Nina’s Minimarket

You don’t go to Nina’s market for milk, or juice, or snack food. No. You go to Nina’s for… beer. And not just any beer. Well actually yes, any beer, because that’s what this little shop has. Lots and lots of beer, not only from Scotland but from all over the world. Owned by the same people who own the Brauhaus, this shop is a little gem in the heart of Tollcross. If you are a regular, then you also get to have some fairly good banter with the shop owner, Mark, a fairly jovial and cheeky man (yes Mark, yes) who happens to like and know his beers really well (I even suspect that he might have tried them all…). American craft beers, German beers, Belgian beers, etc… Quite a selection. And if they don’t have the one you are looking for, they may even try to source it for you.
If you, like me, don’t like the Brauhaus but like their products, then it is the place for that Friday evening special treat at home… or in the park in summer!
I’m only putting 4 stars because it is a bit small and when busy, it can get tricky to grab that one bottle Brooklyn lager you want, just there, on the top shelf in the fridge!

Wow! I can’t believe I’ve been buying beer from the pathetic selection at Sainsburys when this little gem of a convenience store has been here all along. The great thing about this place is the copious beer selection: Black Isle, Cairngorm, Erdinger, lots of other German and Scottish beers, and some American ones. Not cheap, but quality.

I’ve only ever been to this grocery with the express purpose of purchasing beer. You see, I have insiders all over the city. People with important and useful information. In this case: a friend of mine who used to be obsessed (within reason) with the Brauhaus knew that the guys who ran the Brauhaus also ran this grocery. And that the quality of the beer was similarly amazing. And it is.
There are about three different kinds of Erdinger! And Sierra Nevada! And Wiehenstephan. There’s so much good beer it’s practically impossible to do a quick shop. I mean, I can spend up to 15 minutes ogling all the beer in a pathetic attempt to make up my mind.
They also sell food here, by the way. Like any grocer does. And tights. And tobacco and etc. But. The. Beer. Sadly, not cheap. But, this is good stuff we’re talking about here.

With supermaket chain stores dominating the markets ever more, its hard to fine a general independent grocecy store, let alone one that manages to keep its prices lower or equal its big name rivals.
You won’t find Nina’s Mini Market cheaper for everything, but bare essentials like milk or butter tend to be of competative prices. Of course the selection isn’t as great either, but that is to be expected. As is often the case with independent shops, you will also find brands you might not otherwise come across.
So there you go. Low prices with the added bonus of supporting local independent shops in a central location.