Gimbel’s Liquors

We ordered on a Friday night, because the $ 10 fee my friend was charged was cheaper than getting a cab to a store and then coming back again. I got a really confused lady who answered the phone, who knew some of the stock but had to ask a lot of questions. Finally when I mentioned I wanted delivery, she said she was waiting on the driver and I had to hold for a few minutes until he came back to see how much he’d charge me. Apparently it was $ 15 and she placed the order; the whole thing was insanely expensive. When I called back, I got the same lady and asked to speak to a manager. I got who I presume was the owner, who was petulant, rude and argued about the charge.
I’m rating a 1 because the owner was rude, refused to change the delivery fee and made a huge deal about canceling. When I pay as much as I did, I expect at least some decent service. On top of the delivery fee, everything else was overpriced.

I have to really be out of beer and want one to go here… So expensive, easily 25% more than the competition. And the people who work here… Dear lord. Been here once, but never again.

After living in the Washington Sq area for the past two years, I can safely say that I have never once felt slighted or mistreated by Gimbels, so I don’t know what everyone’s problem is. They have a decent wine and beer selection, in varying price ranges; the staff is friendly and quick to offer help (or some friendly banter/​conversation!); they DELIVER; and overall they are a nice neighborhood joint.
If you want someplace fancy with huge wine selection, go to vino divino and have them force a $ 25 bottle of wine on you, or go deal with the obnoxious crowds at Trader Joe’s. Gimbel’s simply gets the job done.

Gimbel’s is great. Started going there for convenience purposes and would never go anywhere else. Mike (the lovable store clerk) has such a great sense of humor. As long as you don’t have a stick up your ass and need your boyfriend to coddle you when you can’t appreciate sarcasm you’ll be fine. If you’re too fragile to handle the freedom and liberties taken at an independently owned business full of colorful characters that have always treated me with respect (maybe because I know how to interact with others socially) – You should attend Coolidge Corner Wine and Spirits where you’ll REALLY get treated horribly and cry to Unilocal about something worth reading.

Thank you for a free market so that I don’t have to go here.
They claim to have gotten some kind of neighborhood reward but I’m not sure if/​how they got that.
In any case, their selection is limited, the Russian guys who own the store are jerks, and the young women who work in the store don’t last.
Luckily there are about two dozen other liquor stores within easy driving (and even walking!) distance, so that I don’t have to put up with Gimbel’s!

I just arrived home from Gimbel’s. I have never written a bad review about anything, but this is deserved. While looking at two bottles of beer, the younger man who was working came over and asked if we needed help. I stated that we were debating between the two bottles and the man cut me off mid-​sentence and said «stop abusing him» to me while pointing at my boyfriend. He then looked outside at a parked police car and told me he had no problem yelling out to them about me. The man found his «joke» very funny, clearly not looking at the expressions on our faces and that we were horrified that our completely innocent question had become a customer service nightmare. Then the man looked at the two bottles and very condescendingly said «I don’t mean to be a beer snob, but those are about as far apart as beer can be.» At this point he registered our stunned faces and tried to backtrack, hastily explaining the differences. I bought a bottle for reasons unknown and vowed to never go back. I have never been treated so disrespectfully in a store in my entire life. We went into the store in a wonderful mood and were happily looking at two beer options when this man accused me of abuse as a joke?! I can only hope this review is read by the owner so that the behavior of the Gimbel’s staff may be addressed. You should never treat two happy, polite first time customers with such blatant disrespect. The customer service at Gimbel’s is abhorrent.

Fine and dandy liquor store. The selection isn’t amazing, but it’s a pretty small space and they do a good job cramming-​in lots of options. The prices are relatively high compared to Coolidge Corner (where prices are high compared to Allston… the list goes on), but Gimbrel’s fits the bill if you live Washington Square.

This place was so convenient for where I lived, and I do miss having it so close. But while they had pretty much everything I could ever want from Johnny Walker Blue down to Burnasty’s (Burnett’s) Vodka, there are still some downsides.
1) Some things tend to be overpriced, but hey, I can even get over that since it was literally down the street from my place.
2) The fact that the staff members were just so darn rude. Yes, I’m buying liquor. Please don’t look at me like I’m a felon.
3) Continuing on the path of 2), If I can’t find something, I’ll ask before I give up. Don’t treat me like I’m plagued with a deadly disease and look at me with a stare of hatred when I ask you to do your job and help me.
I’d rather go to Blanchards in Allston and have a drunk hipster help me choose a drink of choice.

I am glad to have Gimbel’s as one of the closest liquor stores to my place. Yes it’s a bit small and a little bit over priced but they have basically everything, and their service is great!
Every Friday you go in they are doing a wine tasting. The guy (I think the owner) seems to know alot about his wine and always steers you in the right direction.
Also, I probably shouldn’t let this secret you but they have 2 hidden parking spots right behind the building. Awesome since there is never any parking on Beacon!

There is not much to complain about when a liquor store not only does free wine tastings but also DELIVERS liquor orders that only costs $ 5. Gimbel’s Liquors is just delicious! I love the staff and the owner. You can get your 6-​pack, liquor and mixers all in one spot. A few bottles can get a bit pricey but there is always something to find in your budget.

They have a limited Liquor selection which is jarring when considering their Business name. Their beer and wine selection is a bit more extensive, and their beers are fairly priced, not to mention that they deliver (though I haven’t experienced their delivery service just yet – waiting for winter). All of these things combined make this liquor store pretty similar to most around Brookline, and all these things would make this place a place I would patronize. That all being said, I could overlook some of Gimbel’s shortcomings if every time I went there, the owner didn’t act like such an a**hole.
If you read any of my reviews you’d see that I am a firm believer in customer service above all else. A weak product can always appear superior when paired with good to great customer service. In the case of Gimbel’s I can’t even stand to walk into the establishment since my last experience there left my skin crawling and my mind seething with anger.
The owner double-​taxed me on an item, and when I went back to discuss that he owed me money, he essentially laughed in my face and told me I he HAD to tax me twice. He then invited one of his worker bees over to share the laughter and mockery of my asking him to explain why he believed he needed to tax me twice. The two then spoke in Russian to one another, at which point I just walked away, and then the kicker: the Owner started yelling at me, in front of his other patrons and my friend, who came with me to pick up a 6 pack.
Needless to say, I refuse to frequent this establishment until they pay me back, and that dimwit owner apologizes for his garish behaviour

Man, this place is a real doo factory.
I’ve been to this establishment about 4 times over the course of 2 years… which is about 3 ½ times too many.
I purchased a six-​pack of HighLife tallboys that cost me roughly $ 9.43. I understand that it’s Brookline and I understand we are in Massachusetts… but that is a fucked up price right there.
And if the prices /​selection weren’t bad enough, the employees were real dicks to me.
Now I’ve had many a cashier job in my day and I understand that when you’re having a bad day, you’re not going to be the friendliest person in the world… totally understandable. And I certainly don’t expect to go to a liquor store and have epic conversation with one of the clerks.
But in all 4 of my interactions with multiple employees, I’ve experienced absolutely no recognition as a human being.
I would rather go get drunk off some mouthwash from the 7 – 11 next door than give these guys my business.

I think having «Liquors» in the title is a tad bit of a misnomer. I feel like the selection of beer and wine is a bit wider than their selection of liquors. The liquors are all on one wall, and I couldn’t really find much of what I wanted. They didn’t have any Pernod Absinthe or any Plymouth Gin. I settled on a bottle of Hendrick’s. In the future, I’ll only come Gimbel’s out of convenience.

Prices are standard, and the selection’s actually quite decent: a decent variety of different beers, wines, liquors, etc.
Service is okay as well.
Generally speaking, it’s a good place to stop and grab beers before you go to a party somewhere around Washington Square.

My local liquor store from when I resided on University Avenue in Brookline; the providers of fuel for many a forgotten night. Sadly, I had to move away from this reliable little place to move out to Dorchester and buy my booze from shops straight out of «Boyz N the Hood,» complete with chicken-​wire covered counters and fat policemen watching from the corners.
But lately, I’ve been stopping here on the way to friends’ places in Allston /​Brookline, providing some welcome nostalgia. Actually, walking into Gimbel’s is like a flashback to the Cold War — think «Red Dawn.» I don’t know what specific Slavic language the owners are speaking in there, but I know that Joe McCarthy would have been all over ‘em fifty-​some-​odd years ago.
In the meantime, I manage to temper my red-​blooded Reagan-​era jingoism to enjoy the perfectly fine beer, wine and liquor selection at perfectly average prices and efficient service. No more, no less. No SPETSNAZ parachuting in, no ICBMs flying, no KGB agents hiding behind the Remy Martin to debrief me at Lubyanka. Bonus points for a great location.
Dasvidaniya, tsovarich!

I’m surprised by the reviews here that indicate the staff wasn’t friendly — that was definitely not my experience at all. Maybe they just liked me or something.
Gimbels is a very competent liquor store in a town that until very recently had a lack of competent liquor stores. On the several occasions I went in, Gimbels had what I wanted (Sam Adams Chocolate Bock), even though it was late in the season and in high demand. They had a couple of bottles of it, and it was pretty cheap, too. They also sold me a bottle of $ 100 scotch for 15% off, just because I took an interest in asking about the different varieties.
The place is small and doesn’t have the same breadth as a place like Blanchard’s, but it’s got what most people need, is convenient, and my experiences have always been positive. Go figure.

I dig the selection and certainly dig the location (around the corner from where I currently live), but I will tell you what I *don’t* dig:
Snotty staffmembers who treat their customers as if they are the scum of the earth because they are buying products from a liquor store.
What’s that scene from Clerks… where Randall is complaining about how he never gets to rent good videos… and Dante looks at him with complete and utter disdain and exclaims, «you WORK in a VIDEO STORE!». to which Randall smirks and replies, «all the videos in my video store suck.» Well, it’s kind of like that at Gimbel’s. I don’t know if they’re feeling all sorts of inferior in there in comparison to the Tremendous Twosome less than a mile away (Blanchards and Marty’s), but daaaaamn, Gimbel’s staff: you WORK in a LIQUOR STORE! Not everyone is a drunky-​drunk-​drunk. Most of your patrons — me included — just want the occasional somethin’-somethin’. So why be so nasty?

Ok, I had to write this just to try and balance out all the previous (seemingly crappy) reviews.
1. Overpriced? A little. But this is Brookline, people. Everything is overpriced. If you don’t like it, move to Allston.
2. As for the staff, if you are friendly to them then they are generally friendly to you. As for getting stuff thrown at you, a) he isn’t a store clerk (read: owner) and b) he’s actually a very nice guy who just doesn’t come off that way, and probably doesn’t care, either.
3. Beer selection is not amazing, as the focus of the store is mainly wine. However, for a limited selection, it is certainly more than you would expect to find at your corner liquor store and you will not go wanting for craft beers, belgians, or anything tasty. No, they may not have what you came in for, but they will have something you’ll like.
4. As for the wine, you will not be disappointed and will always get great recommendations. Most of the staff is knowledgeable in this regard.
5. They deliver, ’nuff said. If you call 5 minutes before closing, however, then you are probably sh*t out of luck. Plan ahead.
Overall, a nice, convenient store for the Washington Square community.

Ahhh Gimpy’s!!! I love this place. I used to live (somewhat) across the street, and came in here all the time. Yes, some of the selection is overpriced by a few bucks, but I tend to overlook that because when I first started coming in, they had this completely awesome sale.
1977 Messia’s port for 49.95 a bottle.
So my first reaction is, of course, «that’s gotta be the swill of ’77, right?» So I bought a bottle, got home and within 10 minutes of trying it was back to purchase a case.
Now, bear in mind this little find of mine happened many years ago. And thanks (in part) to me, all that port is long gone. But, if you keep your eyes out you can spot some solid sales from time to time, and that’s what keeps me going in.
Gimpy’s.. I salute you.

This is my local liquor store, and they know us well. Believe me on that fact.
I dont find them to be very friendly… AT ALL. They usually don’t even speak, but for some reason they LOVE my BF and always make recommedations of new stuff to try for him. They usually just ignore me.
They do deliver, but when I’ve been in there and someone has been on the phone ordering for delivery they ALWAYS say that they are not delivering at that time. So… I wonder if they really deliver at all.
You can order liquor from Hurley’s (I think that is it) for delivery through
. Which is great in bad weather. I mean you got be stocked up for that upcoming snow storm right?