Morelli's Discount Liquor & Market

Store

535 Tedesco St
Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55130-4522
United States

(651) 774-5961 | map
morellismarket.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.77
Reviews:
3
Ratings:
6
pDev:
11.41%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews.
Ratings by millelacsmark:
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Rated by millelacsmark from Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

Oct 19, 2014
More User Ratings:
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Reviewed by Richie_C_Johnson from Minnesota

4.58/5  rDev +21.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
Staff is phenomenal. Super knowledgeable and helpful. Known for their great prices on lesser beer and spirits, plus an amazing assortment of Italian staples, their craft beer selection is pretty rare. Totally recommend.
Mar 19, 2018
 
Rated: 3.25 by jera1350 from Minnesota

Jul 08, 2014
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Reviewed by brewseum from Minnesota

3.71/5  rDev -1.6%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4
Okay, Chaz...looks like its up to us to spread the word here. I've always considered my "east side secret" but our reviews threaten to expose the bargain beer bonanza that is Morelli's. Its located in the heart of St. Paul's hardscrabble, gritty east side, just north of the Minnesota Music Cafe.

Before we start, you'll need to bring cash or check. They won't accept your plastic here. Not that they don't think its good. But they can't offer prices like this with credit card companies taking a cut. Their clientele is colorful and entertaining.Heck, there is sometimes a line at 8 AM! This is a testament to their low pricing and sure-fire cure to the D.T.'s.

What IS Morelli's? They were established near the Hamm's brewery way back when prohibition was still in effect in 1930. This is where many Italian families bought their groceries, meat and ingredients to make their Italian delicacies. Not much has changed since then. You can still get great cuts of meat and confer with the friendly butchermen behind the counter. You can still buy fresh and frozen food, everything from pepperocini, sauces and all sorts of pastas.

But thats not why you're reading this, is it?

Lets run a few twelve pack prices by you,beerbreath...(as of 03/07/13 anyway)
Summit brands are 10.97 across the board. Yep,Saga too.
Deschutes are just under 12 bucks. All Schell's brands are a tad under 11 bucks.

And (drum roll,trumpets,fanfare...dramatic pause) THEY NOW HAVE SURLY! Abrasive is a mere 14.99.

And they have recently established a small "craft island" with a few bombers and 4 packs. They aren't cheap like the 12 packs, but then again,they don't buy them by the semi
load. They also have Bell's,Goose Island, Brau Brothers, Big Wood and a lot more.

The liquor prices are equally cheap too. Food, beer and liquor at great prices?
Tell em' Chaz and I sent ya. And bring your cash or you'll leave thirsty,okay?
They... are "a friend of ours" (typed with an Italian accent)
Mar 07, 2013
Photo of Chaz
Reviewed by Chaz from Minnesota

3.6/5  rDev -4.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 3
Morelli's is an -almost- completely hidden "diamond in the rough" of a retailer, but a few BeerAdvocate users have tattled over the years so I thought it's time to add it here and give my interpretation, if not the entire skinny.

1) Prices: While the overall selection here is nothing to give Big Ed or DBL the shivers, the historically-excellent prices are another matter: Craft and Import prices are enough to drive other retailers nuts (take it from a guy that worked retail for a spell...) At Morelli's you'll often find the better-distributed Craft "battery packs" in the 10.93-to-11.47 range, everything from Summit to Sierra Nevada to New Belgium to Alaskan to all the InBud/CBA brands, plus and August Schell and itty-bitty brewers like Brau Brothers as well. Import prices are similar, e.g.: Bass 12-pack N.R. for $10.77. There are some unadvertised and web-only specials to consider as well . . .

2) Handy: Considering the neighborhood, both Craft and Import brands are given prime placement vis-a-vis floor stackers and coolers near the entry, so there's no problem getting in and out quickly -- provided you have cash-in-hand. Morelli's website is also very handy in a 1990s/"Web 1.0" sort-of-way, but it all comes back to the prices.

3) Selection: The hundreds of canned domestics in flats/suitcases (etc) are nothing to recommend to Beer Advocates, but the pricing of fresh Craft and Import brands is very competitive, and often better than most of the single-unit retailers in town.

Overall it's a nice little place, jam-packed with specials and even a few limited/seasonal bottles (spotted two "Lips of Faith" series, some Delerium Noel, some artisanal ciders and a 4-pack of 2012 BCBS which I greedily snapped-up).

Also, in addition to being a "Packie", Morelli's is known to many as an Italian / "Red Sauce" deli and market, but is not a "sit-down" restaurant in the least. It's too-damned busy/cramped/packed with stuff to sit down, anyway. But the service here has always been top-notch and friendly, if not exactly "beergeek-as-owner" friendly.

So go for the prices and stay for the Prosciutto samples!

Morrelli's is also only a few block from the brand new Craft Beer Bar, "Ward 6", that is all the talk of the East Side. Win/Win!
Dec 03, 2012
Morelli's Discount Liquor & Market in Saint Paul, MN
Place rating: 3.77 out of 5 with 6 ratings