Great local liquor store that serves premade drinks sort of. Really cool and authentic. Must go back for their cocktails in the back fridge again! read more

They are horribly overpriced and rude about how much they are overcharging. The older gentleman with the beard is soo rude. He was working tonight..I asked about a bottle I was willing to spend 250$ on. I got it down the street for 200$ a few weeks ago but I was willing to get another.. He laughed me out of the store because they are asking 500$ on a 200$ bottle. It's astonishing your employees would treat a big spender with such disrespect. They are always asking double to triple for the nice bottles they carry. In this market who are they fooling? read more

Gotta love the "U". With that, "U-save" is technically accurate. "You-Save", had that been their signage choice, maybe not so much. ‍ Hey, Android, Apple Pay and BitCoin accepted (double check the bitcoin. Could be wrong)! They're locally owned and way faster than safeway! read more

U-Save Liquors - "U-save" is technically accurate. "You-Save" maybe not so much. Android and Apple Pay accepted - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

See all

Great selection of liquor at competitive prices. If you want it, they probably have it.

Needed a liquor store with a good selection to pick out a gift for a friend while traveling through town. Got lucky on this second try and found an incredibly well stocked store that had a great selection rivaling any Other liquor store I've ever been to, even beating out BevMo. Lots of great specialty rare but fantastic bottles at reasonable prices. The cashiers were friendly and talkative as well. read more

If you don't live near this U-Sav location, it is definitely worth the drive. Not only do they have an outstanding selection of spirits and ales, they hands down have the friendliest, best staff of ANY liquor store I have EVER been to. Great job guys! keep up the great work and friendly smiles! read more

I actually really like the friendly staff & although I done drink, I frequent u-save for other items. I'm frustrated they close so early. I realize all the restrictions that need to be observed because of the last year & 1/2 of Covid & the variables but 10pm seems unreasonable. Why can't they extend their hours until 12pm or 12:30am on Fri & Sat nights? Grrr One would think they loose a significant amount of sales in that short extension of time.Come on guys, won't you consider staying open later at least on Fri & Sat nights? Thanks. PS I think its a great place & give them a top rating. My only complaint is the early closing hours. read more

Very disappointed in the comments I heard when I was in line at u-save. There were 2 people at the counter, one was a white guy with a long beard and the other guy was a non-white, possibly Hispanic guy. The white guy made a comment about how "Salvador doesn't get us Americans" when the cashier asked the customer if she wanted her tickets separate or together. This seemed like a very unnecessary comment that no one needed to hear. I'm not sure if the non-white guy's name is actually Salvador. But when I checked out, the name on the receipt said Nelson. Could be that the white guy's name is Nelson and I was rung up under his sign on but it could also be that the white guy called Nelson "Salvador" even though it isn't his name. The customer told the white guy he wasn't being nice to the other guy, he responded "he has it coming though". I could tell that the cashier that rang her up was clearly unhappy with what the other cashier had said. Overall, whether or not it was intentional, as a customer, this seemed like a very racist comment to make. I could tell the customer ahead of me was extremely uncomfortable with this situation and I can't imagine what the non-white people who work around this man must hear on a daily basis. I hope this was a joke between friends but based on the cashier's reaction, it didn't seem like it was a joke. read more

This is one of the cleanest liquor stores in Santa Cruz. Staff that works here are all very friendly and nice. They will gift wrap bottles of liquor for you for special occasions. The staff treat their customers very well. They always seem to have something on promotion as well. There is also a huge selection of different types of liquor ranging from the super cheap stuff to exotic liquor imported from japan. You will find something you like here! Parking is also easy. They have a parking lot so no stress! read more

U-Save Liquors - the outside of a liquor store - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

See all

You save liquors is my favorite family-owned westside store for a cold bunderberg or an ice cream... they have a great selection of wine always excellently priced lots of unique beers as well and big heart for the staff read more

It's no Santa Clara Liquors but service is friendly and these guys know their beer. I am not a drinker whatsoever but dating a guy that drinks IPA's like there's no tomorrow means I'm always on the lookout for something w/ depth and deliciousness such as Lagunitas Sucks, Pliny the Elder, Stone Enjoy By, etc. Call first. I was in a bind but sufficed to the next best thing whilst I was there. Damn.. this review took me a year + to write. read more

This place looks really sketch so whenever I'm here I feel a little scared, however, the guys who work here are always very helpful and look out for my group of friends. I didn't have my ID on me once so I stayed outside in the car while a friend of mine went in to pick up a few drinks, the cashier was keeping an eye on her, offered to help her with her basket, and asked if she needed assistance to her car. I think the way a business treats their customers speaks volumes. Prices are competitive but sometimes Safeway has a better sale deal on popular handles/bottles that this location does not have. read more

What a find. A surprisingly large selection of spirits at reasonable prices. I found a whiskey we had been looking for all over town. The clerk wasn't very knowledgeable, but if you know what you want you won't be disappointed. read more

I used to frequent this establishment but I will no longer be going here after seeing the way they treat their employees and seeing that they don't take Covid seriously. Disgusting and disgraceful. read more

Ha man! I need a beer. What do I do? I go to usave Liquors. Why? There are cheep.Real cheep.So cheep they would give it to you if it would get you to leave,If your a homeless street bum. Lots of street bum love usave liquors and there cheep free beer.They know how to work the boy's at the counter. A1 beer and Liquor at usave liquors. A 1 bums in this town of Santa Cruz. Steven E. read more

I like this establishment. They provide a wide selection of beers, single malt scotches, and just about any kind of alcoholic poison you could want, also cigars! they are called U Save liqueurs, but i always call em university liqueurs, so please kids, bring your ID's. They card everyone in your party. And they confiscate fake ones. They don't want their license taken away. the long haired white owner is cool. he is always there. be nice to them, have a conversation, they provide an important service to the community. hahaha. read more

U-Save Liquors - a typical santa cruzite - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Having been a shopper here for several years now, I am trying to make sense of these recent negative reviews and what i'm hearing on this side of town about the two employees in question. Are we to take one employee's account as gospel? Has anyone corroborated her claims? Besides of course the yelper who obviously regurgitated what she said on instagram to the cheers of an alarming number of viewers. Usave has been here for 40 years, not once have they ever received complaint of racist behavior from employees or anything even resembling racism in the store. Residents of the west side and beyond can attest to this in droves. Over the past four months the racist label has been tossed around this country like a beachball at baseball games, which of course we cannot attend anymore like most of our healthy outlets and welcome distractions. Perhaps this type of irresponsible vitriol is a product of just that. A disgruntled employee raised some eye-opening concerns regarding other employees, but I don't see how this implicates the business itself. Before we levy the dreaded racism card on this establishment, why don't we have conversations with their owners and employees? How do they actually feel about what happened? Is her account of the incidents actually true? If so, has the business taken corrective measures? I'd like to get to the bottom of this myself as a resident of the community and a loyal customer. But what I won't do is fall in line, regardless of my politics, with a single account from one person. I respect the other recent yelpers right to voice their opinions but that is all they are until the facts are laid bare. read more

Phenomenal service and selection. Hands down best liquor store in town. Great prices and workers all seem to be genuinely good ppl. Keep up the great work!!! read more

I've been going to U-Save every for over 20 years and they've always been great. They're a good locally owned store trying to compete in a sea of corporate competition. The staff has always been helpful and friendly. If they mistakenly hired someone who said hurtful comments to others, I'm sure they took care of it. I haven't seen him in there. If you're concerned, go ask for yourself instead of relying on social media. read more

So dirty. You'd think they would clean it better considering they sell consumables. I've also been here and had a valid ID turned away until I said I was going to bring in a passport, not sure how well they have an eye for this (bald guy, who is also rude) read more

Great prices on beer, free small bag of ice with purchase. Amazing folks at the register. Can't get any better than that. :)

Drove all over town and finally found a 40oz beer here for a friend's 40th. Well done U Save!

A good one stop shop for alcohol needs...Its like a more convenient location for the BevMo in Capitola, and its been around longer. The best thing about this place is you can see the keg selection online, and then go in and order it up quick. I've gotten kegs here a couple times, and it was always a really fast and easy process. I never tried using a fake here (obviously because I never had one since I was a good kid wink wink) but from the people that I know that did try and pull a fast one, it did not go over so well here. Fakes beware, U-save knows better! read more

U-Save what can I have U SAVED my night way to many times that I do not remember. In between the underage kids trying to get you to buy booz and the rediculous selection of booz well its just one of the best booz shops I hvae ever had. Throwing a party what do I do ( this would happen to often) lets check out costco, ok lets check out safeway, okay now lets go to U-Save Buy all liquor, Beer, Wine, etc at U-Save because why you ask???!!!!?!?! or maybe you already know!!! U-Save hands down has always had a better deal than any other place I could find in Santa Cruz. Cheaper on everything by just that much and the guys at the store are always helpful in choosing a new Scotch or Wine to try they will even point out the Damn good deal that you may have missed. I miss this place, I have a BevMo down the street and sure they have a ridiculous selection but U-Save still has my Liver read more

Before I turned 21, I spent many occasions sitting in the parking lot of U-Save liquors waiting for whoever was 21 to buy some liquor so we could go indulge in underage drinking. U-Save has a reputation of taking faking IDs and refusing to sell alcohol if they suspect you of were buying alcohol for minors, which is why I hid out in the car : ) I've gotten kegs from U-Save a few times and they have a good selection of keg beer choices. You have to put down a $50-$75 deposit for the keg shell, which isn't bad as long as you return it. U-Save is more expensive than CVS across the street, but they have a bigger selection of alcohol. Thank you U-Save Liquors for fueling us with liquor for some crazy wild nights. read more

U-Save is the go-to place for Santa Cruz booze shopping! Great deals on 30-packs, kegs, wine, and hard liquor. You can also find a pretty good selection of speciality beers, making it a successful stop for beer nerds! U-Save also has normal liquor store finds like lotto tickets, cigs and blunt wraps.... become a regular and get to know the staff! They're a lot of fun :D read more

The best place for deals on booze. You'll have to wait in line as it is near the UC campus but they have selection, kegs, and deals. Back in the day if it was your birthday they would give you your choice of a free little bottle, if you got one of the veterans they'd say "This is the first and last free item you'll ever get from here, enjoy" read more

No club cards, no hidden charges, and good sales. I wish I could come here regularly just to stock up on whatever they were selling on sale that week. Other than that, the prices are comparable to any other safeway or other liquor store. They don't have super fancy / crazy stuff like Bev Mo. Also, the guy in the picture on this business was arrested outside of it the night I came by. read more

Liquors Save U. This is a good place to pick up the inexpensive hard stuff when you're on the go. They have cheap kegs a lot of the time, too. Definitely the best liquor store on the westside. Beer is hit and miss. I recommend the handles of Monopolowa. read more

Best place to buy alcohol in Santa Cruz. They have the best selection, considering the nearest BevMo's in Capitola. Everything you could ever want and a lot of things I've never even heard of. They seem to have pretty good deals as well, hence the name U-Save. I don't know why I ever try to go anywhere else, I should always just start at U-Save. They have EVERYTHING! And the people who work there are always really nice and helpful! read more

This is practically a West Side landmark and is definitely my favorite liquor store. The cashiers working here don't take %*#^ from nobody, and I've seen them kick out a few people that rubbed them the wrong way for one reason or another. Having said that they're usually friendly and entertaining. They've got some good deals going on sometimes, and often have better prices than the Safeway next door. read more

Best place in town buy KEGS! Check their website for coupons and bring em in! They rent out kegs, taps, and buckets with a deposit. The kegs are kept cold and the best thing about U-SAVE is they even hook you up with a BOX OF ICE! Try asking Bevmo or any other store and they'll make you buy your own. I always reserve mine 3 days in advance so they'll set one aside for me. read more

Great selection of beers and spirits and a cool staff. I never have to wait in line. They always have staff ready to check you out. Prices or OK..not cheap but not overly expensive. Beer is plenty cold and ready to drink. read more

When I turned 21, my friends and I would buy $100 worth of booze at U-Save liquor. This is the coolest liquor store that I have ever been to. They don't just serve booze. They serve everything related to booze. They have peanuts, bota bags, drink shakers, martini glasses, and chasers. They even have cleaning supplies, in case someone throws up at your party. They have beer that contains vaginal fluid, drinks that can set things on fire, and large cardboard boxes that you can put all of your booze in. This is the best liquor store in Santa Cruz County! read more

I have a love hate relationship with this place and here's why. This place has a wide variety of alcohol to choose from, and the prices are really good too. Sometimes they even have alcohol marked for sale by their register. But one time my boyfriend and I bought a small bottle of Bacardi that was marked down to $8. He paid with credit card and said he didn't need the receipt back when asked (which he probably should have gotten). When he checked his bank statement he was charged $32 which is impossible because we never even spent more than $10 at this place. Not sure if they accidentally charged us more than what they were supposed to or what, but just be wary when using a card here. Not sure I plan to come back, and if I do I will be sticking to cash for sure. read more

older man with gray hair and glasses behind the counter was stuffing his face with food- no greeting, no "thanks", no "have a nice day," etc. Just stuffing his face and basically ignoring me. horrible customer service! eat on your break. and seriously how hard is it to say hi and thank you? why is it, now a days, that it is always the customer (me) that is saying hi and thank you and the employee says nothing. so rude! read more

Leaving aside the first experience I had there (I was under the age of 21), this place is pretty legit. They actually have a Rum from the British Virgin Islands that I have only seen at one other store back home in Illinois. They also serve a CCOF certified, local organic vodka called Shadow Spirits. According to my boyfriend they have one of the best beer selections in the county, well...almost as good as Bev Mo. The one time I was in there when I was under 21 they asked for my ID even though I was not trying to purchase anything and was not attempting to get someone to purchase me alcohol. I was just standing there! They then wouldn't sell my friend (who is 23) any. We took our business corporate to Longs. Anyway, the Champagne room is nice, but remember, no sex. read more

This Place Sucks. The guy behind the register was a complete jerk off because I was on the phone and buying some beer at the same time. Now I am the customer with cash no problem on the phone and buying beer. What is the problem. Maybe Pakistan has a problem with that but not America. The gut treated me like a complete jerk when I was just talking to a friend. Sorry It was not cool for him. I am the paying customer. Never again will I buy anything for this place.... read more

They have good selection and fair prices but I have never experienced worse quality or customer service. A month after purchasing 2 bottles of $60 whiskey (unopened) I found that one was leaking in my cabinet. Because it was clearly unopened you would think that they would exchange it and work it out with the distributor. But you can't expect the same customer service of a super market or online store. They said that it was illegal for them to exchange it but they also said they would have exchanged it within a week...not sure how that makes any sense. Definitely won't be shopping there ever again. read more

I brought a friend with me to the store because im disabled and I had my friend hold the stuff I was purchasing so when we got to the counter the short mexican guy was rude right off the back asking my friend for his I.d and my friend said its not for me im helping him carry his stuff so then the guy gone ordered my friend to stand outside in the pouring rain and told me to take the beer back I said I cant hold it im disabled can u help me he said no so rudely and said I got to help the customers, what the hell there was only one person in line I thought by far that was poor customer service. read more