Hollywood Pantry

I’ve started coming here more frequently and have a different opinion of the store. They have a lot of craft beer and any kind of liquor you would need. The guys who work there are nice and we chat about neighborhood news often. The prices are a bit high, but it’s a privately owned store so that’s understandable.

Usually I don’t review places that aren’t restaurants, but wanted to say they were the real MVP for being open on Christmas… Or maybe not? Although I’m not sure of their employee conditions for being open on a major national holiday, they did come in clutch when my friends and I decided to grab some alcohol for our post-​Christmas celebrations.
The man at the cashier was very, very nice and joked along with my friend and I as we were checking out! As far as the alcohol selection goes, it’s pretty vast and they sell other things like hygiene products, soda, and snacks without having outrageously marked up prices.

PROCEED WITH CAUTION. this place changes management frequently and the latest group is no good. i have been overcharged 2 times, in both cases i had to request a receipt, one was not offered to me.
i just challenged the cashier about the discrepancy between the sticker price and what i was charged and i was told that all sales are final. guess i’ll be spending the weekend writing letters.

I’ve lived in Edgewater forever, never been in here. And I live a block and a half away. What a delightful surprise the jam packed beer cases were! Many of my favs and others I’d like to try. No more trekking to Binny’s for me, hooray! Decent liquor selection, glad to know in case of a booze emergency.

Ever since the remodel, this has been our «go to» place for beer and sundry items. They have a decent selection for a store of its size and the owners and staff always share their good humor.

I kept forgetting that this place existed until my husband and I went here to get some beer.
VERY impressive beer selection for such a small joint! Their Belgians made me swoon. If you like lots of beers (foreign and domestic) this place is pretty great.

As far as corner stores go, Hollywood Pantry is as good as it gets. They have a great selection of wine and specialty beer, along with a small but extremely well stocked grocery section. The place is immaculately clean and the owners are some of the nicest business owners in Edgewater. Saying it’s location is convenient is an understatement. If you live in the neighborhood and need to pick up something quick you didn’t get at Jewel, or if you need a good beer that Jewel wouldn’t even carry, stop by Hollywood Pantry. I love this place!

Edgewater is SOOO lacking in good craft beer selection. Thankfully we have this place to fill that niche! We had no idea it was so close to us, until we stopped in tonight. My Bell’s six-​pack was $ 12 before tax, which is definitely high, but I’m not bummed. Other prices looked decent and frankly there’s nothing else in the ‘hood that compares!

I went to Hollywood Pantry today to buy a bottle of wine. What I remember most about my visit is how one of the store employees conspicuously followed me around to make sure I didn’t steal anything. That was a turnoff for me — I won’t be going back.

Reopened all shiny and new! Same corner store feel and same corner store taste. But now with a deli!
Apparently the old owner teamed up with a new one and what a difference it has made! Before it looked almost post apocalyptic… barren shelves except for a few scraps and of course condiments, coolers that carried a few bottles of beer (but never a full six pack) and I think some Gatorade (but with no labels so???), and wine racks a few reds and a few whites but all pretty much labeled with «nasty headache in the morning» brands.
Now they are fully stocked with all kinds of items, I bet you could even make a full dinner with all that they carry. Plus, the deli counter is full of really nice cheeses and meats. The wine and cooler racks are almost overflowing with a selection to match even Binny’s though I wished that they stocked more ciders. Pricing varies but you can always find something with in your budget.
The only thing that hasn’t changed is the service; they have ALWAYS been super nice here. Also, they are very good about knowing if you’re up for a chat or to leave you alone because you’re just popping in and out. Whoever is working the counter is more then happy to hear your opinion on their wine selection.
*** They have wine tastings paired with some cheese and crackers on certain nights. Check them out!

i’m being nice for giving this place two stars, and i do it only because i went in there and the dude behind the counter was pretty friendly.
this place needs to get it together. prime liquor/​beer location and instead they half-​stock this tiny store with weird canned goods and display shelves (most of the display shelves proudly showing… nothing). empty wine bins? empty coolers? no thanks. the beer selection is over priced and really random (not in a good way). but if you need some all-​night-​stamina pills they’ve got quite the impressive collection.
but the WORST? they have hours they conveniently post when they decide to follow by them. want to stop by because you saw they were open until midnight? no, don’t do that, because the store hours signs will be «missing» like elizabeth smart. but with more tears on my end, and no made-​for-​tv movie.

If you tried going to Hollywood Pantry a couple months ago you either noticed that the selection was down to one bottle of Absolute vodka and some Charles Shaw merlot or they were just flat out closed. I don’t know what happened but they have reopened under new management and the wine selection is back!

As someone recently mentioned Cosmo is quite hard to miss if you even walk by this great little corner store. The owner (s), various family members etc. are the kindest people I’ve met this over my 2 year stint of living around the corner from the place.
Oh and wait other reasons they’re so awesome: 16 inches of snow? Oh the store owner’s dad shoveled my car out for me.
Regional beers to remind me of home, also available.
Best part, you can take your dog inside, but Cosmo is quite the lady’s man… and sadly my little dog is only about 9 lbs… you can only guess how that could turn out if I wasn’t so careful w/​her when in the store.
Aside from just being all around awesome people, it’s a good place to stock up on liquor, beer and random things you may want on a weird Saturday morning like blueberry pancake mix.

Picture it. December 24, 2008, North Broadway Jewel parking lot. (this should be read in a Sophia Petrillo voice)
At the very last minute, I am invited out to have Chinese food with one of Chicago’s most respected WFMT radio hosts. Of course, I am not going to say «no» to this.
I volunteer to bring a few bottles of wine.
I walk to the Jewel, only to realize that the store was closed! On December 24^th… but why? I glanced at my watch… and couldn’t believe it was already closed at 7pm. Then a homeless person wished me a Merry Christmas. Oh yeah. This is a holiday.
SO, I walked all the way to the Hollywood Pantry, in hopes that:
a)it was owned by a non-​Christmas celebrator
b)if it was owned by a Christmas celebrator, it would be open
c)they would sell good wine
d)they would accept a debit card
e)that I wouldn’t be really late for dinner
I scored two bottles of Cab-​Sauv, and walked as fast as I could on the icey sidewalks to meet my dinner partner.
The store was super clean, and while the selection wasn’t «amazing», it was really nice… in fact, it made picking out a few bottles of wine even easier for me. For the first time visitor, the store is on an angle, and doesn’t actually face the street! Don’t miss it!
The clerk (who I am going to assume owns it) was pleased to see me, greeted me warmly, and quickly rang me out when I told him I was going to be running late for dinner… and wished me happy holidays.
I liked the non-​denominational well wish.
This place can expect my patronage again.
Thank you Hollywood Pantry for keeping 2 nice Jewish men in booze on Christmas Eve.
p. s. The Chinese food was super yum (Mei Shung), and my dinner conversation was amazing.

This is the friendliest corner store on the planet, and I have been to quite a few corner stores in my day. I feel like I am friends with the family that owns the store, as well as some of the other customers who come here.
«That’s all well and good, Layne, but I’ve got plenty of friends», you say.
That’s true, you do have plenty of friends. But do you have plenty of tasty beer, wine, and ice cream?
If you don’t, then Hollywood Pantry is the place for you. They have an excellent selection of wines, and beer (though sometimes on Fridays, the cooler gets a little picked over). They have weekly wine tastings on Fridays, so you can learn about new bottles you may want to buy. They are also open to suggestions for new beer and wine they can carry (and my SO and I have a lot of suggestions).
Hollywood pantry is just a solid store, they have a great selection that is improving with time — and they have amazing owners and customers — it makes me feel like I am more part of my neighborhood when I go here. When was the last time a corner store did that?

Thank you Unilocalers. Had it not been for you, I’d never know this great little place was within walking distance!
So what did I think?
1. I think that one needs to know it can be deadly trying to get here from the north side of Ridge. My husband and I are traffic dodgers, but even we pros couldn’t find a break in the Ridge freeway traffic. So we had to sort of loop around to get to cross the street. A minor thing to note, certainly. But seriously, bring an orange vest if you’re coming down through the neighborhood to the north.
2. The space… you’d almost miss it as it doesn’t seem to directly flank Ridge. I’m so glad I had the photo on Unilocal to reference! And then, you go in and it’s… SO empty and barren feeling. Good thing the wines greet you pretty much right away.
3. The selection of beer and wines? AWESOME even if not expansive. I was tempted by much more than we bought. We got two bottles of wines from a region we’re currently exploring; for 10 bucks each it was a good deal. But it’s worth knowing that most wines in the store are more in the 15 – 30 dollar range. Which of course is great if you’re looking for interesting and good wines. But you know, FYI.
4. Good selection of chilled whites, which I always appreciate. And almost all of the beer was sold cold. A minor but for me a very significant point.
5. The owner was most certainly friendly, but he was so immersed in the TV show he was watching on CW that we didn’t get a lot of interaction with him. That’s OK though. It was kinda cute and he was nothing but warm and friendly when he wasn’t enthralled with his show.
6. Peanut butter M&Ms were being sold at the counter. I’m just sayin’…
All in all, the price and location is both a setback… and the very thing that makes it worth the trip.

This is my favorite convenience store! Jimmy and his dad make us feel like family. They even collect our packages for us when we are not around. Now that they have started carrying liquor, they have become a favorite stop for the neighborhood. Becoming one of the only liquor stores in Edgewater. Not to mention all the other great things that they always have on hand. This place is fantastic and I always feel welcome shopping there.

For a corner store, this place is awesome. I moved away for almost a year and they recognized me the first time I came in again after I moved back. They carry all the things you might go to walgreens for, but it just seems like they really try to cater to the neighborhood.