Riverside Liquors

Having lived a block away from Riverside, it was very convenient to have a liquor store so close to where I lived. First off, their staff is very helpful and nice. On a number of occasions they have given good recommendations for wine and whisky. On that note, they have a very extensive whisky selection that is definitely worth checking out. The beer selection is pretty good (not huge in terms of craft beer) and has great options. The prices are also reasonable for the area. Overall, I think this is one of the better liquor stores in the area because of its staff and selection.

I recently went here to buy 2 kegs for the Fourth of July! For 76.99 each for natural light, who can beat that? This was the cheapest keg price I’ve seen compared to the others. But after my experience with riverside, I know why it was that cheap. After asking to reserve two weeks in advance and putting a deposit for 2 kegs, their staff told me that they actually don’t have taps, but they’ll figure it out within the week. How could you not have a tap especially for the Fourth of July weekend? Also, the guy I talked to was super rude and treated me as if I was dumb and didn’t understand what he was saying.
After looking all around the DMV area for a tap, I called riverside if they had any extra taps still and they said they can provide one as they realiZed they had extra! First of all, it would’ve been good to receive a phone call about this before I was about to rent from another place and secondly they just really need to improve on their customer service. The kegs lasted for the whole party, but our tap was defective as you had to keep taking it out for it to work properly. Bottom line, I would have rather bought from another store as the hassle and out right rudeness of this place is honestly unacceptable. I would suggest Cairo Liquors or barrel if you plan on getting a keg. Also, their bottles are also over priced and they need to stop advertising that they have the best deals in town!

Riverside Liquors is just so-​so. The space is rather small, the microbrew selection is better at the nearby Whole Foods, and the wine selection is nothing special, but it has been a reliable source for some larger format beers like Sam Adams Verloren Gose and the entire stable of Dogfish Head products including Namaste and My Antonia. They also have a decent selection of single malt Scotch Whiskeys (quite possibly due to the presence of the State Department across the street) and carry Dolin Vermouth for those looking to make a better Manhattan.
With the brief closure of Dixie Liquor in Georgetown a few years ago, a lot of the keg action switched over to Riverside, which is a no-​brainer based on it’s proximity to GW.

A real great find, this place specializes in single malt Scotches, which is my favorite thing to drink. The selection is very broad and varied. While their prices are a tiny bit high, they definitely don’t gouge like some other stores in the city. The salesmen up front clearly know a lot about what they sell, and will guide you to almost anything you need with just a few questions. I could spend an hour in there just browsing the Scotch selection. Really worth seeking out if you like Scotch. The selection of other liquors is solid to good, but nothing like the Scotch. Seek this one out!

Staff immediately helped me find my liquor and then the cashier did a double take when he checked my ID and basically said I looked like I was an undergrad (actually 29). In and out in 3 minutes plus flattery. 5 stars.

A great selection of bourbons and rye whiskeys, and the staff is very knowledgeable. Prices are very reasonable, much better than many other places I’ve shopped in DC.

This was my go-​to neighborhood liquor store for one of my past apartments. The staff is courteous — not outgoing, but I like to browse, so that works for me. Selection was good given the space constraints. Wine prices were decent, but it’s hard to compete with Trader Joe’s, which overtakes this place in price and selection quantity. They do sell things that Trader Joe’s does not, like boxed wine, liquor, and beer.

For a liquor store, this place is wonderful. First off, yes, at first, the store owners kind of watch folks who come in. I think this is largely due to the college kids in the area and they are just being careful to how people act in case they are underage. If you go there a few times or they recognize you, they stop keeping an eye out. I don’t see an issue with this — they don’t want to get in trouble. This place is also one of the few places in DC that sells kegs and their kegs are excellently priced — way better than the distributer out in NE.

My parents visited me a few months ago, and I swear I think their favorite part of the trip was discovering Riverside Liquors. They were raving about how helpful and nice the owner was all week. I wouldn’t call my folks wine connoisseurs, exactly, but they do know the basics and appreciate fine wine. They felt like the owner (pretty sure he was the owner, or in his family, or something like that) really knew his stuff, and he sent them back to me loaded up with a few bottles of really great wine to try (score! wine I don’t have to pay for!!). We weren’t disappointed by any of the selections, all of which were new to us.
The prices seem very average to me, and the location is definitely convenient if you work or live in the FB area. I work nearby and need to start going here more often myself to see what other goodies I can find.

I am torn between metaphors right now. Should I go for «In the kingdom of the blind the one eyed man is king.»
Or is it more of a «any port in a storm?»
We loaded up what seemed like 4,000 kids into two cars on Saturday night to get to the Mall. We left no child behind, but we did leave our booze behind, and that sucked. However, our secret route to the city center (Rock Creek Parkway, left at Virginia, park on the streets around Foggy Bottom) had us door to door to this place in less than 30 minutes. We loaded up the stroller with six packs — «Godammit kid — you can walk» and marched proudly down Virginia to the Ellipse, from where we were gonna watch the show. We set up base camp, cracked open a few cold ones (ahem, diet coke you understand), lit a cigar and waited for the show to start.
The show was of course magnificent, but what was more magnificent was after a 10 or 15 minute walk back to the car we were putting kids to bed 30 minutes after that and enjoying the fine products of Riverside Liquors on the porch. God Bless America.

Not too bad… I used to live in the apartment building next door, so this was usually my one-​stop shop for liquor and wine. Wine selection was pretty meh, this place more specializes in liquor and kegs. Kegs are very cheap for the area. Prices for everything else are pretty standard.
People working there are fairly nice. Not too talkative but they’re quick to help if you need a suggestion. They also have occasional tastings from liquor sponsors. Sometimes I would walk in and there would be a woman there from whatever vodka company offering a tasting of their new pear-​flavored vodka. It’s a bit of a luck of the draw with those tastings, as I don’t believe they’re advertised. Not a bad liquor store for my college years, but now as I drink a lot more wine, my tastes have moved on.

PHE. NOM. EN. AL.
Riverside’s prices are awesome. Cheapest kegs in the district. $ 43.99 for Natural Light, Busch lite, and Bud Ice. Also, their 30s of Natural Light (For the Discerning Frat Boy™) are the cheapest I have ever seen them anywhere in the US — $ 10.99. The liquor prices are competitive at least, but I can’t quote them because I stick to their phenomenal prices on beer (and pretty decent selection, too.) I get my wine at Trader Joe’s, but if you’re throwing a party, make sure you hit up Riverside for your hops related beverages.

It’s a liquor store so maybe that ranks it as five star… I guess it depends who you ask. This one is small, long and narrow, and slightly seedy with the salesperson watching you from behind the counter. They have a nice selection of wine as well, important for those GW students’ discerning tastes…
And then afterwards, or before, you can shop for vitamin C and other hang over cures the CVS right next door.