Jungle Jim's International Market - Eastgate

This place has one of the biggest beer selections in Ohio. if it drops in Ohio you can be well assured that JJ's is going to get it and most of the time get plenty of it. the only downside is that have grocery store like customer service. Most of the beer employees have no idea what any regular beer geek is talking about. the best they can do is say," if we got it, its out here".

 

Part of a grocery store that features food from every corner of the globe. Gotta walk around to get there, but once you get to the beer area, well worth it. Entire wall of singles, great selection and dates have been no issue. Price at State .inimum. Worth the stop if you've in the Cincinnati area.

If all you are doing is bottle shopping, drive around to the back entrance like everyone else says.

Then, buckle up and grab a shopping cart, because the beer selection here is huge. As usual with large stores, date check your IPAs, and don't buy if you can't find a can date.

Also, you can find Schramms, Melovino, Superstition, and many other meads here. Even a few Berry Whites if you have the coin.

 

I've visited this location many times over the years when my kids were playing sports in Cincinnati. It's a massive supermarket that's laid out in areas by product and requires a map to navigate.

Pro tip: The Ohio "state" store for liquor and beer/wine area are easily accessed from the back of the store by driving around the end of the strip mall and locking for the signs.

I am always floored by how much beer they have and how a lot of it is fresh. Biggest import section I've ever seen. Laid out by country. An entire wall of singles. Shelves are laid out by state of origin. They have high end singles and always have seasonal beers priced to move at the end of the seasons ($5/12 packs etc.) Worth a stop no matter what your into and you can take the family because there's plenty to see in the grocery (an entire deli counter of cheese, because they have 8 or so around the store specializing in something).

This place is heaven.

 

I had to pick my jaw off the floor after finding myself walking into a zoo, I mean grocery store. This place is goofy and gigantic, and I'm still not sure if I was just weirdly hungover. Do they really have jungle music playing outside, and a rhino, and a giant spinning bee hive, and bumper car candy shelves, and like a whole ass train coming out of the entrance? Well, the answer is yes. Or is it?

First off, this is a gigantic ass grocery store, and sort of like a mall version of one, with a lot of specifically focused sections not just on food and clothing products, but sections you never thought were necessary (and they probably aren't when really think about it, but hey, it's their investment).

If you don't know where it is, getting to the beer section is actually a bit of an ordeal. Once you get there, it becomes apparent that they really have an impressive, massive, extensive collection of beers that even your secret little in-the-know bottle shop may not be able to obtain. The downside is that the bottles are all stored poorly, especially the IPAs. Also, people that work there are totally over the cheesy concept.

There is a bar in the beer section with, as with the rest of the place, an enormous amount of space between hightops, and a pretty decent tap list and TV screens playing the sports flavor of the day.

Huge grocery store that sells not just craft beer but also cigars, cheeses, wine etc. Huge selection of bottles beer, nothing super rare but very well organized. Also have crowlers and howlers. It's a must stop for anyone in the area.

I have gotten to go there twice and have just been blown away by all the beer they have, about 4000 in bottles to choose from. Have a great tasting room with plenty of seating area. I can't say enough good things about it, love it!

 

 

 

 

 

Much newer and fancier than it's more established brother. The selection is huge, the food selection is even bigger. Same let down when you get a beer from the bar. It just never seems to be that great. There's a lot to choose from, and buying beer while drinking a beer is pretty great. I just don't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.

Jungle Jim's is a foodie's Disney World! The wide variety of hot sauces, cheeses, and European chocolates rivals or perhaps surpasses their beer selection. I have had no problem spending more than I expected both times that I have visited. It is definitely worth the 10 minute drive if you are visiting Cincinnati.

Specifically, Jungle Jim's offers singles for about 300 different US beers and has great international and US selections such as AleSmith, Deschutes, Epic, Jackie O's, Boulevard, etc. One small let down is that singles are only available for certain beers, and it can be hard to get a great collection of local Ohio beers without buying 6 packs. They do have a growler bar as well that only charges 25 cents for each tasting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

i go for the beer, they got a killer beer selection

 

 

Updated Review, September 2021:
This remains a staggeringly awesome place to purchase beer. The selection is vast, the singles wall likewise, and they've added a bar area that serves up pints and growlers from over 40 taps. I'd actually give this location the nod over the original Fairfield location at this time, as I've found more gems at this one lately.

Original Review from 2014:
Much like the original Fairfield location, this ridiculous grocery store has pretty much any food item you might be looking for. If it's considered food somewhere on the planet, they likely carry at least one type or brand of it. The craft beer section is as massive as the Fairfield location as well, and as I have been told by one of the distributors for the place, if a beer is sold in Ohio, Jungle Jim's gets it. That includes AleSmith, The Bruery, and tons of others. If you want to see a partial list of what they carry, just look at the "Brands" and "Beers We Sell" sections of the websites for Premium Beverage Supply and Heidelberg Distributing. JJ's orders every single beer each of those distributors carries, plus more.

Unfortunately, the staff aren't exactly renowned for their beer knowledge, and can generally just offer advice like "the aisles are by region". They also at both locations have a habit of storing their beer out in the open, on unrefrigerated shelves, under fluorescent lights. That being said, their selection is unparalleled in Ohio, anywhere. This location seems to focus less on certain imports than Fairfield, such as German beers, but does offer more sours and more of a focus on harder to find American craft brews.

Always an enjoyable experience when in Cincy. It's a circus on many fronts, but the beer selection is great. Nothing incredibly rare, but they have a lot. I found a number of vintages of J.W. Less on my last visit, which was a very nice surprise. Definitely worth a stop when in the area.

Huge selection of beer, wine, cigars & food. Whatever you need. If you call "the beer guy" in advance he will try to make sure they have what you are looking for before you go.

 

 

Very diverse selection of beers and a pretty knowledgeable staff. They have a tasting bar to offer a variety of samples to prospective buyers. The only local place that carries hard to get imports like Tusker. However, they are restricted from importing any beer, specifically Kenyan and Tanzanian beers like Safari and Kilimanjaro. Not sure if they are reluctant to purchase them or if they actually are unavailable in the United States.