Mesa Liquor Deli & Wine

Mesa Liquor Deli & WineMesa Liquor Deli & Wine
Mesa Liquor Deli & WineMesa Liquor Deli & Wine
Store

4919 Convoy St
San Diego, California, 92111-1601
United States

(858) 279-5292 | map
mesaliquor.net
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.4
Reviews:
14
Ratings:
16
pDev:
13.53%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by rawfish:
Photo of rawfish
Rated by rawfish from California

3.06/5  rDev -10%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 3

Jun 03, 2015
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.75 by StoutSnob40 from California

Jan 31, 2014
Photo of DTJPPR
Reviewed by DTJPPR from California

3.51/5  rDev +3.2%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4
Though this place is a bit overpriced on some selections, they have a good amount of variety from Stone to Lost Abbey to the Occasional Pliny the Elder bottle lying around the store. I can usually count on the guys to have something different that I hadn't tried before along with my usual favorites.

My main issue with the place though is that it is warm inside and overly lit, which for beer spells bad news. I generally just stick to their fridges and pull stuff from the back for this reason. Very nice guys that run the place though.
Aug 29, 2011
Photo of Allpe45
Reviewed by Allpe45 from Arizona

3.39/5  rDev -0.3%
vibe: 3 | quality: 2.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5
Looks like a large liquor store, with a deli on the left side. The bald guy is friendly and very talkative, but as mentioned in other reviews, aggressive sales technique.

Only a few of the coolers have craft beer, most of it is on shelves in the middle area of the warm, well lit store. They have a very good selection but everything they carry costs one to three dollars more than at other stores in the area. Singles are not available.

This is a great place to come if there is something specific you want and can't find it elsewhere, but there are better stores in the area for buying a larger amount of beer, as those extra dollars per bottle add up quickly.
Jun 15, 2011
Photo of gerrick
Reviewed by gerrick from California

3.9/5  rDev +14.7%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Chris and his brother do a good job of getting beer into the store. One of the few places that I saw sell Silva stout when it was released. Some of the beer they sell is as cheap as you will find in San Diego and others are a bit more. They have great customer service. They have helped us get a few beer that were nearly impossible to get or at the very least put pressure on disty to carry them. I hear the deli has good food also. They also have a ton of non beer in store I would recommend you stop by and give it a shot.
May 27, 2011
Photo of notchucknorris
Reviewed by notchucknorris from California

4.14/5  rDev +21.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
This place has been getting kind of a bad rap and to an extent, I can see why. However, they do have one of the best selections I've found in San Diego. While the owners may not be as knowledgeable (or as fun to talk to) as Freddie over at Beverages 4 Less, most of them know a good amount about beer and will point you in the direction of some good things to try. The prices are about average and I didn't feel like they were trying to sucker me into buying anything on the shelves. I make it a point to stop by here a few times a month to see what they have in stock.
Apr 20, 2011
Photo of mbsto
Reviewed by mbsto from California

3/5  rDev -11.8%
Most of the reviews are spot on.. this place employs high pressure sales techniques, the less desirable Belgians have been sitting for years, and the owners care nothing about the quality of the beer, as is evident by the direct sunlight and high temperatures. All that being said, it's still worth going here to pick up popular beers because they get virtually everything that a store in so cal can get. So go grab some hop 15 and a pliny, luck out with a Cantillon (they go fast), and be on your way. Just try not to listen to the owners dribble on about why you should buy stuff you don't want.
Jul 27, 2010
Photo of magictrokini
Reviewed by magictrokini from California

3.65/5  rDev +7.4%
I finally made it to this place. Big selection of Belgians and decent mix of German beers. Good selection of micros, including several Rogues that are hard to find. Focus is primarily on lesser-known Belgians and seasonal Belgians. Prices can be average to outrageous. I saw an Allagash 2007 limited release for $20. There was also a St. Bernardus Christmas ale for $35. There are a fair amount of dusty ones on the shelves. I think someone said it before, but the 8-Ball Stout with the old label is still on the shelf. What has it been, 8 years?
Dec 16, 2008
Photo of HopHead84
Reviewed by HopHead84 from California

2.6/5  rDev -23.5%
At first glance this place is impressive. They have a lot of rare belgians and great American micros sitting on the shelves. Fairly quickly you begin to notice the warm temperature in the store and notice the beer sitting on the shelves is covered in dust. Then you notice local Stone bottles are selling for 2-3 dollars more than anywhere else you've seen around San Diego, and the Belgian prices are outrageous. When the guy behind the counter offers to sell you Stone 2-2-2 VE for $400 you realize he's a price gouger that cares nothing for quality. I would be wary of buying from this place.

Also, the ridiculously aggressive sales tactics these guys use is embarrasing. I feel like I'm in a swap meet or a used car lot when I go into this place.
Sep 03, 2008
Photo of Floydster
Reviewed by Floydster from California

4/5  rDev +17.6%
Stopped here after going to O'Briens Pub across the street yesterday, walked in and was pretty amazed with the number of beers they have, although not many are in firdges unfortunately, they are on two sides of a shelf in the back of the store at room temperature with light hitting them, asked for some help and the guy had no idea what I was talking about, so I just moved on with my searching, service was not very good overall, the selection was huge with a variety of six packs, 750s, bombers, and even some magnums, consisted of Belgians, vintages, and American craft brews, some standouts were Struise Mikkelller Double IPA for seven dollars, 2004 Thomas Hardy for seven dollars, Ballast Point Sculpin IPA bomber for seven dollars, a few Fantomes and Brasserie de Rocs, two Cantillons, tons of San Diego brews including Stone, Green Flash, Alesmith, Coronado, Lightning, Port, and Karl Strauss, best selection in this immediate area and even though it is much dirtier and unkept than Holiday Wine Cellar, it gives it a run for its money as far as beer offerings go, prices are rather fair and I only saw a few things that I could find noticeably cheaper elsewhere, place does not look like anything special from the outside but will shock most when you walk in, will definitely be going back here when I visit my favorite little pub across the street
Apr 03, 2008
Photo of naven
Reviewed by naven from California

2.6/5  rDev -23.5%
Be VERY careful when shopping here. The beers are in poor shape, most of them being very old. How do I know this? I used to work here many moons ago. The owner has very little beer knowledge, and his goal is getting money, not providing quality beer to his patrons. Last time I was in the store, the cashier said not a word to me, other than my total. Most of the stuff is incredibly marked up. The selection of Belgian beers is indeed good, but be very careful when making that purchase - the beer you get could be in very poor shape.
Nov 29, 2007
Photo of domtronzero
Reviewed by domtronzero from California

3.15/5  rDev -7.4%
Several coolers held beers, mostly macros and a few German/English bottles. A long shelf to the right has what I came for... Fantome Saison. Other than that, there are a lot of Belgian beers (3 different A'Chouffe brews, 5 Unibroue, the afformentioned Fantome, etc.). On the other side there are a lot of West-Coast styles and brands (Green Flash, Stone, Alpine, etc.). All of the bombers are sitting on the top shelf under some heavy flourescent lights, in a warm room (80*F+ during the summer) not too far from the big bay windows; although I have never tasted a bad beer from here, I wish they could find a better way to store them. Dude behind the counter never said anything to me except, "I.D." He didn't even tell me the total... just expected me to look at the register. Its ok though; I didn't come to hang out with him...

Overall, I'll probably be stopping here a lot. Its right across the street from my work (its SO tough working on the same block as O'Brien's and right down the street from this place) and they have all the beers I like.
Oct 14, 2007
Photo of OStrungT
Reviewed by OStrungT from California

3.75/5  rDev +10.3%
This place is located about 2 blocks north of O'Brien's on Convoy St. They have a row of coolers on one wall. I think there were about 7 coolers. One is full of macros, and the rest have craft beers. They have a long shelf with beer on both sides. One side has mostly German and Belgian singles, the other side has mostly California brewed beer, but they have a few non locals. They has a 2003 AleSmith Grand Cru. The selsction is quite good. I went in there to get some beer once, and they didnt have it. They got on the phone and called the company, and ordered a case of it. I was quite impressed. I bought a Stone's 9th anniversery ale the pther day. They didnt have it on the shelf yet, and had not given it a price yet. They sold me the beer for $4.99 and said that if they end up charging more, I will just owe them. That is pretty cool. Ultimately, this place is pretty good. They have a good selection, and are very friendly. If you are in the area, you might want to check it out.
Sep 03, 2005
Photo of Boilermaker88
Reviewed by Boilermaker88 from California

3.15/5  rDev -7.4%
I stopped by Mesa Liquors while on the way to the 24 July BA gathering at O'Brien's. I was walking right past it so I figured why not stop and check it out.
It looks a lot like a corner packie often found down in the 'hood. Inside, the beers are toward the center of the store and a decent selection of local, West Coast, and Belgian and British beers can be found. Initially, the selection looked amazing. Then I noticed a couple things; a) some of the bottles looked very old and dusty, and b) some of the breweries had been defunct for a few years. Then I realized I was at the "bargain basement table". How long had these bottles been camped out under the lights in what turned out to be a rather warm store (they had the front door propped open).
I decided to save my cash for O'Brien's and continued on my way to the gathering. A word of advice for those who go to Mesa Liquor and spot something "rare"; think about it before you plunk down the cash. You may not be getting what you think you're paying for.
Jul 27, 2004
Photo of grasshopper
Reviewed by grasshopper from Colorado

3.05/5  rDev -10.3%
Mesa Liquor- This was an interesting place. There was a pretty good selection of local/california beers and belgium beers. Beers from other states the rest of Europe were not represented very well and it was very apparent that some of the beers had been sitting for a very long time- Heavy dust! Most disappointing was the service and the price gouging. A lot of the bottles did not have prices and one beer in particular(Stone's Double Bastard) the clerk made up a price of $9.50+ stating it was rare. I previously bought some at Hi-Time wine cellars in Costa Mesa for about $6.00+. This store may or may not interest you depending if you are looking for some probably hard to find relics. It might be worth taking a look at.
Feb 04, 2004
Photo of AtLagerHeads
Reviewed by AtLagerHeads from Ohio

3.65/5  rDev +7.4%
One of the better non-chain stores I found in San Diego. This store is near Obrien's so I got a two-fer going up Convoy. A large center island houses lots of foreign singles, but most are quite dusty so be forewarned that stale beer is possible here. Two large glass-doored coolers keep good micros and some bad macros chilled for high volume turnover. The selection is probably better than 3.5 but then the large chain stores can beat this fairly easily. Good chance of finding a rarity in the hard-to-see inner shelf areas.
Nov 06, 2003
Mesa Liquor Deli & Wine in San Diego, CA
Place rating: 3.4 out of 5 with 16 ratings