Best in town. Was looking for a hard to find local whiskey. They had it. I was only visiting town…read moretoo.

Upgrading from four to five stars. This has become my go-to destination for everything adult…read morebeverage related. No, it's not the biggest store in the city, but to my mind it has become the best. Why? Three important ways: 1) Best service, never fail. Walk in the store and they ask if they can help, but they stay out of your way if you tell them you don't. Try getting help in some of the other stores? Difficult, typically. 2) Superb selection. Everything I'm looking for and more is here, and the people working here are pros. I asked today about the 200 yr. anniversary Guinness, guy doesn't blink and said they had a run on it but expect to be replenished in tomorrow's shipment. Not an unusual response, particularly the workers in the back who really seem to have it under control. 3) Consistency, see #1 and #2. I get this every time I arrive. No shortages, no folks standing around with hands in their pockets, no bored "when is my shift ending" looks on faces, etc. I can even recycle my wine corks here. I like that. And yet I can still come in and get surprised at what I can find, and that really makes me happy. The convenient parking is also a real plus, and with the laws recently changed the store has gotten larger (no need to separate out things like glassware into another internal "store" etc. Just keeps getting better so happy to revisit this review.

Horrible customer serviceread more

The stuff you want to know: extensive wine, liquor and beer selection, helpful staff. Two…read moreconvenient locations. Open late (until 11), open Sundays (noon to 6pm). But what makes Cork & Barrel my favorite wine and booze shop in town is the fact that they have two wondrous months where if you buy a case of wine, you get a 20% discount (April, you can't come soon enough. The other month is October). Not only that, but every monday is 10% off hard liquor. As you can probably gather, I am a wine lover (I prefer Italian reds), and if I can afford it, I try to buy as many cases of wine during discount months to, you know, store in my wine cellar (*eye roll* as if I'd store wine down where the cave crickets lurk).

Having recently turned 21, cork and barrel came highly recommended. I walked in, extremely…read moreintimidated. I didn't dabble much (or at all) before now in this world and it's intimidating. What really gets me about a place is how helpful the staff are. Even though their was only one guy working, he walked me through each level of vodka and helped me pick which would work best for me. He also explained how their specials work (seriously hop on those). It took a while but he was really helpful. They had lots of options, which can be really intimidating but it's a good thing when you have patient, kind staff who know what they are talking about.

I am updating my review because I just had a horrible experience at this lovely store. I went in…read morefor a bag of ice but left my purse in the car and only took my keys and credit card into the store with me. The manager said he didn't normally take a debit or credit card for a purchase that small because it cost him money. I looked around and there was no sign indicating you had to purchase X amount before you could use a debit/credit card. He kept saying "We're good this time." Then he started telling me how it cost him money every time someone uses a credit/debit card. Duh. Like I did not know that already but since he had no signage up, I did not think it would have been a problem. I asked him how much he got charged and he said 3%. So he is going to bitch about 3% of $1.75? Couldn't believe it. He said, "I am going to let it go this time" like I was trying to pull a fast one on him. I went to my car, grabbed a some money out of my wallet and gave him $1.00 over his protestations. His last words to me were, "I don't want your dollar!" I left it there anyway, turned around and left. I'll never go back, that's for sure. ***************************************************** I have no clue when it comes to wine. I know it's made from grapes. know it has to age and they *poof* make wine from it and put it in bottles. That's about the extent of my wine knowledge. Understandably I get panicked when I have been entrusted to get wine as a gift. Slight panic set in and I had to consider my options. I thought about going to the big box store but I cannot ever get help there. Also, I am in a cast from an accident and cannot traipse down aisle and aisles looking for someone to help me. I opted for The Wine Cellar which is just down the street from me and small. So glad I popped into this little corner store. The clerk was so incredibly helpful. He showed me their selection and patiently answered all my questions. He showed me the wine he liked and he asked the right questions about the occasion and person for whom I was buying the wine. He made me feel very confident in my purchase. The wine was reasonably priced, as well. He even gave me a bag and a ribbon fir my wine. He prettied it all up, too. Great customer service!! This is a small store but do not be fooled. They have great dejection at good prices. You will not be disappointed!

My first experience here was not the best and I doubt I would return. My roommate and I work at a…read morerestaurant nearby and after we got off we rushed over, knowing the store was closing in ten minutes. We knew what we wanted, but as we approached the door the man told us they were closing and couldn't let us in. I said I just wanted a 30-pack and he reluctantly let me come in. I grabbed exactly what I wanted and walked to the counter. While he was checking us out he called to his coworker, passive-aggressively, and said the guy would have to unlock the door to let us out because he'd already locked it so that "no one else could come in." I checked my phone and it was still five minutes until close. I understand that it was a Friday night, I'm sure they got busy since it's still the holiday season, but if you want to have returning customers maybe you should obey the rules and keep your store open until you're supposed to instead of trying to turn people away. We tried to be nice the entire time because we also work in the service industry and understand guest satisfaction, but this was ridiculous. It's also unfortunate that this is their first Yelp review. Hm.

Though not as big as other liquor stores in town, Parkway Wine and Spirits makes up for their small…read morestore size, with an awesome selection, and surprisingly helpful staff. A little bit of everything, a lot of the good stuff, and always a quick shopping experience. Their convenient location is a plus, (right next to Hyvee on Clinton Parkway) and they offer better hours than some of the other shops in town. I like this place and recommend it, if you're in the area.

From the owner: "Quality Wines...Affordable Prices"read more

Love their drive thru! So Convenient with friendly staff. Good hours too. I have bad knees so I…read morecan sit in my car and don't have to walk in with the pain in my knees.

Went through their drive through asked for a white wine and they handed me the bottle and I asked…read moreto double check if it was white wine. They told me yes making me seem stupid for questioning them. Then I arrived back home to open the bottle and what do you know!!! It was red wine! Called back to get the correct bottle of wine and they proceed to tell me that they can't do anything about it... Rude workers and I will be telling everyone that that place is S**T! Also the owner needs to get more respectful managers who know how to treat their customers more polite. Because the so called "manager" was very rude!

This will be my go-to place for wine in Lawrence from now on. It's clean and organized inside, and…read morethey don't even carry your typical mass-produced wines--you can tell the owners have carefully curated their selection and they are very knowledgeable and helpful about the wines they have. They even carry a small selection of fancy snacks and foods that will pair well with wine. For someone who is trying to branch out and try more wines and learn more about them, this is a perfect option.

During the pandemic, I do not go into liquor stores to buy wine bottles. I prefer to call, make my…read morechoices, pay in advance, and have the wine brought out to my car. But without being able to walk around the store, I sometimes need advice and suggestions on the phone. The person I have talked with on the phone at this outstanding wine store is exceptionally knowledgeable and helpful. I call on the phone, make my choices, and pay in advance. When I arrive, I open the trunk of my car and call to say I have arrived. He brings out the order and puts the bottles into my trunk. I never even had to open the window of the car. I got out of the car only to close the trunk, after he had returned to the store. Next time I will open an account with the store, so they can retain my credit card information. That will make the procedure even easier.

GREAT service! Unique dishes and interesting atmosphere. Large menu with plenty of choices.read more

The ambience and the service at J Wilson's was great when my friend and I decided to have lunch…read morethere on Valentine's Day. Our server was particularly helpful and very pleasant. She earned an A+ and her tip reflected that. That said, my friend and I were both extremely upset about the lack of options for lunch. Everything on the menu was brunch and the options for that were not great. It took us quite a while to finally decide on what we would have. I had the quiche Lorraine with sweet potato fries and a salad. The sweet potato fries were OK, but the quiche was cold and I ended up eating less than half of my food. My friend ordered the blue crab benny which came with home fries. Her potatoes were cold and she also ate less than half her food because she said she didn't like it. I will accept blame for not realizing J Wilson doesn't serve lunch on weekends, but the quality of the food is on them. When I come to Lawrence, it's almost always on a Saturday, so I will not be having lunch at J Wilson's again.