Surf Liquor

I’ve been going here since I was a little girl and the service is never horrible, the people who work here are very kind and whenever I’m in the mood for any sort of snack or drink they never fail to have it. Money well spent.

It would be cool if they fired every person that works there and replaced them with people who knew how to talk to people, smile, and maybe even be helpful. Bunch o’ grumps that work there.

So I can say this place is perfect since I work here, but here are the reasons why:
We keep the prices as fair as possible with the rent the landlord gives us.
We will order a bottle for you if you give us a day notice (excluding weekends because alcohol distributes do not deliver on weekends)
We try to make you laugh with our monthly joke sign
We are next to the beach (1 short block away)
We have a fairly big parking lot for a liquor store
We will give out change for the car was as long as you buy something (we have a sign regarding why we just don’t give out change loosely)
We had lottery winners in the past so maybe we are lucky

I RARELY do negative reviews, but this place is a joke.
The only thing saving it is the location. 10 feet from the bars, 50 feet from the ocean.
Oh — parking ain’t bad either.
Unfortunately, this place FAILS in all other areas.
First gripe, they have no CASES of beer. I want a 24 pack of beer. Not 12. Not 18.
Second gripe, they have 2 kinds of 2 liter sodas. 2. Come on… we need mixers/​chasers and I’m not getting a 12oz. chaser.
Third and biggest gripe — service. The service here is laughable. I came in here and tried to be friendly with an Asian man I believe to be the owner. He kept talking with these other people and barely acknowledged my existence. He also refused to respond to my pleasantries (thank yous, I appreciate it, you’re welcomes) — and he spoke perfect English, so it wasn’t a cultural thing. He’s just a smug, rude guy.
They also have a terrible selection of beer/​alcohol. If they spent more time getting more beers/​bottles of booze and less time finding cool paper weights and pharmacy-​like kids toys for their liquor store, I think they’d be in business.
They also have a $ 10 minimum on card purchases. Really? It’s 2013, get with the times. I’m so sick of stuff like that. If you use your card and it’s not over $ 10, they charge you .75 cents. Ha ha, like I said… this place is LAUGHABLE at best.
A positive for this place is that they have cheap plastic flasks. ALWAYS find a positive.
But, if you can, avoid this awful liquor store.
PROS: Location
–Parking
–Cheap flasks
CONS: Service
–Selection
–Card minimum
–Prices
I really hope this place gets better… it could be so great.
Good luck,
Sean

I’m so nostalgic for this place — been coming here for years. The guys behind the counter are pretty cool and they have a respectable beer selection. I stop by on the way home from work quite a bit. Prices are what you’d expect for the location, not great but not too outrageous.

Decent wine selection for when you need to grab a bottle on your way to dinner or a party. Plenty of coolers in the back for the beer. Hard liquor behind the counter. Snacks, magazines, lottery tickets. Pretty decent walk-​in business on Fridays and Saturdays. Overall price may be slightly higher than normal for the wine and beer but it is not astronomical.

One two separate occasions I paid with a $ 20 bill and the clerk attempted to only give me change for a $ 10. Seems like more than just a coincidental mistake. SHADDY! Also, all the liquor is overpriced when compared to Pagliari’s Market & Deli just 3 blocks south on Main.

Must. Have. Water.
This is what I was thinking for three hours today while my noggin got all kinds of beautified with highlights, trimming and conditioning. Yep, I got my hair did and I don’t know if it was the bottle of wine by friend and I shared the night before or the global warming taking its toll on my insides, but I was dehydrated as a mo fo!
And so after finishing up the pretty me sesh, I spotted this liquor store on the corner and decided to try my luck at a jumbo sized bottle of Desani water. Don’t know what it is about that brand of water, but damn is it good when you are about ready to collapse and lick the drains of the dirty streets of Hell-​A for hydration.
Upon walking in I was greeted by a nice little man who said «Hello» and smiled. I then scored my big olé container of water, paid my way and was on my way!
…Now, I know what you are thinking… did she really just waste a minute of my life writing about a water purchase at a Santa Monica liquor store with absolutely no payoff of drama, intrigue and suspense!!! Yes, yes I did, but you can thank me later when your ass is driving around SM in need of water, booze or condoms later and your iPhone Unilocal App pulls up this liquor store and says, «Bingo, bitch! It was worth that wasted minute after all» :)
Hey, I’m just tryin’ to help.

Love the old school 8 bus reference. Used to hit up the surf dogs back in the day, now I come for the beer and lottery tickets and the occasional desperate toiletry or can of tennis balls. Had a surf dog recently and they still hold up, just not offered for dinner.
I guess one of the 2 brothers skipped town, but the other guy is a fun conversationalist. His former assistant now works the counter and he’s more the silent type, but also super friendly.

More than just booze!
These cats are great. Not only do they have a big parking lot, they have all sorts of goodies that go great with all of the booze you plan to drink illegally on the beach.
I will say, that the vibe here is always upbeat and positive. The guys behind the counter are always chatting it up and making jokes.
Don’t half step. Go here for booze if you live or are staying in the west Santa Monica/​Venice area.

Man, all these locals and no one reviewed this place? Old school liquor store from back in the day!!! Growing up here and taking the «8» bus was awesome. We all used to roll in here and the owner at the time used to give us free soda and candy if we cleaned up his parking lot. Nice people overall over here and a great stop if you need to load up on supplies for your beach venture. Nothing out of the ordinary from a store like this but it holds history with me and that deserves 5 stars from a long time patron like me.