Great selection but insane prices. The only way I could justify buying anything here would be if it were open 24 hours and I needed something in the middle of the night (it's not...). read more

since the store has a new owner the customer service has been bad I called today and was hung up on the continued to call to check on an item. still no one picked up in addition they sent me to a voice mail box that was full. I drive from lakeside to buy items from south Africa been shopping there for 17 years. not any more. read more

Store under renovation and prices are no bargain. The gentleman in charge is very nice and helpful.

Went in to store guy working at counter looked at me as if ... When I came up to pay with my purchase, he asked for my ID as if I was under age. Okay , whatever.. showed my government issued drivers license , he harassed me as if it wasn't real. Dude I am 46 WTF. Just rude, unkempt store. Bunch of underage kids on e bikes buying vapes in the store. Come on get real! Where's the ABC when you need them? read more

Service! Very well organized and when I bought 4 Ritter Sport corn flake chocolate bars next time in the store 30 days later the proprietor tells me the moment I walk through he has lots of Ritter Sport CORNFLAKE chocolate bars on the shelf. That is a good memory. read more

Carmel Liquor Store - a packet of ritter sport cornflakes - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - San Diego, California

Best little convenience store I've had the pleasure to frequent for many years. The owners are always so bright and the service is amazing. Unique variety of snacks as well. It really doesn't get much better read more

Wonderful little store. Amazing owners and customer service. Proud customer of 6+ years

This is my go-to place for snacks and, well, ya know... booze The guys that own/run/manage this place are so sweet and friendly! I hope everyone comes here and gives these guys business!!! They are the greatest!! read more

Amazing Imported chocolate and candy selection! Uk, Australian, German, South African, Italian, Swiss, Japanese, you name it, they probably have it! Super nice guys who run the place! Will come back regularly for sure! read more

Carmel Liquor Store - Candy chocolate gummies - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - San Diego, California

These guys are so nice, always have a smile on their face when you walk in you really feel like you're in a local neighborhood store. Hard to make this kind of feeling in a big neighborhood very happy to shop here for the little things i need around the house read more

Definitely A hidden gem!!!! Amazing prices and will religiously be going to the shop Chwad OUT

Something is horribly wrong with Carmel Liquor Store and it hits you like a sack of doorknobs the moment you cross the dingy threshold and begin to wander around the musty bowels of this depressing repository of useless products. I would honestly think twice about sandbagging this catacomb of a liquor store and holing up as a last resort shelter in a zombie apocalypse. Explaining this weird little slice of hell is difficult so please bear with me. Upon arriving you immediately take in the rank, musty atmosphere. It's sort of like how I imagine unearthing an ancient Egyptian tomb and being the first person to breathe this particular air in over 2000 years would feel. The main difference is that ancient Egyptian tombs involve much less dust and the mummified cashier hunched over behind the counter at Carmel Liquor Store is still alive (physically anyway). The long narrow entryway against the front counter is no doubt a crude effort to deter shoplifters. This is exceedingly bizarre because no sane man woman or child - no matter how socially depraved - would ever steal this strange crap. Whoever chose these products did not stop at merely four varieties of generic Vegemite or just a few heaps of grubby candy bars you've never heard of, they took weirdness to a whole new level. Some of the highlights of the near barren shelves include pyramids of antique energy drinks, a Pope John Paul II candle, broken clock radios, a human-sized rusty steal cage, and Post-it notes scrawled with the gibberish of a deranged and tortured soul affixed to most flat surfaces. There is even a decrepit wet bar and kitchenette along the back wall but I think it's safe to say that the only entertaining done here is with inner demons. There are mangled cardboard boxes lying around and a handful of them house expired oddities not worthy of a circus freak show concessions stand. It's as if looters tore through this place and left only some of the foulest of condiments I have ever seen and things that could instantly be identified as worthless in their wake. There's nothing here that you can't find at any abandoned scrapyard and certainly nothing that you should eat and hope to digest properly. People that live near this place seem to know better than to enter this liquor store of bad decisions and shattered dreams. The only clientele I observed were a few day laborers buying terrible beer, an inebriated teenager staggering around with his skateboard, and an aloof consumer who appeared to have both male and female secondary sexual characteristics. One can only marvel at how any liquor store proprietor could display so few products for sale but still fit the accepted criteria of a hoarder. Questions about what could have not just sapped the entrepreneurial zeal of the Carmel Liquor Store's owner but caused him to unequivocally stop giving a fuck are better saved for all the therapy that will undoubtedly be needed in your future if you hang around this place too long. read more

Came here because word of mouth told me that there was South African and English candies, biltong, and droewors at this liquor store in Carmel valley. And indeed there are! One full aisle of Maynard candies, Cadbury chocolates, jams, and meat. The biltong looked ok.. Had the hard texture of biltong that is pre packaged. I say that because I only buy in LA from the sausage kitchen. But something caught my eye with the droewors so I gave it a try. It was REALLY good. So easy to just keep eating .. Easy to break .. And the flavor was on point. 8 oz is about $15-16. I'll definitely be picking some up when I am in the area! read more

Carmel Liquor Store - a hand holding a bag of liquor sticks - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - San Diego, California

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i haven't been in here for over 20 years. i was nearby and really wanted a sparkling water... wow has this place changed! so new owners...as of about 5 years ago.. back in the day...shelves were empty and dusty...i don't know how it survived.. now ...stocked!!! and clean =) amazing selection of adult beverages and the markup isn't too horrible (considering the location) i would have like to see a better selection of sparkling waters...my choice was perrier or pellegrino. would have liked to see a canned version. will absolutely take advantage of this place in a pinch (i'm well stocked at home myself).... nice improvements here! read more

I was in a panic trying to organize a [last minute] surprise for my parents' 30th wedding anniversary all the way from Virginia. My goal was to have champagne waiting in their room when they checked in. The hotel was kind and accommodating but unable to take payment over the phone, meaning they would have to charge the champagne to the room. I was able to coordinate with the VERY friendly staff at Carmel Liquor Store and the awesome florist, Del Mar Floral & Gifts, to have champagne and flowers delivered to the hotel, same day, within a couple of hours. The gentleman who helped me was able to recommend a selection of champagne, took my payment information, and then immediately walked the bottle of champagne a few doors down to the florist. He was so helpful and sweet and even commented on the thoughtfulness of the plan. So impressed and can't thank you guys enough for helping me out to make this trip extra special for my mom and dad! Thank you! read more

Love this store. Friendly and lots of choice verity of items from candy to fine wines. Great go to store for most last minute items. Open till 10pm. Awesome stock of imported items from England & South Africa. read more

I love this place! In north county authentic mom and pop style liquor stores aren't very common. Especially in the Del Mar Heights area. This place is PERFECT when you want those small items but do not want to wait in a long line at the grocery store or deal with horrendous parking situations. They have a great assortment of snacks and candies that you will not find outside of a liquor store as well! They also have a huge wine and beer selection to go along with whatever necessity your significant other sent you to pick up lol. The owners are always super nice as well. read more

This liquor store has a great location. In a small strip mall with ample parking just a few feet from the front door. As they say in real estate: "Location! Location! Location!" Their shelves are stocked with the usual convenience store items and also with a number of English and South African foods. I picked up a package mix for Yorkshire Pudding here (an impulse) but have yet to whip it up. The employees are generally pretty good....so long as you happen in when the owner is not working. The owner can be a real little sourpuss. read more

My go to liquor store. Especially since it's right across the street from my house. Perfect location to pick up wine, beer or a few quick snacks. The store isn't that big but carries the staples. Parking is pretty decent since its in a small shopping center. Like i said its my go to liquor store. Probably head there tonight! :-) read more

Whoooaah there Euro-Cowboy, you can't be running through the store all hurry-scurry like, picking up every single Euro item you see. You're trampling all over the other patrons in your excitement! At least that's how I felt when I walked in there. We hit the Euro candy jackpot!! Kinder, Cadbury, Galaxy, all chocolates from all over the world. They weren't cadbury bars made in the US (or Mexico), they were Cadbury bars from Euuurrrope! When I got home, I realized one chocolate bar I bought was made in Germany, one in Ireland, and one somewhere in the Arab world (it was half in Arabic). There were Maltese balls too! Blah blah they also have alcohol selections that are priced fairly, including the Ballast Point Bloody Mary mix (mmm). The only thing I'd add would be the Ballast Point Mai Tai mix (double mmmm). The store is impeccably clean, the guy who runs the register is nice. Who knew? Maybe this place changed ownership, or maybe they just responded to that guys Yelp review a few years ago. Either way, this place will definitely be in my rotation! read more

Carmel liquor store gets 6 stars for being the only place that stayed open during the socal-wide power outage. Even Ralphs and Riteaid down the street couldn't wait to pull down the gates on the door to shun people away soooo terrified that looters will come ruin their store. Instead of closing their stores in the times of hardship (who knew it was going to be limited 12 hour outage), carmel liquor store stayed open in the dark serving the community. Ralphs was too worried about their own profit than helping out the community. In the end, we are both winners. The store probably made load more money than ever and people in the area were able to stock up on food, water, ice and what else - liquor for their BBQ-in-the-dark-party. read more

Love Carmel Valley Liquor Store. It has many South African products, and British products that you can't get anywhere else. The guys who own the store are very friendly. It is clean and convenient to get to. read more

LOVE THIS PLACE! It's cute, they have a great selection of treats from around the world. Local craft beer and liquor. Super friendly owners. My absolute go to place. read more

Here's a relevant multiple-choice question: How to reconcile the wildly conflicting opinions of Carmel Liquor from perceptive Yelpers Dana M (4 stars, "We hit the Euro candy jackpot!!"), and Tony G (1 star, "...musty bowels of this depressing repository of useless products.")??? A) At least one is confused and they're not actually describing the same store. B) The shop, stricken with some bizarre Jekyll-and-Hyde affliction, looked fine when Dana arrived on a good, Dr Jekyll day, but horrible when Tony crossed the "dingy threshold" of the place on a rancid, Mr Hyde day. C) The store used to be awful but was purchased by two friendly guys who cleaned it up and turned it into a nice, little, neighborhood convenience store. Bingo! You're correct if you guessed C). You win an honorary degree in Skateboard Science from Torrey Pines High School. ------------------- I hadn't been there in 2-3 years and was shocked by the transformation. If you live in the neighborhood and were repelled by its former incarnation, take another look. The dank and dusty air, the half-stocked shelves, the weird selection of items with long-past "best-by" dates and the grumpy, rude former owners are all gone. I only gave it 4 stars since I usually just zip in, grab a 6-pack of my favorite beer and zip back out. But it's clean, friendly and well-stocked with beer, wine, liquor and various other convenience-store stuff. read more

This is a lovely little shop that stocks all sorts of unusual foods and supplies, including some nice things from England. The owners are most helpful, and will even order in a tray of foods from abroad at very reasonable price. Great little local shop. read more

I have to echo Gary B.'s review. The current owners took possession a year ago last September, so it is entirely reasonable to describe what has happened since as a significant transformation. The liquor selection is pretty good, the owner is accommodating and will order specials for you, and they are still working on improving. The wine selection is pretty good, the snacks/sweets selection is extraordinary, and the beer/pop/energy drink selection is very good as well. But the reality is that supporting a local business makes sense, particularly when that business is taking steps and making strides to improve. These two guys can't help that they inherited a bad image, but they are clearly doing all they can to overcome it. I can get behind that. For what it's worth, I believe you should check them out. read more

Great shop, nice people, and a small but amazing collection of European cookies, candies and jellies.

I recently went here and this old woman jumped up from her seat as soon as I got here and was staring down my 6 year old daughter every second she was in the store causing her to be very uncomfortable. There prices are through the roof and the employees have an attitude you will remember. read more