First Place Provisions

This may in fact be the most overpriced beer store in all of NYC.
They clearly took a note from the «How to scam customers» handbook. I don’t even know if their pricing markups are legal. Whoever distributes to these guys needs to investigate.
It’s incredible — and to top it off most beer isn’t priced until you get to the register and a magic «how wealthy is this guy» pricing wand appears to make up a number 300% above the average retail value for 2 year old IPA’s stored on a hot and sunny shelf.
I just can’t even.

I come here for the beer. The selection is decent. The prices are INSANE. Generally in NY, markups on beer are 50% to 80% on wholesale, depending on the product. The MINIMUM markup here seems to be 100%.
The markups don’t bother me as much as the complete lack of pricing on all products. Nothing has a price tag. It’s an absolute guess as to what they’re going to charge.
On the rare occasion I have to shop here, I usually go up to the counter with a selection of 6 beers and ask for prices on each one. The counter guy always looks pissed off. Fuck that, PRICE YOUR PRODUCTS GUY!

Really great customer service and even better beer. Some things were a little pricier than other places but there were also a few beers I got for a steal!

Yeah, I’ve gone in four or five times, picked up a six pack, walked it up to the front, and said «uh, no way» when they ring it up at $ 20 (no exaggeration). I’ve also gone in a couple times, picked up a six pack, walked it up to the front, and paid the $ 20 because, well, screw it.
Now that the beer distributor up the street several blocks has closed, this is the only place to buy beer in the hood that’s remotely fancy. The bodega on the corner of Court and Nelson has a pretty good selection, but, well, it’s not a six-​kinds-​of-​Mikkeller selection.
Hm. Seeking investors to open a new beer store in CG…

I’m a beer geek that recently moved to Carroll gardens. When I first found this place I was really excited by their shockingly good selection. Then I discovered it is hands down the most overpriced beer store ive ever been too anywhere in the world (and ive been to tons!).
I did a price comparison vs whole foods beer store on Houston and found that they were charging on average 40% more for the exact same product! On some occasions I found mark ups as high as 70%.
I understand this is a small low traffic store that doesn’t have the buying power of whole foods. I would be totally willing to pay a bit extra to support it and have the convenience of a local bottle shop, but these markups are absolutely insane.
Unfortunately now that american closed there are no good bottle shops in the area. Best bet it is to get a growler filled at other half brewery, amazing beers at a great value!

Wow. I came here thinking I was going to inform the nabe about this ripoff of a bodega, but many of you are on to them. No price tag on a small 2 poundish bag of ‘natural’ dry cat food rang up nearly 21 dollars at the cash register. HELL naw. No other selection, so I was out of there. But not before asking: Why no prices? «Oh, our price machine broke, we waiting for the new machine.» Yeah right. As the other reviewers have noted, they just don’t price, most likely because they know it’s easier to pay and leave than to put it back. But some of us were here before the wealthy streamed in and snapped up the brownstones. And we work hard for our money. So eff off, douchy business. Rite Aid on Smith is only three blocks away, now open 24 hours. And decent cat food there was seven bucks, not 21. I’d rather support the little guy, but not if he tries to rip off his neighbors. Don’t shop here. Let them fade away.

The place took two (2) years to open up. It is no great shakes and over priced as everything is in Carroll Gardens. One of the owners Adele if he still a partner in the business owns or runs two (2) businesses in Bayridge Brooklyn. Everything is over priced. I have been living here for quite some time. I would not buy any food products that are marked organic as most of the stock has been on the shelves for almost 6 months or longer. Once I bought an organic mac and cheese and when I got home to prepare it it was full of mold. They sell chocolates that are not labeled organic such as reeses, york patties, lindt’s at organic prices. The only thing decent is the coffee. One of the stores only sells pricey beer.

It’s true, this place is a little pricey, but it is a garden of Eden of delicious, unique, organic snacks that aren’t found anywhere else. The beer selection is great but don’t miss the ice cream and chocolate selections either — it’s a late night snackers dream!

This bodega has a great selection of beers and other high-​end food. Beware that the prices are steeper than other stores in the neighborhood. Also, very annoying is that the proprietor doesn’t mark the price for almost any of the beers — and some are outlandishly expensive– so it makes for a frustrating experience. If they want to charge a premium for their selection, that’s fine, but customers should be able to tell that as they’re shopping.

This place is a rip off. They have a great beer selection but none of the beers are marked with a price. It’s not until you get to the register that you realize these guys are charging more than any other store in the city.
Beer drinkers should avoid this place until they get reasonable and charge normal prices.

Love the beer and cheese selection. Perfect for some quick snacks on a hot summer day. A little pricey, and beware of expiration dates on the beers.

This place should really be called the «$ 4.99 Store»
I came in once and am not sure I want to go back. LIterally 95% of the items in the store have no price tags. There is an odd label on the shelf here and there with a price but thats it. I needed some milk and got a small container of Organic Valley. Also some nice snacks like lentil chips and a tiny glass of pickles, 2 Pet guard cat foods for my cat.
At the cash register I casually asked if there were no labels. The answer was: «NO, we get deliveries all the time and its too hard to keep up» DUH I wonder how everyone else does it… keep up I mean?
When ringing up my items almost nothing would scan… So the guy at the register just kept punching in $ 4.99 for whatever did not ring up.
Small container milk: $ 4.99 you got it. Pet guard rang up at a whopping $ 1,99, tiny jar of pickles $ 4.99! Lentil chips, UMH no price, lets make that $ 4.99.
I just paid and left baffled as to how they can stay in business… OK they have a nice selection of healthy items and I would come back and pay more then at a larger shop to support the neighborhood, but really… It’s a bit over the top I feel.

Great selections, tons of different beers but the prices here are insane. I once paid $ 23 for a 6 pack of beer. That is robbery. Also they do not put pricing on anything which is misleading. If they brought their prices down a hair, I’d come here more.

So many beers available. Like aisles of beer. Lots of snacks that go with beer also. They also sell cigarettes. And coffee from Stumptown (that they say come in fresh from Red Hook once a week). Nice staff too.

I admit that part of the reason I love this place is that it says BEEEEEAAAR on the sign out front – which definitely reads «bear,» right? After a while I realized it meant beer, and somehow I find this very endearing.
The other reason is that they are SO INTO tea. I came in last week for a cup of tea and the guy very seriously informed me that their black tea was PG Tips aka the best tea there is. And it WAS delicious (which you already know if you drink PG Tips).
Today I had a longish break and schlepped here instead of the nearby deli, just to get more PG Tips. And sure enough I was again informed that it’s the best tea.
«I know! PG Tips!»
«Yes, its what I make at home.»
«It’s the best!»
You might think its silly to give a 5-​star review almost entirely based on two (not even three) cups of tea, but let’s not forget that the British built an empire on the stuff.

I WANT to like this place, because of their amazing beer selection. However, they always «keep the penny»: If a 6-​pack is $ 13.99 and I give them a $ 20, they give me $ 6 back. YES, it’s a penny, but that’s not cool. It should be up to me to say «nah, keep it!» instead, I have to say, «I don’t get the penny?» to which I receive an eye-​roll and a sigh. And that happens EVERY time.
Further, if you mix-​and-​match a 6-​pack, they’ll charge you the per bottle price x6, instead of the 6-​pack price (even if all the bottles are the same price). I wound up paying $ 18 for a mixed 6-​pack. Whoops!
I won’t go back again. They just don’t seem to respect their customers.

2.5 stars…
This is a bodega with a serious mission. They have some groceries, most of which is local, healthy, organic, or all of the above. Their concentration is with beer and to a lesser extent, cheese. I wasn’t blown away by the cheese selection but was impressed that they get their cheese from Beechers in the city. I was however impressed with what beer they had. The entire shop is full of beer, including countless large bottles (around wine bottle size) but they have lots of 6 packs as well. With a selection as varied as this I have my doubts as to the freshness of the selection. My main problem is that none of the beer here has prices on it and there doesn’t seem to be any organization on how the beer is laid out. You can buy singles or mix and match any of the beers as long as they aren’t connected (such as a 6 pack of cans). As most of the large bottles are special craft brews the prices are quite high so the last thing I want is to keep asking prices of everything or get stuck with a $ 30 beer at the register. Their prices are the main reason this place is a last resort for me, I’ve once brough up a 6 pack to the register here that was priced at $ 20 where the same one found at WholeFoods was only $ 14. They really are a rip off here.

They have some interesting snacks and other goodies in here, but I really dislike the way many things don’t have a price sticker. If it’s busy in there, I don’t want to wait to get the cashier’s attention to find out how much something costs – and I definitely don’t want to wait in line only to find out that it costs way more than I want to spend.
The storefront has really narrow aisles, making it hard to shop unless you’re the only one in there, which of course is rare.

When they were first moving in, I was SO confused as to what this place was going to be, between the lavender colored walls, SUPER BRIGHT fluorescent lights, and red/​yellow storefront. I met Adel, one of the guys who seems to run the place, and he was beyond friendly. On my first visit I ordered a coffee, and he only charged me for the snack that I had gotten, saying that for their first month or two, new customers get to try a free coffee. I dragged my husband in next, and this has quickly replaced CVS across the street as the place for snacks. I don’t drink beer, but everyone else has exclaimed at the amazing selection. I do drink soda, however, and he has some root beers stocked that I thought you could only get in California. Pretty good chocolate selection, though he could use some Mast Brothers and Taza ;)
I don’t mind how cramped it is in the shop because the entire store is packed with delicious snacks!
I will agree with everyone that 1^st Place would do better with some sort of visible pricing.
And, I must say that now after some painting and vinyl application, they may have my favorite storefront in the neighborhood. From the black with gold and red lettering to the delightfully excessive «BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER» awning. And, the biggest plus of all, they are OPEN LATE!!!

Well-​curated and fully stocked with wholesome goodies. Their tea comes from Brooklyn-​based Bellocq – it’s the only place in the neighborhood that has it. I love the Jasmine and Green Tea blend.
The service is very good. Actually, it’s stellar. Adell and Grant are very hospitable and they do make a sincere effort to get to know everyone in the neighborhood. They have things like Nutella, Kinder candy bars, Australian licorice, Applegate Farms cold cuts, Stumptown coffee, and all sorts of fascinating beers. I can’t wait to see what else they’ll be getting in as their range of organics are super yummy.