D & Q Mini-Mart

Hands down the best beer spot in Houston. The owner is really passionate about beer and makes excellent recommendations based on your style and taste in beers.

Great selection of craft beers and I felt like I’d stumbled upon a gold mine being from out of town. Brandon is a very friendly and helpful guy and there’s no doubt I’ll be coming back in the future.

Sort of pricey, but he’s always got beers you won’t see at the grocery stores. Shop has a lot of glasses and some of the harder to find limited releases, just need to get there in a timely fashion.

D&Q came up on my twitter feed as suggested follower, so I began following them and keeping an eye on their tweets and pictures. They finally got my attention when they posted they would have a case of a beer, which I’ve been trying to get my hands on. Like most other Unilocalers, i was surprised to find this tiny store shell to contain a magical inventory of craft beer. I’ve been there 5 times now, and I always leave with something from my craft beer bucket list. On my most recent visit, I even found a couple of bottles of the sought-​after Goose Island Bourbon County Brand stout and a 1.75 L bottle of Mikkeller Christmas Ale.
I just hope Unilocal doesn’t cause D&Q to lose its authenticity. However, they do deserve our support.

Prices are a little higher for the common stuff, but you will find some items that are not available in the big box liquor stores. Stay away from the stuff you can buy at specs, and ask the proprietor to give you some suggestions on what is rarer. He is always happy to offer suggestions.

Quickie mart on the outside, craft beer lover’s paradise on the inside. I drove by several times on my way to/​from work and thought it was just a small liquor store or maybe a convenience store, but its really neither. I finally read the sign further and saw that they have collectible beer, so as a root beer connesiuer, I decided to stop in and see if they had any sodas for sale.
Lame I know, but they actually do have some sodas, wine and a very limited selection of candies. They probably have about 8 different root beers, but sadly I had already tried them all before. I ended up just grabbing a single craft beer, which was $ 2.15. I asked about 1 other craft beer that I didn’t see on the store shelves or in the cold cases, but the owner said that he didn’t carry that one.
Any craft beer fan should check this place out and maybe you will find something you have never seen, or can’t live without.

High prejudice. Low expectation. Huge reward, and one new friend.
Every time I come to Houston to see family, I always lament about the lack of quality in craft beers and bottle shops where I stay (between Sugar Land and DT Houston near Chinatown, so mildly resemble my own home with Cary-​Raleigh combo.)
This time, I determined to find a decent bottle shop to browse and drink. I mean, we are only 2 ½ hours away from Austin, and there are 2 – 3 breweries around here, so, there’s gotta be something, right?
Upon entering the Richmond Ave, I immediately regret trying to find this place… I mean, all I see are run down apartments and corner stores. I am on the wrong side of the town for it… I just know it. Once I arrived at this street corner, I sincerely made a joke to myself, «Yup! Another corner store that sells 40s and black & mild…»
Wrong! So wrong! As soon as I stepped in, I knew this is what I’ve been looking for all along! Everything in here looks like it used to be a run down tobacco & malt liquor shop (with the elevated check-​out box included,) except now everything is substituted with delicious craft beer.
Dude behind the counter is entirely way too friendly, making suggestions for local and oft-​missed selection of bottles. When I mentioned I came from NC and missed the craft beer scene as he was boxing up my bottles (yes, I said boxing up, because I walked away with more than a dozen bomber bottles,) he walked to the back of the store, and I heard a few cabinet doors opened and closed, and he returned with a bottle in hand, and said «hey, if you like sour, I have this bottle saved for a dude in Florida, but I don’t know if he’s ever going to come back and pick it up. If you like, I can box this up for you too.»
***Would Recommend*** Trust this beer snob. D & Q Mini-​mart is legit.

What a phenomenal place for beer lovers! A massive selection and the owner really knows their beer! I’ll def be back to try beers on beers on beers!

Better selection, service and prices than any specs. Brandon and his wife run an amazing establishment.

Out of towner (Memphis) in search of quality beer, Brandon was super helpful in gathering a collection of local saisons for my evening! Will definitely be back!

I’m writing this review on behalf of my husband, the craft beer snob. He is a regular here because of the selection of craft beer. Also, it says on Unilocal that it’s closed in Sunday’s but we are here now and they are definitely open. The area can be a bit sketchy so just beware.
Okay turns out they normally are NOT open Sunday’s so we got lucky!

Awesome selection, and they’re pretty good at rotating in new stuff, so it’s not always the same.

Unilocal says on Saturday’s they open at 9 AM. I show up at 930, closed. I check Twitter and they mention for the rest of the week they open at 10. So, this time i show up at 1030, closed. Since I already drove 25 mins to get down here, ill come back at 11. So I do quick drive by at 1105. Still closed. Screw this place. Ill stick with Specs and HEB.

Brandon is super helpful and is so knowledgeable about beer. I opted to get the 6 pack for 9.99, and felt like it was the best way to try various craft beers. Must check this out if you haven’t been!

I used to live 60 secs walk from the main Specs on Smith Street. There was plenty of craft beer from the USA and abroad and whilst you can’t beat the price on the 6 packs, D & Q is akin to leveling up.
Every weird and wonderful beer from crevices of the Earth unrepresented elsewhere in Houston is here at the «mini mart». Years ago I had spent a Summer in a small cottage in an ancient Village in a remote part of England and yes the mini mart has beer brewed in that tiny hamlet. If there is a rare beauty that you need, check here first. My father in law who delights in real craft ale was very impressed with the place. His wife took a seat on the comfy sofa at the front whilst we shopped to our hearts content.
I like cider. Fed up with the mad dash for the single bottle of non commercial cider in Specs before it runs out, here at the mini mart you have broad choice. Yes there is Aspalls, leprechaun (ugh) and other common ciders but those special beauties from Washington State, Vermont, Northern France etc have far more selection and dedicated shelf space than anywhere else.
Picked up some red velvet stout as well because why not!?!
The nod to its former convenience store status is the tins of cat food and kitchen towels secreted on the bottom shelf here and there but we are all here for the tiers of beer.
This one is for those in the know. What a Houston gem!

Excellent craft beer selection the best in houston. Doesn’t fill growlers anymore because of expired license and a school being built said he will have draft again just might be a while. You can find some gems in this place while everything else is sold out. Happy hunting

My name is Rachel and I support this beer run.
A few nights ago Mike told me he had a surprise for me.
I do not like surprises.
As we pulled into an unfamiliar part of the ‘strose he told me to Unilocal «beer store».
I nearly barrel rolled out of the moving car to run into this beer haven.
Well, D & Q, it seems we meet at last. I know you’ve been expecting me for some time.
Rows and rows, filled with green and brown glass. It was like the hops God made this store just for beer lovers, like me. It was glorious.
The beautiful thing about D & Q is that there is no rhyme or reason to their placement. You could spend hours peering at labels and debating that IPA or Oatmeal stout. This is by far the biggest selection of beer I’ve ever witnessed in the smallest store I thought could house it. The secret is that they don’t overstock. The owner says he likes to buy new products but only gets a few of them at a time.
The build your own six pack is a money choice, without spending a ton of money. $ 9.99 will get you an assortment. There is the occasional seasonal sprinkled in there. You could be spending that money on a shiner 6 pack, but why? Why would you deprive yourself of delicious, cheap craft beer?
Ask yourself that every time you stop to buy beer at your local Wal-​mart.
I’m beginning to enjoy surprises.

When I moved here from Michigan, I asked where was the best beer selection — everyone said the Spec’s downtown is by far the best beer selection in Houston. I went to Spec’s, saw the beer selection, and consequently I stopped drinking beer.
Move forward 2.5 beerless years in Houston. I go to Provisions, discover the deliciousness that is Hitachino, look it up on Beer Advocate and see… D & Q Mini-​mart. Why hellooooooooo.
It’s an eclectic mix of beers. They have Belgians, some super super rare Flemmish sours (clearly the owner loves the sours). I saw Rodenbach. I haven’t seen Rodenbach since I left Michigan. There was every Hitachino. I was impressed and delighted.
Enjoyed the selection. Can’t find anything, but I suppose that’s half the fun.
I am now a beer drinker once again.

When I first visited this was a much smaller spot selection wise. One that has continued to grow through the years, and built a great base in the shadows of a huge liquor company a few miles away.
OK, a few things that I am not crazy about first. Kind of a shady spot, basically a Kwik e Mart for beer that is a little dumpy. Lots of beer sitting on the floor in the open that I have had skunked, and the building temperature is a little to high for beers to be sitting outside of a cooler for to long IMO. The prices can be a bit expensive, though lately they have been beating Specs on certain items.
The owner is a great guy and knows his beer. Once you walk in, his genuine interest in his products and your satisfaction is very apparent. One conversation with him, and you are hooked on the place.
Enough of that. On to the important stuff. It is very hard for anybody to compete with Specs for selection, and D&Q has somehow matched their selection in every respect. Often times they are the first to get stuff in Houston, or just beat Specs on certain things. Everything from local Houston and Texas beers, Imports, and micros from around the country. Not to mention most everything is in singles as well as six/​twelve packs, and all the different glassware. The wine selection is starting to grow by leaps and bounds now as well.
They always seem to get Jester King, and Smokestacks before anybody else. Now Prairie Artisan and Ola Dubh. I have always respected this spot, but it took me a while to fully come around to the place. An excellent spot to grab some beers.

Yup. Best beer selection I’ve seen thus far. Aisles upon aisles and coolers upon coolers of beer with lots of different offerings from across the nation.
I loved make your own six pack — came away with Karbach’s Love Street Summer Seasonal and Weisse Versa Wheat, Santa Fe’s Imperial Java Stout, Abita’s Purple Haze, Roscoe’s Amber Ale, and Trader Joe’s Stockyard Stout. Excited to get a diversity of beers, all of which are new to me! The selection is ridiculous, and they actually post BeerAdvocate’s ratings on the more popular beers as well.
The amount of glassware from breweries is pretty outstanding too. At $ 2.99 each, I ended up purchasing a Karbach glass. This isn’t your everyday type of mini-​mart.
Great beer haven — Sad that I don’t live nearby!