Famous Liquors

It’s the little things. I wish I knew who the clerk that was chatty and friendly and when she found out I was making a fancy beef stew aka beef bourguignon mentioned that she had had the dish served over tater tots! We served ours that way and it was excellent. Thanks!

I go here almost every other day for wine (DON’T JUDGE ME, LOL). I go here because they have my preference wine cold & fresh. It’s reasonably priced, and they’re pretty close to my home. Most of the clerks are nice, there is this 1 clerk that serves me most of the time and she just seems to hate life or her job or maybe both. They should have her in the back!!! That’s why I didn’t give them 5 stars because she annoys me. Other than that they have wine tastings and a nice snack section that I’ve purchased numerous items from. Check them out. They have good prices!

The locally owned equivalent to Binny’s if not in size then certainly in knowledge… though it is a big space with a ton of offerings. Staff are ridiculously well informed which make the ‘not so much or averagely informed’ just a bit moreso once you leave this place.
They’ll get my business every time Full Stop

I like the fruity, niche adult beverages. They are often hard to find at the corner liquor store establishments because they are less popular. Chances are if you are stopping for a quickie, you are looking for something besides Mike’s Hard Limeade or Grapefruit flavored beer.
Well, regardless of your preferred spirit of choice, Famous Liquors has what you need. My fruity refreshers, 20 year Scotch, beer, hard liquor, snacks, cheese and so much more. The hours are late considering most establishments in the area often close well before 10p on week nights.

Really has stepped up the craft beer game. Dan knows his stuff and is very helpful. I just moved from the area, but this was my go to beer stop.
Regular supply of all local brews. Can be depended on for limited or seasonal releases, you just have to be a loyal customer to know what they have fresh in the back.

My go-​to craft beer store. Since moving into Oak Park I’ve rarely stepped foot in a Binnys. In just the past year they have grown the craft beer selection to a mind-​numbing amount of options given that the beer is still mostly configured to a few aisles. I literally pace the store trying to narrow down what to purchase each time I go. They also have a large selection of refrigerated six-​packs and individual bombers which are perfect for the numerous BYOB eateries along Madison, but these usually just end up back in my fridge or cellar.

HUGE store with a huge selection of wine and beer. The cheese case seemed a little small for the fact it’s called a liquor and cheese shop.
I apparently don’t go to liquor stores on Fridays, because I was so shocked at how busy this place was! Clearly everyone was ready for the weekend! They had two cashiers open to keep the lines moving. The cashier was helpful in answering the question we had and even went as far to tell us what distributor our item came from and why it was out of stock.
If you want to feel like a kid in a candy shop, try this place out!

Been shopping at Famous it seems like forever. They always have a nice selection of Wines, Beer and Spirits. Many of my craft beer fanatic friends rave about the selection and make regular drives from the city and the surrounding ‘burbs to check out what they have. While I’m not a total craft beer geek I have to admit they definitely keep their fingers on the pulse on what’s hot in the craft beer world.
Their wine section is large and very underrated and they have regular wine and cheese tastings which are nice (they also had a big craft beer tasting a couple months back which was awesome).
The staff has always been friendly and very knowledgeable especially when it come to wine and beer. Their prices are for the most part on par with Binny’s but their Scotches and Whiskies tend to be a bit more expensive but not outlandish.
If you live in the area and want to try someplace other then Binny’s, or are a craft beer fanatic definitely check out Famous.

Famous has a great craft beer selection! I can get my beloved Abita in any flavor! They also have a great selection of wine and liquors. The staff is very friendly and helpful.
I do like Binny’s and it is a tad closer to home… but Famous is superior in every way and worth the extra two miles.

I almost don’t want to write a review, because I don’t want anyone to grab up the craft beer there. The liquor and wine are fine, but the craft beer selection is awesome and very inexpensive. Founders is almost always on sale for 7.99. Try finding that at a normal place. Very approachable staff ready to answer beer questions, always great seasonal stock, and weirdly low prices. Best liquor store ever.

I went in to the store to get 2 items. They would not sell me them because they said that someone was buying the same thing that didn’t have an ID. They were rude and treated me like a criminal.
I would have expected them to be professionals.

Excellent wine selection of domestic and international wines. Jeff is the wine expert extremely knowledgable on mid to top end wines, drinkability and how long you may want to hold them. He does his own rating taking into account price which is a nice addition.

Super, super friendly staff with a great selection of wines, beer, and other alcohol. They also have regular wine tastings and fun promotions. Great spot!

Have been a fan of this place since I moved to the area in ’96. Great selection of beers and solid selection of wines. Hard Liquor selection is also impressive, oh, and they pop popcorn on Saturdays and it really is THAT good that I have to mention it. Best 2 dollars you will spend in the place is on the popcorn.

Best store of its kind in the immediate area. My ex likes wine and has had some good advice and service from the guy in the wine department.
On Saturdays they often have tastings. I remember once they were tasting whiskeys. I am not typically a whiskey drinker, but I tried some unexpectedly tasty samples, and ended up buying a bottle of Speyside whiskey. I also learned quite a bit from the server who was himself very knowledgeable.
They don’t have the massive selection of Binny’s on North Ave., but they have enough at Famous to keep me coming back.

I’ll admit, I was pretty cautious about going to a store with a name like «famous liquors» but I was pleasantly surprised. I’ve been shopping here for a few years now and have always been satisfied with the selection and the service. As the name suggests, they have a large selection of liquor. Also a decent selection of beer. I mostly come here for wine.
They used to be affiliated with discount wine centers, but got dropped in the fall of 2012. Now they have their own wine purchaser who runs the wine section independently. The wine section takes up about half the store (which is large), and is arranged by region. They have mostly moderately priced wines $ 10-​$ 20, but I’ve gotten some amazing bottles for less than $ 10. There is almost always one of the wine guys walking around. Ask for their opinion! They love to talk about wine and make recommendations. The other nice thing is they have lots of third party (as well as in-​house) wine reviews attached next to the bottles, so if no one is around you can see what kind of rating/​descriptions the wines got.
I used famous liquors for our wedding booze. I found really good red and white wine for less than $ 9 a bottle. They had fair pricing on beer as well. They deliver on time. They pre-​cool the white wine and beer for free. The most amazing part is you can return your unopened bottles for a FULL REFUND after your event. No restocking fee.

This liquor store and I are now in love. We may get married soon. Smooch Smooch.
So glad this place is close to my house. The checkout ladies are always so friendly and welcoming. The place is a riot on the weekends when they have wine tastings. During ribfest that had a whole outside setup.
The wine selection (as I finally discovered) is fantastic. Rows and rows of goodness. This is my go-​to place for all sorts of libations. If you haven’t stopped by, I suggest you do.

1^st visit asked clerk for a white wine recommendation and he did a dynamite job selecting out a nice pinot grigio for $ 7. Invited us back for a wine tasting, friendly service, well stocked and clean. Highly recommended.

Huzzah! A liquor store located just down the street from so many of Oak and Forest Park’s BYOB eateries… aaaand it has a parking lot! A BIG ONE.
Decent selection of craft beer, though most of it is on the unrefrigerated shelves and not so convenient for BYOBing, but luckily they do have a wine selection large enough to feed the masses. No disappointment there– but wine really isn’t my thing.
We did find a few select limited edition bombers perfect for tying one on at a Thai food joint just up the street and the price was fair. If in the area an unprepared (what’s new, CG?) for a night of BYOBing with friends, coworkers, or family I know I can count on FL to have my back.

Famous Liquors/​Wine Discount Center is the best place to buy wine in the Chicago area. That’s saying a lot as there are tons of places around here. Binny’s does have more wine on their shelves but you better go there knowing exactly what you want because there’s very little assistance at the shelf. And when you do get help, Binny’s sommelier-​style assistance can be a bit abrasive and snooty for my taste.
The Famous staff are excellent help and approachable to boot. Almost every wine they sell has a descriptive sign with the Famous review and score of the wine along with the national publication scores. It’s the perfect way to learn about a wine and make a good decision.
I don’t think Binny’s is cheaper necessarily. You can find some things cheaper at times, but others not so much. Famous is generally cheaper on well-​rated (we’re talking 90+ Robert Parker), affordable wine in the $ 9-​$ 24 per bottle range.
Famous has a wine email list and blog — fantastic for learning about their new, different, and hard-​to-​find wines. You can reserve what you wish and pickup at your local Famous. Sweet!
The selection, personal attention, and passion is evident at Famous. Add in super affordable and it’s a winning combo.