This small, high street off-license stocks a decent range of alcoholic beverages and cigarettes,…read moreand benefits from impressive prices and friendly staff. The store's owner is polite, welcoming and talkative and the shop's interior is remarkably clean and inviting, making every shopping experience here a pleasant one. On my visit, I purchased a large bottle of Jack Daniels for £19.99, which I felt was very reasonable, especially as the Sainsburys Local just opposite was charging £23.99 for the exact same product. Boldmere drinks store may be small, but what it lacks in size, it certainly makes up for in value!

To view this off-licence as a handy, pre-curry port of call is fair but doesn't entirely do the…read morebusiness justice. Boldmere Drink Store is, unto itself, a well-stocked outlet fronted by friendly staff - a nice combination that is unexpected, thanks to the rather bland name. Beer-wise it has plenty more than the usual supermarket-friendly brands and, while it may not have the widest range reflecting all the corners of Europe and Asia, a deep chiller makes up for it, full of competitively-priced tinnies and bottles. A tenner goes far, perhaps encouraging you to splash out on a curry after all. To top it off, where similar establishments branch out into crisps inside garish pipes, this place sells tomato-flavoured Snaps. Its booze may be bang up to date, but it must get its snacks via a rip in space-time. Even if the prices can't be 70s, this is surely the next best thing. All in all, this should be your booze-bet ahead of the national stores just doors away.

Offering remarkably cheap wine, beer and spirits, and delivering friendly customer service, this…read morelocal drinks store is pleasant, well-priced and definitely worth stopping by on a visit to Sutton Coldfield town centre. This deceptively spacious off-license really opens up on entry. It appears small from the outside, but in actuality, it offers two large rooms, stacked from wall-to-wall with a wide range of alcoholic beverages. The wine is very cheap in comparison with high street supermarkets and many beers are on bulk-buy offers. On my visit, the guy running shift was welcoming and friendly and I bought a large bottle of Disaronno for just £12! Some aisles in the store are narrow and feel a little claustrophobic, but C. Michael's Drink Store cannot be knocked for its great value, large stock and pleasant customer service. I'd definitely visit again.

Around the world in 80 beers, the World Cup of booze, the UN of bottled lager.... Biere, bier,…read morecerveza. Well, you get the idea. The biggest draw of the store is not only the range, but the sheer scope. We can all name a favourite bottled brew from Spain, Mexico, Thailand, France, Germany, Italy, Holland and Belgium. Many could name two, perhaps also listing their fave from Portugal, perhaps Greece or Japan. But this offy adds, to the already heady mix, beer from Cambodia, Cyprus, Austria and Zanzibar, among others. While the shop front may seem to not promise an awful lot - and of course, if you want a Twix, Lambrini or scratchings, you can still fill your boots - It remains a treat for connoisseurs, whether their heads are turned by a funny label or something straddling the line between full-body and light crispness. This isn't all smart-Alec code for a drunk's paradise, it's genuine - this place is effectively a beer boutique. You could do worse than shop here for the man who thinks he has everything. When was the last time he sunk a brew from Africa?

It takes a good bottle of wine to get me going but to be fair, on most nights out I'll drink just…read moreabout anything. For those living in Erdington or near there, Six Ways Food & Wine convenience store is really handy. It opens really early in the morning, you talking from 6am and doesn't close until midnight; now how great is that! So, this was an added bonus when me and friends were driving to a friends house, for a girls night in and the store was still open at 10pm. We didn't realise that it would be open so late, until we got to my friends house and then an hour later we realised we needed to get some snacks. This was at around 11.15pm! We were over the moon that the store was still opened and the gentleman behind the counter had great customer service.