In a world where there are 3 liquor stores within 2-3 blocks of each other, it's hard to decide which to go to. This one happens to be the furthest from my apartment, but I'm a fan of Magruder's produce store next door, so I popped in one day. Also, they had sent me coupons in the mail--what liquor store offers coupons for beer, wine and liquor? Awesome! The first time I went in, they didn't have vanilla whiskey. I didn't really expect to find it since I haven't seen it anywhere but in Texas. I don't know if Magruder's ordered some or if the vanilla whiskey gods decided to bless me, but the next time I went in, I found some random brand of vanilla spiced whiskey! Score!!! They often have wine and beer tastings and friendly people--although the cashiers are a little dense. read more

Shout out to my old hood! This, my friends, is the real Magruders--not the one down by Palena, which, although decent, is a poor substitute for its Northwest Neighbor. Anyway, when the produce up here is on, it is ON. Freshest of the fresh, local produce for the best price. And the alcohol selection! So great. I go there for wine pairings for my dinner parties; I just tell them what I'm making and my pricepoint, then KAPOW! a perfectly paired wine or spirit appears to delight my tastebuds. This is also my go-to spot for picnic fixings when headed over to Wolftrap's lawn; I go for the sesame noodles, sesame wings, greek salad, a baguette and some Orangina and I'm set! read more

Magruder's, one of Washington's few remaining locally owned and operated grocery stores (131 yrs!), is really a throwback. Don't expect an immaculate store or shiny new displays. What you WILL get is unbelievable friendliness from people who who have been working there for decades. It's old school, baby. The store itself is divided into two parts: the wine, liquor and prepared foods store and the grocery/produce store. I used to come here with my parents when I was little, and not much is changed, but I think that is what part of what makes it unique and great. The alcohol selection is probably the largest in the city (with Calvert Woodley and Pearson's close behind), and their prices are the lowest. What they lack in profit margin, they certainly make up for in volume sales. People go in there and by CASES of wine, beer, and even liquor. It is one of the only places that allows you to mix and match your cases of beer at the case price, so long as its the same maker... ie you can get 4 different 6 packs of Dominion beers and put them in a case, and you get the discounted case price. They also have "beer of the week" specials every Friday and Saturday, with tastings and often give away glasses/t-shirts. All in all, Magruders is a special place with the best prices out there ($7.99 for a case of Natty?!!), great selection, and fantastic service. read more

I have welcomed the convenience of shopping here with pick up at the back of the store for over a year. None of my orders was less that 250 dollars. Today I submitted a similar order. I drove to pick it in at curbside, as their website indicates. I called and told them that I was outside in front waiting for the order. I called again after twelve minutes...this gentleman said I needed to drive behind the store. I indicated that I was in the front and needed to drive south after the pick up. He reiterated his demand, I declined. After six more minutes I called and received nothing but a severe dressing down by woman who raised her voice to tell me their policies despite what the website said. She demanded that I drive to the back of the store despite how that would be a problem for me. As she was shouting a young man arrived with the order and apologized for the confusion, I said it was not his fault at all but his incompetent superiors. Three strikes you're out. Also on the second call I was told that their front door has been closed for months, They may want to know that a truck parked and a man tried to secure entrance for beer. He left thirsty. This is a way to run a business? read more

Great prices on produce with OK quality..it ain't Whole Foods but it even beats their 365 Brand prices..great beer and booze selection too.

Magruders is our go-to store for produce. They have consistently good quality fruits and veggies, and they're almost always at lower prices than the other groceries in the area. The prepared foods at the deli counter are consistently good, as well. The store is now under new ownership and it's cleaner now than it used to be and they're carrying some great new items. For example, they have some things from Firehook Bakery, and will also be stocking organic fruits and veggies. The new owner is really responsive to questions and suggestions and is making a big effort to accommodate his customers' needs. I recommend it! read more

Fresh fruits and vegetables! Great prices and incredibly friendly staff!

Better craft beer selection than Chevy Chase Wine & Liquor down the street. This place doubles as a Farmer's Market in the back during day hours and essentially as a massive beer/wine/liquor surplus store. Boxes and boxes of beer, lots of singles, lots of six packs. All the usual stuff: Troeg's, Bell's, Goose Island, Allagash, Flying Dog, Oskar Blues, Stone. Lots of weird bottles from New Jersey, South Carolina, England, Scotland. They don't really stock Belgian imports. About 40% refrigerated, 60% hot shelf rotting. Park in the back in their free private lot. read more

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Great selection and very well staffed. These guys know there wines, liquors etc. Customer service is a must for this team. I'm always impressed when I get in there. read more

Great place to buy beer. Heaven forbid you're in there near closing time or you'll get the bum's rush.

These comments refer to the grocery store near Chevy Chase Circle. (No disclosures - I have no business or social connections to any present of former owner or employee of this store.) I have loved shopping at Magruder's for years. However, please note that there has recently (January 2013) been a change in ownership. I was there last Saturday (1/26), and while the two cashiers were familiar, the 3 men that stock the shelves were nowhere to be seen. There was no produce out front or out back, and some items (e.g., honey) were completely missing. There has been no ad in the Washington Post's Wednesday food section for a couple of weeks, and the web site is just a screen with the store name on it, nothing else. For the time being, anything you read here about this store is best ignored. Look for reviews after mine for current status of this store. read more

My family has been going to Magruders for 20+ years for all of our beer, wine, and spirits purchases. The prices are the best you can find in DC, and the selection is the largest. They also have tastings on the weekend that are a staple of our family's schedule. In short, the store is fantastic and I highly recommend it as the best liquor store in DC The best part of the store though, and the reason we keep going, is the customer service. Bill, Joel, and team always greet us (they know us by now), provide great recommendations, and are genuinely nice people. I have written almost no Yelp reviews, but felt the need to write this one as a modest form of repayment for their exceptional service over the years. read more

I have had many great experiences at Magruders, and their beer selection is excellent. This was not the case this weekend. I had bought a six pack of beers, and after my family had consumed two of them, we realized that one of the cans was leaky (the top of the can had a hole in it). I went to Magruders and explained the situation - I thought the fair thing to do was to either give me a credit for one can or exchange it for one of the single cans that are sold individually. I was told that was not possible - that I needed to bring the entire 6 pack back. I explained what was obvious, that it wasn't possible because we only noticed the faulty can after having opened two others. Needless to say, neither I nor my family will be going back here - the liquor store down the street has much better customer service. read more

So what's a presidential debate without booze. Isn't that the allure really... to identify the candidates agenda and drink on their recurring talking point buzz word then giggle at Ron Paul while secretly loving him? Maybe that's just me and my so called "problem" but keep denying yours and see where that leads ya. Stopping at Magruder's allowed the celebration that was last evening. Beer should be the theme since it most certainly trumps "most" things in life and is a joy that should be honored as well as cherished. While I'm far from being a heavy drinker and in most circles would be considered a social one, we all remember those first few tastes of this wonderful legal libation. Whether we turn to those memories and develop comfort from sipping on recollections of times gone by or we turn to them for their inherent low cost appeal, we turn to them none the less. In today's world where the cultural fabric of our global economy gets further reaching, we could be sampling the offerings from fine breweries in Belgium, United Kingdom, Mexico or the United States in a moments notice. While we all love this aspect and the joys associated from expanding our ever refining palate, our mind periodically wanders back to those fruitful memories of the beers that brought us here. This one goes out to Pabst Blue Ribbon, Miller High Life, Old Milwaukee and Schaefer for shaping me into the man that I am today. While we all have our own choices, one thing remains true..... that the way to a mans heart is a healthy dose of man flowers. So whichever your flavor, hats off to you Magruder's for providing me a library in which to taste my way around the world. Cheers ~ read more

in a world where independent grocery stores are taking dives faster than the dispensable cronies of the current administration, it's pretty great when you're walking or driving around town and rather than a dead and empty storefront of some bygone neighborhood establishment, or some large tract of city knocked down for a strip mall parking lot and the latest concrete plopping down of some giant, safeway, or walmart, your eyes actually catch on colorful stands of cut flowers and numerous boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables spilling out across the sidewalks, all being picked over, tapped at, shaken, and oggled by everyone from grannies in their purple head scarfs to kids in their scrap shoes...well, if you happen to be in the chevy chase area on connecticut ave and you follow the tented displays inside to their source, you'll find yourself in magruder's.... i know this place has a couple locations around dc, and many people may be more familiar with the cleveland park location, which i like in it's own right, but the one over in chevy chase is larger, has better access, and more goings on and offerings in nearly every department...as another review mentioned, this magruder's is basically divided in two: the fruit, flower, and vegetable stands spilling out onto the street emanate from the smaller of those halves, which is devoted exclusively to a farmers-marketish display of those same goods out in the street, plus extra selection to boot...here you'll find all your regular fixings, plus seasonal specialties, as well as some cool items like at least 10 varieties of hot pepper, all priced fairly, with many items on sale at even better prices every week....plus the lady at the counter will even step out from behind the register and go wash your fruit for you if it looks so good you plan on eating it immediately... if you make it to the other half (and you definitely should), you'll find that most of the space is occupied by a large display of wines, beers, and other seductive alcoholic products...on weekends they have wine tastings, on friday you can almost always count on beer tastings, and they've got sales going on every week here as well with enough interesting options you'll usually find something you want to buy...the wine selection is fairly good overall and laid out nicely, while they have a large refrigerated beer section with a very good selection of six packs from europe and the states and a healthy trove of bombers (big bottles) as well....across this mini-aisle you'll find an equally good, if not better, selection of room temperature offerings.... at some point though, you'll probably start to notice that something, or several things, smell really good...if you can pull yourself away from the booze and follow your nose you'll discover that the aroma is likely drifting over from their deli...in particular, it could be coming from any of the following temptations: roasting chickens, several parmigiana, roasted salmon, shredded barbecue, and any other of the numerous prepared options...there's also quite a bevy of cold items and vegetable, meat, or pasta salads....if you want to do things yourself, or just want a sandwich, they've of course got a deli counter where you can order slices/pounds of their meats and cheeses....go around the corner, or peak back into the end of the refrigerated beer aisle and you'll see that they have packaged items of german sausages and sauerkraut, various cheeses, premade sandwiches and salads, and my favorite: some of the best hummus around...you can check out at the back of the store, where you'll see that they actually have a modestly sized parking lot half a block off of connecticut ave, surrounded by the plesant residential streets of northern chevy chase...put all of this together and you've got a great little independent grocery: sure, they may not have the BEST offerings in any single department, but they do have a hell of a good selection of items across the board...and places at which you can find a good produce market, a good deli, and a good wine/beer store all without having to step back out into the debilitating summer heat? mercy me. read more

Small shop with good produce prices. I never know what I'll find on sale, but I do know that I'll leave with 2 or 3 bags of veggies at a price that is so low that I am surprised at the cash register. If I need something unusual, I may not find it here ... but this is my favorite store to stock my kitchen with veggies for the week, and so much more reasonable than the farmers' markets. read more

this is a farmers market the produce is fresh it is properly run its in a good location most important of all they have potatoes i buy 20lbs of potatoes there every month they know me and i know them the manager there bill is so deicated rarely misses a day read more

Some of the most affordable produce in the area with excellent customer service! The friendly staff makes me smile every time I shop there!

They have very reasonably priced and good quality produce. Only issues are that they seem seldom seem to have grocery carts available and prices of items are often missing. What this means is - hunt for a cart (go to the neighboring Magruder's Liquor Store for one) and ask the clerk for the prices. All in all--- still well worth a visit. read more

Great store, fantastic produce and low prices. I love Sara, the cashier, she is great at customer service, takes her time helping customers makes you want to come back and shop some more. Please don't change. read more

Here's another one to be wary of. They call it a "farmers market" but their produce is of lower quality than the average supermarket. The place is hideously dirty, the the staff is non compos. I like the idea of the gelato, but having the checkout girl be the server is idiotic. read more

After several communications with the owner, stimulated by my original Yelp review, Magruders determined that the beer I bought was subject to a recall and was indeed bad. They were gracious and replaced the bad case. So they get good marks for going out of their way to set things right in the end, but the overall experience was still less than stellar. I'm raising my rating from 1 to 3 stars. read more

Perhaps because of the competition in DC for wine and liquor retailers, Magruders' has really had good prices and a decent selection. We've been living in Chevy Chase for 15 years and did so much of our shopping at this store until recently. We've found that the manager with the glasses and mustache and the wine "experts" are less than helpful and actually rude at times, even when we are buying over $200 worth of products. The cashiers have had their moments through the years but our annoyance really is with the folks, the managers, who should value customer service and customer loyalty. The folk's at Paul's, Circle and Chevy Chase Liquors are infinitely more helpful and polite and certainly worthy of our patronage. read more

nice friendly helpful staff. Great prices. Fine - not outstanding - selection. Bonus: produce market and deli.

Wonderful produce! Prices are reasonable, given the locale, and it's here or a farmer's market that I'll buy my produce!

This past Saturday, November 16, I stopped at Magruder's on my way to help a friend pack up her book collection. It was about 8:30 and the manager on duty was preparing to open the store. I asked if he could spare a few empty boxes for our project. He looked at me as though I was asking for a handout. He thought about it and then said that Saturday was their busiest day. I told him that I knew it was, because we are almost always there on Saturdays. He said he wished he could help me, but that his customers (um, what am I if not one of "his customers"?) appreciate packing their orders in boxes. He then felt it was appropriate to explain the D. C. plastic bag tax, and went on to tell me that "his customers" appreciate being spared the 5-cent per bag charge. (um, again, don't I already know that, being one of "his customers"?) I told him that it was no big deal, that I would go to another store. I added "so much for customer loyalty" to my farewell. He stood outside the store, yelling after me that he wished I could appreciate his position. I don't. My family has lived in the Chevy Chase neighborhood of DC for 20 years. For 20 years we have shopped at this store, just two blocks away from our house. We frequent it for the fresh and affordable produce, wine, beer, cheeses and breads. We shop there at least three times weekly, usually more. We purchase our party and holiday beverages and supplies there. On average, we spend more than $5,000 a year there. Having recently retired from a career in customer service, including training museum guides in customer service, I am just saying that this man made a huge customer service blunder. What he should have done, for this 20-year-long customer, was to hand me a few empty boxes, send me on my way, and say that he wished he could do more. Instead, he chose not to do that. I went to Whole Foods across from the Friendship Heights Metro Station and received a carload of empty boxes, carried to and packed inside my car by Whole Foods staff. What a difference in good-neighbor store behavior. read more