Martin’s Wine & Spirits

Small, hole in the wall shop. Staff is excellent and really helpful but the space feels really crowded. I also saw that some of the more specialized liquor is behind the counter i.e. kalua, pama, etc.
Even though it’s small it was sort of difficult to navigate since it was do packed with options. Prices also seemed pretty high but I guess you can expect that for a liquor store next to large hotels.
If you’re looking for wine and basic beer and liquor selections this is your place.

If you want to pay $ 90 for a $ 40 bottle of Bourbon, then this is the place for you.

Was sold a $ 40 bottle of tequila for $ 80 by the owner/​manager who claimed he ‘only works here and doesn’t set the prices’.
Poor selection to begin with, and even worse costumer service. Recommend you go elsewhere unless you don’t mind payin double.

Martin is the friendliest store patron I have ever experienced! He always remembers me and says hi when I come into the store (about once every other week). Things are priced about the same as other stores in this area. All of the stores in the North Dupont area are about the same.

I absolutely love Martin’s – no matter what I need, Martin is there to help me out. I cook often and with liquors that I’m not familiar with. Martin always gives me tips on how to cook with what I’m buying, never steers me towards unnecessarily expensive choices, and always asks how it turned out.
I recently had to purchase a bottle of scotch (like another review below) and know nothing about scotches. Martin gave me tips and tasting notes and helped me pick out the right gift for the right price. It’s the attitude that makes this place totally worth it. It’s a bit pricey, but so is every liquor store in the area.

I came into Martin’s looking for a nice bottle of scotch for a gift, something in the $ 60.00 neighborhood and aged 12 years or more. I did some investigating on the interwebs, but the thing is, I don’t drink scotch.
When I walked in, Martin just told me to let me know if I needed anything. He let me poke around for a bit. I frowned when I didn’t see what I was looking for and then saw nicer bottles close to the register. Like Chloe said, I told Martin I was looking for a bottle of scotch that costs around $ 60.00. He pointed me to a 15 year scotch for $ 60.99 that according to him was very smooth. Perfect. It’s looking pretty sweet in the gift basket I just arranged.
While I was ringing up, I noticed cute tchotchkes on the shelves behind the register, like hearts and a little «LOVE» paperweight. I also noticed several HRC stickers on the fridges, which always makes me smile.
I’ll have to update when I buy something I actually drink. But, yes, I definitely get the feeling this is the place where I could say, «Hey Martin, I’m looking for a drinkable $ 10 bottle of wine,» and just make that my weekly wine venture.
I’m going to have to disagree on the characterization of this store’s location as a «strip mall.» It just happens to be next to a post office, and probably the nicest one I’ve used in the District, and right next to the Washington Hilton, no less.

I used to frequent Martin’s quite often when I lived over there. I must say I always had a pleasant experience. As another reviewer said, this is not a place for cheap stuff… but I wouldn’t say it is overly expensive. They have a small collection and a lot of it does lean on the higher price range. I, personally, think that a $ 10 can be just as decent if not better than a $ 30 bottle. The thing about Martin’s is if you say «hey, I’m looking for a nice bottle of red for under $ 15» then Martin, the very friendly owner, will point a couple of great bottles out to you, and you will not be disapointed. This is the first place where I had «La Tango» Malbec from Argentina… yum yum yum… and I think its $ 11…plus…the label is a hologram of two people tango dancing… you can’t beat it… Thanks Martin!

Located in the same strip mall as the new Post Office, Martin’s is famous for its wine selection and its giant mannequin of a police officer reaching for his gun. «We ID,» says the mannequin. Not only do they ID, but they overcharge you as well, pricing their 6 packs of Busch Light at $ 4.99. (Red Hook is a decent $ 7.99).
My guess is that this place caters to a more well-​to-​do clientele than I associate with. I only know one kind of wine, and that is Charles Shaw. You get it for 2.99 at Trader Joe’s and it tastes the same to me as anything you can find at Martin’s. Last week I found a different liquor store, on my way home from work, and I haven’t been back to Martin’s since.