Chicago Lake Liquors

Store

825 E Lake St
Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55407-1509
United States

(612) 825-4401 | map
chicagolakeliquors.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.34
Reviews:
9
Ratings:
16
pDev:
22.16%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by zeledonia:
Photo of zeledonia
Reviewed by zeledonia from Washington

3.24/5  rDev -3%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5
This place feels like a very typical twin cities liquor store. Much of the clientele is there for cheap liquor and BMC, but they carry a decent amount of other stuff as well.

Beers are basically in one cooler along the left-hand wall (dominated by macro-brews), and both sides of one open-air cooler, with stacks of 12-packs next to that. Everything but large bottles is in packs; no 12-oz. singles available.

Selection is a bit above average, mostly because the seasonals and limited releases they do get tend to stick around on the shelves for a while. They carry most of the typical beers from breweries like Surly, Deschutes, New Belgium, and the occasional Victory, Founders, Bell's, Rogue, or the like.

Prices are pretty darn good for the area, generally a bit cheaper than the better-supplied places I usually go to.

It probably won't become a regular stop for me, as there are other places nearby with much better selection. But it may be worth dropping by if you're in the neighborhood, just to see check for values and see if they've got something good that's been overlooked.
Feb 22, 2011
More User Ratings:
Photo of Lucular
Reviewed by Lucular from Maryland

2.48/5  rDev -25.7%
vibe: 2 | quality: 2 | service: 3 | selection: 2.75
Low "vibe" score because there I was there at the opening on a Monday and a police officer was in the store showing photos to the employees. Okayyyyy...

Low "quality" score because tons of beer was shockingly out of date. Including a pallet of Pumking - yes, the mythical $12 cases of Pumking come to life. If I lived in Minneapolis I might have bought a case actually.

Service was fine.

Low "selection" score because for the size of the store there wasn't a ton of local beer available.
Jan 17, 2017
 
Rated: 3.35 by Taybeh from Minnesota

Apr 03, 2016
Photo of Nobeertonight
Rated by Nobeertonight from Minnesota

1/5  rDev -70.1%
vibe: 1 | quality: 1 | service: 1 | selection: 1
I called to see if they had a beer I wanted .. They said no .. Then I went in there and they had it .. They are a bunch of nasty people
Jan 24, 2015
Photo of pat61
Reviewed by pat61 from Minnesota

4.36/5  rDev +30.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.75
For years this place has had a reputation as kind of a bowery or wino store but in reality their selection and their prices are decent and their staff friendly. It is definitely worth a shot.
Jan 07, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by millelacsmark from Minnesota

Oct 19, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by SlightlyGrey from Minnesota

Jul 29, 2014
Photo of Powderhornphil
Reviewed by Powderhornphil from Minnesota

3.51/5  rDev +5.1%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.75
I shop here a decent amount as it's not too far from my house. They have an alright craft beer selection better than some of the nearby stores. However, stores that focus on craft in the area tend to be a bit better.

Since much of the clientele seems to purchase BMC and liquors the craft beer releases tend to linger just a bit longer.

The most in demand releases still disappear quickly though. Gets quites busy on weekend evenings.
Jun 09, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by benjamincarter from Minnesota

Jan 30, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by mattmarka1 from Minnesota

Jan 19, 2014
Photo of KarlHungus
Reviewed by KarlHungus from Minnesota

3.69/5  rDev +10.5%
vibe: 3.25 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.75 | selection: 3.75
Chicago Lake Liquors is a discount liquor store is a pretty shady area, and the vibe expresses that. Although the beer selection isn't one of the greatest in the Twin Cities, it is still solid. The reason to go there, however, is the prices. They are consistently lower than most places around town. The service is adequate for the kind of store it tries to be.
Jan 01, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by MNBeer1017 from Minnesota

Dec 06, 2013
Photo of jsprain1
Reviewed by jsprain1 from Minnesota

3.3/5  rDev -1.2%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5
A- Atmosphere is a general, slightly run down looking liquor store. Seems generally more dedicated to liquor sales than a true beer store, and the clientele reflects that.
Q- Beer is in one long open cooler with craft on one side, bombers/40's on the other, and BMC in a closed cooler on the wall. Freshness is no issue.
Ser- Service is friendly enough, but not proactive and there is only a cursory knowledge of the beers they have.
Sel- Selection is decent with Surly, New Belgium, Summit, Rogue, and Founders well represented and a smattering of other breweries' flagships thrown in.
Prices are very competitive, even a touch cheaper than other Twin Cities' liquor stores.
Come here if you know what you want and they have it. There are better places for general browsing though.
Sep 21, 2011
Photo of gatornation
Reviewed by gatornation from Arizona

3.8/5  rDev +13.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4
just east of chicago ave on lake st

have not been to this store in over a year..but i must say i was pleasantly surprised..they have upped their game for craft beer..beer is to the left and rear with a new all craft selection in a long open cooler,,they also have a long cooler of just craft/imports of bombers and 750 ml..many craft offerings are here surly,deschutes,alaskan,brooklyn,summit,odells,bells,stone,founders,dark horse,schells,boulevard, many many more, with one of's ,six packs,bombers and specialty 750 ml.. on top of all this they have a long cooler of imports...prices are very good with displays of craft..this place is worth another look if you have not been here in awhile..ambiance has not changed but i guarantee you will find and buy something here ,prices are competitive,and selection is very good
Aug 24, 2011
Photo of Yulles
Reviewed by Yulles from Minnesota

3.94/5  rDev +18%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
Let's not make this place out to be something it's not. It only recently got into the craft beer game and there are no deals on the craft beer like there is on other things in the store. But if you are looking for something that the other stores are out of, chances are this is your place. They carry most of the big names you can find in the cities but not always all of the beers. They had Abyss for several months after its release and smoke for a good 6 months after its release. The limited stuff is always stored in the cooler as is the rest of the craft selection.
Apr 24, 2011
Photo of jera1350
Reviewed by jera1350 from Minnesota

3.35/5  rDev +0.3%
Well, I will start by saying that this is not a destination beer store. If you're in the area, it's fine, but it may be worth a little travel for a greater selection of brews in a nicer shopping experience. The store is large, but not real clean. The beer section is towards the middle of the store and most of it in the cooler. You will find a decent selection of brews with Surly, Summit and Schell's for local beers. They do have several other crafts such as Southern Tier bombers and some of the more common imports such as Guiness and Murphy's. Huge selection of malt liquor if you're into that sort of thing because they sell a ton of it. I will say that they often times have some of the lowest prices on things such as Summit twelve packs. Service was only at the cash register in my experience here. The cashier was friendly as was the armed gaurd at the door on the way out.
Jul 30, 2010
Chicago Lake Liquors in Minneapolis, MN
Place rating: 3.34 out of 5 with 16 ratings