State Wine Store

Because sometimes – after 7 p.m. – you need to refresh your wine supply and your perspective on human misery. This fascist liquor emporium has a dearth of one and a surfeit of the other. Also, if you aren’t trained in video game driving, don’t even attempt the parking lot.
At any rate, I hope you enjoy Columbia Crest with your stark reminder of the ravages of addiction.

This is one sad story of a place. Always homeless people & police outside. So busy, it can be difficult to find a parking space. They really NEED another downtown location to cut down on the rif raf at this one.

Anticipated getting stabbed in the parking lot, but thankfully, that was avoided.

This liquor store is one of the busier locations in the valley. It gets especially crazy on weekend evenings.
There is always a police presence, which may or may not make you feel safe.
I prefer to go here during daylight hours, if at all.

Damn, if you want to drink in this city your are going to pay for it, seriously!
Utah does not play when it comes to alcohol and if you want it your gonna pay!
This location is one of the better places as far as selections go. Be ready to purchase each bottle of beer individually unless you buy their low grade bundle of crap they call 6 packs. Anywhooo, no sense in beating a dead horse, the law is the law and if you want alcohol around here your gonna pay.
Parking is tight and dang they have some homeless people in Utah. You may not think it given the cold long winters but they have a great deal and it appears that some hang around this area. Ugh so sad

Pretty small store, but they’ve got all the necessities! At least in terms of wine…
They even had some Utah local wines that I tried. Not the best wines I’ve had, but all in all their selection was pretty darn good. My friends and I were just visiting but compared to Northern California prices, the price per bottle in Utah was definitely jacked up a few $$ per bottle (for example, a $ 10 bottle in California was $ 13 at this store).
They did have some specials though that made the wines regularly priced. It’s also a pretty small store, but a solid stop if you’re not looking for anything too particular.
ALSO, they open at 11 am, even though when I checked Unilocal it said 10 am. And there was definitely an influx of people right at opening hour!

Small store with really bad parking problems. Back into your parking spot because it will be hard to see to get out without an accident.
Since it is small there is a limited selection but a good location to pop into for some booze.
Utah needs to find a new location for this store in the same neighborhood.

Since the state liquor store is one of the few places you can go to make your adult bottled drink purchases, what’s there to complain about when it is what it is? Yeah, I get that this place can get really crazy busy on certain evenings, so finding a parking spot can be tough and the checkout lines are sometimes long. But the employees here do the best they can to get you in and out as quickly as possible so you can enjoy that drink in no time.

This is a crazy liquor store. It felt frenzied and a little unsafe… I’ve never experienced anything like it. The parking lot was insane (but I expect that from SLC drivers by now. I come from So Cal and have driven in some major metropolis areas, including most of the OC, Downtown LA and surrounding areas but nothing compared to the rudeness we encountered in SLC). I couldn’t wait to make our purchases and get the heck outta there!
Prices were expensive compared to what I could get at home. Service is truly nothing to write home about.

Parking is a shit show and once you do park you have to wade thru all the homeless begging you for something. Once inside, it doesnt get much better. Being a woman by myself, i was scared by the patrons, HA! This is a grab and go place. I didnt feel comfortable to look around. Scarier to walk back to your car especially with alcohol. PASS

Yes, I am a wine snob, but I can’t believe a place that calls itself a wine store has so much wine, but it is all crap wine!!! I’m not saying I need $ 100 bottles, but when the largest priced wine is less than $ 20 (even though the store has TONS of wine) it’s disheartening. The wine quality here is terrible!

This has to be the best store in the state. A full selection of all beer, wine and spirits with an emphasis on wine. ~m

Haha, I’ve been to this location a few times, and yes, out of desperation, Eve. Well, sort of, I have only been to this location in the daytime, because I do happen to have a mild phobia of encountering drunken transients. The reason I do come here though, is that it is in the downtown area, somewhat close to work, and kind of on the way home before I get onto the freeway. Again, I’m still fairly new to alcohol, so I’m not very well versed in selection, but every time I have had to get something for a party, it’s been there. (I am starting to get tired of me and all of my friends turning 21 you know…).
Because I always go during the traffic rush home, parking has always been easy. I always make sure to park my car in clear view from any point inside the store because I am paranoid that a homeless person will do something to it. This store is also fairly good about IDing, which makes me so much more comfortable than its West side counterparts. Anyways, only come here if you absolutely need to.

This actually needs some explanation. Beer in Utah supermarkets is weak; two and a half percent alcohol instead of the normal six points of alcohol. It is the religious influence, and it is a pain in the ass. To me, it makes no sense. If you have alcohol, you have alcohol. So why two point five instead of six? You know a drunk’s just going to drink twice as many beers to get drunk. Therefore, not only do you have a drunk on your hands but also you got a drunk who is fat and gross. There is nothing worse. Therefore, if you want real beer, you have two choices:
Choice A, the state-​run liquor store. You see, you can buy regular beer here. There are not many stores in Salt Lake City to buy it. In addition, their hours suck. Oppression. In addition, these were the only places to buy any alcohol outside of private clubs. Who can afford those, except for people like my dad?
Choice B, Wyoming. The state line was one hour and one-​half, a short ride to Evanston, Wyoming where you could get booze like a free man, like boozers used to go to Canada for the poison during Prohibition.
This downtown liquor store has wide aisles and the selection seems a good. The parking lot is pretty cramped, though, and the lines can be long in the evening. For the most part, the employees have a good sense of humor and are good at moving things along. Good location to know about if you are cruising State Street and want to catch a buzz.