I've been coming here for years now. Every employee makes an effort to make a personal connection that keeps me coming back. The selection is great and the deals are great and the employees will help you out with suggestions and look out for you. It's not just your neighborhood store it's your neighbors read more

Excellent customer service, great selection of scotch, bourbon, tequila, pretty much everything you can think of. 10% discount for paying cash on .750 or larger bottles of liquor read more

This is the place. Best of, Numero Uno, OG cool, knowledge based, liquor masters of Central IOWA. The selection is great and the staff is amazingly fast with service and answers. BTW, If there is something you really have to have in liquor and don't see it, they can usually find it. #1 read more

I got off the plane in the morning and the first thing I did was pull up my trusty Yelp app, type in the word liquor store and presto! Central liquors pops up, I browse those reviews and make phone call to ensure they had what I needed. They were instantly able to give me yes or no answers so I set my GPS and way I went through the street of Des Moines. As the other reviewers have noted it looks like a seedy place from the outside. 1 step through doors it's quite the contrary. They have tons of things and prices really are great. I had the distinct honor of meeting Tom the owner, he is quite a character. He has owned this business over 30 years and knows it inside and out. He was not afraid to tell me that he knew what the Google was, but he had no idea what the Yelp was. Yes, he said The Yelp. Almost made it sound like some kind of social disease, and if you think about it, it is social. Tom was great and gave me a tour of the store and even showed me his personal computer and all 5 bookmarks he had. The reason I met Tom is because they had a Yelp deal posted. He had no idea what it was or how it got there. Once I stepped outside and could activate the deal I could show him it was the same as was on his personal website he was so proud of. I will certainly stop back to see Tom when I return to Des Moines this summer. read more

Awesome local store with a great selection and helpful staff. Prices reasonable and loyalty appreciated. We were just passing through but definitely a place to shop when in the area. read more

Best selection, responsive to requests, competitive prices. It's just the most important liquor store in the Des Moines area.

Do NOT judge this book by the cover!! The most amazing liquor store I have seen on the planet. Todd was fantastic and quite knowledgable. If you like booze THIS is the place to go. Highly recommended! Instagram - BoozeByRob read more

See all

Love this place, today(12/20/2019) was the lottery drawing in the whiskey vault of all their high-end whiskey that they sell at retail to their regular customers.Some whiskeys they only get two or three bottles of and they save them for this lottery. Maybe the best selection for whiskey, rye, Irish whiskey and scotch in Iowa one of the best I've seen anywhere. They had a sampling of their Paddy van Winkle bourbon too.... Rather than sell the only bottle they get at an outrageous price. They give half shots to 50 regular customers.... It's a Des Moines Gem... The owners are very knowledgeable about all kinds of spirits always love going talkin about Irish whiskey with them... There are young people there they're also on staff I'm not sure if they're both sons but I know one is and they're just really knowledgeable about spirits. They are never arrogant. They have tastings from time to time and they always have a tasting cabinet filled with some very fine Scotch rye and whiskey. They have a great selection of cordials for those mixed drinks that you want to do, dirty cherries for Manhattans and a really fine selection of vodka and tequila. they do have a a reasonable selection of regular beers and craft beers but by far they have the outstanding collection of spirits. If you've never been you should go just for a field trip. read more

This is liquor store in the metro. Everything is always priced right. The weekly deals are outstanding. The customer service is second to none. I'd give it six stars if I could. This is a "Must" visit. read more

This place has, by far, the best selection of liquors in central Iowa. On top of that, they actually know the trade, and they're more than willing to answer any questions you might have-- Brad is a knowledgeable guy. For example, in my search for the new Infinium ale from the Boston Brewery, right away they knew what it was and exactly when they were getting it. NONE of the other places I've stopped at have had any idea of what Infinium ale even is. This scored major points. On top of that, I was able to get what is probably the last bottle of Del Dueno in existence in the state of Iowa. I have been looking for this for 4 years but had assumed it had been all bought up. Don't let the location fool you. This is probably one of the friendliest liquor stores you might ever set foot in. Other stores make you feel like you're constantly being watched and should feel guilty about something. Here, they're helpful and friendly because they want you to comfortably do what you're their to do: buy stuff. Also, check out their Facebook page for great deals. Their prices are already competitively priced, but the specials/deals make this place THE place to go. This place has earned my business. read more

GREAT selection and employees are very helpful. I found the store after buying a Groupon and actually had trouble spending my entire amount because it was so reasonably priced! The clerk was extremely helpful and each visit since, i've had a great experience. I recommend the store to everyone I meet and do all of my alcohol purchases there. PS: If you have questions, they offer free tastings! Awesome! read more

From the outside, this place seems, looks, and smells very...questionable. But somehow, it has the best Liquor selection in Des Moines (and possibly Iowa). They have a HUGE scotch, bourbon and whiskey selection ranging from modest to...well, as good as it gets (yep, there are $200+ bottles sitting right out there on those filthy shelves). Pretty much any liquor you want, they've got. I haven't checked out the wine and beer selection quite as much, but rumor has it that it's equally surprising, and I wouldn't doubt it. The employees and friendly and knowledgeable, and they often have great sales going on (mention their website for a 10% discount!). read more

Massive Liquor store that has ........wait for it....... Lots of Booze, brews, and other things to choose! I dig this store it's clean and always has some sort of Special on cheap beer! The prices here are pretty standard on everything! But you get great service and they have a really great selection of things you might not find other places in town! Lets get a brew! read more

This place is the best in Iowa for booze at a great price! Service is top notch and workers know their stuff. I stop in all the time because I know they'll have what I need and know the price will be comparable to the local grocery stores. I wonder if the owners know anything about coaching soccer! read more

The owner of this place was so friendly. I loved visiting. Probably one of the largest selections too!

We were visiting Des Moines from Wisconsin and stopped in because of the reviews. It did not disappoint, the staff and owner were so friendly and helpful. They have a great selection and we will definitely be back when we are in town again. read more

Staff is friendly. You can tell they used to have riffraff as they will put you in your place if you are there to steal from them. Small kids were there and they were told to wait by the door if they did not have any money for the treats they wanted. They probably were not supposed to be in there to begin with but at least they weren't wandering the store. Prices are hit and miss but if you are open to trying new things you can usually find a good deal. read more

This is the best location for buying beer, wine and liquor in the city. Great deals, super friendly staff and wide selection. If you don't find it there, just ask and they can get it for you! read more

Really great service! Staff is very very helpful in making selections. The prices are very good. Amazingly speedy friendly delivery. I started using this store during the pandemic because it delivered. I will use this store for years and years to come. I wish I would have known about it years ago. read more

Best store in town for liquor. I suggest the Ron Zacapa Centenario 23 Solera Rum.

I don't know what I expected heading in here but I left feeling completely impressed. The staff, alone, make this place phenomenal. Enough said. But beyond that, the selection of individual liquors rivals giant state-run stores I've shopped in the east coast. Prices are great and a recent Groupon was well worth the tiny bit of extra effort. If you're looking for a friendly shop with a selection that won't leave you disappointed, get yourself here! read more

We'd eaten ate accross the street and made a mental note to stop in here for some booze later in the day. It didn't look like much when we drove by and we expected they'd have "beer" and probably a basic selection of liquor - maybe a selection similar to what you'd find @ the grocery store. Alex K made mention of the friendly and knowledgeable staff and he's right! We were wandering through the well-stocked aisles marveling at their selection. They pointed us to what we needed and even gave us some free aspirins for the road. read more

Needed to buy 14 kegs for my wedding, called the number on the website and was told to call another number. Called the second number and was told I needed to call back in one hour so I could talk to the owner, called back in 60 minutes and the owner had left for the day. Never had I worked so hard to spend so much money. read more

These guys have an AWESOME selection of bourbon and when they have rare stuff they sell it at a reasonable price.

What a pain to work with - they literally don't want your money. Choose a business that is interested in helping the customer, rather than throwing up roadblocks for any item you would wish to purchase from them. Horrible customer service... read more

This place is awesome. If you are looking for single malts, I highly recommend that you try them. The lady at the counter is very nice and cheerful and the selection is better than anywhere else I have been in the metro area. read more

I used my Central City Liquor Groupon today (expires today) and got totally yelled at by the store owner, because I used two. I asked the cashier if I could use one then leave and come back later to use my friends other one and she said just use it now. The owner saw and yelled was only to be one per customer, yelling at the cashier to go ahead and do it, Humilitating her. Then, he yelled at me and said the game was for ...him to make money, and asked if I had any more in my car? I said no! Then he yelled at me for using a credit card and asked me if the cashier charged me an extra dollar! The poor cashier told him yes she had. The cashier kept telling me she was sorry. I kept apolgizing to the cashier. Then he says to me well thanks for letting me make a couple pennies off you! I felt physically threatened by him and got out of the store as fast as I could, before he would harm me. I sure hope the cashier is ok. I will NEVER go back there and urge you all never go there. read more

The best liquor store by far! This store not only sells liquor but also carries other items such as breakfast food, dairy products, small selection of other foods, and misc. household items. Their staff is very knowledgable and friendly! If you are reading this review, make sure you visit this store. You will become a returning customer, I am! Awesome! read more

Large scotch selection, and a staff more than happy to walk you through it all. Will definitely be going back.

The place to go in Des Moines for whiskey. Went in this evening to buy some scotch. On top of having a huge selection, the also allowed me to sample some selections and then talked with me for about 10 minutes about their favorites. My first experience and I will definitely be going back! read more