Galco’s Soda Pop Stop

Galco’s is the best. I go there for their excellent meatball sandwiches, beer, faygo and Zero candy bars. Huge selection. Big parking lot. Support places like this because they’re aren’t many of ‘em left.

I absolutely love this place. Everything about it is so vintage even the way it smells inside.
Today I discovered that they have a soda making station in the back which I will be trying next time I come visit which will be for the soda tasting on the 31^st of July.
My favorite lol by far is the Americana Honey Cream followed by the vanilla pop.
I love the fact that this place has been in business since 1894 and it has remained in the family since, today Galco the third generation owner was there which was pretty cool, I’m not sure if he is there every day but since he is a mini local celebrity make sure to take a pic with him if he happens to be there during your visit.
He loves pictures from what I was told plus he is literally the king of pop in the area :)

I agree with a few other comments here. The guy who runs this place «Galco» himself is a real jerk! I’ve been there a handful of times & he portrays a happy face, but he is genuinely far from pleasant. I’ve seen his interaction with many customers, including the way he has treated us a few times. He should change his arrogant demeanor just because he’s been on T.V.
As far as the drinks sold there… well there is a huge variety… but I’ll tell you that everything is really overpriced. I’ve even seen some of the soda pops sold elsewhere for a lot less. His mark-​up is really high. I spent $ 30 for 2 candy bars & 6 soda pops… so ridiculous. The place is really dated… not classic meant to look old-​school traditional… but really out-​dated, dusty & not so clean in various areas. I just think this place is overrated because there aren’t too many stores like this, but I do hope they start popping up & that those who run them are genuinely pleasant, professional & customer service oriented.

Been going to Galco’s for years (it’s the only place that still sells my favorite soda!) and it’s everything people say about it. Incredible selection of soda and other beverages and the deli is just awesome (feels very east coast). Love Galco’s and recommend it to anyone with a brain.

I grew up in Pasadena, and my mom would take us there for blockbuster’s from the time I was like … four.
Still my favorite deli-​sub on earth! (and it’s been 20 some years since I was there).
#BlockBuster_​FTW

I wish I could give this place 6 stars. I run a bar that makes our own root beer. We are out of ingredients for a new batch and after googling root beer syrup, came upon Galco’s.
WOW! You walk in and it’s like you’re Marty Mcfly in 1955 Hill Valley. They have all the old school candy (candy lips, big league chew, nips + the old OLD candy). They have about every kind of pop you can imagine from yesterday and today, but no Coke/​Pepsi or anything like that. So many independents.
And the syrup selection!!! I came here for root beer, but wound up grabbing cucumber and lavender as well. I think I may have found my secret weapon! John the owner kept me in good company and gave me a lot of great insider information about two of my fave brands as a kid (Clearly Canadian, Original NY Seltzer). Top notch and may this place live forever!

Galco’s is one of my new favorite places on the east side. The selection is unparalleled and I have yet to walk in there without finding new things I want to try.
Soda-​wise, you will be hard pressed to find anywhere else in America with a selection like this. Any flavor of soda you might desire exists here, as well as a great collection of sparkling waters. My favorite Galco’s experience is always to stop by the deli counter (their foot longs are actually a foot (+) long) for a scrumptious lunch (hot pickles available upon request) and pair it with a nice cold root beer/​orange cream/​cel-​ray.
Before visiting Galco’s for the first time I assumed it was just a soda store. Imagine my IMMENSE, OVERWHELMING joy when I found out they also had an incredible beer selection! (Sake too, but that’s not my jam; also a quaint wine section.) I’ve gotten to taste so many fun, out of the ordinary brews, made even more helpful by the ‘build your own 6 pack’ philosophy Galco’s entails. Think you probably won’t love something, but still want to at least try it? Great, just take one. Gamechanger. I love it!
Beyond the immense soda and beer collection, Galco’s also has a pretty great candy bar (located in what looks like it should be the meat section!) full of retro treats. Looking for candy cigarettes, old school necco wafers, or myriad other sweet concoctions? Look no further.

Soda lovers dream!!!
Rows of different candies and sodas, I made my own flavor in the black station.
Need to bring my nephews to spoil them.

Great place to go for unique flavors of soda pops. You’ll find old-​fashioned flavors and new favorites. I especially like the option of creating your own flavor mixes to bottle, seal, and take home. This place is for kids and grown-​up kids. Walking down isles of candy and soda, you come across happy folks on treat discovery adventures. Everyone seems a bit happier than usual, lots of smiles.

GIVE ME ALL OF THE SODAS! It was fun shopping here for the first time. It’s a barebones shop, not trying to be anything else than it is. I scored a few sodas and my husby took home a few new IPAs. They serve sandwiches in the back that smelled promising and that’ll definitely drive us to coming back!

TL;DR — Best place I’ve been for finding unique sodas.
The owner is often there to dive deeper into the intricacies of whichever type of soda you want to talk about. He’s super knowledgeable and passionate about the topic. His excitement when he talks about it is contagious. Definitely an unexpected and cool experience going here.

A must stop.
Tell me why I thought it was an Italian market? I’m a moron. Lol. Upon entering this spot is a total cool gem. Everyone that works here is so helpful and nice. Their soda pops are amazing. YOU Need At Least 3 Hours here. There’s so many different types of flavors. They also sell a shit ton of beers, wine, sake, etc. I got a bottle of rose, peach Belgian beer, rose lemonadet, coffee soda, and ouzo soda. (I couldn’t help it). They also have a deli in the back that makes some sammies. THEY Also Carry Vintage candy. Hit up this spot fo sho.

A delightful throwback of a grocery store. If you grew up in the 60’s you will feel like a kid in your favorite place, if you grew up in the 90’s you will feel like a kid in your favorite place. It doesn’t matter. It’s aisles and aisles of different brands and flavors of sodas and beer. So, yeah. I’m in.
There is an actual soda fountain that you can use. Grab a glass bottle, pump away with your syrup choices and carbonated water, and drink the magic.
On the way out grab some Dots or something, if you haven’t had enough sugar. There’s also a short menu for food, but it is hard to tell if this section is open?
The only thing i would say they could approve upon is to make it more friendly to stay a while. It is a little stark and drab, and you don’t feel invited to sit and enjoy the wonder. A bar would be amazing, I understand that requires a different license to allow people to drink alcohol here, and perhaps they want to keep the family vibe. But even a bar for the soda, a high counter to sit at would really brighten things up and bring it to the next level.
Regardless, check this gem out!

TL;DR — If you like soda, this is the place to go!
The bf is crazy about soda and I’d rather have him try different types than die drinking Coke or Pepsi. I first found this place FOUR years ago, but left LA and never looked back. Now I’m back in LA and bought a huge batch of sodas for the bf.
After that, the rest is history. We’ve been back EVERY single week getting sandwiches (which are simple but amazing) and so many sodas! We’re really close to trying them all. Haha.

After living in the OC for 4 years and then moving back to Texas, I never made it out to Galco’s even though I am one of the world’s biggest root beer snobs. So on my recent trip to LA, I was finally able to visit one of the most famous soda shops in the country. It’s easy to find along York Blvd and the store itself looks like a former small grocery store when you walk inside. There were rows and rows of sodas, candy, cold sodas, wines, and specialty beers. So it was almost like BevMo and a candy store got married and had a baby. The décor of the store had some decorations up on the top shelves above the products, just out of reach of customers, but not nearly as much as I would expect for a soda/​candy store that’s been in business for so long. Usually businesses like this are just littered with memorabilia and old stuff galore. This store was actually very clean and tidy.
As for me, I came for one thing, and one thing only, to buy and try new root beers that I’ve never had before. On my quest, I was able to find only 3 that I hadn’t had, so that was cool. Prices were very reasonable compared to other soda shops I’ve been to in other parts of the country. The best tasting root beer I bought was Red Ribbon, by far. The other two, Squamscot and White Rose were just too thin and sweet for my taste.
I was also very surprised that it didn’t have nearly as many sodas as I had imagined. Oh well, it was still a nice place to visit if you’ve never been.

What a fun place! If you’re a fan of off the beaten path sodas, retro candy, and a throwback to a simpler time, you’ll love Galco’s in the heart of Highland Park. They have aisles of unique sodas ranging from Absinthe to Frostie’s Root Bear, even Big Red for Texas transplants. They also have a great selection of beers and wine, cold drinks, and candies you thought were permanently retired (Rocky Road bars, Charleston Chews, Sugar Babies, Chuckles…). They have their own parking lot and friendly workers, it looks like in the back they have a deli for fresh sandwiches too (it wasn’t open as I visited on Labor Day).
If you are looking for curious soda flavors or special drinks for your party, this is the place to go. They also have a huge array of Monin syrups in the back if you’d like to make your own flavored sodas with sparkling water.

This place was on my mind ever since I watched that famous episode of huell howser’s California gold, so I decided to finally go visit this gem and it did not disappoint. The selection was extensive compared to big super market chains and it was very quaint and gave out a local pop shop vibe that was really welcoming.
Thanks a bunch PBS and huell howser

Wow, I felt like I just stepped into a time machine straight back into the 1920’s or so. It’s like a gigantic warehouse that’s been filled with every drink imaginable. There is even a deli in the back of the store just like the old days. I’m guessing if I had spent my younger childhood days in the states I would be hit with the nostalgia factor a little harder because they also have some really old sweets as well as a huge collection of drinks. It made me want to try everything in there anyways.
While we were browsing through the different soda pops, and alcohol, the owner of the store was actually sweeping up the aisles and he came by to chat with us for awhile. I actually didn’t know he was the owner until we left and saw an article posted on the front of his store. Friendly guy for sure and he knows his soda pop. I can’t remember the exact names of the drinks we settled on but one of they dyed our tongues blue and the other served as a good side to our dinner. I do think that Galco’s is slightly overpriced but I suppose when you’re carrying stuff that no other place carries, you can afford to ask for a $ 1 or $ 2 more. Not to mention, if you are feeling creative, you can make your own soda pop for $ 2.99 in the back. That’s a novelty in itself. I’ll probably be back if I’m in the area just to browse and see what else catches my eye! ⁴⁄₅

It’s always fun to stop by this place if I am in the area. Galco’s has appeared on California Gold show. The place still looks the same as it was shot during the time. It has its own parking lot which makes me feel a bit safer leaving my car in this area.
I like their selection of interesting sodas. They are mostly in glass bottles. Also the selection of retro candy is quite interesting.
I also LOVE their Blockbuster Sandwiches. It’s prepared in the old fashion way and totally reminds me of the 80s and 90s.
Great place to stop by if you are hosting a fun party!

POP, BEER, SAMMIES, OLD TIME CANDY, A ONE STOP SHOP!
(HP urban adventure part 2 of 3)
BACKGROUND:
Why Galco’s Soda Pop Stop? Because before there were shops, there were Stops!
The business began as a small Italian grocery store in Los Angeles, California. It has been family owned and operated for over one-​hundred years. Although the focus of the store has changed to soda pop and beer from around the world (sorry folks we cannot ship beer!) we still maintain our Italian deli in the back of our retail store. We originally became known for our «Blockbuster» sandwiches which are made fresh daily.
Appeared on PBS’s «Visiting with Huell Howser» and the Food Channel’s «Unwrapped» series and German Televison
STATS:
Onsite free parking
Monday — Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Sunday 9:00 a. m to 4:00 p.m.
OUR EXPERIENCE:
The second major stop while scouting trail in my childhood-​hood with a follower was here at this nostalgic soda pop shop. As a child, I had been here with mom, for what, I don’t know as we were allowed to have soda, alcohol, or candy. Perhaps it was some beer to go with dad’s Hungarian dinners mom prepared. Dad rarely drink beer, but when he did, yeah, he was a beer snob.
Galco’s is wall to wall, isles and isles full of all kinds of imported and rare beverages. Pops, wines, champagnes, beers, and more. If you are looking for that hard to find beverage, you will most likely find it here.
Looking for a fresh homemade on the spot sammie? Well, put your bib on, this place makes the best double handed, jaw popping sized sammies that will satisfy any drooler.
For the olé time sweets cravin’ kid, you might find yourself spending a lot of time in the candy area remembering the first time you tried this candy or that gum. You will probably find yourself bursting out uncontrollably, «Oh my gosh!!! I remember when my friends and I dared each other to pop Pop Rocks in our mouths and take a cola chaser.»
Looking for something special for that dinner party tonight? Galcoe’s gotcha covered with various pre-​made gift baskets.
But wait!!! There’s more. In the back of the store next to the meat counter, there is a made your own soda pop station stocked with glass pop bottles, carbonation fountain and a whole solu of flavors. For a small cost you can create your own flavor, and call it your own by affixing a label to your finished product.
Yeah, Galcoe’s has been around a long time and the interior might be dated, but it if ain’t broke and everything works, why fix it? Especially when they don’t have to jack up the prices of their items to pay for the redesign.
#22
#raresodapop #beerwinespirits #imported #homemadesandwiches #giftbaskets