Thomas Liquors & Fine Wines

Selection is limited, and when compared to other area stores the prices tend to be about 20% higher. Customer service is appalling.

I called about 10 stores searching for a specific wine. My friend had a glass of it at a restaurant once and said it was hard to find-​she was not kidding! My search ended at Thomas, they found it and ordered it so it would arrive THE NEXT DAY. They set it up so that she be called when it arrived telling her she had an order for pick up-​already paid. I was shocked at how quickly this all happened. They know how to get the job done and deliver excellent customer service! I will be choosing to purchase from Thomas over the large superstore chains from now on. You just cannot beat the amazing selection and memorable customer service here.

I keep going back.
I stopped in here a few years ago around Christmas looking for 2 products in particular. In fact I read one of the items was sold at this specific store, but was told my information was way outdated. For the record, I read about it in the paper that same day.
Anyhwoo, I did find one of the things I came in looking for and a couple bottles of hard to find wine.
I left the first time and was a little bitter.
But, I like that damn hard to find wine and my husband likes one of whiskeys he cannot find anywhere else. So I keep going back. The service has greatly improved, so I’m chalking the attitude up to the fact it was the holidays and busy.

Great selection, staff is fantastic. They supplied liquor for our wedding. They delivered and not only-​picked-​up the unopened but refunded us for it.

The boo and I stopped in for the first time during a 20% off wine sale. They have a great selection. We came across Far North Spirits’ Solveig gin — I haven’t seen it anywhere else but it has a lovely, unique flavor. I also found a bottle of Chocolate Woodchuck Hard Cider which I had not seen on anyone else’s shelves.
My first experience was less than positive though. The store was a bit hectic for the sale so I understand being less than 100% friendly behind the register. I have an out-​of-​state license where my birth date can be difficult to find and I look young. The cashier ID’ed me — standard. She looked over it, I told her where to find my birthday, and took it back. She huffed and said «wait, let me see that again.» I pointed it out to her again. She huffed then slapped my ID down on the counter. She did the same when she returned my debit card. Slapping down my cards when my hand is out-​stretched might be one of the rudest, most passive-​aggressive things a cashier can do to a customer. If I have the potential to be treated like that again, I am not sure I will return even with the awesome selection.

I always thought this was more of a wine shop. My unfortunate experience of going to the beer dabbler led me to getting tickets here — so I guess there was some good to come of that disaster.
Thomas Liquors has a great selection of harder to find gin/​vodka/​whiskey/​rum. I stopped by and picked up a bottle of Solveig and Jack Rudy. Where else are you going to find that? Nowhere. That’s where.
Great selection of everything «craft» in all the different spirits/​brews.

Pretty much beer geek heaven here.
Amazing selection of craft brews.
An the friendly staff really know their hops.
Will definitely be back.

Selection of single beers isn’t awesome, but you can break six and four-​packs for singles in some cases. Not a lot of cold 22’s, but the selection is good, and I have found the prices here to be comparable, and sometimes cheaper than the nearby Ale Jail. Service is friendly, though I wish I was in with the owners or workers like some people are… There is a bit of a claustrophobia issue, but its minor and the runty carts help. Not advisable to bring an unsupervised toddler or clumsy dog with a waggy tail.

We dropped by this neighborhood shop one night about an hour before closing. First of all, they are open later than other beer/​wine stores in the area, so they are good for a last-​minute run. Secondly, they are just about as friendly as you can get. We had a few friends in town and a group of five of us went to the store. We all were making separate purchases and looking for different things.
The staff was friendly but not pushy. When we walked in (this was right before New Year’s), it became clear that one of the staff members had been offering a tasting. When one person in our party inquired about what was being sampled, the man immediately offered to open a new round of bottles for us. A+ for thoughtfulness and customer service. I really felt that was going above and beyond. We also found other members of the staff to be very knowledgeable, offering suggestions and advice about various beers.
Selection-​wise the store is well-​stocked with a good variety that covers most of the bases. But it is not a mega-​emporium and is limited due to its small size. But for the space they have, I feel they use it pretty well. Mad bonus props to the kid at the counter, who happened to grab us a box for Bell’s Two Hearted … you couldn’t pick a better box for our party!

I love this place and it is always my first stop for all beer and liquor needs.
The staff really go above and beyond for service. They are quick to check on you to see if they can help you find something when you stop in. On one occasion, I was looking for a beer that I had served when volunteering at City Pages Beer Fest, the wheat beer from Tallgrass. I saw that they had a couple other variety from Tallgrass, but I didn’t see the wheat beer which I mention when I was checking out. One of the staff, possibly the manager or owner as he was older, was like «Oh, I know the beer that you’re talking about and we have it in back as we didn’t have space in our cooler. Let me get you a six pack.» It should be noted that I didn’t know the name of, only that it was from Tallgrass and it was a wheat beer. The staff really know the products that they carry.
For the size of the store, they really carry a lot of variety, I am not a huge wine drinker, but they have a lot of options and are able to answer an questions you may have. Also, they have quite a few choices when it comes to micro-​brew and specialty beers. The prices are on course with most other liquor stores may be a little higher on a few things, but I am okay with that since it is a family owned store.
I will gladly keep coming back here for all my beer and liquor needs.

I cannot say enough nice things about Thomas Liquor. The wine selection is excellent. Their offerings range from less expensive but good wines to really expensive wines. I imagine the really expensive wines are good, but they aren’t in my budget. The beer selection doesn’t disappoint.
The thing about the staff is that they treat everyone with the same great service. It doesn’t matter if you’re buying a case of $ 100 wine or a bottle of $ 9 table wine. The staff is very knowledgeable and always give good advice based on your budget.
There is usually a wine tasting on Friday afternoons.
There’s a reason this store is a St. Paul institution. I think it’s because their prices are fair and the family really believes in customer service.
And of course, Bernie the bulldog makes me smile.

Thomas Liquors is my go-​to neighborhood spot for special bottles of wine. The staff has always been very helpful and knowledgable of their extensive stock. The wine prices range from around $ 10 and up and the variety is out of control. Besides wine there’s liquor a-​plenty and a decent selection of specialty microbrews.
A while back I visited Thomas Liquors curious to see if they had a specific bottle of wine. The only details I knew of this wine were that it’s red and there was braille on the label… and that was it – really. When the staff approached and asked if they could help, slightly embarrassed I explained what I was looking for. No kidding, within minutes I was checking out with my bottle of red with braille.
Although I come here for the booze, I keep coming back because of the staff. If I weren’t so cheap and satisfied with 3 buck chuck, I would without a doubt visit here more often

I discovered Thomas Liquors upon moving here 10+ years ago. It’s local, family owned, and provides a fantastic selection of wines and micro-​brew beers. Service is great, and the staff is smart and amiable.

This is, hands down, my favorite place to buy wine, beer or liquor in Saint Paul.
The service here is top notch — the employees couldn’t be friendlier, and they really know their stuff. Every time I’ve gone in, I’ve walked out with a new beer or wine to try, and every time, it’s been exactly what I’d wanted. They often have a couple of featured wines to try in the store, but I think that’s only on the weekends. The also have occasional sales, and they have a great selection of fine wines, microbrews and every kind of liquor you could want.
The prices here are very reasonable, ranging from the cheapest of the cheap to the moderate, to the pricey items I’ll occasionally splurge for. But it’s really the service here that keeps me coming back. I’d rather support this incredible business than go buy the cheaper alternatives at Big Top — and I’m on a college student’s budget, so that really says something.

«Oooh! Are you girls having a paarrrrty?,» says the super-​friendly clerk with the thick Minnesota accent who helps Annie D and I pick out a case of champagne. Seriously, it was like having a friend’s mom assisting us!
Everything about this liquor store rocks — the selection, the prices and the staff! Not only was our Minnesota Mom helpful, but the clerk (aka «cute liquor store guy») who checked us out and took the case out to the car couldn’t have been sweeter.
Makes me wonder — is everyone in the MSP area so nice? If so, I wanna move here!

Good service warms my heart.
When my colleague and I walked into the small shop (the one with the big mural), we asked one of the employees to point us in the direction of the champagne. She happily directed us over to the spinning racks they have and let us spin them around a little until we realized that we might just want to ask her which one she’d recommend since we’re not champagne experts. So we asked her what the best value would be (read: cheapest, but also drinkable).
After a bit of genuinely friendly chitchatting (in true Midwestern fashion), she referred us to another employee who didn’t hesitate and gave us a stellar recommendation. Totally classic bubbly: la brut cava. That just means a dry Spanish champagne.
While a third clerk ran my card, that second clerk (we shall call him cute liquor store guy) went into the back room, grabbed us a case of cava and even brought it out to my car. And all three of the folks we interacted with were simply and plainly pleasant.
My heart=warmed.

First, a caveat: I don’t give a rip about beer or wine. In the great words of Gump Worsley, «I drink whiskey» (and scotch and bourbon).
This past Spring, Surdyk’s was running a big liquor sale. I visited several liquor stores, Surdyk’s, Big Top, Grand Ave, Haskell’s and Thomas. Overall, if you only had to buy your scotch /​whiskey from Thomas ever again, you’d save money in the long run. You might find the odd bottle a buck or two higher than the other joints, but you’d also find more $ 5 cheaper, and in some cases $ 10. Some of their everyday prices were Surdyk’s sale prices (Midleton, for example). Sure, Surdyk’s might have a wider /​deeper selection, but you’ll definitely pay for it, and a decent portion of it is stuff most people will never get to purchase (like that 30 year, $ 400 bottle). Thomas has all the major examples and brands of the scotch and whiskey families like Macallan and Jameson, but they also have a few distant cousins, like Yamazaki (as seen in the Bill Murray /​Scarlett Johansson art house hit, «Lost in Translation»).
Beyond the brown boozes, I drink hard cider. Thomas carries my favorites, Strongbow and Original Sin. I first had Original Sin at The Heartland Restaurant and immediately set about finding more. Luckily my local store had it. Oh, they also have that overrated Crispin non-​carbonated-​so-​you-​have-​to-​drink-​it-​on-​ice nonsense.
Thomas is what you want out of a local store, good selection, good prices, and good staff.

My new favorite stop on Friday after work. Friendly and knowledgeable staff and selection that can’t be beat, especially if you are into small batch craft beers. And they are often sampling! Prices are fair.

aka Thomas Liquor. Mike Thomas has turned what was a keg-​centric college area liquor store into a wine mecca. Great selection of wines from under $ 10 to infinity. Lots of bottles you won’t find elsewhere. Mike and staff are always happy to offer advice/​recommendations and will order what is not in stock. Look for the biannual sale, 20% off every wine in the store. Solid beer selection as well.