They are a good local shop and definitely recommend it they are nice people. And I'll come back to…read moreshop there. They have awesome drinks and are super friendly. and the store looks really nice inside and is my go to place to get any kinda of ales.

Wish I had taken pictures but it's an awesome setup for cold beers and bottles of wine. I was…read morefocused on the beers and their instore availability, online shopping inventory, and Untappd beer lists were all in sync. Made it super easy to find unique beers that I hadn't had. Prices were 2026 reasonable - but don't I wish beer prices would return to 2006 :) Prices listed on the shelves showed the singles price which was awesome and you can break apart 4-packs to grab a solo can. Overall a great experience and one that I'll revisit with future trips to the Berkeley / Albany area!

This place is a hidden gem of a wine shop in the east bay! They have a really thoughtful and…read morediverse selection of wines with great quality price ratio. You can find anything from reasonably priced Bordeaux wines ($20-$25) to a Tannat from Uruguay and sparkling wines as well. It's pretty easy to pull up on the street and find parking and be in and out in 5-10 minutes. I really like that they have different types of wines you don't see at Safeway or wherever. It drives me crazy when I go to a wine shop and they have Duckhorn of something.. wtf? Logan is a really friendly and knowledgeable gentleman who is inviting and makes the wine purchasing really seamless and fun. It's a nice change from some of the snootiness you can get from other wine retail shops. Sometimes you just want a simple suggestion on a decent wine and get on your way. Next time you are needing a great wine at a reasonable price , do yourself a favor and swing by here. We need more places like this in the greater Bay Area.

A lovely little wine shop tucked away with a fascinating array of bottles arranged by country and…read moretype. A real Risk game of territory competing for your eyeline and tastebuds. A wineshop that's analogous to stumbling into a dusty bookstore where you wander around for what catches your feels. Very nice and helpful staff too! And if you, trusty reader, would like a rec, go for a Sauvignon Blanc and try something funky and weird! ($12 and $18 for the two bottles I got)

The staff is super helpful and friendly but when I was there earlier I noticed that - just days…read moreafter Halloween - the store is playing Christmas music. Not only are they playing Christmas music a few days after Halloween - I think I heard two different versions of Rudolph the Red Nosed Raindeer in a row! Just shopping for some beer briefly put me in a way worse mood. Maybe during the second half of December it's appropriate to play holiday Music (don't forget Yule, Hanukkah or other secular wintertime music) but playing different versions of the same holiday song back-to-back is absolute torture. The selection is good, the store is clean, the staff are wonderful and the music is torture.

The clerk had to Google my Heineken 24-pack, then tried to charge me for 4 each packs. So I…read morerefused the $44 charge and paid 30 at Safeway.

I've been buying from Solano Cellars online since 2018 and since we were in the area, decided to…read morestop in to see if they had a wine they listed in Wine Searcher in the store. As others have discovered, the physical store doesn't carry anywhere near what they list online, which makes sense once you see the store, which is quite small (so honestly should not have been that surprising). I'm happy that I didn't make a special trip out! Contrary to what others have mentioned, we found the staff extremely helpful in making a selection and explaining how the wine bar works. They were extremely busy, but doing an incredible job running between the wine bar and the retail to help people out. I'm not sure if they were understaffed that night but two people to run an almost full wine bar + fill wine club/online orders + help retail customers - it honestly seems a bit much for two people. The wine bar offers flights and BTG, but you can also select a bottle off the floor to open and enjoy for a modest corkage fee (I think it was $10 or $15). We opted to do the latter. Although the shop doesn't have everything that's listed online, there is still quite a good selection of wines - interesting varietals and regions, but also all the more well-known varietals and regions. Based on the selection of wines in the shop, their style definitely tends toward fresher styles over wines wines with super high alcohol and tons of oak. I didn't see any Rombauer Chardonnay or Caymus :) Next time we're in the area and looking for a special bottle or just to enjoy a glass, we'll definitely be stopping in again!

Knowledgeable team. Well curated selection. Fun rotation of classes and events. Great wine bar…read morespace in the evenings. LOVE THIS SHOP!

Love these guys. They're absolutely "neighborhood" folks -- but in shopping at Arlington Wine &…read moreSpirits, you're not trading down on variety, you're gaining local experts who give solid advice (when asked for) and their prices are good and reasonable, especially for their superb collection of Spanish wines which, as they can tell you, are better price-to-value choices than the clueless competition offers.

This place continues to be the best. They have great selection of both wine and liquor. Staff are…read moreknowledgeable and give excellent recommendations.

I have been purchasing wines from Kermit Lynch for probably 3 decades, or longer. I spent 3 years…read morein France in my youth and did the "vendange" (grape harvest) back in the day where we pick the grapes by hand and stomped them in huge barrels with our feet. We were paid with room and board plus 2 bottles of their wine/day. Anyway, I'm quite familiar with many French wines and appreciate a wine shop that knows their wines. Kermit Lynch is knowledgeable but their wines are not cheap, but European wines are not cheap in general. Having said that, there is a glut of European wines on the market these days from decreased demand, which should drive down their prices. In any case, there is a wide assortment of wines and the help is friendly and can assist you if you have any questions.

One of the best things about living in the Bay Area is the abundance of hyper-focused, specialty…read moreretailers who have a deep history that connects to other neighboring hyper-focused specialty shops. I know that may sound vague, but allow me to explain...Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant is a perfect example for this point. On the one hand, stepping into Kermit Lynch's shop at San Pablo and Cedar in Berkeley might seem underwhelming. It's a windowless, brick-lined room that feels like a basement (or wine cellar). Wines are either showcased in racks, or more commonly stacked in their crates or in boxes on the floor. The wines here are not local Napa, Sonoma, Anderson Valley, or Central Coast labels, but the majority of wines are sourced from France and Italy. You might find the labels confusing or not initially know what grape varietal you have in front of you. So you might have several reactions. One might be, "Kermit Lynch doesn't sell the wine I like." But another might be, "Holy shit! This is gonna be an adventure!" I'm always in the latter category. I've been a fan of Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant since moving to the East Bay in 2001. They weaned me from my California-centric wine mentality and introduced me to the regions of French wines that I always thought were old, stuffy, boring, too expensive, or too confusing. They did this through their amazing staff who made the Old World of wines more approachable and understandable through outstanding service and explanations as well as having options that would appeal to my price point. Often this was through options that include the Kermit Lynch label of super reasonably priced wines like their Cote du Rhône. Sure, you can still find wines here that are pricey. But the real lesson I learned at Kermit Lynch was that great, new adventures don't have to break the bank. And as to that connection to neighboring specialty shops I mentioned earlier, Kermit Lynch in the literal next door neighbor to Acme Bread. Both of these establishments laid the groundwork for modern foodie culture. And these shops are down the street from Cheeseboard Collective. Which is up the street from Monterey Market and Fish Market. Which is close to Tokyo Fish Market. Which isn't far from Berkeley Bowl. It's this ecosystem of outstanding, deep history, hyper-focused excellence that Kermit Lynch helped create and why I will remain a loyal customer.

Yay! This place is a welcome addition to the area. The new owners hit the ground running and…read moreovernight this store became a place with a large selection of Indian and Nepalese groceries and products as well as being a neighborhood liquor store. Talking to the friendly owners I learned that there even more changes coming soon, including fresh produce! Check out KTM Liquors and Bazaar! Welcome to the neighborhood KTM!

This is more funny than anything else, since there are other places I can buy what I need. But,…read moretoday, I made a purchase that cost $4.52. I looked into my pocket and did not have any pennies. So, I gave the clerk, who I believe is the owner (and I think they own Max's Liquor on the corner of San Pablo and Solano), a $5 bill and pulled two pennies from the "Give-A-Penny, Take-A-Penny" dish that is sitting right on the edge of the counter requiring no reaching by the customer. She tells me, and I quote, "That's not your money." HUH? What does she think it is for? A tip for poor service? She simply doesn't get it. And, even if she thought it was a tip (there were about six pennies in the dish), it would be a rather meager and insulting one at that. But, all I can imagine is that she uses it as her tip jar. I told her that I would simply take my business elsewhere, and then left the three pennies that I got in my change and told her to tell the next person "That is *your* money." Hilarious and really stupid to lose business over 2 cents because you own a business, put out a penny dish and don't understand what "Give-A-Penny, Take-A-Penny" means.

I really only come here for lottery tickets and the occasional bottle of water on my way to and…read morefrom BART. Owners are friendly. Place is not cramped like some places. Compared to the 3-4 other liquor stores within the same area in the Albany side of San Pablo, this place feels bigger. There are some liquor stores where there is a "this place must be held up a lot" vibe. I don't get that here. Not to say there is no crime here. I just feel safe coming here.

** The following review reflects my experience DURING the COVID-19 pandemic. **…read more I don't booze it up or buy lottery tickets ad nauseam, so I'm likely not a candidate for a frequency discount card if they offer one here. However, this prominently located Pic N Pac may be in the running for landmark status in El Cerrito because it is at the right juncture in Jamie W.'s and my weekend walking path where we need to wet our whistles before reigniting our momentum for the upward journey. Relatively uncrowded with maskless people or overstocked merchandise, this liquor store is where we buy our Coke Zeros at an appropriate social distance, of course. They follow the right rules here ("No Mask, No Service") for a customer base that may not be on their best behavior. RELATED - Exploring El Cerrito? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2VyCP18

I used to love bings. I still do. Pavi is a great guy and a good owner, but his staff proved to be…read moreincompetent as the employee turnover rate is pretty high SELLING ¢99 ARIZONA ICE TEA FOR $1.75 IS FRANKLY UNCONSTITUTIONAL was the Boston tea party for naught, the amenity act of 1767 repealed taxation of tea. No taxation without representation, otherwise there would be no competition against the tea smugglers If it wasn't for Pavendeeps excellent customer service I would rate Bings a one star. Pavi if your reading this, know that if this iced tea matter is not resolved I will be forced to take this to the president of the United States of America.

FEMALE-BODIED PEOPLE BEWARE ...this convenience store attracts a particular clientele that can be…read moreerratic and/or aggressive. The folks who work behind the counter are cool as cucumbers, calm and responsive in an emergency -- 5 stars for the employees of this store!! One star because of the experiences I've had with other customers here. The worst was being propositioned and chased down the block. The best was being trapped inside the tiny store for ~20min while paramedics helped a man having a medical emergency just inside the door. ...I've been here a number of times, and every time there's *something* going on that makes me swear I'll never go back. Anyway, just a heads up to watch your back if you feel like you absolutely have to stop here for a bag of chips and a 6-pack, or whatever - they do have a solid/standard convenience store selection!