Top Shelf Wine &amp; Spirits

Charles, D, and Chris were absolutely amazing helping me with customer service with my wedding. So…read moreappreciative of this store work ethic.

I have been going here for Rum for years. I often have great conversations with the manager about…read morethe intricacies of Rum production. He has pointed me to some great rums over the years, and every recommendation has been awesome. In a world where most stores feel impersonal, it's nice to talk with folks who have a passion for their product.

Finnish Long Drink Traditional 6pk 12oz Can 5.5% ABV

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Holiday Wine Cellar

Family-owned & operated

This is one of the top liquor stores i have ever set foot in and I have been to a lot of liquor…read morestores! Every friday they have an underground beer tasting for $8/ person. The tasting is held in the cellar below the store behind a speakeasy style bookshelf that moves. You can even bring in your own snacks or food! I love it! Plus the beer selection in the store is so amazing! Stop in and support local!!

From the moment you walk in, you feel, "Boy, oh, boy! Look at this place! I'll be here a while..."…read more First off, a very cool dog was in there. It took peak resistance for me not to pet it and be its friend. I was greeted, and asked if I needed any assistance while I was looking for a good gift for my brother more than a couple of times. After finding the winning bottle, I chose to look around see what other things they had to offer. I'm glad they have a larger selection of IPAs than hard seltzers. Even if I don't get something for myself, I like seeing that they give local breweries a chance to get their name out there

Chilled room

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Crafted Selections

4.5(10 reviews)

1.4 mi

People laugh at me when I tell them the best place to buy alcohol is at the Shell station…read more This place has an excellent selection of hard alcohol, beer, wine, cigars, snacks for a road trip, and Mexican food. Yep, there's a small Mexican grill in here too.

A great store. Has been for years and they just keep adding little touches to make it that much…read moremore attractive for the consumer. Drop in for a wash, some gas, some booze, a cigar and some Mexican takeout. Dicks

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Stater Bros. Markets

3.2(73 reviews)

0.6 mi

Love this local market! They easily have the best meat and wine deals in San Marcos…read more If you're a fan of Bogle wines, look no further. They offer 20% off when you buy 4 or more bottles. I'm not gatekeeping: this brings my favorite Cabernet down to just $7.19 (regularly $8.99)! Beyond the deals, the selection is solid, and the staff from the cashiers to the guys behind the meat counter are always incredibly friendly and welcoming.

I've been going to this store since the late 1970's when it was Alpha Beta. Over the years there…read morehave been many friendly, helpful employees that have helped me at this stater brothers location. However, one stands out among them all...Elsa. When I ask for assistance with a product's location, most employees tell me the isle number. Elsa stopped everything she was doing and took me straight to the product, took it off the shelf, handed it to me and kindly asked "Is this what you're looking for?" Then added "Is there anything else I can do for you?" I replied "No" and she waved and wished me a good day as she went back to work. That's why I love this store! Kudos to Elsa!

Shop for groceries online and save time. Download the Stater Bros. Markets app today.

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Total Wine & More

Family-owned & operated

What! There's a Total Wine in Southern California. Well, I'll be. I thought that this was BevMo…read moreterritory, but I'm glad to see a Total Wine in these parts. This Total Wine visit was a means to an end, to be honest. I visited strictly for two reasons: One, to procure bourbon that can't be found in the Midwest. And two, to grab a bottle of red wine that has a twist-off cap that I could take back to my hotel room. I'm happy to say that both missions were accomplished! This Total Wine is like many of the other Total Wine stores: It's very organized and neat, with helpful people all about. That's one of the things that I love about Total Wine: There are people here and there in the aisles, ready to help. The other thing that I love about Total Wine is that it's so super organized, so you can just pop into a store and find what you want. That was the case for me, and I was in and out very quickly. Sometimes, you want to wander and browse. And other times, you just want to go in and get what you want. I got a bottle of red wine, and it was delicious. What more can you want?

Came into the store this morning to get drinks for my party of 30 on Saturday. Immediately, the…read morecustomer service was outstanding. Each person was willing to go above and beyond to help! And big shout out to Ben who took the time to walk around the store with me and grab everything I needed. Appreciate you all. Thank you!

Lots of total wine cookies for the opening party

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Store manager, district manager giving a speech at the opening

Nordahl Liquor

2.1(14 reviews)

0.1 mi

I went here the other day for a out of town family party to pick up some drinks, and the older man…read moreat the front desk was super nice! I will definitely return here for my parties for the drinks here! Thank you Nordahi Liquor!

I have gone to this location atleast 3 times during opening hour and they are NEVER open on time…read more If that's the case change the opening time.

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Lago Country Wine & Spirits

4.9(27 reviews)

5.2 mi

Enjoy coming here for my drink needs. The owner is super sweet and friendly. If there is something…read morethey are out of they will order it for you in a timely manner.

Great selection and the staff is outstanding. They're knowledgeable and have ordered several items…read morefor us that were not otherwise carried, so this has quickly become our go-to spot.

Partners with Drizly Order Now!

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El Norte Liquor

2.6(16 reviews)

1.7 mi

Nina is soo cool and pretty and funny. Matt knows what cigars I like. The prices are incredible…read moreand shot selection is Awesome . One tiny complaint....that guy. He has got to go. Oscar knows how funny he is and how bad that other dude is. Please fire him! The one with glasses and zero personality. Tammy Grin and Tafone Frijoles

I grew up in the neighborhood and have been coming to El Norte Liquor since I was a kid. It's still…read moremy go to liquor store in Escondido. The staff is always friendly, remembers regulars, and the vibes are always good. They've got a solid selection of craft beer, wine, tequila, whiskey, and all the essentials. Clean store, easy parking on El Norte Parkway, and always well stocked. Best liquor store in Escondido.

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Liquor Stop

4.0(19 reviews)

4.5 mi

Coo spot to make a quick pit stop for them long rides snacks, drinks and more them pills tooread more

Everything. All the time. Every time. Just awesome folks…read more If they don't have specifically what you're looking for, just ask and it will be next time.

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Why does Yelp recommend reviews?

Hundreds of millions of reviews are posted on Yelp, and our automated recommendation software works in the background to showcase the reviews that it …

2 reviews that are not currently recommended

The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.

Darrin P.

13

14

0

6 years ago

Horrible customer service - Would not recommend. Just like other reviews late to ship and the shipping speed does not match what I paid for.

Carsona ..

0

3

0

2 years ago

Wish I could give 0 stars. Guy at the counter is a punk and it's no wonder he's stuck working at a liquor store. Avoid at all costs.

Top Shelf Wine & Spirits - beer_and_wine - Updated September 2026

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People who viewed Top Shelf Wine & Spirits also viewed

4 Way Liquor

3.8

(4 reviews)

Be careful of what you purchase. I went in a hurry and was sold an expired cookie.. 6 months past…read moreexpiration date.

Pretty nice liquor store. Good selection of beer and really great prices for the liquor. The owner…read moreis very friendly and is always very nice. The place is pretty small but it does have a great variety of beverages. I wish they had a bit more snack options. The majority of it is just bags of chips and ice cream. Overall nice place for a pit stop.

Holiday Wine Cellar

4.6

(231 reviews)

This is one of the top liquor stores i have ever set foot in and I have been to a lot of liquor…read morestores! Every friday they have an underground beer tasting for $8/ person. The tasting is held in the cellar below the store behind a speakeasy style bookshelf that moves. You can even bring in your own snacks or food! I love it! Plus the beer selection in the store is so amazing! Stop in and support local!!

From the moment you walk in, you feel, "Boy, oh, boy! Look at this place! I'll be here a while..."…read more First off, a very cool dog was in there. It took peak resistance for me not to pet it and be its friend. I was greeted, and asked if I needed any assistance while I was looking for a good gift for my brother more than a couple of times. After finding the winning bottle, I chose to look around see what other things they had to offer. I'm glad they have a larger selection of IPAs than hard seltzers. Even if I don't get something for myself, I like seeing that they give local breweries a chance to get their name out there

Total Wine & More

4.0

(56 reviews)

What! There's a Total Wine in Southern California. Well, I'll be. I thought that this was BevMo…read moreterritory, but I'm glad to see a Total Wine in these parts. This Total Wine visit was a means to an end, to be honest. I visited strictly for two reasons: One, to procure bourbon that can't be found in the Midwest. And two, to grab a bottle of red wine that has a twist-off cap that I could take back to my hotel room. I'm happy to say that both missions were accomplished! This Total Wine is like many of the other Total Wine stores: It's very organized and neat, with helpful people all about. That's one of the things that I love about Total Wine: There are people here and there in the aisles, ready to help. The other thing that I love about Total Wine is that it's so super organized, so you can just pop into a store and find what you want. That was the case for me, and I was in and out very quickly. Sometimes, you want to wander and browse. And other times, you just want to go in and get what you want. I got a bottle of red wine, and it was delicious. What more can you want?

Came into the store this morning to get drinks for my party of 30 on Saturday. Immediately, the…read morecustomer service was outstanding. Each person was willing to go above and beyond to help! And big shout out to Ben who took the time to walk around the store with me and grab everything I needed. Appreciate you all. Thank you!

House of Wine & Spirits

3.7

(9 reviews)

they have tons of choices! the owner is really friendly and knowledgeable. i try to support small/…read morelocal owned business and this is a great choice. the prices aren't bad and i think he has more choices than a lot of places. i was the only one there as they were about to close but i felt welcomed and i would definitely come back! i'm detoxing now but when i drink again hahaha

Decent selection, prices aren't too bad either. Has a large shelf of craft beer and a whole wall of…read morerefrigerated beer. Beer is local as well as national. Selections from stone to lost abbey to belching beaver. Also has wine and liquor. One of the better beer shops in the area.

Marcus Liquor

4.3

(22 reviews)

My favorite liquor store to go to super friendly and always has what I'm looking for. Never had a…read moreproblem here. the owners are super friendly and personable. They also have good deal compared to other stores in town. Especially the cashier Sarahi she made my day!

Sammy is the nicest person ever! Everything I needed was in this specific store, and they have very…read moregood prices on everything.

One Stop Liquor

3.4

(5 reviews)

Great liquor store with friendly staff, good prices, and a huge selection. Always clean and easy to…read morefind what you need!

Great local liquor store. Has a good selection of alcohol and snacks. Nice and helpful guys that…read morework here as well.

Gourmet Liquor

3.6

(12 reviews)

The place is a dump. The old man behind the counter is rude and argumentative. Their prices are…read moreridiculously high. I'll never return!

liquor selection small, closes an hour earlier than it says on maps.. so you waste time/gas…read morebelieving a store is open but big disappointment it isn't!‍

A-1 Super 7 Liquor & Market

3.7

(10 reviews)

Michelle (the blonde lady) is the best She's friendly, fast and really knows her stuff. She seems…read moreto be on top of carding the kids that come in there. As a mom and grandmother I really appreciate that. I'm not sure about the owner guy. I think his name Flapafloss. I've only interacted with him once. He didn't seem very friendly. He seemed guarded, and a little cranky. Maybe he just doesn't like white people? Maybe he just needed a nap. I dunno.. just try to go when Michelle is working there. She's a breath of fresh air.

This is really important and I hope the public takes the time to read this for their own safety…read more I was just severely harassed, degraded and feared for my personal safety inside this establishment perpetuated by the man behind the counter. I'm not sure if he is the owner or the employee. My husband has been coming to this liquor store for well over a decade. I have come in a few times for a soda or other random food item and have never had a bad experience until today. I was in the area and decided to stop in to cash my lottery tickets and purchase new lottery tickets with my winnings. I waited patiently in line. Right before it was my turn, the clerk answered a phone call. I waited for 30 seconds or so to be polite and let him finish his call. He motioned for me to hand him my tickets so I figured perhaps his call would continue and he wanted to keep the line moving. I told him I should have $4 each of winnings on the tickets totaling $8 in all. He ran the tickets and said "$8" I handed him my new lottery ticket numbers and he said I owed $2. Here's where things got crazy and unreasonable. He was on the phone this whole time. I told him I had miscalculated and made a mistake and I only wanted to buy $8 of new lottery tickets with my winnings. He immediately became enraged and said he could not cancel the transaction. I told him I did not have $2 cash and didn't understand why he couldn't cancel the transaction and rerun my request. He became enraged further and raising his voice saying over and over that he could not cancel the transaction. I stayed very calm while he ranted and raved about how "everyone knows this." He slammed his hands down on the counter and this is when I really feared for my safety. He looked as though he was ready to physically assault me over this simple misunderstanding. At some point during this scary encounter, he hung up the phone. I asked if I could use my debit card to pay for the additional $2 since he could not "cancel the transaction." The entire time I was respectful, addressing him as "sir" and trying my best to stay calm in this frightening situation. Eventually he said I could run my card for $2.50 for the money owed for the new lottery tickets. He was beyond disrespectful and when I informed my family was long time customers of his establishment he said "I don't care. Don't come here next time/again." I felt very threatened at this point. Here's the bottom line. I don't play the lotto on a regular basis. I am unaware of the rules of cancellation for their equipment/machines. He should have explained the rule in a calm matter instead of immediately escalating the situation by yelling and throwing a fit. I would have and did happily pay for the additional monies owed (+ a .50 cent fee) because I understood he could not cancel the transaction. He was very angry I kept asking him why we couldn't cancel the transaction. All he had to do was communicate in a calm, non-threatening manner that he was not permitted to do that for X reason. I believe this person is dangerous if he becomes so unhinged at such a small misunderstanding. I was so shooken up over his behavior towards me that I did report this incident to the Escondido Police Department. Maybe it's because I'm a woman. Maybe he's just having a bad day. None of those circumstances excuse this belligerent, confrontational and disrespectful behavior towards me. For the safety of yourself and those you care about, I would STRONGLY suggest you do not visit this liquor store. We will no longer be supporting this abusive company.

Emerald Spirits

3.5

(23 reviews)