Alcatel Bottle Shop

I just recognized Gideon while out and about and he informed me Alcatel has indeed closed. He was very diplomatic about the circumstances upon which they were forced out but I could tell it really hurt. They put a lot of love into the store for the 10 years they operated it. Always nice, pleasant proprietors and good selection. One inspiration for having It’s Its at my recent wedding, since It’s Its from Alcatel was regularly a way to finish off a nice meal during the courtship. Alcatel will be missed in the neighborhood!

Sad to see it go. It was the best corner store/​bodega in the area. Plenty of keg options that can be ordered very easily, very good beer selection too. Now there’s only the Arco station across the street is notoriously terrible and the White Horse Liquor is a little far. The brothers here were always nice and respectful. I’m going to miss this place.

I am very sad to see the Alcatel close down this month. The shop has lost its lease to the owners daughter. Apparently, she plans to open a restaurant.
Another stinkin’ restaurant wins over and pushes out a beloved neighborhood icon — and the best liquor shop in North Oakland — cleanest, safest, friendliest, fairest.
Unless there is a miracle, you should stop by, buy a bottle of whatever is left on the shelves, and say goodbye!
Farewell old friend! Farewell

Great selection of craft and local beers, as well as your standard Bud, etc. They also have smaller sizes of milk if you don’t want a huge half gallon like you usually find at other delis. Random, but I find that helpful for when I buy milk for work and run the risk of not using it all within the week. I believe this place does not accept American Express, per usual.

Alcatel has a vast selection of wines and micro beers. micros cheaply priced. (lagunitas, 4.29). signage on store claims specialty to be «wines, beers, and kegs»
brew: «rogue» chocolate stout (6.39)
–beer rating of 94, bold dark beer with infusions of dark chocolate
–all beers visibily priced.
–many craft micros present
–clean ambiance, aisles of wines…
4.5 stars
take outs:
–easy check once you find cleck who may be busy watching TV («white house down»
–lot smaller than bewmo, but cheaper, fast in and out
–metered parking outside.
–really a 5 star destination.

Decent selection of craft/​micro beers. Sells alcohol until midnight.

We live a couple blocks from this place and have always found it to be an extremely friendly, well-​stocked convenient store. The guys that work there (brothers, I think) will always check you out with a smile. Their vast beer selection is the best around and they can even get you a keg of pretty much anything you could think of.
Until a couple days ago the only noticeable hole in their selection was a lack of the finest Canadian macrobrews, Labbatt Blue and Molson Canadian, which I grew up drinking in Buffalo, NY. I asked the guys if they ever carried these beers and the next time I went in, I was greeted to an enthusiastic, «Got your beers!».
That’s right, Oakland… Labbatt and Molson are now occupying the shelves of our beloved Alcatel. Enjoy!

It was 6:30 on a Monday afternoon. I was making my merry way from Berkeley coming from a picnic en route to a little shindig at Mosswood Park for a fireworks ride when I realized I needed a beer. I pulled over, rolled my bike in with me, and I bought a tall boy of PBR and a bottle of Speakeasy Prohibition Ale. And I proceeded en route to Mosswood.
This place is super cheap for what it is, I walked out with 3 beers for $ 3.15. Unlike the wallet shock I sometimes experience in Contra Costa County. Will I come here for my liquor needs if I’m in the area? Yes.

I’m going to miss this local bottle shop. It’s like the Galco’s soda pop store, but for booze, with a selection so interesting that it would make your head spin.
This is one of those places where I would have to prepare myself before going in: five minutes, two drinks. Otherwise I’d find myself ten minutes in with at least six different selections curled under my very muscular biceps.
If you need anything for anything, go here.

I parked in front of this shop last night, on the way to a local restaurant. Three hours later when I returned the owner came running out to ask if I had dropped my cell phone. Lo and behold I had. That means he had been watching out the door for hours (!) waiting for us to return — keeping his eye out while tending the shop. And he wanted me to prove it was my phone. Community spirit and such kindness isn’t a given and I really appreciate it. Makes me want to pop in and make a purchase. Thank you ever so much.

You may be unaware, but Arizona Iced Tea makes approximately one thousand varieties of their sweet, delicious teas– all in a tall can for a buck. Sure, we’ve all seen and perhaps tasted the standard Arizona Iced Tea varieties– the raspberry flavored, the lemon flavored, or perhaps just the plain iced-tea-(aka tastes like a jar of sugar)-flavored. However, you are probably unaware of the rest of the flavors and the reason is simple– your local corner store sucks and doesn’t stock them all. This place does. All one hundred thousand flavors of Arizona Iced Tea. Unfortunately, this place will also make you hate Arizona Iced Teas a little bit too– I picked up an Arnold Palmer Arizona Iced Tea (half iced tea, half lemonade) and upon the first sip, my thirst started to be quenched and my mouth became pleased with sweetness. However, after approximately three seconds, the aftertaste started to set in. The same aftertaste that sets in after you drink those sodas that fat people ironically order at fast food chains. Yes, upon looking at the ingredients list I could see why– those bastards at Arizona Iced Tea had included a nasty concoction of aspartame and splenda. Granted, this was not Alcatel’s fault so I shall not deduct any stars.
Nevertheless, the Alcalatel, or L’Alcatel as they call it in French, is the corner store you wish was around the corner from your apartment.

The closest beer to my sofa!
But honestly, the boys at Alcatel are stellar gents, always friendly and always willing to joke around a lighten up your day.
A great and somewhat rotating selection of micro and macro brews from across the country and the globe. I always find something in the case that peaks my curiosity.
I have also purchased about 3 or 4 kegs from them. They were more than willing to work with me and help me get beers that weren’t on their normal keg lists from their distributor.
I just wish they’d open up that defunct Ethiopian deli counter gathering dust in the back room…

Local corner mart that has a very good beer selection. Great deals on 12-​packs and some stuff from across the country.

ONE MILLION STARS FOR ALCATEL!
The beer selection here leaves me in awe. No need to walk to Whole Food’s or Berkeley Bowl, Alcatel probably has it. I discovered just last week they also sale yummy somosas, but tend to run out by late evening, so get ‘em fast. These brothers are true neighborhood heroes!

I have been going to the Alcatel for years and it is now being operated by the greatest guys ever. Three brothers. They have a little bit of everything. From a variety of kegs of beer to that favorite brand you been looking for in a bottle or can. Also everything else in between. Laundry detergent to a variety of foods, boxed or frozen. They are usually open until midnight at which time you can see me running across the street getting my ice cream fix. Greatest little everything store on Telegraph from the UC campus to the other end at 16^th and Broadway. Check ‘em out.
UPDATE: This is sad. They are going to be pushed out by the owner somewhere around October 2014 according to Gideon.

These brothers are amazing. Not only do they stock a ridiculous amount of tasty tasty microbrews, I can also pick up a tall can of PBR for next to nothing. I started coming here after getting bent over a couple of times by Williams liquors,(closer to my house, the most bizarro pricing I’ve ever seen in my life) after being helped out by these guys I will never go back. Everyone I know in my neighborhood refers to Williams as «douche bag liquor» and are solely Alcatel customers.
These guys are all about their neighborhood and it shows. When they got (my favorite) Summer Solstice in from Anderson Valley they all laughed hysterically while I squealed in delight noticing its presence in the cooler. They know their customer, their beer, and how to do business. Kudos!

This is my Favorite beer shop in the East Bay. These guys are really nice, and they go out of their way to be helpful. They started carrying more of my fave beer, and also let me place special orders with no deposit.
They know beer and good customer service go hand in hand, this is a rockin’ neighborhood store.

–nice guy behind the counter
–he was able to get a couple of micro-​brew kegs for me w/​in a couple days that proved difficult for some other liquor shops
–I’ve only stopped in a couple times so I can’t say anything about consistency

Very clean, well-​stocked, and run by a polite, kind family. They have seemingly every non-​alcoholic drink known to the US, and a great beer selection. I particularly like shopping here for their wines — very good selection of midpriced domestics that are very reasonably priced, often at a considerable discount. Fortified wines (and swishers, and tallboys) are also available if this your thing — this is Oakland.
I go out of my way to give them my alcohol dollars because they run their business right.

Alcatel has a decent selection of moderately priced beers and ales along with some nice imports in their wall of beer coolers. When it comes to good old fashioned swill like Mickey’s, or even a nice Paulaner Hef, you’re paying a fair, if not low, price. I usually buy Fat Tire or something similar, and I’m always confident that I’m paying the same price, if not lower, as I would pay at one of the big stores in the area.
The thing I love most about this place is that they ordered a case of Arizona Sweet Tea, just for me. They keep it in the cooler at the back, and I pick up a couple every time I drop by. It’s that personal touch that means so much.
**EDIT** I went into the store today, and the fellow there said «Is your name Erich?»
Of course, I said «Yes.»
He said, «I have something to show you.»
After I paid, he showed me the very review I posted here on Unilocal.He was concerned that I misprinted the price for one of his imports, and showed me the bottle I had written about. He was right. I had written that some of their imports were overpriced… Turns out, I was mistaken. The price for a bottle of Brother Thelonius was actually $ 6.99, instead of the $ 10.99 I had quoted. I assured him that I’d go home and correct my review immediately. We shook hands, and he told me that he wants to keep his valuable customers happy.
Isn’t that great? Not only does he read reviews on Unilocal,but, he takes the time to talk to his customers about them! That’s great customer service, and I think it deserves an extra star.