They were quick and took the time to call me to clarify my wishes The driver teased my son in law about his Birthday delivery.

Incredible selection of Maine beer - the highlight of our experience was the exceptional suggestions and knowledge of the gentleman that helped us make our selections. read more

This place is like a long time friend. Even though you don't see each other often, it's like no time has passed and they are still the same genuine friend you remember. I think many of the team members working there are the same! It says a lot about the business when you see the same friendly hardworking folks year after year. They always seem to have what we are looking for, even the special after Thanksgiving deals, like Goose Island. I'm never disappointed when we shop there for wine, beer, spirits and snacks. We always end up buying more than we came for, and I'm ok with that. There usually is plenty of parking on either side of the store, you just enter at different parts of the building. If you are looking for recommendations, don't hesitate to ask the floating staff member, he's super enthusiastic and seems to know his beer. I definitely recommend this location. read more

Let me tell you something about RSVP, if you want the best prices, the best selection, literally the best selection anywhere, here's your spot. Staff is super helpful, ownership is genuine and kind. Delivery fast. Thank you RSVP! read more

Easy parking, nice displays, attentive and helpful staff. Large selection of difficult to get liquor. What more can you ask for?

I appreciate RSVP taking precautions to wear masks and disinfect frequently used surfaces. The staff are friendly and personable. If you're looking for a good selection of local craft beers, this is your one stop shop. They have a large selection and they even keep a singles section if you're like me and just want to try one. You can also grab your wine, liquor, and other alcohol needs. read more

I don't mind RSVP - I come here when I'm looking for something specific and I know they'll have it, not when I want their suggestions. It reminds me a lot of Roopers Beverage & Redemption in the Lewiston/Auburn area or like the New Hampshire State Liquor Store of I-95 specifically in Hampton, NH. It's a no nonsense, no frills beverage store that has an impressive selection of beer, wine, spirits, and mixers of all kinds. I've had both extraordinary interactions with the staff (I was trying to special order a case of wine from Europe that nobody in Maine carried; RSVP got it for me half at what I was quoted at a different place in town!), and really horrible ones (they can be pretty gruff at times, and unfortunately it can come off aggressive and unwelcoming - one time I was mansplained what Scotch was for example; it was super icky). It's not the cleanest store in the world, and you'll be watched like a hawk if you look like you're under the age of 40, but you'll also score sweet deals on adult beverages for every palate! read more

This place doesn't look like much from the outside, but boy do they have a great selection of liquor, wine and beer. If you can't find it here, you probably can't get it in Maine or anywhere in New England. I've always found the staff to be friendly and helpful. read more

Your friendly neighborhood liquor store. Great variety of products and helpful staff.

This place has a large selection of cider beers :) Too bad it's 45mins away from where I live. Would I go back: Yes, if I'm in town. read more

RSVP Discount Beverage - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Portland, Maine

There's always something new to discover here. Staff are helpful. Once when they accidentally over charged me I emailed them and they called me to give a refund within a couple hours. read more

Couldn't tell you much about the place since their policy is that you must over 25 with an out of state license. It's sad that a store that is in such a tourist driven area would push away so much business just to avoid educating themselves on the appearance of out of state licenses. I have been a server for 10 years and understand why this store policy is put in place. It's a crutch for the store's employees to fall back on when they are uncertain about a potential fake ID. However, use it as just that, a crutch. When I show you my NY state license that shows I'm 24, state health insurance card, visa, business card and my NY state license plates outside and you still tell me I can't shop there...sounds good, I'm heading down the street. You aren't becoming known as a great bottle shop, you're becoming known as the place that people boycott. There are people from the ages of 21-24 that enjoy quality craft beer that live out of the state. I'm taking time out of my vacation to visit your store, don't greet me at the door telling me to leave, especially when I'm respectfully entering your business of age. read more

RSVP Discount Beverage - Anti-vacationers - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Portland, Maine

RSVP is unsurpassed for variety of offerings in terms of spirits, wine and beer. They support local brewers and producers of liquor from the Northern New England states. Moreover, they're the place to go if you are looking for something eclectic. They also offer a full spectrum of individual bottles of beer and ale from around the world. RSVP's staff are friendly and knowledgeable and their prices are fair and competitive. read more

RSVP was amazing! I was in a bind with my schedule going from Portland to make a ferry up north. I was able to email them and order enough beer/wine/liquor for a week for all of my house guests via email. The staff was AMAZINGLY helpful in making selections and helping me figure out quantities. When they didn't have something I wanted, they offered to order it but we're also able to give substitution suggestions (for the wine). For the substitutions we made we loved the wine! Everything was packaged up and waiting when we arrived to pay. They even went the extra mile to offer to open 15 mins early for us to accommodate our schedule. Could not have been happier with this experience! I will definitely be using them in the future! read more

I'll always love me some RSVP, Portland's long standing booze store. Good prices on the hard liquor and you can sometimes find secret stashes, Buffalo Trace for instance, when everyone else seemed to be out. I also like their wine section a lot. Along with 3 aisles of wine, they also have a section that's all their deals and employee picks... this is where the magic is. We've found lots of good ones that don't break the bank, and it's a great section to buy a wine bottle present if you don't feel like searching the aisles, picking up random bottles like you have any idea if they're good. The cooler beer section can be a little underwhelming, depending on what you're looking for. A lot of it is devoted to major brands and even the Maine micros lean towards the more corporate names (in my opinion), but they've still got some good ones. The shelved beer section has better options, and much like the whiskey, you can find some beers here that are sold out at other locations. However, biggest tip I can offer: CHECK YOUR DATES. It's common at a lot of beer stores (maybe moreso with Covid, maybe not?), but I've bought some IPAs here that are probably technically fine to sell, but are 5 months from canning... that's just nasty for that kind of beer. Literally the other day (so December 20ish), I almost grabbed a 4-pack of Nightshift Santilli but remembered my own rule, checked the bottom and it was canned on August 20ish, so 4 months old. I grabbed the Nightshift Whirpool instead which was canned on 11/20; that's a huge difference in how good the beer will be. The staff here is also super nice (in a Maine, "here you go" way, not like a Coldstone Creamery song and dance way) and helpful. I feel pretty good about going in here during Covid times. More open space than some other stores, everyone's wearing masks, the get the front door open whenever possible to get some airflow. Keep doing what you're doing, RSVP. read more

Outside of the staff behind the counters in the front of the store having about as much personality as the counter itself, the selection and broad spectum of craft beers, delicious wines and liquors make up for all that is lost with the staff. I especially liked the beer section just due to the fact that I can get stuff here that I cannot get elsewhere and it is plentiful for you to stock for a party or just a cool and calm relaxing day on the back porch. On this day, I picked up a 4 pack of Allagash black bottles, a sixer of Narraganset Dell lemonade Summer Shandy and some Bar Harbor Ale that was both mild and refreshing on a hot summer day. I also liked the fact that they have a larger selection of non-alcoholic beers also (I have a non drinker in my family) and we got her a belgian import and she really enjoyed it also. So, if you are looking for a place to go to get that great gift or a tasty beverage, stop in here just dont expect a very nice crew to help you or ask questions ... I wanted to ask a few but ran the other direction because I was afraid of how they were gonna answer me. read more

Their VERY condescending and insulting St. Patrick's (Patty's) Day advertisement MISPRONOUNCES "Smithwick's". Embarrassing. 5 minutes of reading would have s Great staff and beer selection - thus 3 stars. read more

RSVP Discount Beverage - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Portland, Maine

Pretty big selection of booze. I went to find some Rising Tide beers since their brewery was closed the Wednesday I visited Portland. I wasn't disappointed with their selection of craft beers. Plus they had a lot of local Maine stuff which was the point of my visit. Prices weren't astronomical & I'd be a regular customer if I was local. read more

RSVP Discount Beverage - a sign for a liquor store - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Portland, Maine

Looking for local craft beer, a variety of wines, and hard to find liquor? RSVP discount beverage is the place to go. When husband and I first found this place when we were looking for caramel vodka for a drink. When all other stores in Portland didn't have it, RSVP did. We decided to check it out and we were surprised we had never been here before! RSVP houses great local beer that can sometimes be hard to find, and they have an extensive selection of wines and liquors. This is definitely some place to check out! read more

Solid beer selection with lots of local options (Foundation, Maine Beer Company, Allagash), as well as fun brews from all over the US and the world. They also have ciders, gluten free beers and your typical mass produced options. Tons of wine and liquor too. They typically have better prices than the bottle shops. The "beer guy" that works there is very helpful and friendly. Ask him to help you find a good brew if your overwhelmed at the options. read more

Good selection, fair prices and friendly staff. Just needs to be cleaned. They're normally cheaper by three or four bucks than Hannafords.

I drive by here multiple times a week, and it took me almost a whole year to make it inside because 1) it look's shady! and 2) Shaw's is simply closer and more convenient most of the time. From now on though, this is definitely my #1 go-to place for beer, wine, and ciders! There's an amazing selection compared to your local supermarket (of course), and the prices are quite alright! They have a very tempting selection of snacks by the check-out too. Yikes. See that odd device in the store photo? I spotted it in the corner of the store, it's a wine cooler! I'm a huge fan of Bev-Mo and other large chain discount beverage stores back home, but I definitely have never seen another place that offered to cool your wine while you shop! read more

RSVP is obviously know for their amazing wide variety of liquor, wine, beer and all the snacks to go with it and the staff is always amazing with knowledge and helping out when you have questions. One thing away from everything the offer I Side their store to customers is their commitment to the community and I know this first hand as they have been a gigantic sponsor the the Annual ABA Charity Golf Tournament with their amazing generosity in donations. A huge thanks to Monica Howard for 9 years of complete generosity to our tournament which we have raised over $135,000 for area non profits. I urge you to do business with this business for not only the amazing selection but for their total commitment to the community. 5 Star is not enough for RSVP read more

They have, good service, fair, competitive pricing, and a great selection! Their staff is also very knowledgeable.

2 times recently I've gone in to ask for a specific bourbon and you'd swear I was asking for keys to the vault. Attitude and short curt answers was what I got. Holy shit, if they want to keep liquor hidden in the back for "special " customers, just say so!! read more

I'm not going back to this place after having been treated rudely not once, but TWICE in a row here. Both times it's been the old lady working the register. Tonight, I wanted to buy a bottle of wine and six pack of Guinness. I hold out my AMERICAN PASSPORT to the lady and she looks me dead in the eye and goes, "ID?" I gesture to my passport. And she's like "We only take state ID's here." I say, "I'm sorry? US Customs takes this. I can get into the country with this ID but not buy beer?" And she just laughs and says "Sorry, store policy." Also let me add, I'm over 25, so that idiot rule didn't apply either. DEAR RSVP: - Do you know what kind of ID one uses to RECEIVE a driver's license? Yes, that's right, one presents a PASSPORT as the highest and most valid form of identification, requiring no second form of identification. - Do you know how much less likely it is for you to ever encounter a fake passport than a fake Maine driver's license? An American passport costs over $10K on the black market. It's a huge felony to make them. And they're really hard to make. - I'M FREAKING TWENTY-SEVEN! Like Jeff K. said, I'm not supporting a store with such idiotic policies. Way to lose a local customer with disposable income, guys. read more

A lot of people complain that the service is unfriendly and the salespeople are curmudgeonly. I like it. I find it oddly endearing and that the grouchiness lends itself well to the atmosphere. I enjoy that every time we go in, the same cashier asks for my ID, he puts on his glasses, reads it carefully and says' "Ms. H. of V-street." I've met him probably 25-30 times. Always the same thing and he says the same to my husband. I like to imagine I'm special and it's our own personal banter, but I'm sure he says that to everybody. Also, they've made calls to try and get some of my weird requests if they don't carry them in stock. I love the effort! Mostly I love the wide varieties of wine and beer- domestic, import, and craft, at a good value. I did approximately 75% of my Christmas shopping there this past year, and it's pretty close to my house. One of my favorite shops in Portland! read more

Ah, RSVP. I feel like this term means more to me as a local liquor store than as fancy French term for confirming a reservation to an event. In fact, the only event I'm usually confirming while at RSVP is a date to get drunk later on in the evening. This is really my one and only go-to liquor store, mostly because I live like a mile down the road and it's on the way to and on the way back from everything. While they might not have all the hard to find and niche beers available like Bier Cellar or a few other places around town, they do have an incredible selection of local and regional beers to choose from, as well as many from around the world. Just keep in mind that the farther the beer gets from the 04103 zip code (St. Louis and Colorado 'breweries' excluded) the less likely it is to be found chilling in the cooler. I've shopped for just about everything here: beer, wine, spirits, bottle openers, limes, fancy cocktail straws: you can always count on them to have everything you need for your upcoming drinking event. And they also have random markdowns, especially on spirits - definitely a plus when you can't tell the difference between top shelf, bottom shelf, and basement shelf (I'm talking to you, generic plastic jug of no-name hangover juice vodka!). In my college days, I thought I was a genius when I 'invented' Te-lua - a horrible combination of Tequila and Kalua. These were two things I liked separately (and that I purchased at RSVP) and so I thought it would be a natural marriage of awesomeness. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Wrong. RSVP helped teach me a valuable science lesson about a chemical reaction that we more commonly know as 'curdling'. What a gross evening that turned out to be, which morphed into abandoning the Kalua part altogether and drinking tequila straight. You can imagine how the rest of the night went. Anyway, I recommend this Portland liquor institution without 'reservation', because you won't need a reservation as their name suggests to tie one on later that night after a stop here (or during the day, if that's your thing too). read more

My letter to RSVP: Dear RSVP, You have a amazing selection of wine, beer, and liquor. You are located in a spot that is fairly easy to get to and outside of downtown Portland (I used to live around the corner and would walk or xcountry ski to you on snow days... Oh the memories). You have a redemption center AND a parking lot. You have always been more than fair when it came to carding me. Your prices are awesome. Thank you for all this. But, then, why do you hire some of the rudest folks around? Maybe it has something to do with your product? I know I've acted like a fool with a few too many. Maybe it's your hiring process? Does working around booze all day and not being able to drink it make you mad? What cashier feels the need to say "I liked your hair better when it was long," or "Did you ask someone if you could take that (wine) box? Those are rare." I'm not sure who is doing your screening process, but if it was me, I would work a little harder at enforcing some customer service training. Granted, not everyone has a bug up their a**, but it's something to mention as I write you this letter. A few of your employees have even taken my number and called me for special orders. That's so awesome! I want all your workers to be so kind and caring. So, yes. I know. You're just a liquor store. I shouldn't expect too much. But the things I buy from you are expensive and abundant in the area. I can always go elsewhere if you don't like my business. But, I don't really want to go elsewhere. I have faith, RSVP. Faith, that you will one day read this and start making your service as amazing as your selection. I am cheering you on. I am here, crossing my fingers. Come on. I know you can do it! Your friend, Amanda B. read more

I like this place. I don't care if the staff is rude or cold, the selection is awesome, parking is easy, and hours are long. To the people whining about the ID policy: get over it. Most (all?) Maine ID scanners don't scan out of state licenses, and I don't blame stores for not wanting to sell to the college age crowd without verifiable identification. Yeah, it's annoying, but justified and not a good reason to leave a bad review. Leave a tip instead so people don't waste their time. To Alexa D; you've been serving since 14 years old? Doubt it. As someone who has served in the seacoast of NH and MA, I've often questioned my ability to check out of state ID's. As an employee, you are liable and responsible. Note: if you're out of state, but have a lease in Maine in your name (like a vaca lease), work in Maine, or are enrolled full time in a university/college, you are eligible for a Maine ID. read more

I have a Maine ID and am over 25 so I can't speak to all that jazz. Love RSVP. Fantastic selection, incredibly well-stocked, this is the liquor store equivalent of the supermarket. If you want careful personal attention or customer service you may be better served at a boutique, distillery, brewery, or bar. I don't go here looking for the bespoke treatment. That said, more than once I have encountered very helpful employees(?) in the wine department. Mostly around holidays. Their demeanor has been so different from the cashiers' that I slightly suspect they are wine reps. I give it five because it is the best liquor store in Portland. Its saltiness, to me, is a part of its charm. I miss the old drive-up redemption center! read more

We are local and like coming here to browse. They have a large selection of wine, beer and liquor. They also have bar necessities such as limes, cups, straws, mixers, margarita salt, napkins, soda,... I also like that they carry smaller sized bottles of liquor that are larger than the single shots but not as big as the full size. It comes in handy when you need a particular liquor for a specialty drink, but don't need 750 milliliters of it. For example: brandy for sangria. That said, the only problem I've encountered here are the RUDE cashiers. On almost every occasion it's either a bad attitude, a cocky comment, or just generally rudeness. The few who manage and take custom orders, however, have always been really nice to us. It seems to be just the cashiers that are just miserable! I've seen the same people there for years; I really wish they'd hire people who were pleasant to customers and who maybe smiled from time to time... read more

Great selection and prices. Lots of local craft beers, and others from around the country, categorized by region--nice touch. Do they have as big a selection as some of the fancier, specialty stores that are now the rage--probably not. But RSVP has been around for awhile and they'll continue to have a presence long after the latest trend has dried up and gone away. Unlike some other discount beverage stores, RSVP aims to please and make sure their customers can easily locate what they've come in for. They even had a beer tasting from 1:00 to 4:00 and I got to sample the new Baxter Brewing's Tarnation California-Style Lager (woo-hoo, lagers!!). RSVP is great for stocking up on beer and wine, and adding some new products to your bar supplies at home. read more

If you need liquor, beer or wine, this is the place to go in Portland. Super friendly service, I can't tell you how many times I've gone in for a bottle of wine to go with dinner and been so lost by their selection and then before I knew it one of the people working there is quick to come to my aid and help me pick out just the right item within my budget. Great selection, it melted my heart to see the Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cream, a rare treasure and something I was previously only able to get when I would go home to Kentucky to visit my family. My only request is see if you can get U'Luvka Vodka on your shelves, as far as I can tell there is no place in the entire state that carries it and it's my favorite. =D Keep up the good work guys! Thanks for being so awesome! read more

We visited Rsvp on our last stop home from vacation on another quest to find a particular Maine-made liquor that has eluded us somewhat the last two years. Rsvp was on the list of stores that carried it but we did not find it there. This was no big surprise; it seems only one store on a list of at least ten actually had any left, so again, no surprise there. What did surprise me was how large the store was inside. There were sections for each type of liquor and there seemed to be good choices for each. I admit I did not spend much time in these sections though. I found myself wandering toward the wine section, which was a decent size. I did spend some extra time there, admittedly still looking for that Maine-made liquor, since it was made by a winery. No dice and no biggie, maybe I'll check out the craft beer offerings... Hello craft beer offerings! There was an entire wall dedicated to them, shelves upon shelves... and they were labeled and organized by style! I don't always see this! Then on the back wall was cooler upon cooler of beer too! Well, I didn't expect to but I actually bought two Kolsch bottles from breweries I had never heard of (there were many other bottles for sale from breweries I had never heard of). This was an easy 4 stars for me and I only could not give it 5 stars because there is another liquor store that deserves that (see future reviews, lol). But seriously, if you're in the area, looking for wine or some different craft beers, definitely stop in! read more

Every metropolitan area has a great beer store mecca. The Bay has Beer Revolution. Milwaukee has the similarly named Discount Liquor Inc. Maine has RSVP. I came in here just looking to pick up a couple of local beers and ended up with a full basket. An amazing selection from all over New England not to mention an exceptional layout of Belgian, German and European beers. Smuttynose, Weyerbacher, Moat Mountain, Shipyard, Seabago and the list goes on. I ended up over-indulging and did that thing where you cross your fingers the total at the register is manageable. Thankfully it was; the prices are very reasonable and there were even a few bottles I'd seen in Boston that were easily three or more dollars cheaper at this spot. RSVP is a great reason to come back to Maine and a great reason for me to hide my credit card before doing so. read more

This is my go-to packie for craft beer, wine, and liquor. They have an excellent selection of local craft beer, and the prices are very good for the wine. It is also close to my house, has ample parking, and is right on a busy street so its usually on the way to wherever I am going, including on my commute home from work. So to recap, the biggest pros are 1) good selection 2) good prices 3) convenient location. Although I am definitely a fan, there are a few things that prevent this place from being 5 stars. First of all the building itself has a bit of a beat-up warehouse vibe. Again, I care more about prices than looks so that doesn't prevent me from shopping here, but a 5 star place would have both. If you want a beautiful clean and modern looking liquor store, check out Bow Street which is right down the road. Second, to echo some of the comments here, the staff can be pretty cold and sometimes unfriendly. By this point I know my way around the store pretty well and being from New England I am not one for unnecessary conversation, but the folks down at Bow Street have always been really helpful suggesting new beers and wines that I might not have tried, they are extremely knowledgeable and walk the line well between giving me the information I need without bothering me while I am shopping. Third, they are really strict with IDs. Like I said, this place is down the road from my house so I shop here pretty regularly, and they still check my ID every time. With out of state IDs they can also be strict. I totally understand and I don't mind showing them every time but it gets a little old sometimes. They really do know that I am not a cop and I am over 21 at this point, but oh well. The last thing I will mention is that a lot of the best Maine craft beer is not refrigerated, so if you are looking for beer to consume immediately I would recommend going to Bow Street because their craft beer is refrigerated. To recap the negatives 1) old dingy building 2) unfriendly/cold staff 3) strict with IDs. Maybe at this point you are wondering if Bow Street is so awesome, why aren't they my go-to packie instead of RSVP? Well, I have found my favorite wines are a few dollars cheaper at RSVP and the location is more convenient for me. So if I am looking for a bottle of wine on the way home from work, that is where I go and I can stock up on beer while I am at it. I usually go to Bow street if I am with a visiting friend who wants to buy craft beer and we are planning on drinking it immediately, because it is a more impressive store and the beer is cold. I also haven't noticed a difference in beer prices between the two stores. read more

Always have in Stock or on shelve( in coolers)-anything you want - wine selection is awesome and the beer selection is matched by none! The hard alcohol selection is equally vast- long hours makes popping in at a moments notice easy and convenient. As a fan of great customer service- the staff at the registers- not very personable- the floor staff- other than watching you like your going to steal something is very approachable and knowledgeable of the store and products. If you need something rare or in a pinch- stop in - they will have it -and you'll be in and out quick! read more

I always end up in Maine when a local winery and distillery is closed for the season and then I have to begin my hunt of the agency liquor stores to find one of their products that I love. This year the Maine beverage website had a list of places that may have the item I was looking for. RSVP was one of the places on the list and was on our way home, so we stopped in. Yes, it is very sketchy looking on the outside. Don't be fooled by the appearance though as they have a huge wine and beer selection inside. There was quite a bit of beer that I had never seen before and the wine selection also had some interesting choices. I thought the spirits selection was a little skimpy though. It's definitely a great stop for beer and wine in Portland. read more

The staff are knowledgable, and I have never asked them for something they did not have or could not get. The wine and beer selections are quite good and varied. I never fail to stop here if I am driving close. read more