This small, local liquor store looks a bit "sketch" from the outside, but my kid who lives nearby suggested I visit here to get a specific type of flavored vodka that isn't available in Canada (go figure. I've checked in various province's official alcohol departments and, of all flavors, you cannot get caramel-flavored vodka anywhere. You can get a million differed obscure flavored vodkas - every fruit know to mankind, many spices including tamarind of all things, and more, but NO caramel! But I digress.....). When I entered this shop, I doubted they'd have this item as it's a fairly small store, but I asked the lady behind the counter and she immediately said they had that and, even better, it just went on sale last night! Wow, that never happens to me (usually I miss any sale by a day). And I saw they had a whole line-up of flavored Smirnoff vodkas. Tons of flavors here. Nice! The lady was super nice and we chatted for a bit. Noone else was in the store. She helped me calculate my allowances re: how much alcohol I can bring back into Canada while being exempt from duties and taxes (I was considering getting two bottles but, as it turned out, that would've exceeded my allowance. Bummer). Anyhow, she was very helpful and friendly, and whenever I visit my kid in the future, for sure I'll come here to get our cocktail spirits - and another bottle of my flavored vodka, too! read more

If prisons had liquor stores, I imagine they would be like this. Are these places owned by the state? It feels like it. Sad selection, sad and often unfriendly service. I miss other states where there is competition among liquor stores. I would avoid this place, but there aren't a lot of options. Kenton is slightly better. read more

Was called several racial slurs by the cashier under his breath, he thought I couldn't hear him. Not welcoming at all. Good product selection. read more

I don't usually buy liquor, but the staff was very helpful in making suggestions in all price points- so that was helpful for someone like me. read more

apparently they expect me remove "my ugly review asap". I just received this info through a comment on my facebook post. Wow. This was my favorite store but unfortunately one of the employees here seems to like to post hateful things on people's Saint John's Facebook page. It's really too bad because everyone there has always been so nice when I come into the store. I was shocked to see one of them attack my post on wall art in Saint John's If you plan to use your social media to promote a business. Maybe try not using the same account to curse at and bash people online ‍ I reached out and offered a chance to change this review if they removed their post. While they did remove it, they decided to leave another comment saying "I expect him to remove his ugly review asap." ‍ I just drove out to the Stateline Liquor Store @ Jantzen Beach. They have a great selection and have received a 5 star review from me for having such friendly service. Omg! Haha Update. After returning home from getting a nice bottle of my favorite whiskey. I have just received a new comment on that very same page. This person has reached out to me in all caps. Pretty much yelling at me that they are in their rights and that I am in the wrong lol. To the saint johns liquor store. I'll miss you guys and if this employee is ever removed then I'll happily support your business again. The hate filled comments continue. Peggy, why do you keep commenting and insulting me on my post? Just stop already, you're not making anything better read more

Usually they're fine but today a young guy was the only one on duty, I was the only one to come in, and I stood pointing at a bottle of bourbon while he stood still. Any other clerk would have come over to me to see which one I selected. He waited and waited as I stood like an idiot 15 feet from him and just a couple feet behind the counter pointing directly at the product I wanted. He mumbled from behind his mask and finally forced me to describe exactly which product I wanted before he would deign to take a single step. It was beyond stupid. Then he took my choice and along the way to the cash register I said I'll also take that McCallan Red in the box, which I'm glad you can easily choose because I'm telling you, unlike standing there pointing, with you far away. He gave me a truly smartass answer. I was about to give him the third bottle I wanted, to bring my order to approximately $200, similar to many other times I've been there. I stopped, looked at him, and just shook my head and walked out. There are other liquor stores without wise ass young guys apparently deciding to screw with the Senior Citizen. Yeah, no thanks. I won't be back for the foreseeable future. read more

This little liquor store takes life seriously They have a good selection from high end stuff to more "regular" stuff. The guys are always friendly and welcoming and take good care of customers. I have the impression they care about customers. They are always courteous and kind I appreciate a shop whose people treat me kindly, no matter what business they do. These guys always do a good job read more

The nicest most helpful people. The have an amazing selection of whatever your spirit of choice is. I wish they had a little more cold beverages but that's ok there are to little stores less than a block away if they don't have what you need. Love this store. read more

Friends and I came from out of town and stopped by this location. Staff was super friendly, talkative, and made tons of recommendations. They went through each type of alcohol and made recommendations within our price point. Excited to try what they recommended. Definitely stop by if you're in the area. read more

St. Johns Liquor Store - a hand holding a bottle of liquor - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Portland, Oregon

The guys in here are really great. My husband and I are building our liquor cabinet, so we buy a bottle each week to have a nicely stocked cart. I'm always asking questions about cocktails, best mixers, what's a deal and what's overrated. They take time with me and answer all my questions. If there is a line, I tend to hang back and wait, because it does get busy. read more

This liquor store is close to my house, so it is the one that I generally go to. They have a decent selection and good prices. The staff is mostly friendly (the owners wife is curt, but still helpful). I would give them more stars if they would discourage the transients from hanging out in their doorway. read more

If I had a liquor store in St. Johns across from an Al-anon I'd keep the bottles behind the bar too. I do like to read everything on the labels so this is a downer for me. I'm a browser. I have always had pretty good service here. It is best to go when there isn't a line if you want to browse and ask a lot of questions. They don't have any organic options and for Portland it is a good idea to stock at least an organic gin or vodka. There are plenty of options though and they have a lot of the party frills for mixing drinks so you don't have to go to the Safe-way to get the other end of your cocktail happening. Also they have two kinds of grain alcohol (190 proof) and a corn-shine available! I'll 5 star them when they stock some organics. I'm a big fan of infusing my own gins and making organic vanilla extract needs organic vodka. read more

This is my liquor store since it's only a mile from my house (most of us in Portland only get the one, not like in civilized parts of the country). But I've had others... I like these guys. They are friendly and they know their stuff. They recently added a center counter to separate the lines that sometimes you have to endure. Portland folks take that need for personal space thing a little far when standing in a queue, but it's better now. My pet peeve - keep pineapple juice stocked - ALWAYS. read more

Friendly service, willing to special order, eclectic and impressive collection for a tiny, grungy little store-front in downtown St. Johns -- you go, guys! Thanks, y'all! read more

Great friendly people work here and they act like they enjoy their job or maybe they have been sampling. Either way, I like this store, but as is the case with many Oregon Liquor stores, everything is behind the counter. I prefer to browse and sometimes my old eyes cannot see everything. I also like to read labels, yes, even on liquor bottles. I would prefer a privately owned store, but this is Oregon. read more

Blows my mind that we can't just pop into our local grocery store or TJ's and pick up a bottle of straight booze, we actually have to visit a liquor store. This particular store is nice enough, service is alright but we can't "browse" the bottles. You walk up to the counter and request what liquor you want. This one is close to our house and in one of my favorite neighborhoods so St. Johns liquor is our stop for our vodka. Mom and Dad, don't be surprised if all you see is bottle of liquor on my Christamas wishlist this year and friends proceed as usual, you know what we like to drink. read more

This is a great liquor store and the employees are always friendly and give great recommendations at various price points. Prices are good and they frequently have sales. There is often a line which speaks more for the quality of the liquor store than anything else. read more

Finding Liquor in Portland is a challenge! St. Johns is a great little store, good selection, fair prices and friendly staff. I will go there again the next time I'm in town. read more

I'm a big fan of the St. John's liquor store. The owner is very friendly and all the employee's are knowledgeable and will make recommendations. The selection is great, I have always found what I was looking for and the prices are good. One thing I also like about the store is how easy everything is to see. Overall they are a no frills store that get's the basics done well. My preferred liquor store. read more

The people of this store are awesome! I especially appreciate the suggestions of the gentleman who wears the glasses (I apologize that I do not know your name). This review would be five stars except for the 300% markup on the cranberry juice. I understand that I can choose not to buy it. I would agree that it is acceptable to have a higher price than the grocery store, but I feel like the current price is excessive, especially because there is no price posted on the juice or the shelf. I will continue to patronize this store, but will occasionally leave angry because I have absentmindedly bought the cranberry juice. read more

Good selection, friendly, knowledgeable staff and they always have many selections on special. Even when there's a line (and there usually is) they always seem to have enough staff to handle it efficiently. I don't think I've ever had to wait more than 2 or 3 minutes in line, even when they're really busy. Coming here from L.A., where you can buy liquor in any supermarket, it did seem a bit inconvenient to have to make a separate stop for booze, but this place is just a couple of blocks from my house so it's no big deal. read more

This is a decent liquor store, and the closest one to my house. The selection could be a little better. The staff is pretty friendly. I know of better staffed liquor stores, more knowledgeable, and more gregarious staffs. The biggest drawback is the transients that are fairly aggressive in their attempts to get you to relinquish your liquids, and cash. This is also one of those liquor stores that keep you further than an arms distance from the bottles. Because of this I only recommend it for restocking common items, and not for exploring new things. read more

This is the closest one to our house. While I do agree the staff is friendly, we were charged $349.95 instead of $34.95 for a half gallon due to the cashier's error. That clerk, and his manager, forced us to wait until the charge fell off pending transactions at our bank - five days - instead of issuing us an immediate refund. That meant we could not access our own money due to the store's error. I don't know about you, but over $300.00 missing in your budget over five days makes a big difference, so for this act alone I give the store and its management a big thumbs down. Additionally, it is closed on Sunday, which is not convenient for working folks. To top the cake, today, we walked over a mile to it, and found a sign in the door that it closed today due to weather. Seriously? You closed your doors on your only weekend day available to the working folks of St. John's? Frankly, I prefer a store in which I can count on good customer service and availability to the working person, especially if it is the only store serving a large area. Going forward, I am shopping downtown on Washington Street after work to ensure I receive good customer service and am not overcharged. read more