of this wine), so please - make that "pretty please with sugar on top" - order soon or you'll miss out on this unreal deal."
* The EVERYDAY price of this same wine is $9.99 at Binny's.
Sam's is now looking to expand nationally like so many other ambitious successful local business have done. Most have failed e.g. Chernins. Sam's is now just another corporate owned marketing machine - say goodbye to all of the nuanced mom and pop personal attention that you had come to know and appreciate at Sam's. -
Review from Tom D.
Washington, DC
12/4/2006
The first time I made the trip to Sam's I was there for 3 hours...and they used to have a sale in Fall and Spring -- and things were so cheap I would order 3-4 cases of stuff. They are expanding and it's not quite the same experience it used to be -- but this used to be one of my favorite places in the world!
Best online selection of single malts too.
Best wine in the windy city.Listed in: iso vino?
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Review from Liz M.
Chicago, IL
4/10/2008
Most weekends Sam's has representatives from wine and liquor companies promoting their hootch.
Samples o'booze everywhere!
I think I was a little tipsy when I left there!
But seriously, I went there in a "wine and cheese" mood and I was feeling adventurous. I wanted to try some new wines.
Their staff was EXTREMELY helpful.
I was asking for a "Brunello di Montalcino" Italian Red (I heard about it on some Food/Wine cable channel) but I didn't realize that it was pricey, STARTING at $50 a bottle.
The rep (I wish I remembered his name) steered me to a "Nobile di Montepulciano" for $30 cheaper, explaining to me that both wines come from the same region in Tuscany and used the same grape.
How fabulous!
Their selection is HUGE!
They have a little cheese bar, decent selection, prices comparable to Whole Foods.
The parking lot does get cramped during the weekend, but it's worth the circling for a spot.Listed in: This little piggy went to…
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Review from G R.
Chicago, IL
10/13/2007
Oh how I love this place, I've been in love with Sam's since they were in their old digs on North Ave.
So I had to pick up a bottle of red for a housewarming gift, always a treat to stumble on in when there is a bunch of tasting going on. I like to try new wines and give new wine as a gift. But nothing is more embarrassing than giving someone a bottle of something that tastes like horse pee. No one wants to be remembered for that.
Price isn't always an indication of quality when it comes to wine, so choosing can be difficult. Even when there isn't a tasting going on the place is well staffed and they are knowledgeable about the department they're in so you can get help picking something out.
So I tasted a bit of this and a whole lot of that, and stumbled on out. I can add to this review, but it looks like it's all been said, and I'm working on a glass of red. -
Review from Denton J.
Chicago, IL
10/11/2006
Probably the best beer selection in the city. Being a beer drinker, this is important for me, as I'm always trying to find something new and different for my home consumption.
My experience with staff varies, ranging from them spending loads of time with me to answer questions and find the right items, to them overtly assigning an employee to watch my every move, assuming I would steal.
I still go back for all the new beers coming in, be it the wonderful, quirky musings of Brasserie Fantme or the bitter onslaught of Three Floyds Dreadnaught. This is the place to find beer.
Oh, and apparently they have wine and liquor as well. -
Review from Amy H.
9/24/2007
Oh Sam's. You're the best!
I was frazzled when I walked into Sam's. I was making a particular cocktail and I was having a hard time finding all of the ingredients. I was running late and had been to about three other stores looking for what I needed. I asked a cashier to point me in the direction of what I needed and she was very helpful. She walked me to every bottle I needed, and that was very much appreciated.
They didn't have everything that I needed, but they were very knowledgeable and suggested something else that would work. They also had some really yummy samples which helped to soothe my aggravated nerves.
From now on when I need liquor, I'll just go straight to Sam's. -
Review from Jenny z.
Logan Square, Chicago, IL
8/17/2007
A shrine, nay, a temple to drunkenness....
Although some of the more "genteel" patrons sneered at the contents of my cart yesterday (1 case PBR, 1 case Schlitz, 1 case Old Style, 1 case Coors orginal, 1 case Blatz, 1 handle of Beam, 1 bottle of Glenlivet, 1 case Yellowtail Chardonnay, 1 Delirium Tremums - no, not an alcoholic, just a drunk with foresight who hates Lincoln Park), this place rules.
Great prices, incredibly knowledgeable and friendly staff, parking....what more can I say?
Best liquor store in Chicago. Worship here - you won't regret it.Listed in: Booze n food - where I like to…
