I've been going here since before Andy bought it. I was worried about a quality drop, but Andy kept it up. He's very knowledgeable and gives good advice. read more

Fern Street Gourmet - Andy is my go to wine guy. He's great. Very good recommendations. - Specialty Food Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

We have a couple wine shops within walking distance, but we go out of our way (not that far out, but enough to warrant a car ride) to support Fern Street Gourmet. FSG is sandwiched between One Good Tern Wild Bird store and Simply Fish restaurant in an odd layout of a strip mall off Quaker and Braddock in Alexandria. They have a vast selection of wines, ports, cheeses, caviar, and breads. What keeps us going back, and a lot of our friends talk about this, too, is that there is not a hint of pretention there. The owners are so very helpful, patient and kind. The prices are also comparable to bigger stores and chains. And, of course, they do generous case discounts. We normally buy cases of the Le Petit Duc La Porte (glad I'm typing it because I can't pronounce it) and we get a better price at Fern Street Gourmet than what they're selling it for at Whole Foods. Off-street parking is almost always available here. I know they do tastings, too, but have never been to one. If you're looking for a nice pairing for a special dinner or holiday meal but don't want to feel looked down upon like in some other wine joints, check out Fern Street. Clare, from Tallula wine bar, works here part-time, too, and really knows her stuff. read more

Fern Street Gourmet - Fern Street Gourmet - Specialty Food Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

I love this shop. When we moved to this neighborhood a year and a half ago, our home was undergoing renovation and our whole ground level was off-limits. It was chaos, so let's just say we made many visits to this shop for survival (lol). Andy is lovely, offers an amazing selection of beer and wine, and never fails to greet you with a smile. He also stocks this shop with great hostess gifts, jams and sweets. I hope we never lose this gem! read more

This is such a lovely little quaint neighborhood gourmet shop. Lots of different interesting items without the shop feeling overly crowded. I love it particularly for shopping for gifts for foodie family members who need and want nothing. But what SOLD me on this place was the staff. They are always friendly and cheerful but I have never been in a shop of any kind where the staff was more helpful. Last Christmas I was looking for those little marzipan candies shaped like fruits. I had already been a few places with no luck when I stopped by Fern Gourmet. They didn't have them either - but the person working that night was so nice and offered to quickly call around to SEVERAL other area gourmet shops to help me search them out without having to drive to each one. NOW THAT IS CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

I love this little shop. It's destiny that it's in my neighborhood. Comes in very handy when I need to pick up a bottle for my monthly wine & cheese club meetings. I always go in, not knowing what I'll walk out with, but am always pleasantly surprised with whatever the wine & food-loving staff suggest. I once needed to pair wine with frogs legs and had no clue what to get! But Jeff (?) at Fern St Gourmet came to the rescue. I love the fact that there is a wide selection of cheeses (my mouth is watering just thinking about it) that are cut to order! Without the pre-packaged cheeses found in most other stores, it's easy to pick a little bit of this, a little bit of that and voila... instant cheese plate fit for a queen. Same goes for pates and cured meats. Since wine & cheese is my weakness, I try to be careful of visiting here excessively. However, if I had an endless supply of cash and the "metabolism of a flea," you'll know where to find me. read more

This is the place where I discovered wine. Jeff and the rest of the incredibly friendly and knowledgeable staff are there for every customer, from the newbie to the aficionado. I no longer live in the neighborhood, but I stop by whenever I'm in the area (if I had a car, I'd go a lot more often, but it's not really accessible by public transit from where I live). They offer wines at every price point -- including a good number that are under $10 (far more than you'll find at, say, Best Cellars or Curious Grape). The selections are thoughtful; they work with good importers, which is key. I haven't been here for a tasting since 2006, but for several years they held tastings on Fridays and Saturdays hosted by one of their key importers. Those tastings opened my eyes to the world of wine, much to the chagrin of my wallet. I learned about everything from Gewurztraminer to Sekt to Torrontes. It's been all downhill since then. I will be forever grateful to Fern Street Gourmet for starting me off -- and I will keep dropping by whenever I can! read more

3.5 stars. Great, small, cramped, stocked-to-the-gills neighborhood gourmet shop. Not only do they carry wide range of great vino (from reasonably priced to the higher-end splurge), they carry a wonderful selection of brews and all kinds of nibbles as well! You can pick up anything you need to create a warm, casual evening at home with friends, or anything you'd require to make an all-out, upscale cocktail party. Cheeses, charcuterie, olives, spreads, crackers/breads...peruse the deli at the back to beef up your spread with something you can really sink your teeth into! Nice little selection of hostess-gift items, too, from wine coolers (the kind that cool your wine, not the Bartles & James kind) to bar accessories. Staff is knowledgeable and helpful. read more

I love cheese shops and I had no idea this place was so close to my house until there was a living social for it. Hopefully that drums up some business for them - it's a cool little mom & poppy gourmet shop and they were super nice and excited when we were there. They have a great selection of wine and beer at ~reasonable prices as well as plenty of other gourmet necessities such as jars/bottles of sauces, dips, spreads etc. I was just in the market for some cheese and charcuterie however. There cheese selection is a solid 'good'. I would have liked a little more but the lack of traffic may prevent a large inventory. The choices usually fall withing the standard nicer cheese categories: manchego, gruyere, gouda, raclette, brie, etc. There were only a few outliers on the hard-to-find-o-meter... I bought most of those but I can't for the life of me remember what they are called because they are wrapped in plastic wrap but without a helpful label. They only offer charcuterie via what is prepackaged so you can't ask for 6-9 slices of salami. That's too bad. It's a cool place though and I'll be back. I'm interested to see if they rotate through new cheeses often. read more

Love our local wine shop. They consistentley offer a range of options for both taste and pricing options. They also have some fun cigar and snack options if you're up for it. I have been opting for Instacart since I had twins 6 years ago, but over the past year, I've tried to only buy locally for specialty items like wine to support our local businesses. And this is a great business to support. (I also purchased the cutest face masks from this place, so definitely recommend) read more

The owner and manager, Andy, is a warm, gracious man who'll make you feel like a welcome guest. Andy is also extremely knowledgeable about wine. Whatever your needs or tastes, Andy will help you find something excellent and in your price range. Fern Street Gourmet is a true gem, as is its owner. read more

Recently this store changed ownership, and with the change came a nice new layout, bringing the foods up front, and opening up the floor a lot. I go for the beer, and I was happy to find a bigger selection, along with individual bottles to build your own six pack. They now feature a much wider selection of styles, and I can go in knowing they'll have at least one good IPA in the fridge. Unfortunately this place also has the highest prices around for beer. For that I have to reduce my rating from four stars to three. I paid $12.50 (before tax) for a six pack of Bell's Two Hearted. Another store, less than a quarter mile up the road, sells it for $10.99. Of course a buck-fifty isn't going to break the bank, but it sucks knowing I could have saved a little cash. However, this store is around the corner from my house so I suppose I pay for that convenience. I hope the new owners find great success and keep the store running for a very long time. I'll miss Geoff's friendliness, but the new owners seem nice enough. read more

If you are throwing a party and you need wine, go nowhere else. Fern Street is always ready with great suggestions for party wine -- not too expensive, but still really yummy. They'll sell you a bottle of each of a number of suggestions to try, so you can make your choice among them -- or, if you're out of time, you can just go with a suggestion. You'll be great either way. I have shopped with Fern Street for over 20 years. The staff always, always has good recommendations, mindful of a budget. Great cheese, chocolate and beer, too. Go! Enjoy! read more

Great little store! Super-friendly, helpful, lots of selection in cheeses, wines and beer...all that, with good prices. Update: The ownership of this gem has changed, as has the layout of the store and perhaps some of the selection. I hope it can maintain what makes it great! read more

LOVE IT! Fabulous selection...the hubby is a big beer fan and is intrigued by the current offerings. They have wonderful cheeses as well, including a long time favorite from Holland. And the customer service is outstanding. (Full disclosure: I have a friend who works here, but I would STILL drive 30 min to go to this shop even if she didn't, because of the cheese/beer/wine/nibbles!!!!) read more

What a nice little wine and cheese shop! Owners super nice and friendly - really very very nice selection of wines and lots of them! I thought their selection and variety were great! Great selection of cheeses and very welcoming atmosphere - what more could you askf or? read more

A small, intimate wine store with its own bakery/deli counter? I'm sold. There was a tasting going on here while I visited, and I have to say again to one particular wine store in Shirlington: Less pretention is good. Fern Street Gourmet is the type of wine store you'd find in the trendy part of Richmond or Baltimore (yes, there are trendy parts to those towns). Not a huge selection a'la Total Wine, but solid choices and a good variety of Virginia wine. Pollak Wine? Sold. They should team up with Rampart's next door and have a similar arrangement that Planet Wine and Evening Star in DelRay have. read more

Like many others, I never would have known about this place if it weren't for the social coupon movement. Yes the shop is small, but the quality of the selection is high which helps make up for it. I picked up four different cheeses, some crackers, and a bottle of wine. Everything was fantastic! A greater selection of cheese would have been nice, as would a real selection of charcuterie. So one star off for that. Otherwise, this is a great little shop that I look forward to revisiting. read more

Outstanding selection of wines and gourmet food! Went here to get a few bottles as a gift for friends and was surprised to see that half of the store was imported! Great variety and price. It was interesting to find out that they had a wine and cheese paring/tasting on Saturday, but I had plans. Service was very prompt and knowledgeable about the products they sold which was a pleasant surprise! Definitely a place to stock up the cellar! Did I mention the cheese variety? This gem is too good to be kept a secret. read more

Nice enough shop. Decent selection, reasonable prices, and friendly staff. Solid B on the report card.

The owners are so knowlegable, friendly and generous, gave me extra with my purchase. Very well priced. Excellent wine and cheese selection. Yes, they lack in meet selection and cheese wrapping paper, but their customer service and cheese selection makes up for it. Would highly recommend for wine and cheese lovers! read more

This is a pretty good shop. I had a voucher to use in here, and it turns out it works for everything besides wine - which meant I got cheese AND chocolate: a perfect combination. It was a pretty small store (and you'll miss it driving by if you're not watching closely), but they had a decent selection of cheeses, and the owner was really helpful in choosing cheeses and the accompanying crackers. Overall: Good! I would recommend this place to a friend, and I will probably even go back! read more

A gem. Owners are absolutely knowledgable and friendly. Very well priced. Super selection. Very generous, will give you extra with purchases! A true gem. Owners were so generous and gave us extra with our purchase. Excellent wine and cheese selection despite the lack of meat selection. For cheese and wine lovers, a must visit! read more

Love Fern Street Gourmet! I like to try new/different wines sometimes, and Geoff and staff have always helped meet my needs. They've also been terrific in helping to pick just the right wine for a particular gift. We've also enjoyed trying the good beer selection. Definitely recommend trying it; it's on Fern--the back side of the little Fairlington strip of shops. read more

We purchased one of the what-appears-to-be plethora of "daily deals" available for FSG. Based on the reviews on Yelp, I assumed it would be a good use of money. And if I had been able to use the deal for wine, grocery items, beer or the like, it probably would have been. (Which I knew before purchasing it. Just was unaware what little else the store offers.) But since it was only for cheese and charcuterie, I was limited in sampling the store's offerings. And it was just not the deal that limited me, it was the shabby cheese and meat selection as well. Standard cheese, nothing of note or excitement. Charcuterie was limited to mass produced, prepackaged goods. Which I could buy cheaper at Trader Joe's. Out of our selection of ten(ish) cheeses, we did have some good ones. And I would certainly tell you what they were except all the cheeses came in plastic wrap, nary a marker/label/what have you among them. I should have seen the red flag the moment I saw the Saran wrap rather than cheese paper. Unless you are in the market for the prepackaged goods, and already in the immediate (as in already parked and walking in) area, I would suggest fighting for parking in Old Town for La Formagarie or schlepping up to North Arlington for Arrowine. read more

If you're looking for a super upscale, mega selection, mega snotty gourmet shop (ahem, Arrowine Cheese), this likely ain't it. If your intent is to debate the latest Wine Spectator ratings, you might want to look elsewhere as well. If you're happy with a modest but reasonably priced selection of good cheeses and wines and like mom and pop neighborhood stores, you'll find FSG a good find. As noted by other reviewers, I wish that they'd wrap their cheeses in cheese wrap and label them. And, although my wine knowledge is rudimentary, I feel pretty sure that the owners' knowledge here probably won't compare with that of some of the store's more snobby competitors. But their eagerness to please and the reasonable prices make it a good find for me. Word to the wise, though. If you get a baguette, be sure to ask them how long they've had it. Ours was hard as a rock. read more

Fern Street Gourmet is awesome! The people who work there are as nice as can be, and very patient while you pick out what you want and have samples. They have a pretty good selection of cheese, lots of wine, and a decent amount of beer. Unsure of the meat- I didn't look. read more

I had high expectations for Fern Street Gourmet, but their selection of meats and cheeses are lacking. The meats are all prepackaged and the cheese selection is limited. The woman at the store didn't know anything about cheese and couldn't cut the portions I requested. I might as well have gone to Giant. I suggest Arrowine for a real charcuterie. read more

Nice cheese and near selection. Very friendly and helpful staff. As a beer only drinker, I liked that they have special beers in addition to the wine choices. read more

The shop is laid out well, prices are reasonable,... but they sold us incredibly moldy chorizo. Hard, dry, and with loads of grayish green mold growing on the bottom. I doubt it was intentional, but I am not going back. read more