Chat’s Liquors

Great local business with a delicious selection of wines. Bernie, the owner, is fantastic and knows so much about wine. I always leave with a great bottle for a reasonable price.

I’m not a fan of liquor stores for many reasons, but this liquor store is always a joy to visit. The lady at the counter is very personable and she can have conversations with anyone. She was very meticulous about checking my wife’s ID and credit card to ensure that she had the right person. The people who work there are very friendly and I actually love going there to see their options and just to have a small conversation with the lady at the counter.

Great local liquor store. Bernie is a great owner, and incredibly helpful. Any questions on Scotch, he’s your man.

If you’re looking for a talented and unpretentious person/​place to help you find great wines… This is THE place! And his name is Burnie. They have a great selection of wines for fair prices.

Chat’s is responsible for helping me look like I actually know what I’m talking about when I talk about wine. They have super sweet free tastings every Saturday (and sometimes other days too). At the last one I frequented we got to try a number of $ 50+ wines and champagnes. At another one we got really generous (free!) pours of a number of wines, one of which I went home with. The staff is really friendly and helpful. The wine selection is small, but the quality is good. Definitely worth checking out!

As a liquor store, this place is decent enough. A few hard-​to-​find beers in the somewhat understocked fridge, some hard-​to-​find liqueurs (where else would I have found kirschwasser last new year’s eve for fondue?) and a good selection of the usual liquors.
Where it stands out is the friendliness of the staff and the wine knowledge of the proprietor. I came here during Taste of 8^th a couple years ago for a rosé wine tasting, and it was a delightful experience, full of delicious wines I had never heard of and some fun facts about them, all in a very laid-​back and fun atmosphere. On my last visit I picked up a six-​pack and chatted with the cashier about recipes for using beer in marinades.
What this place may lack in selection, it makes up for in personality!

Chat’s Liquors is a good shop. They have a great wine selection, and Bernie is very knowledgeable about his stock. In fact, I sometimes forget the store’s name is Chat’s and call it Bernie’s a lot! Haha!
All of the staff is very friendly and always smiling.

I walked by because of an impromptu sign promising a wine tasting and a wine tasting is what I got.
The wine rep was knowledgeable, friendly, and made some great recommendations. The store itself was very clean and wine and liquors were easy to find.
We ended up buying a bottle of something he recommended and couldn’t be happier. I’d love to stop by again and check out more of the selection.

Absolutely great place! They are all about customer service!

If you are new to DC or Capital Hill or just looking for some expert advice on what wines to buy — Chat’s should be your first stop. The owner, Burnie is an expert. He can guide you to the right wine for your dinner party, wedding or special event.
The Chat’s staff is educated on wines & spirits and they are all very pleasant to deal with.
Hit Chat’s first… you will not be disappointed.

You don’t go to Chat’s just because they have a great selection; you go to Chat’s because of Burnie and the staff. Though I don’t go there regularly (I don’t drink that much), hen I do I feel like a regular. Burnie doesn’t even know how to not smile. He greats everyone with a huge smile, he knows people’s names, he is genuine and makes it a point to talk to everyone.
But wait, there’s more. Whenever I’ve asked Burnie for suggestions or just had questions (what’s the difference between the different port wines or what should I take as a gift to an Easter dinner), Burnie educates you to expert level using lay explanations. His knowledge is limitless.
The staff follows the lead and treats everyone as family. Go there once and you’ll be impressed. Twice and they’ll remember you. Three times and you’re family.

Fantastic staff, great selection, & they are even dog-​friendly!
Every few weeks I wander into Chat’s with my dog in tow to try something new. They always have a very diverse selection of wine, beer, & liquor. For a small store, they carry a great variety of inventory. On several occasions I have asked for help in selecting something. Each time the staff has been extremely knowledgable & very eager to offer recommendations without being pushy at all. I will be coming back for a very long time!

Good Prices, Nice people, Better selection soon
Came here before a National’s game, because I was visiting nearby bars. They did not have miniatures that I could sneak into the game so I bought a small bottle. After leaving and considering it logically, I decided to bring the bottle back. There was no way i could sneak in and finish this entire bottle without getting arrested or something. Anyways, they were nice enough to let me return it. They also said they are planning on starting to carry miniatures soon!

I wandered in here with a couple friends to pick up some wine for an party we were going to. The staff was shockingly friendly and helpful, wanting to make sure we got what we needed. I overheard them helping other customers out in finding the right type of wine they wanted for a specific meal, and was impressed. I didn’t expect to find that type of service in, what I that was, a tiny liquor store. They even carry other local products (Port City Beer from Alexandria, etc.). I’ll definitely be back in to support the store!

So far they are great. Convenient location. Great knowledge of their products. Very helpful staff.

You can always find what you need — and more — here. The staff is very helpful and are always on-​point with recommenations. I haven’t attended a tasting event here yet, but its next on my list.
For it to be SUCH a small establishment, they sure seem to have plenty of items you just can’t find in this area. I would go here AFTER using GOOGLE to find something I needed. (That says a lot.)

Chat’s has supplied me with alcohol on i think just about every occasion I’ve ever needed. From a sangria party to a night with a recommended bottle of vodka with friends. From a «wtf that day sucked» i need some beer at home to a «I wonder what kind of wine she likes? Why didn’t I think to ask her earlier? Should I text her? But then she’ll know I’m over thinking. Eh… I’ll just buy a bottle I know I like so at least one of us is guaranteed happy. I mean it’s better for 50% of people to be happy than none right? Plus this way I’ll end up buzzed and maybe that’ll be more fun and she’ll think I’m a funny drunk even if she doesn’t like the wine» errrrr… calm, cool, and collected me before meeting that special someone. Chat’s, you’ve always been there for me. Fist pound homie!
FYI-​That particular girl was not that special someone. Not even the previously mentioned bottles of wine, vodka, and beer combined could have made this girl ‘that special someone’.

Needing some last-​minute liquid gifts for meeting up with Dr. HIPAA and his lovely wife, we wandered into Chat’s since it was conveniently right by Eastern Market.
Although this joint isn’t extremely spacious, and I felt extremely aware of 1) how buzzed I was from my Delirium at Matchbox, 2) how close the aisles seemed, and 3) that with my Timbuk2 bag on my back, I could make for a fantastic tall Asian Godzilla, just ready to knock over wine racks and send bottles scattering all over the floor.
Fortunately, that didn’t happen, but I sure was nervous about it.
For those that dig white wines, head all the way to the back, where you’ll find some fridges full of already-​cold crisp vintage. Bottles back there seemed to be pretty reasonably priced between $ 10-​$ 20, with a whole array of different labels and types.
While I didn’t notice much in the way of a plethora of microbrew beers, I wasn’t paying that much attention. They do have cases of the more typical things one might find in a grocery store. It seems like the focus here is more toward the wine selection.
Also, yay for the cashier lady for being engaging and chill while the boy and I did our typical fight-​for-​who-​gets-​to-​pay routine. I have to say that my hand-​in-​the-​butt-​pocket-​to-​prevent-​extraction-​of-​wallet technique was pretty smooth.

This place is more than just a liquor store. Burnie is an amazing businessman and is always willing to offer a suggestion and a smile.
The wine tastings on Saturdays and the occasional Friday night are excellent and always show wines of all price ranges. Burnie never hesitates to give a suggestion when needed and can pair a great wine at any price range with whatever food you might be cooking at whichever price range you might be looking in.
In addition, the staff is incredible and always friendly, the selection is outstanding (not just of wines but beers and liquors also!) and who doesn’t enjoy supporting a local business that is a 2^nd generation family business!

Here’s what’s most important to me about Chat’s– If you walk in not knowing what you want and only having a vague idea of what you might be cooking, Bernie will take the time to help you pick exactly the right beverage. The selection is outstanding and always well stocked, but if you want something weird or rare, call first to see if he has it. If he doesn’t, he’ll special order it for you. It’s also one of the only liquor stores I’ve seen that regularly carries Brudladich and cuchaca (and I have no idea if I spelt that correctly).
It’s a typical hill place, crowded and kinda dark, but you can’t beat the service!