John’s Grocery Inc

Always has what I need when I need it. It can get a little cramped at times, but it’s just a short drive from where I live on the Northside and they carry a wide variety of items (which is impressive for the size of the store). Off street parking in back and the staff have always been very friendly. No complaints here!

I’ve done a couple of mail orders through this place. Very easy to deal with, shipped with FedEx alcohol license. Requires adult signature just FYI. I usually use this store to get new releases that don’t make it to wider distribution like Toppling Goliath.

Awesome liquor store! My husband went nuts! We were looking for a good scotch and some champagne as gifts for my surgeon and other members of my medical team and this place fit the bill. Great people helped us with both selections. It was so nice to have knowledgeable people who assisted without overwhelming you with tons of information. The locals call the place «Dirty Johns» but it is very clean. We had a really fun time shopping there! Highly recommend it!

Great beer and an good wine selection, but I’ve been bummed by the grocery selection.
The cheese cooler could definitely use more diversity — majority of the cheeses are very low-​key and safe, which generally translates to mean bland. I love that there are a couple local items in the cooler like dumplings from Dumpling Darling (all her dumplings are made in the kitchen above John’s Grocery), some hummus from Oasis, and Iowa’s AE Milk. Their bread is quite amazing too and made in-​house! I wish there were more unique options for the rest of the grocery items though, like the chips, sauces, seasonings, soups, etc.
Most of the prices are very reasonable, especially when compared to other groceries in the downtown area.

Wow what a great store. I so wish I lived in the area. This had so much to offer, a giant wine room, fresh groceries and LOTS and LOTS of beer. On a trip through Iowa I posted asking what beer store do I stop at in Iowa and John’s was the resounding answer. The selection was second to none. They had a big room of rarer beers, a wall of Belgians and a huge walk in cooler. I explained I was from out of town and what is good to get. The staff member walked me through what I should look for. I will be back at my first opportunity.

About as good as it gets for beer in Iowa (or anywhere). The beer room is stocked with an incredibly diverse selection from all across the globe. Their Belgian wall – the first thing you see when you walk into the beer room in the back of the store – is a sight to behold. And if you turn to the right, you’ll find a variety of singles that are reasonably priced and draw from some of the best rated breweries in the country. If Iowa beer is your thing, just go into the cooler room and you’ll find growlers of pretty much any Iowa microbrewery that you’d want to try.
My only complaint is that they could do better about announcing new beers, rare offerings, and so forth. They have a somewhat inconsistent social media presence, which hopefully will change. Also, unlike many beer stores on the east coast, they don’t have anything on tap to try, making this more of a grocery than a beer store proper. Of course, that reflects its historical roots and doesn’t diminish their selection. Simply one of the best high-​quality beer selections that I have ever seen, anywhere.

This may be blasphemous to some, but I really think John’s needs to move. That place is just craaaamped. But, at the same time they are a great example of how to pack a lot of stuff into a tight space. Seriously, the amount of food items they pack in here is crazy. Then there’s the beer and wine selection Which as anybody who’s lived in Iowa city for very long knows is incredible. There’s not a finer selection of imports and hard to find craft beers in town, plus the guys really know their stuff.

We popped into John’s late Friday night to grab some beer and were wowed by the selection. We picked out cans of the Dirty Blonde Chocolate Ale and bottles of Red Rambler, along with this curious jar of apple moonshine. Everything was top notch, and we were just floored by everything available in the cooler and the room temp part of the store.
Boyfriend was also impressed by the service — he remembered the guy at the counter being particularly helpful and kind.
Way to go, Iowa City, this place is tops.

Mediocre selection and their prices are nearly twice a high as they are on the same items in stores closer to downtown that pay higher rent. At least they have a good selection of alcohol.

Hands down the best beer selection in Iowa City. If you are looking for new and interesting brews this is the place to go.
Also a decent wine selection and helpful staff.

If you’re a beer snob, this is your place. Their beer selection is unparalleled. They also have a great wine selection and friendly staff.

The best beer selection I’ve ever seen, good prices. Basically you name it, you got it at John’s.
The wine selection and staff are second to none. It’s also very nice that the wine is next to the cheese selection.
On top of all that, the groceries are relatively reasonably priced, considering the location. There isn’t another grocery store in downtown Iowa City (other than the Co-​op and the bread garden, and those cater to the granola crowd (which I’m sometimes a part of)), so it’s good to have John’s.
It’s a staple of Iowa City, worthy of continued patronage for years to come.

Dirty John’s has the best beer selection in IC. They also sell a variety of snacks to enjoy with your beer and most grocery items that you suddenly run out of (eggs, toothpaste, etc.). The wine and spirit selection is also great. Need I say more?

I love John’s a little more each time I go. It’s right near my house and it’s just super cute. It doesn’t have everything and some things cost a little more than we’re used to with big superstores but I think it’s nice. Obviously the booze selection is excellent.
Cute, convenient little store. Small town charm.

John’s has a great beer and wine selection. They paid attention to beer when Iowa was a wasteland, and went out of their way to get great domestic and imports into the state.
The nickname is «Dirty John’s», not because of cleanliness, but because they used to sell Playboys and I think Penthouse up by the front of the store in a magazine rack that is now long gone. This was in the 1970’s when Central Junior High was a block away, so the teenagers referred to it as such.
Great find: Delaware County Meats Cottage Bacon. It’s stupendous! Also, on the spirits front, one of the few places in Iowa you can buy Fernet.
A great store.

You can’t go wrong with John’s. As an IC native I grew up coming here for lunch in the summer when my dad wanted to get rid of me. He would give me some cash and I would wander around before buying a sandwich and giant rice krispy treat.
In college this was the perfect place to walk to for a bag of groceries.
Now I appreciate the fantastic beer selection and friendly recommendations.

These guys have a great selection of beer. Oh, and they ship, even better. Yet, my 5-​star review isn’t even really because of the beer — it’s the beer glassware for sale.
I actually love beer glassware more than I love beer, and I’d been coveting the Matilda glass from Goose Island for a long time, but was never able to find it. Hell, I went to Chicago and still couldn’t find it. Well, one bar I went to was serving Matilda in it, so theoretically I could have stolen it, but that’s not my style. Even Goose Island itself didn’t have the glass for sale.
John’s Grocery did. They don’t anymore, as I don’t see it listed on the website — but they did, and that’s good enough for me. I am the proud owner of two sexy, sparkling Matilda goblets, glasses I never break out unless I’m actually drinking Matilda, or trying to seduce a woman ;)

Incredible, unsurpassed beer selection. Good wine selection. Cheese selection is okay, Hyvee and Pioneer Co-​op have slightly better collections, but overall, it’s solid. Aisles are pretty cramped and the selection of food is only a couple steps above your neighbor hood 7 – 11, but for sure a one stop shop for college students who need finals week food.
The original John’s grandson is the current proprietor of this establishment and aside from being a really nice guy, he really loves his beer. He’s made some great recommendations and will try and get those beverages that you desire if they don’t have them, though you if you go wanting at John’s you’re doing something wrong.
An amazing selection of darks, lights, Belgians, German, really everything. They sell many bottle individually and in my opinion, it’s totally work a couple extra bucks to sample some great brews at the same time!
Overall — a must see for anyone who’s even heard of beer, not necessary for those just looking for groceries.

You can’t find Goose Island or Bells in California and both breweries don’t ship to residences. I even checked BevMo, no luck either. On Goose’s facebook page, they mentioned John’s as a way to order their beer and they ship to most states depending on state laws regarding alcohol.
My God! On their website, they have the biggest list of beers that I have ever seen. I almost want to go to Iowa City to check out this place. BEER HEAVEN! I decided to order two 24-​packs of beer (1 pack of Goose Island 312 and the other pack is split between Bells Amber and a Goose Island seasonal pack which is a sample variety of their beers). When calling John’s keep in mind about the time difference because they don’t take orders after 3PM CT. No online transactions. Also it is recommended that you order by 12 or 24 because of shipping costs. It’s not worth buying if you want to order a 6 pack only. I placed my order and my beer came 4 days later through FedEx, which you need to sign and show proof that you are 21 or over.
If you want to reminiscence about that long lost beer from back home or while on vacation and can’t find it anywhere, I’m sure you can find it here at John’s.

This place was referred to as Dirty Johns when I attended the University of Iowa in the late 1970s. And yesterday it still looked the same place from the outside. Even the neighbourhood hasn’t changed all that much.
On the inside you’ll find a really a top notch wine and beer store that would give most California establishments a run for their money. The huge wine section is to the right when you come in, but I spent most of my time within both the warm and cold beer sections in back. The Belgian section alone made my head spin. And after way too much choice, I ended up with a much enjoyed and much appreciated 6 pack sampler of Millstream (Amana) that I took home to my parents.
There’s also a grocery store inside here somewhere and it’s all packed tight and with a very knowledgeable and helpful staff to help you navigate it all.