J N J Food & Beverage Store

Great customer service and a great selection of wines!

jnj is the best place to go if you are just getting into wines. the owner is nathan and he is one of the nicest person you will ever meet. he recommends the best wines for your level and your taste… they also have wine tasting on Saturdays if you would like to try some wines. but nathan always gives samples also so it does not matter what day you go there. lol sometime when i come out i feel drunk but lucky i live close by so i just walk there. try it haha

I really like this store because not only do they have great varieties but the owner and his mother are very helpful and it’s fun talking to them about the different wines. He definitely knows a lot about wine and beer so next time anyone wants something better and different from the regular super markets, this is the place to go! Plus they do wine tasting and even private tastings for groups too. If you haven’t been to this little store, you’ve got to go check it out! For those of you who go to UH football games at Aloha Stadium, this is a must-​stop at place before you go to tailgate parties. You will be very happy with the selections and the price. I’m a huge fan!

I love coming here! I was looking for a certain red wine and I was calling a lot of places. One liquor store recommended this place. I called and I got Nathan. Although, they discontinued my wine… he recommended something — AND LET ME TELL YOU… it was BETTER than what I use to drink.
They know their products and have so much info to share. Best place ever to buy wine. They recommend things and it tastes great!
I’ll be coming back soon…

Super helpful. Just wanted a bottle of champagne to pop for New Years. I don’t know anything about it, but he helped me pick a real bottle for a decent price in about two minutes.

Great selection and the people are incredibly informative and nice. Worth taking the time to look over the shelves and learn about wine.

Although this place is small, it has a very good selection of liquor. And the owner is so friendly & helpful. He really seems to know his stuff & is so eager to share his knowledge but he’s not a snob at all. I love businesses that are passionate about what they sell!
I also had the pleasure of attending one of their wine tastings. Boy, did I enjoy myself! A little too much if you know what I mean. I highly recommend if you can make it.

Extremely friendly. Never pushy. Great prices. Knows their stuff but very humble too. ASK QUESTIONS! They have the answers.

My son & I enjoy going to J&J, Nate is always asking how we’re doing. He also enjoys asking my son how he’s doing in school. He always treats us like family when we visit

J N J has a great selection of adult beverages. Nathan is a walking encyclopedia for booze and has shared his wealth of knowledge with me each time I visit.
Note: Once a month they have a free wine tasting. There is really no pressure in having to buy when you attend this event. Great event to also meet other people who like to drink.

Went in not knowing what to expect and came out with some awesome whiskey. Nate I think his name is, helped me pick out some awesome Scotch, rye n Irish whiskey. I could have spent all day in there but my ride was leaving. Cant wait for the next whiskey tasting. Will definitely be back.

Hit up the monthly free tasting with food and like 12 wines

Friendly, knowledgeable, family owned business! Good place to find that unique, exotic wine, sake or spirit.

When one goes to a tasting at JnJ and try their fantastic selection of wines and spirits, you have to follow these simple rules:
Rule #1: Find a designated driver (DD) to drive you home at the end of the tasting.
Rule #2: Eat carbohydrates or something filling a few hours before so that you can make it through one of the lengthy tastings that they offer.
Rule #3: Drink at your leisure, it’s not like they are forcing you out!
Rule #4: Have fun!
So if these simple rules weren’t a good enough reason to check out one of their tasting parties, let’s just say some great wines at a good range of prices are on hand The selection is wide pleasing whether you want red or white, chardonnay or merlot. The selection is constantly changing and offers some fantastic prices.
The staff pouring have a wealth of knowledge of the products they are serving and are able to help out with your selection. They know the wines very well and can help you with your pairing if that is what you are hoping to achieve.
The store itself is on the smaller side, however well packed and with the crowds of people can fill up quickly. Be sure to arrive early so you can make your way through the store. Prices are very reasonable and even more so when it is being served.
Is it worth the trek to go to Aiea only to find this non-​descript store that looks like a liquor store in the ghetto? Heck yes! With its knowledgeable and warm staff, great wine selection, and fantastic prices what isn’t there to like?

Wine, Whiskey, and Winners!
Housekeeping: Join their mailing list! The wine tastings are monthly, though the mini wine tastings and specials don’t seem to follow a regular schedule (generally one or the other every month). For an extra treat, host a private wine tasting. They’ll let you know the foods to pair the wine with and bring plenty of the top bottles. Those extra special wines have steep discounts.
The tastings have grown really popular over the past couple of years. Neighborhood style, unpretentious, and definitely packed now. Most of the times it’s hard to walk around. There’s lots of great deals on wine and the staff is really knowledgeable. They also have a great selection of whiskey, with a whiskey tasting for $ 25!
If just getting your feet wet, let them know what you generally like and your price range. Everyone is really friendly and über-​knowledgeable ^^
Reds is a great, $ 10 wine. For special occasions, Cristom and Calera Pinots.

I attended their wine tasting there and walked away with 3 great wines all for under $ 12.
The store itself is filled with product so it’s hard to maneuver through the aisles, especially during a wine tasting. That doesn’t bother me so much, though. I find it really unpretentious and will appreciate any establishment that will serve me free alcohol.
I like their reliability and wonderful selection of fine wines. What I especially like is that I don’t have to really shop. I just walk in and tell Nathan, «What should I try today?» OR «I’m making fish tonight, What do you think will go well?» He’ll always make wonderful recommendations that will not disappoint. Nathan is a true wine connoisseur so he’ll always educate you on the wine’s flavors, recommended pairings and source. That valuable education on each bottle somehow makes the wine taste even better. Also, it is something I don’t get at the neighboring wine stores.
(See my other reviews for Tamura’s and SWAM.)
As I write this, it’s 5 minutes after 5’oclock and I’m getting thirsty so I better wrap it up. When you’re in then neighborhood, pay them a visit and be amazed at what this unassuming little store has to offer.

Nate at JnJ has *never* steered me wrong. I can walk in and always know I will get solid wine advice. Sometimes in a pinch I just tell him I’m shopping for a gift, what varietal, appellation, character, and budget ($ 50…$ 80…no limit…) and I always go with his recommendation! Trust… Implicit trust in the man, his business and knowledge!

Bring your DD cause you’ll be in sore need of one after attending their tasting parties which are held at least once a month with «mini» tastings on most Saturdays in between… I’ve never received such a thorough education on liquor and wine as I have from Nathan at JnJ.
It immeditately inspired this:
lessons in drinking.
and upon my last visit I realized I have not done them justice and Unilocaled them! Shame!
A great friend had to practically twist my arm in to making the trek out here enticing me with promises of free alcohol and great food. **Hint — you can coerce me into just about anything using food and drink as collateral** I pulled into the lot and walking to the storefront quite honestly I called my friend and said WTF, have you dragged me all the way out here to a convenience store?! Little did I know what awaited me behind that unassuming door.
It was as if I had entered someone’s fantastic family party, great pupu’s and a plethora of wines, liquors and even alcoholic whip cream to try. Not only were the pours at this micro-​mini tasting generous but each sip is accompanied by owner Nathan’s wealth of knowledge behind the brand, flavors, history and food to boot. He and his family take into consideration not only
AMAZING discounts on the bottles being sampled, warm welcome no matter how many times you’ve visited — my first time I felt like family walking in the door already!
Like them on facebook and have access to all of the wonderful food and wine pairings Nathan suggests — he even posts recipies to try with specific bottles. Follow him on twitter as well! @finespiritswine

It’s always an enjoyable time looking for just the right bottle of wine. We stop by occasionally, (Okay .more than occasionally) when were dining out in the area. There’s gotta be at least four restaurants (Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Filipino) that we frequent often, that let us BYOB! And they’re all in walking distance from JNJ.
So we walk in and begin our search…
Easily hundreds of bottles to choose from, so we wander around (can’t wander too much, it’s a tiny hole in the wall) We like trying different stuff every time we go, searching for just the right one.
Here comes our pal Nathan, (he’s the «N», in JNJ)) to the rescue, he asks what kind of food we’re having tonite, then the price range we’re looking at, then he suggests a wine that’ll pair nicely with our meal, and also goes into the description of the wine, and the winery.
Nathan has never failed us. We take our bottle with us to the restaurant, sit down, open our bottle, order food, have cocktails as we wait, and continue drinking thru dinner. Great experience that came to fruition because of JNJ, and Nathan.
He’ll ask for your Email address, if you wanna be kept up on the wine tasting dates. They’re a blast, the best thing you’ll wanna do on a lazy Saturday, when you’re looking for something cheap to do, I’ll guarantee you’ll meet new friends in 10 minutes. And all the pupu’s are free (hot and cold kine)

Funny I used these pages to call the store just now to see if they have my beer available and chilled. Also, turns out I’m going to be their first Unilocal review. Yey!
This is a neat liquor store that I’ve been coming to for some time now. They remind me of a lower end Liquor Collection (Whazzap Art and Nick!) in Ward. Not to say that this place is ghetto by any means but just isn’t as big. Though they do have a sh*tload of drinky drinky in there. A lot!
Wines, liquors and beer from all different types of brewers locally and internationally. This place is also known for packing in people for their monthly wine tasting events. Heh Heh, I’ve had the displeasure of getting caught in this place during their monthly, when in a bad mood a few times (don’t let me forget to mention this this store is cramped). As much as I try to be polite and cordial to people, listen, if your drunk off your ass, slurring to the cashier and taking five minutes to pay for all your aged grapes, then let the dude with the six pack (that you kept on glancing back at) cut in front of you. Please. For the love of Gawd. Okay? Last time I snapped at a lady for doing that to me LOL! Feel bad but she was holding up the line and being inconsiderate.
Another thing I like about J n J is their owner is a highway of info when it comes down to bottled spirits. I swear, he’s done everything from recommend which cheap vodka/​whiskey was the best $ for the buck, which chardonnay was the sweetest and most potent panty peeler (kidding! but try and flag me again if you like, f*ckers) and even has a stock of local steak dry rubs which are outstanding!
He used to have an in-​store dining area which served pastas, chicken wings and other types of drunken comfort food before but not anymore. Wonder what happened to that whole operation.
4 stars
J n J Food and Beverage in Aiea Shopping Plaza