Spec’s Wine, Spirits, & Finer Foods

Shout out to Nicki who helped us with our alcohol needs for Austin City Limits. Girl helped us with baby bottles, plastic flask pouches and everything. Love her. Great location– it’s a Spec’s so you know they will have everything under the sun. I’ll be back!

Specs continues to have the lowest prices on alcohol. They also have an incredibly wide selection of wine and airplane bottles. The free monthly beer and wine tastings are great!

I never have been to specs before even though I love their annoyingly catchy commercials. It is very impressive, reminds me of the BevMo chain in California which is my holy grail of liquor stores, they also have tons of food and specialists galore.
We stopped in here to get our liquor order squared away for our wedding and spoke to wine specialist Brian… aka the man who seems to know everyone that shops at the store and is a total guru in all that is liquor. He was very nice and listened to all of our wants and needs and didn’t try to upsell us and steered us towards reasonably priced wines, beers and liquor selections.
They also will deliver, so I am hoping the rest of the process is as pleasant as the initial consultation. I will update my review accordingly if it all does not go swimmingly but we had several helpful people that worked there help us out on Saturday and I also like their cash/​debit card discounts.

Staff generally not helpful. Always several staff members at the front of the store between the main check out area and the area where small bottles are sold. Not much need for anybody to stand here. How are they helping? The beer section is OK but it is blocked by too much back stock thus creating a log jam for customers. Is there really a need for 65 cases of Dos XX 12pks right in front of the cold beer section? Poor organization, lack of assistance. Two stars.

I enjoyed going to this specs. Especially on the weekends cause they have a lots of samples. There selection of beers is great always find what I’m looking for. The selection of foods could be a little better but it’s still OK. It’s a convenient location so like that. It seems a little messy but so do most of the specs I’ve been in.

Great location for this Specs, Mopac near 183, easy in and out. Always plenty of parking and in my experience it’s not as busy as the one in south Austin. Great Texas beer selection, and a good overall beer selection. I observed the beer staffer helping several people with their questions and giving them auggesrions. Good customer service is always nice to see.
It seems like we always leave with something new we found in the store. We went for beer this time and left with beer and a very good bloody Mary mix that they were sampling in the store. You got us again Specs, nice work with the samples. They have a good selection of sodas for the kids and non drinking adults as well. We will definately be back.

I normally love Specs. This location however had very rude employees. I had asked two male employees where the local beer section was. They actually pointed and basically said «oh over there,» instead of showing me. They were more interested in their own conversation than helping me. Then my mom and I go to check out. I had asked for boxes since mom and I both are moving. The cashier explained to me that they only can give out two boxes as they need the boxes for putting the merchandise in for their customers since Austin is bagless. Okay, cool. She then didn’t give us the two boxes we said we could have, and when my mom went to get the two boxes she actually snapped at my mom and said they’re for carrying bottles only?
Never coming back to this location again. I’ll stick with Whole Foods.

I am not a Unilocaler but considering my situation I want to make sure to commend the people here. I called another specs location to have the most abysmal customer service I have experienced to date. I then called this location and the beer guy, I wish I remembered his name, was super professional and gave me the information I needed and truly helped me find a limited release beer from Odells. He just did his job, was professional, and gave me good insight as to when he may even see the product hit his shelves and on top of it all told me the closest store that was currently had it. I’m impressed and will definitely have to drive a little farther away from Round Rock for stocking up on my beer.

Great location, with plenty of beers, both cold an on the shelf. I was looking for a specific beer, and an employee was very helpful in trying to find it. They were out, and he looked online to see if other locations had it. They did, but they were too far for me to drive, and it was late. My point is, he helped a lot, unlike other locations. Round Rock.
When I walked in the door, I got a welcome from a cashier, even though she was waiting on a customer. The staff seems to work together well, and helps each other. Not trying to look cool, and be hip. I liked that.
So thanks to this location. Lots of friendly staff. I know I’ll be back.

During my last two trips to Austin I’ve been able to score my favorite Texas beer thanks to Specs. Sine it’s relatively hard to find in stock I’m going to keep the name to myself (no it’s not Lone Star).
The bottle selection on the back way it pretty good and has a fair amount of local and not-​so-​local stuff to choose from.

YES YES YES. A plethora of all the fine things in life. this store is both my nirvana and deadly sin. when ever in doubt on what to give as a gift you can never go wrong with something from specs.

It was New Years Eve… I was in a liquor store… It was almost the dumbest thing I’ve ever done. It was packed to the gills with samplers and shoppers and people trying to get some version of something bubbly that wasn’t going to break the bank.
Specs on any occasion is a wild and wonderful adult carnival, but on NYE it’s a palpable blend of excitement and desperation. Regardless of the mania, Specs head it well in hand. They had everything covered with extra cashiers at the customer service area. Lines were long but I was in and out of the checkout situation in about 15 minutes. Unlike many other stores this evening, they brought their A++ game.

I’ve been to all of the Specs in Austin save for the Bee Caves Location and this is one of the best overall behind the Brodie location which has a slightly larger selection of certain spirits. All of the stores, as far as liquor inventory is concerned at least, have a somewhat varied selection surprisingly, I’ve found. Some carry certain bourbons, tequilas, rums, liqueurs etc… that others other locations don’t and I find this location to have a good mix of everything, while being one of the larger locations and cleaner, newer stores with the benefit of being located the closest to me, which is absolutely not important to you if you are reading this.
The staff here is quite helpful and there are a few employees that I have talked with multiple times and gotten great recommendations for everything from Scotch, Bourbon, Tequila, Rum, Cognac, Liqueurs, etc…
Overall the prices are tough to beat, and they tend to have the best prices if you were to buy a set basket of items, but occasionally I will see slightly lower prices on select items elsewhere in town such as Austin Wine Merchant or Twin Liquors. Be sure to get a Key Card here (you dont have to actually have it on hand when shopping) but it gets you a discount on lots of items, and of course you pay less here when you pay with cash or debit as opposed to credit which is nice.
Overall, this location is clean, has friendly, helpful and knowledegable employees and a great selection of beer, wine, liquor and great prices.

Love Spec’s, but this one is one of the worst. They carry only the bottom end of vermouth. Yesterday they were featuring Jack Daniel’s 1.75 and yet were not stocked: only 6 bottles on hand. If you want the higher end items or the unusual, you need to visit the Airport location.
I will say that the staff is as helpful as they can be, and very friendly. But the inventory is lacking.

This is an ethyl alcohol playground. They have an incredible beer selection with a great variety of worldwide brews down to local selections. The wine selection is equally impressive. They were carrying all my favorite Barolos, Barberas, and Barbarescos before anyone else in town. The spirit selection is unmatched! I’ve found some of my favorite hard to finds from my time in Europe, such as Grappas, Stroh Rum, and fantastic Magenbittern.
The gourmet food section boasts a wide variety of hard to find items ranging anywhere from small batch hot sauces to artisanal pastas.
For me, the shining star is the deli section. The retail side of the deli carries a plethora of great cheeses and salum.
…but I’m here today to talk about the prepared food and hot deli. It’s easy to forget about the little deli counter tucked away on the back corner, but to do so is just a shame. The menu has all the great deli classics from Reuben sandwiches to chopped liver! Every day, there is a lunch special. I happened to pop in to get a Reuben fix and the special happened to be fried catfish. Two of us ordered the Reuben, while the third decided on the fish special.
Let me start with the fish. Easily an 8 – 10 ounce piece of fish. Fried perfectly, it has a crunchy exterior while maintaining a moist flaky interior. The fish was fresh and didn’t have the typical gaminess of catfish. It we served with a light cabbage slaw and a pile of equally perfectly fried hush puppies. I typically cannot stomach hush puppies, but these were flavorful, fluffy, and well seasoned… with bits of onion and garlic. Gooood stuff. The kicker… all this food rang in at a mere $ 5.99!
The Reuben carries a 1/​3lb serving of tender corned beef. The meat was flavorful, but not salty. They use Dietz and Watson sauerkraut, which if perfectly crisp and just the right amount of salty and sour. This is one of the best Reubens in the city.
This visit, there was a little confusion and the sandwiches took a little longer than normal. The staff made sure to acknowledge that it was taking so long and… get this… admitted they had simply made a mistake. No excuses. No bucking responsibility. They owned the mistake and seemed genuinely apologetic. They made every effort to make amends and make sure we were taken care of. THAT alone is worth top ratings. The cherry on top is the simple fact that the sandwich was well worth the wait!
I’ll be back, no doubt about that!
Pro Tip: If you have never been to the deli, this is how the process works. Order your food. You’ll be given the tickets. Make your way to the registers and pay. Take a little time to do some shopping. They will call over PA when your food is ready. Pay at the register (5% discount for cash) and make your way back to grab your food and a table. Enjoy!

Specs is a great central Texas chain with a juggle selection and Deli on site. The staff is trained in each area including beer, wine, and booze.
This place can be a great time saver if you need to pick up something to drink for the evening and also need a decent dinner that you can hear up at home.

The expectations going into our first liquor store trip upon moving to Austin were too high and as a result Spec’s was a bit of a let down. Yes, the store is massive. Yes, the selection is great. But overall the prices were higher than expected and the store is dedicated so much to wine and food that the liquor selection was a little lacking given the vastness of the store.
The store delivered as promised but didn’t make me a lifelong customer. I will be trying other liquor stores before returning to Spec’s

Wine, wine, wine, beer, more wine, ale … rows and rows and aisles and aisles of it. Oh my goodness!!! This place is so cool to just walk around and browse. The eye shopping is tremendous here if this kind of thing interests you. They have an amazing deli and also have a great cheese section and if it weren’t for the suuuuuuper slooooooow service, I would have rated it a 4-​star rating but oh well! It was still a blast to look around and they even have fun sodas for the kids!

Spec’s really is as amazing as everyone says it is. A magnificent selection of libations and specialty food items, an incredibly knowledgeable and kind staff, and an obscene amount of cheese.
All of that is enough of a reason to fall in love with Spec’s. To add to that, they have an INCREDIBLE deli. They turn out some of the best sandwiches in town. The Shrimp Po-​Boy is pretty good, but the burgers and the Grand Cru are my go-​to lunches. There are plenty of other sandwiches on the menu and one day I’ll branch out, but it’s hard to mess with success. Especially when the successes are as delicious as that Grand Cru.
They do occasional wine/​liquor tastings, so it’d be wise to stop by and figure out their schedule. You just might find your next gem of a beverage.

OSCAR MIKE GOLF, how is it that I’ve lived in Austin for a year and a half, worked right around the corner, and STILL had never set foot inside this imbiber’s theme park? My friend Josie brought me here for the first time last week, and from the moment I walked in, I was overwhelmed. They have everything you need to throw a massive party, or to sit and drown away your sorrows watching ‘Enter the Dragon” while your two dogs are staring at you. (Not that I’ve ever done that.)
But indeed, not just alcohol and alcohol-​related products, but gourmet items and cool soft drinks, and an entire shelf of at least two dozen kinds of anchovies. The first thing I did was hit the shelves of hard-​to-​find and unusual soft drinks. I picked up Cheerwine, because I remember liking it around 1990. The I saw they had Moxie. I really though Moxie was as extinct as the dodo. I’ve always heard about it, and I know at one time, in the early 20^th century, Moxie was as big as Coke and Pepsi. So I grabbed a bottle. THEN, there was a trifecta of very strange sodas – Buffalo Wing, Peanut Butter & Jelly, and Bacon I wanted to try them all, but opted for the Bacon soda. My last bottle of sodie-​pop was a salute to Austin – Zilker Park Cola, by the Barton Springs Soda Company. OK, enough with the sodas. This is Spec’s, after all…
I went to the beer aisle, and got to sample some fancy-​ass beers from who knows where. A decent IPA, and a Brazilian beer. moving over to the wine section, I tried a few really good wines. THEN, I went on a booze tasting spree! it was way too fun! I found a high-​proof rum from Austria that I’ve been searching for since 2001 – Stroh’s 160 proof. When I worked at Rumjungle in Vegas, we used to light all kinds of stuff one fire with it. I did a shot on a dare, and got dizzy. Good stuff! Has a flavor of caramel, and lighter fluid.
What else needs to be said? This place is awesome!