Evanston 1st Liquors

I was not given itemized receipt, which I told sales agent I needed. When I drove back to the store to get itemized receipt, I asked to speak to manager. Manager told me it was my fault employee only gave me the credit card receipt, not an itemized receipt. No apology was made by manager or employee. Never had such poor customer service, which is to bad since I have met owner in the past, who was extremely helpful.

I love that I’m walking distance from this store. It a surprisingly big store with a whole lotta alcohol in it! They have an extensive collection of wine and beer and everything else in between. I may not know much about alcohol, but I can definitely see myself learning soon! And if I’m not mistaken, I believe they have parking in the back alley.

I’ve been looking everywhere for the Yamazaki single malt whiskey and this place had both a 12 year one and an 18 year one! This place definitely has a good selection of alcohol. The staff are quite nice and give tips on which type of liquor is good enough if you’re only trying make cocktails instead of drinking it neat or on the rocks. Pro-​tip: if you have something you really want, they can order it for you since they place orders weekly!

Huge, almost overwhelming selection, which I did not need because I know nothing about alcohol. Prices seemed to be cheaper for some things on sale and the same price as Jewel for others.

Holy crap! This place has the best selection of Three Floyd’s I’ve ever seen! I wandered in since I live very close and was pleasantly surprised at all of the delicious brews they have — I will certainly be back from now on, as this place is WAY closer than Binny’s :)

Centrally located in an area a little short on liquor stores so I wasn’t expecting the world but…
This place is awesome. Staff is sooooooooo friendly. Selection is really amazing. I like cider, most places have 3 or 4 to choose from. I would estimate they had about 25. I was also looking for sours, they had a few of those too! Staff was really overly helpful. I hear they deliver, as well.
I wish they were open until midnight or later, but I can’t withhold a 5 star review based on that. Check it out.

Such a random little spot but they had what I had been searching all around Chicago for: Rogue Voodoo Donuts special edition beer. They had a great variety of beers and liquors and couldn’t help but stock up on a few things even though I was further from home. Whether you live in Evanston or are just in search of a random beer, don’t forget about Evanston 1^st Liquors.

Attention beer afficionados: Evanston 1^st has now greatly expanded their craft and regular beer selection! They’re almost all the the fridge selection along one wall of the store.
Other things that have been added include:
–a «for sale» table for spirits and mixers
–a chiller which can make your drink ice cold in less than 10 minutes
The wine and spirits selections haven’t changed much in terms of size and organization, but they seem to carry more brands which I know are good. I definitely plan to come back for a closer look.
This place isn’t Binny’s when it comes to price or selection, but if you don’t feel like making the trek out to Skokie, then this place should do the job.

I definitely don’t know that much (read: anything) about alcohol, but I needed a gift for a friend’s 21^st birthday, and this seemed like the place to get it. The selection was incredible/​totally overwhelming, and I had a great time looking through everything and trying to pick the prettiest bottle (ended up getting Nuvo).
The one thing that I didn’t like was that the cashier clearly didn’t believe I was 21. I have an under-​21 bar on my driver’s license because I haven’t gotten around to getting a new one yet, and they don’t take those at a lot of places, so I had my passport on me as well. I asked the man at the counter whether or not they could take my driver’s license, and so he takes it, stares at it for a while, and asks me whether or not I’m 21. Yes. Yes, I am, as it clearly states on my ID. I offer my passport, he refuses, and then he scrutinizes my ID for a while longer before finally scanning it. Then he tells me that it has to be my ID — well, yes, obviously, it would have to be my ID. And then he clarifies that it has to match the name on my credit card. YES. I KNOW. And then he finally let me buy my stuff.

Living on the north side of Chicago there are a lot of good spots to buy craft beer, but I keep coming out of my way to come here, so they must be doing something right. They tend to get almost all of the more limited or rare releases, and they sit on the floor much longer than they would at a larger chain. The prices are decent, but they certainly aren’t the cheapest option in town. Also, don’t expect a whole lot in the customer service department. Everyone there is nice and accommodating, but don’t expect to chat it up with the employees about beer releases or anything. However, they do update their BeerMenus page regularly, which I do appreciate.
Long story short: if you’re looking for something specific and Binny’s sold out of it right away, give this place a shot… they might have what you want. But, don’t expect a bargain.

I’m giving EV1 four stars because it has been a huge source of happiness for the past few years. They definitely have the widest selection near Evanston compared to the other places that sell liquor (Jewel, D&D’s) and their prices are probably the highest. I’ve definitely noticed some hard liquors being priced lower at D&D’s than EV1. No idea if that was just due to a sale at D&D’s. I’ve always had pleasant experiences with employees here.

A little over a year ago this establishment began to ‘bundle’ above average ‘sought after’ beer together to take advantage of those willing to pay a bit more for a premium brew.
This has lead us to the present day where they are now bundling a bottle of Founders KBS with another random bomber, for a price of $ 22. When asked to separate the two, customers are being told that «it came that way.»
Their business practices and unethical behavior when it comes to selling well above retail for better than average brews should steer you far away from this place.
As other reviewers have recently posted, if you want a specific beer not on the shelf, chances are they have it in back so long as you are willing to pay an incredibly marked up price. Take your business elsewhere and don’t play their games. Additionally, a lot of the beer in this place has sat on the same shelf for months and are collecting dust — good luck trying to return your stale and skunky brew after you get home and open them up.
Stay away… stay far, far away.

TL;DR: great selection, a little pricey, but probably worth it. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, ask the guys in the back. Oh, and they deliver.
They definitely have the best beer selection anywhere near downtown Evanston. (looked like they had tons of wine and liquor too, but I wasn’t looking too closely at those). I went there specifically looking for 3 Floyds Brewery: their Gumball Head and Zombie Dust beers. Didn’t see anything on the shelf so I asked the guy behind the counter. He went and whispered to his buddy in the back (one blah-​blah-​blah and one blah-​blah-​blah). Kind of felt like maybe I had accidentally ordered drugs or something but I just went with it. The guy came out with the 2 six-​packs that I was looking for. It was $ 30, which is kinda pricey, but they’re hard to find so it’s worth it. They had Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA too, which is like the holy grail of beers, but at $ 20 for a 12 oz. bottle, I couldn’t get there. Maybe when I finish these 2 six-​packs, I’ll be drunk enough to call and have ‘em deliver a few 120 minute IPAs to me. We’ll see.

This is THE liquor store in Evanston. No other place in town even comes close. Huge craft beer selection (both cased and chilled), good wines at different price points (high end to low), nice variety of gins, bourbons, scotches, vodkas, cordials and on and on. Plus, I get to torture Pierre, the jocular Parisian ex-​pat salesman, with my awful French. Ça va bien!

Great selection. Great recommendations from the staff. A welcomed alternative in Evanston.

Evanston 1^st is the best local liquor store with an absolutely fantastic selection. They have a beer selection that rivals Binny’s, without the drive. I love that they always have St. Germain in stock, and I’ve gotten great wine recommendations.

Two stories sum up my opinion of EV1.
First, I was trying to check out with a line behind me when the lady who is usually in the back says «Sorry you ID is expired.» I said it wasn’t, and she she again said it was and handed it back to me. I pointed out to where it precisely showed a non-​expired date, and she took it back. She then studies the image for a while and looks at me back and forth (Are you kidding? This is EV1) and then questions whether or not it’s me. So I show her my credit card, which I then pay with. About time.
Then just tonight, I go in to get a Bordeaux (among their crappy Bordeaux selection) for the BYOB place, pay, and head to the restaurant. I notice mold on the cork and the cork is soft. I open the wine, and yep, bad. I bring it back, and the jerk grudgingly says «go get another one. same price.» So I do, try that one, and lo and hold — moldyass cork. I bring it back and this time say I want my money back. He’s visibly frustrated, but gimme a break. Your distributor will eat the cost for a bad case, stop getting pissed at me. Shitty, shitty customer service.
EV1 can suck a fat one.

A very solid beer, wine and liquor store within a veritable booze desert. Evanston still hasn’t completely shaken its teetotaling roots so there aren’t many options for buying beer, wine and liquor outside of the bland chain supermarkets.
I always find something interesting here, whether a new variety of wine or perhaps a 22-​oz. «bomber» of that new craft brew. My major gripe about many craft beer stores is that most of the «good» beer is never already in the refrigerators and is sold at room temperature. Not good if you’re stopping for a couple sixers right before a party. Fortunately, Evanston First sells quite a few of their craft beers cold and this makes me a happy camper.
The staff are always helpful and are eager to help me pick a good wine that fits my budget. Bravo, Evanston First!
QUICK TIP: Small FREE private lot in back (off the alley) if you don’t want to feed the meter out front!

I am by no means a big drinker. In fact, in recent years, I probably could have counted the instances I drank on my hands (both of them). Blame it on my fear of hangovers or falling asleep after half a beer, but until recently, I did not know that beer could actually taste good!
Lucky for me, I live with someone who is always eager to indulge my alcoholic curiosities and who turned me onto my current beer of choice: Flying Dog Tire Bite (it’s so good!!!), after a night spent gorging at The Cellar down the street.
Also lucky for me: EV1 is 10 seconds away from me (as in, I could be evil and throw water balloons at people buying their booze from my parking garage, but not to worry, I am nice) and carries a nice selection of beverages for me to try. Lots of names that I’ve heard my beer drinking friends throw out: Three Floyds, Stone, Lagunitas, Flying Dog, Magic Hat, Great Lakes, etc etc. EV1 also carries my sweet alcoholic beverages of choice: large bottles of lambics for around $ 11 and 6-​packs of Magner’s cider already chilled! No BabyCham though… :(
They have this spiffy little wine chiller in the store. Perfect for those of you heading across the street for some BYOB Thai at Cozy Noodle. They also deliver, sell Kegs, ping pong balls, and I like their collection of diet soda.
So let’s raise a glass to EV1 and their role in helping Yanyao educate herself about beer. Hip hip hooray!

Good ol’ EV1 served us well for those few years between turning 21 and scattering to the four winds. Since I was the first one of my friends to turn legal, I would often find myself wandering the two aisles with a cart and a long list in my hand. After I moved out of Evanston, I never came in here even though I visit Evanston at least once per month, and my commute passes through there. I much prefer Binny’s for price and selection, or occasionally Foremost on Green Bay for convenience to my route home. Now that my drinking tastes are more refined than they were in the 1998 – 2001 era, I decided to stop in and see whether I could make use of the place.
Their domestic microbrew selection is poor, but the import section is very strong for a store of this size. They had tons of Belgians and other European imports. I found a beer here that I hadn’t been able to locate in Belgium. Prices seem comparable to other outlets, for the most part. I got two 22-​oz Anchor Steam bottles for $ 3.29 each, which seems reasonable. However, they have another favorite of mine, St Peter’s English Ale, for $ 3.79 – sixty cents cheaper than Whole Foods. Hmm, I may have to do some more comparison shopping and start coming here more often.
The liquor sections seem limited by comparison to the beer. I’ll have to stop in again and check out their whiskies.
Oh, and by the way, they sell kegs of some pretty good beer, including Hofbrau. I’ll be keeping that in mind for my next party.
They still have convenient free parking in the back, plus the curious dual checkout areas – one each in front and back. Makes for a fast getaway.