West Lakeview Liquors

Used to shop here as it’s in the neighborhood and I love to support local businesses. Not anymore. The person behind the counter was rude and smug. They must not need local support. Byyyeeeeeeee.

It seems most people from Champaign, when they go up to a Cubs game, take the train. These people are missing out on one of the greatest experiences of going to Chicago.
If you take the train, you go up, see the game, then come back. You might go eat somewhere, but you are tied to the train schedule. You also, don’t want to carry a box around with you for the rest of the day.
TAKE A CAR PEOPLE!!! When you get done at Wrigley, go back towards ⁹⁰⁄₉₄ on Addison, and stop here.
This is the greatest beer/​liquor store in Illinois. Binny’s may be bigger and have way more things. But this place pretty much only stocks the great stuff. We stop here after every Cubs game we go to. We then spend somewhere between $ 100 and $ 400 on beer.
Are you looking for a really nice sour? Well, there’s a great sour section, stocked with things you didn’t know existed. Are you looking for a cool stout? Guess what, stouts galore. Are you looking for something from Destihl??? (why are you looking for that?) Well, they have the sour cans set up right in front of the cash register. (I guess with destihl winning awards, that means they are good; but they only had the sours… so there’s that). I spent over $ 150 on beer, and I’M NOT EVEN DRINKING BEER THESE DAYS!!! (ok, I also got a bottle of bourbon, because guess what, they have a great liquor selection as well).
I remember once, during GABF, Mikkel and his brothers were there brewing a collaboration with Three Floyds (something in their GOOP series). Me and my buddy Zoe drove up for a meet and greet, and we wound up playing cornhole with them for hours on end.
Kristina is awesome.
Oddly, my two favorite beer shops are both women owned. I guess that shouldn’t be odd. As they are two great people with a love for beer, I should expect a good bottle shop to be women owned from now on. Ok, so the next bottle shop that is great, i’ll find it odd if it’s owned by a man.
Drive up, it’s worth your time. But sadly, they don’t have a restroom you can use. For that, you have to go across the street to…

I’m really regretting not coming to Unilocal before ordering online from these guys.
I always like to opt for local when I buy, and so I was excited to find a seemingly nice place in town where I could order some local beer to send to a friend out of state. Terrible mistake. The selection is really great, I just don’t understand how a business could care less about their customers. Suffice to say, I will not be returning, and will warn everyone.
First of all, it took two full weeks for the order to even finish processing. Well, that’s okay. This isn’t Amazon, right? But then, after two attempts of trying to deliver, my friend wasn’t able to get the timing right (middle of a work day), so I scheduled it to be dropped at a location where he could pick it up at a time that was more convenient. I’m stoked. He’s stoked. Everyone’s excited to try new beer. That never happened because Lakeview called back the package without notifying me, or even attempting to reach out do decide next steps even though I’d just paid to ship across the country.
For an additional two weeks I try to get a hold of them to figure out why they had recalled the package, hopeful that I could stop it before it got back to the Midwest. They never answer their phone or return messages. Turns out it got damaged, and instead of asking how I’d like to proceed they just thought it best to return back to the store. But oh wait, if I want to, I could pay again to have it reshipped back to the west coast. There was no, «I’m sorry for the inconvenience, here’s a refund or discount for a later purchase to try and retain your business», or anything. I asked about shipping insurance, and they claim that after the first delivery attempt they are no longer liable…
My question is, if you are no longer willing to ensure the completion of a customer’s order after one delivery attempt (which is almost always not at a time where anyone is home), then why do you feel that you had the right to take my purchase and not even refund me any part of my payment?
TLDR; I’m out almost $ 100 after four weeks of almost ZERO communication. Don’t do it, whatever you do.

Amazing selection. Knowledgeable, friendly staff. In my humble opinion, this is the very best liquor store in Chicago… and luckily it’s right around the corner!

Pros:
–Incredible selection of beer (some of the more esoteric beers are really old though)
–Nice atmosphere
Cons:
The owner/​manager is incredibly rude to both her staff and patrons. This treatment has happened on so many occasions that I no longer wish to shop at West Lakeview Liquors. I feel bad for her employees.

Please do not order online from this business! I placed an online order one month ago but have yet to receive my order although my bank account was charged $ 234. Repeated attempts to call and email have been completely ignored. I can’t get anyone on the phone nor get a call back after leaving a message. I can’t even get a simple email reply to any of the several follow up emails requesting an update. At this point, I’m assuming they intentionally ripped me off and have no intention of ever shipping my order despite taking my money. Even filing a complaint through PayPal has gotten me no response from them. I have a friend who has had at least two orders with similar issues. I highly recommend finding another business to buy your craft beer because this is by far the worst business I’ve encountered online.
I’ve ordered from several craft beer shops in the last several months and I’ve never had any issues until I ordered from West Lakeview.

It might seem harsh that I gave WLVL a 1 star review… But this has been a bi-​weekly (sometimes more) place I’ve gone to over the past two and a half years and they’ve completely fallen off at this point.
1 star because you now treat your regulars like we’re total thiefs.
Scenario A — I’m an honest, hardworking, tax paying beer lover who supports local businesses.
Scenario B — some douche teenager steals cognac from you and since he was wearing a backpack (like 98% of daily commuters) you decide to ostracize your loyal customers.
I cannot believe that you now request people to take their bags off and put it behind the register while we shop. ESPECIALLY when there are 4 people (all new hires bc she fired her entire previous staff on speculation) working on a Friday night.
That’s just unbelievable, Christine. I hope you also realize that taking someone’s personal property at a public business (without any signatures) means you and your staff are 100% liable.
Best of luck in your new initiatives… I won’t be there to support them.
Beer lovers — give your business to shops like Bottles & Cans and the Beer Temple. They don’t dissect you under a microscope and stare at you while you shop as if you’re about to steal a shitty $ 9 bottle of beer…

Thank you Jamie and Jarod for your help and fast service! My apologies if your names are spelled wrong!
Customer service was what got this 5 star. I was in and out in 10 minutes with a bottle of wine (I know nothing about wine) and two beers (I know about beer).
I was hesitant to ask for help finding anything due to past experiences but the person working the counter seemed like she wanted to help. I described the «wine instructions» I was given and she walked me to the shelf and fridge and I found a wine that MATCHED the description in 5 seconds.
Then I went to grab beer and she immediately launched into a short pitch for a beer I would never buy. I bought it and another I already knew. The beer suggested doesn’t taste amazing but its easy drinking, fresh, light for an IPA, and chock full of 10% alcohol and I am happy happy.
As beer runs go this one was one was a straight home run.
It’s worth mentioning that this place has amazing selection. I was too happy to see the beer I recognized.
Thank you again!

Sadly, I had an unfortunate experience with a rude staff member here. They have a good selection of beer and whiskey but I won’t purchase when I’m not treated nicely. And, just to clarify, I’m not an attention whore. I don’t need my ass kissed. I just want to be treated pleasantly and professionally. I don’t think I am asking for something out of line.

Decent craft beer selection, but how about a little customer service?! I live remotely and purchase online. I’ve placed about four orders and two have been disappointments. The first problem was around an order I placed and I didn’t hear anything for about ten-​twelve days. I finally called them to find out that they were waiting on something that was out of stock and coming in the next day. That’s fine… but ONE) if someone placed a $ 175 order, wouldn’t you want to advise them as to the status of that order. TWO) how about the option of shipping without the item? What if I was hoping to have some of that order by a certain date? Additionally, the lady I spoke with was completely rude and put out because I asked for the status of my order. Who’s the customer? Second issue, recently placed an order and the site malfunctioned removing a couple of bottles as I checked out. I immediately sent an email asking if we can add or do something. No email response (shocking… why even have an email address?), so I called the next morning. The store acknowledged getting my email, but packed the order, and it’s ready for UPS. The lady again was very rude and said, we don’t add to orders. I simply asked… if you got my email, why couldn’t you just cancel the order and let me resubmit. Long pause… we don’t add to orders. So of the two bottles missing, one was the main reason I placed the order. In order to get it I now have to submit another order and pay more for shipping. Very easily, they could have held the order and contacted me or waited for me to call them. Very disappointing! In my opinion, this place has tons of potential… they just need to give a damn! I’m sure they are great for locals, but for shipping you may wanna think twice.

I just do not know how to rate this place. We are locals, we LOVE spending our money at small owned businesses. West Lakeview is a conveniently located liquor store with a good variety of beer, and there is also hard alcohol and wine if that is your thing. We have NO problem paying a buck or two more to support our area owners… and here lies the problem… the owner.
The owner is mean, mean, mean, condescending to her staff, seems to not appreciate her customers and mean.
So due to the convenience we do go there from time to time, but now if we see the owner we go elsewhere. Be nice lady, lighten up, enjoy life, geesh.
Besides that the staff is always nice and the beer selection is great.

4 stars for selection, –3 stars for price.
I’ve been to West Lakeview Liquors maybe a dozen times. They have a lot of harder to find selections for beer, although expect to pay more for them.
On a recent visit I had to buy a nice gift for someone who is a Scotch drinker. I’m not much of a Scotch or Whiskey drinker, so I didn’t really know what to look for or what a good value would be. I asked the employee for help and he was mostly useless, just naming a few different things he «heard» from other people were rare. It was evident he didn’t know much about whiskey either. I decided to purchase a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label. The bottle was on the very top shelf (required a ladder) so I could not see the price. I paid $ 330 for the bottle and left.
After I left, I started thinking that $ 330 seemed very high for the bottle. Again, I’m not a Whiskey drinker and have no clue how much it should be. I looked online when I got home and sure enough, every other retailer in Chicago has it for under $ 200. At Binny’s it is $ 175. Even worse, on the West Lakeview Liquors website, it lists the bottle at $ 228. So I paid an insanely high markup and $ 100 more than even the list price on their own website.
The next day I reached out to contact the owner. I wanted to know if the price really was $ 300 or I was charged the wrong amount on accident. I expressed concern that the price I paid seemed excessively high. I know a small, independent retailer like this will have slightly higher prices, but I didn’t expect to pay almost twice the price of other stores. I never heard back from the owner or anyone at the store.
As a result of this terrible experience, I have no plans to ever visit again and give them my business. I feel like I was taken advantage of and don’t respect the fact they never contacted me back about my concern. Yes, it is my fault for not pulling out my phone and comparing their price first to see if it was reasonable, but I also don’t expect a store to price gouge as they do.

This is a must visit liquor store when you are visiting Chicago. The selection is awesome and the workers are wonderful. We specifically went for craft beer and were far from disappointed. They are always surprising consumers with hard to find bottles!

Killer selection, they have stuff i’ve never heard of and i’m a buyer for a bar. They cary more local beers than a Binny’s and it’s a warm environment.

It’s 10:18 PM on a beautiful late summer evening in Chicago. I am comfortably perched in a lawn chair in my friends back yard, drinking a beer, enjoying good conversation, and just generally relaxed. No deadlines. No cell phones. No problems.
And then everything changes on a dime.
My friend Brian turns casually to his girlfriend Sarah «We should get married right now»
Sarah: «Like now now?»
Brian: «Yes»
Sarah: «Ok, let’s do it». Turning to the rest of us, «Which one of you guys wants to marry us right now?»
Jaws drop.
While the friend who was selected to officiate ran inside to get ordained on-​line, I thought… Oh sh*t! We don’t have any champagne! I sprinted out of the yard. «Wait! Where the hell are you going!» Someone yelled. «Give me 20 minutes. Do NOT start without me!!»
I jumped in my car, opened google maps, typed «liquor» and pressed search (I won’t tell you how common of a search in google maps that is for me…). Jewel was the closest, but, damn it, they had just closed. The next closest place was also closed. F! But wait! Someplace called West Lakeview Liquors was open until 11! I had 15 minutes…
8 minutes later, I pulled my car in front of West Lakeview Liquors, left it running and ran inside. Covered in sweat, I blurted «my friends are getting married right now and I need champagne!!!»
Jaws drop.
Then, as if by some other-​worldly force, everyone in the store began moving in perfect harmony, like a beautiful booze dance. The guy at the front counter signaled to a woman who was stocking shelves in the other room. Another guy appeared from behind a stack of boxes and asked if I wanted anything else in addition to the Champagne. The woman appeared at my side with 4 bottles of chilled champagne at varying price points. She briefly explained each, but sensing that I was worried more about getting back in time for the nuptials than about different vintages of champagne, winked at me and said «this one is perfect for a last-​minute backyard summer wedding». «I’ll take it!» I said. As I was frantically pulling my wallet out of my purse, the guy behind the counter said «give me 15 seconds» and ran into a back room. I glanced at my phone. It was now 10:59 PM. I had been gone for 17 minutes… would I miss the wedding?
As quickly as he disappeared, the guy returned. He gently placed a 6 pack of 3 Floyd’s Zombie Dust on the counter. «This is from my personal stash, but this is a special occasion and I want your friends to have it»
Jaw drops.
(For those that do not know, Zombie Dust is an extremely limited run beer. Beer fans have been known to stand in line for hours, beg, borrow, and steel just to get one 6-​pack. Zombie Dust doesn’t just fall in one’s lap)
I was so excited, I am honestly not sure what happened next. It’s a bit of a blur. After paying, I sprinted out the door and into my still running car. 11:03, I’m speeding west on Addison. 11:11, I pull up at my friends house and sprint into the back yard.
«Where the heck did you go?» exclaimed my friends, «We almost gave up and started without you!»
Raising the bottle of champagne in my left hand, I answered «You can’t have a wedding without this.» And then, with a huge smile on my face, I raised up the Zombie Dust with my right hand and said, «But you definitely shouldn’t have a wedding without this!»
Thank you West Lakeview Liquors for making Brian and Sarah’s amazing, last-​minute, summer backyard wedding even more memorable.

Awesome spot with beers from all over the world. I felt ashamed walking past all the imported German brews to the grab a chilled case of Miller Lite from the back of the store…

This is an excellent liquor store. It has a great beer selection, great spirits, etc. I have had great, friendly customer service. The beer selection, in particular, is outstanding, with a great selection of local and other US craft beers, some great foreign beers.

EPIC FAILURE and some of the worst customer service I have experienced in my life. Completely unprofessional to the point that I can not believe how they have the rating they currently do. Seriously, you burned me big time on this one, Unilocal.
I ordered a keg to be delivered for a party. It was to arrive at 9pm. At 5:30pm that day, I get a phone call saying that they are extremely busy and I will need to pick my keg up. I say that since I do not own a car and they are giving me no notice, this will not be possible. I am then told my keg can be delivered earlier and they will give me some extra bags of ice to make up for it having to sit out longer.
At 9:15pm, there is no sign of my keg, so I begin calling the store every 15 minutes, always getting the answering machine (even though they are open until 11pm on Fridays). I left two messages basically begging for someone to just let me know if I am getting my keg or not. At 11pm, I send my friends on a beer run and try to enjoy the rest of the party.
I got a phone call the next morning saying that «they were sorry they missed my order and could „maybe“ discount my next one». I say this is completely unacceptable and ask to speak to a manager. I am told «Christina is busy but I’ll have her call you.» Nobody calls on Sunday nor Monday. I call on Tuesday, ask to speak to her, am put on hold and then told she’s not there. «Why did the other employee just tell me she was?» «Well, she is here but she is in a meeting. Call back tomorrow.»
So I call first thing Wednesday morning and finally get to speak to Christina. Her response was «We were really busy that night and my employee should have never taken your order. He’s kinda flakey and I will need to discuss that with him.»
ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? You no call/​no showed an order and your response is «my employee should have never took the order». No apology and no attempt to rectify the situation. Just «I need to talk to Emmitt (the person who took my order) and I will have him call you.
Well, Emmitt just called me and gave me a lame, half-​ass apology and a «discount on a future order». I said that wasn’t good enough and when he asked what would make me happy, I said «You SHOULD be giving me my keg for free. I’ll pay the tax and leave a deposit for the tapper, but that is the only thing that would make this situation right.» To which he responded «Yeah, that will never happen.» So, I then said «Fine, sell me my keg at cost.» Nope.
Since this business has their heads so far up each other’s asses that they can’t see how big of a problem it is to no call/​no show a keg for a party and then take no responsibility for it whatsoever, I will never consider giving them my business and I will seriously go out of my way to make sure the rest of my industry/​event planning/​alcoholic friends do the same.

So cute! I would have liked the staff to be a smidge more talkative about wine, but in all fairness, I didn’t really ask anything and I like to poke around in wine stores, so I was happy to just hang out there for a while I browsed.
There’s a good selection of wine and beer and a nice range of prices.
Great spot in a great neighborhood!!!

It absolutely pains me to write this update.
Not because I’m downgrading West Lakeview Liquors, oh no, no, no. They’re fabulous! I just liked my prior review so much… it was one of my last ROTDs before becoming a CM, and I’m admittedly very sentimental.
But it has to be mentioned: WLL takes good care of me despite my sometimes erratic requests.
De Landtsheer’s Malheur 12? They were out. Short of going to Belgium to find it, they’d do just about anything to put an obscure find into your hands. The shelves were searched and the basement frisked over before delivering the empty news to one woeful me. Cue the country music!
The empathetic sales associate did try to get me in the arms of a comparable other. But, I wasn’t having it. Instead of giving me the «you’re crazy» eye, she suggested I leave my information so they could call me when a new shipment arrived. Almost too quickly, my name and number were scrawled out by an inconsolable beer junkie (me) who hadn’t had her smack fix in two days. Two days! What have you done to me, Malheur 12?
My name is Jelena, and I’m addicted to a Quadrupel Belgian.