There are countless liquor stores in Amherst. But Spirit Haus stands out for its welcoming…read moreambiance and--what puts it in the no. 1 spot for me--the extensive selection of wines, from modest to ... daunting (!) prices. I also enjoy the Saturday winetasting, conducted by the owner, Gary--who selects the wines and provides excellent recommendations.

@@ road trip review @@…read more Pros: * Local beer! We got recommended Spirit Haus specifically when we asked a friend where we could get some local brews to take home. * Good selection overall. They had a good selection of beer from real close, from Massachusetts, and of course from the rest of the country/world. * Walk in cold storage in the back. * Didn't partake since we were on the way out of town, but there was wine tasting going on. The store carries liquor, wine, and beer. * Friendly staff. Cons: * I do wish local stuff had been a little better designated. There was local and local-ish kind of all over the cold storage room, so it was a little hard to figure out at first for us out of towners.

Neal is the best! I just went in with my roommate to get a bottle of wine, but we were really…read morejonesing for our favorite beer, Grey Lady, from Cisco Brewers in Nantucket. No where around here sells it, but we asked Neal and he ordered right on the spot and is even sending us a personalized text when it comes in! We couldn't be more grateful for fantastic local business owners like Neal. Can't wait for our Grey Ladies!!

Amherst Liquors is amazing!! Neal, the store owner, is always so hospitable and considers every…read morerequest special. I often find Amherst Liquors has the best prices, too. This store is locally owned and operated!! I'm certain we'll be back again :)

This place has an incredible wine selection AND they have Sharon who is the most knowledgeable and…read morehelpful wine expert. She suggested a Cabernet Sauvignon from Lodi that knocked my socks off! This little gem of a wine place is easily overlooked but if you don't go to check it out, you are missing out!!!

Don't be fooled by the small size. They have perhaps the best rum and tequila selection in Western…read moreMass (and maybe northern CT too). Much better variety than stores several times their size. If you want 7 bottles of the same mass-produced stuff, they may not be your place, but if you want to sample variety, they are amazing! I always find something I want, and have never been disappointed with the new-to-me varieties I have tried from here.

It's a small store so the selection is naturally limited. The owner gave me top notch…read morerecommendations. Love this kind of local store and am happy to support them!

So, I'm pretty sure this place is designed to keep the riff-raff out. And by riff-raff I mean,…read morecollege students, aannnddd that's the point of view you're getting from my review. Maybe a more seasoned consumer would rate Russell's more highly, but that's not me. This place is a little larger than my college dorm room with crates and shelves of alcohol stacked waist high. I get super nervous turning around in this store for fear of knocking lots of things over. It's impossible to see the bottom two shelves of liquor against the wall, and the labels are hard to read from the distance, and because they're crammed so closely together. I don't remember ever seeing a price sticker unless something was clearly marked off on sale. There's a pretty good wine selection-- the liquor selection is pretty basic; very well stocked but not very varied. Not a great beer selection in my opinion. For service-- I generally get ignored by the staff unless the proprietor is there. He's really helpful and sweet, and saved me $7 but telling me I should get a magnum instead of two standard size bottles. If only he were there all the time!

Sadly I never had the chance to eat here, but I came by to say what kind and considerate people run…read morethis restaurant. It was graduation weekend at UMass Amherst and my family and I could not find a reservation for lunch. The people at Johnny's Tavern were so kind and accommodating in making our large group Reservation happen!! Ultimately we had a family emergency. and had to cancel after all their hard work and leave to go home! When we canceled, they even called us back and confirmed that we didn't cancel accidentally!! Amazing people and I've heard- great food!

Wow. I had never been to Johnny's and tried it tonight with three others. First of all, our server,…read more"Karen 2" (on the bill) was fabulous! I swear the woman could read our minds, anticipating our questions. Now to the food. We started with fried brussel sprouts. Huge portion. Flavorful, not overcooked, just the right amount of crispness...and those bacon pieces!? Yum. I had the chicken wings and a beet salad. I'm a Buffalo, NY native folks, and thus have had my share of great chicken wings. Johnny's wings were on par with anything I've had in the Queen City. My only suggestion to make it real Buffalo style is thick blue cheese dip. The other meals served were amazing - two pasta dishes and the fried chicken. All tasty. Everyone loved their dishes. The prices were very fair for the quality and quantity of food brought to the table. I'm surprised at the 4.1 Yelper average. The meal and service we had tonight was excellent.

I went to Watroba's Liquors regularly from 1992 - 1997. Does "Best Packy Ever" describe it well…read moreenough? At first glance, it's a regular packy. But once you frequent the store as often as I did, you quickly realize the special nature of this place. Mr. Watroba helped fuel countless crazy parties. For every major bender, guaranteed we were stocking up at Watroba's Liquors. That guy was prepared for anything! 10 cases of Genny 30-packs? Anytime at Watroba's Liquors. At Watroba's Liquors, the Customer is King. Visit today to find out why Watroba's Liquors has been voted "Best Local Liquor Store" for decades.

Just your average neighborhood packy. They do have a decent selection of wines, beer and liquor…read more You can also get your scratch ticket fix taken care of while you're here. Just try to wait until you get to your car to scratch your ticket.

Aster + Pine is the best thing that's happened to downtown Amherst in a while, IMHO. It's a small…read moremarketplace with more offerings (at better prices) than I ever imagined would be tucked in there. I'd wandered in just to check it out, all set not to buy anything because it would have to sit in my closed car for too many hot hours, but ended up with a delicious loaf of bread from Easthampton, almond cookies from Italy, a tin of trout pate, and numerous other well-priced offerings. Welcome to Amherst!

A little of everything, from carefully curated wines to locally produced milk, fresh vegetables,…read moreand artisan bread. Ingredients for your dinner, specialty foods, cheeses, various cuisines represented. Don't expect Costco prices in a small independent store. With that in mind, it's a great addition to downtown.

This is my local beer store, living in South Amherst, but I used to avoid it years ago due to the…read moreunfriendly dudes and weird vibe. It's so much better now. I can chat with the register folks a but and don't feel creeped out anymore. So that's a win

I've never cared much for reviews but honestly, the old man who works there specifically is so rude…read moreand unkind that if I ever walk in and see him behind the counter again I'm walking right back out the door. I've worked in customer service for years and always take care to be polite when speaking with employees. That man can never be bothered to do the same to me. I'm not sure if he's just permanently having a bad day or what but I don't appreciate being belittled at the register. I'm a college student but I'm also a year-round local; this place is just lucky that Amherst is full of party people for 9 months a year.

If you want to get rousted, go to University Liquors. Been twice a both had a bad experience…read more Please, take your business elsewhere.

I find the store to be a completely different experience depending on who is working. I believe the…read morestore is owned by a husband and wife (I'm not positive on this but for the sake of the review I'll refer to them as such). Whenever the husband is working, the store is an awesome experience. He's super friendly, sociable, and gives great recommendations if asked. Unfortunately, my only experience with the wife working was not so great. I apparently took too long browsing (given their stock I really wasn't in there long). She started interrogating me about my business there so I told her I was looking at whiskey but unfamiliar with the brands, and asked if she had any input. She said no, so I made a decision on my own and went to to register. At the register, she continued to hassle me about spending time in the store and questioning me for being there. Every time I tried to answer one of her questions, she cut me off with something else to say. I understand being cautious but there's a difference between that and being rude to a customer. I'd rate a 4 for the husband and 2 for the wife so settled for 3 stars!

Ordered UMass Catering for the 5th Hack(H)er413 hackathon! They were amazing, came in on time and…read moreset up all food and also came in to dismantle and clean up as well. Their chicken and broccoli alfredo was a huge hit among the hackathon goers. Only complaint was the high price and we received no discount on bulk ordering dining cards :( Definitely will keep them in mind for future events!