Gordon's Fine Wines & Liquors

Gordon's Fine Wines & LiquorsGordon's Fine Wines & Liquors
Gordon's Fine Wines & LiquorsGordon's Fine Wines & Liquors
Store

894 Main St
Waltham, Massachusetts, 02451-7401
United States

(781) 893-6700 | map
gordonswine.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.17
Reviews:
27
Ratings:
40
pDev:
13.67%
View: Place Reviews
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Rated: 3.75 by Patches826 from Massachusetts

Jun 02, 2023
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Reviewed by Holderness from Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -4.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
The flagship Gordon's store has a great selection of bombers and a good selection of 4/6-packs and has recently started allowing packs to be broken up. Prices can sometimes be on the higher end, especially given the size of the place. The people who work here kind of suck and are generally not very knowledgable at all. They don't do any sort of social media postings, but what they have can be inferred by what CBC Belmont is getting since they have roughly the same distribution. Overall, despite its drawbacks this is the best place to buy beer in Waltham.
May 08, 2019
 
Rated: 4.14 by scxcrunner from Massachusetts

Apr 03, 2016
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Rated by Jcorn from Massachusetts

3.82/5  rDev -8.4%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4
Decent selection, nothing crazy though. Cannot break up 6 packs.
Mar 14, 2016
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Reviewed by KACK1533 from Massachusetts

4.54/5  rDev +8.9%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.75
Outstanding store. I could spend hours in there just perusing the shelves. I found Ballantine there, as well as Haffenreffer Private Stock. Haven't been back to see it again, but I plan to in the future. This is like a candy store.
Jan 11, 2016
 
Rated: 4.29 by costanzo_mike from Massachusetts

Jan 03, 2016
 
Rated: 4.79 by Ajlvt from Washington

Sep 01, 2015
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Rated by Antnom25

4.71/5  rDev +12.9%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
Very nice, always ask if I need help, great selection
Apr 14, 2015
 
Rated: 4.79 by PERDIDOUSA from New Jersey

Mar 24, 2015
 
Rated: 3.9 by rjp217 from Massachusetts

Dec 21, 2014
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Reviewed by parris from Massachusetts

4.86/5  rDev +16.5%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
Love shopping at Gordons on Moody St, Ben, Scotty and Dan are great, and always hook it up. Prices are great, selection is the best in town. They usually put the good beers on the shelf so you don't always have to go nuts calling and emailing for that limited release you've been dying to try. They'll also hold a beer for a regular customer that can't make it to the store at 2:32pm on a Tuesday afternoon when the beer you want drops.

Prices are lowest in the area, at least for the craft beer. (I also buy a lot of the macros, but never pay attention to who's charging what for PBR or Coors).
Aug 05, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Dicers from California

Jul 05, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by deleted_user_722966 from New Hampshire

Apr 18, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by SveNss0N from Massachusetts

Mar 03, 2014
 
Rated: 3.76 by Resuin from Massachusetts

Dec 17, 2013
 
Rated: 4.25 by Bilco from Pennsylvania

Nov 28, 2013
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Reviewed by stoppertb18 from Massachusetts

4.94/5  rDev +18.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5
I go here every Saturday and have never been disappointed with the selection or the pricing. It does not have the fancy beer snob presentation that other stores in the area have, but the selection is I think wider and deeper.

I often find things here that one cannot find at other stores-Maine Beer Company King Titus Porter was today's find, but if I have been searching for something, I often find it here.

Service is excellent and they will always check their lists for you if you are looking for something special. Call anytime to see if something is in the store.

Pricing is reasonable.
Oct 13, 2012
Photo of Flounder57
Reviewed by Flounder57 from Massachusetts

4.78/5  rDev +14.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5
I go in here almost every week and have to say that this is one of the best liquor stores around in the area.

Atmosphere: They have plenty of beer located on shelving on the righ when you first walk in and more in the refridgerated coolers to the right of the warm stuff. Very clean, plenty of signs for employee favorites and new seasonal beers too.

Service: There is always somebody around to help out and find you something. If you don't see a beer, they can special order for you too.

Selection: They have a pretty diverse selection of North American and European beers. Some large one of a kind bottles too for the collectors out there.

Food: They have some meats, cheeses, and breads in a little refridgeration unit before you get to the registers, but I have never tried any of it out.

Value: They have great value here. Very reasonable prices compared to most liquor stores in the area and they always have specials and random marked down seasonal beers that have not expired yet. This is one exceptional place that you will have to hit up if in the area.
Oct 23, 2011
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Reviewed by rooftopbrewing from Massachusetts

4.8/5  rDev +15.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
This place is my go-to for beer stuff. They guys there are super friendly, and always have great suggestions for what to try next. They always base their selections on what you already have picked out, and they are usually dead-on. When you walk in, the craft beer is directly on your right, organized by geography. The craft beer space is a little cramped, but I get the impression that they like beer and care about having good beer and good selection more than their layout would care to admit. They have beer tastings on Fridays from 5-8, swing by and try a few new, interesting things for sure. They have a great mix of different types of beer, and you can easily order a keg from them as well if you're into that and have the means to do so.

Their website is pretty good as well, although as the name suggests they pay a lot more homage to wine than beer on there.

When I moved into Waltham, I was pumped that my house was only 2 blocks away from this place. I generally walk down and come back with as much as I can carry.

Also, they have a 10% discount if you buy 6 or more bombers, so take advantage of that for sure. Great place.
Jun 08, 2011
Photo of tigg924
Reviewed by tigg924 from Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev -7.7%
Stopped by this past weekend. The layout is a bit odd. There are a bunch of warm beers in the front of the store that are in two parallel l shapes. There are also several coolers along the outside wall of the store. Another nice feature is a discount rack that had several quality beers, that were just slight past season but not expiration. They have a very good selection of most every beer that is available in the Boston area. Schlafly, White Birch, Jolly Pumpkin, you name it. All non-discount beers were priced about what I would expect to pay around Boston. I was not approached by anyone while mulling my selections, but the cashier was friendly. Overall if I lived closer to the area, I would stop here more often without thinking twice about it. A very good store.
Jan 17, 2011
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Reviewed by rowingbrewer from Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +4.3%
stopped here on the recommendation of a friend while looking to pick up a beer he mentioned they had on sale.

The quality here is very good, and I did end up getting a great deal on the beer I was looking for.

The service is good, they were willing to answer questions, although they did seem busy when I was there and seemed to be in a little bit of a rush to answer my question and get back to what they were doing.

The selection here is the best out of the three stores that they have. they have a lot of imports as well as some of the harder to find beers from the US

definitely worth going to if you are in the area
Jan 06, 2011
Photo of bilyboy65
Reviewed by bilyboy65 from Colorado

4/5  rDev -4.1%
This is a nice variety store for different types of alcohol. The beer is a little crammed into a corner though. There is a wall of coolers that is spaced out, but that only really contains the staples of good local selection. There is an area of bombers and singles that is cramped. The selection is very good. Some of the bottles seem really old, but the selection seems to be rotated as every time I go in, there is a new item. Prices are a little expensive, but not by much and certainly still reasonable. It's a very nice place to have within 5 minutes of home.
Feb 20, 2010
Photo of j37geogaddi
Reviewed by j37geogaddi from Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev -7.7%
Good place...Excellent selection and good prices. Not too many in-store sales typically, though.

I have to say the guy in charge of the beer dept needs to leave customers alone. If you dare make eye contact with him, or even if you don't, he will relentlessly and forcefully try to tell you what you should buy, regardless of your opinion or if you just want to browse. And he doesn't seem incredibly informed either.

Regardless, this place is very good, and that's great considering they are mostly known for their great wine selection.
Aug 19, 2009
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Reviewed by Sammy from Canada (ON)

4.3/5  rDev +3.1%
Very good selection for a travelling man, well organized beer selection, with breweries I have been hunting down. Prices were fair for what I was getting, with the quantity discounts I think they are on par. Exceptional attention to getting the entire lineup, so the Moonlight from Lost Abbey, which who knows if I would otherwise try and is exceptional for a style not everyone appreciates.Kurt the manager stayed with me beyond the call of duty and gave me a 12-packer. Parking is a bit of an issue compared to the universe of stores I have been at.
Jul 15, 2009
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Reviewed by DrJay from Texas

4.35/5  rDev +4.3%
This was the first place I hit for beer when I moved up to the Boston area, since I was in temporary housing a couple miles away. I've been back several times since, due to excellent experiences each time I return. Each time I step into the beer section of the store it takes about 30 seconds for someone to check on me and ask if they can help. They let me know about new arrivals and check to make sure that I've had other standards that part of my stylistic preferences. Very helpful. They also remind me each visit about the wine and beer tastings that go on from time to time in the rear part of the store. They have a good selection of beers from New England as well as some personal favs from PA (Troegs), NY (Brooklyn) and Cali (Lost Abbey, Stone, Bear Republic, and The Bruery), plus lots more Belgian and German imports. Great spot to find some interesting bottles.
May 31, 2009
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Reviewed by phyfe99 from Massachusetts

3.7/5  rDev -11.3%
I've decided to edit my review of Gordon's Main St. Waltham location because I may have been a little harsh on particular people at the store, which in hindsight is unfair and probably has done more harm than the number of laughs it was designed to invoke.

Gordon's as an establishment is a fantastic group of stores...each location has it's own personality...and therefore suits some people better than others. The Main St. location in Waltham is the flagship location, the biggest, the most "big-box" feeling of the stores and understandably has the widest range of pluses and minuses. The prices there are great, the variety is pretty good (there's ALWAYS room for more beer), and the service in general is good.

Joe, the GM of Gordon's does a bang-up job captaining the Gordon's ship, and Nate, the Craft Beer guy is always bringing new and exciting beers to the store...not to mention a wealth of knowledge. Keep up the good work guys!
Apr 11, 2009
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Reviewed by madrivervt from Vermont

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%
I'm visiting a sister in Waltham, and I called Gordon's first before going over there Maybe I got the wrong Gordon's, because when i asked how many Belgian beers they had, the answer was, "Only Blue Moon."

I figured that couldn't be true, so I walked down to take a look. Boy am I glad I did. The first thing I saw was the rack full of Belgian beers. Great selection. As I was finishing up, the manager came by. I told him I was looking for one more bottle. he looked at what was in my basket, then made a couple suggestions.

Before I left, he pointed out that they were doing a Dogfish Head tasting. I hadn't even seen that. So I got free samples of four Dogfish Head beers, including the Palo Santo and the 120 Minute.

I had the kids with me, and they wanted to use the rest room before we left. While I was waiting for them, another friendly employee offered me a taste of some wine. I rarely have $45 bottles of wine, so it was another great treat. I'll definitely go back to this place next time I'm in the area.

-Spike
Mar 15, 2009
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Reviewed by VTBeerLover from Massachusetts

4.85/5  rDev +16.3%
I buy over 90% of my beer from the two Gordon's in Watertown and on Main St. in Waltham. If I know that Nate is going to be at one of them, that is the one I drive to because he truly loves beer and has learned what I like.

I highly recommend attending the weekly tastings at Moody St. (Thursdays), Main St. (Friday), and Watertown (Saturdays). Nate commonly decides on the beer lineup and includes some rarities.

There are also some great classes at the Main St. store if you want to pair great beer with some local cuisine.
Mar 01, 2009
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Reviewed by TStandley13 from Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%
Finally got over here after hearing about it for a while. Great store manager named Kurt, who spoke with me and my friend for a long time about the different beers, and who told us about the stores weekly tastings and plans for expanding their beer selection.

Prices are typical, nothing too expensive but also a few great deals here and there.

Big Belgian section, seemed to be reasonably priced. Service was great, talked beer with many of the employees.

Some gems that I found here:

Southern Tier Choklat
Founders Breakfast Stout
Lost Abbey's
Bear Republic Hop Rod
Jan 20, 2009
Photo of Reagan1984
Reviewed by Reagan1984 from Massachusetts

4.3/5  rDev +3.1%
Kurt the Store Manager makes this place awesome.

He becomes a personal shopper for you and takes all the time you need to help you find some treasures. He will literally talk beer with you as long as you'd like. Be sure to ask him for what he has in the "Manager's Stash" Some nice rare items. Their selection is very good and Kurt is ready to order you anything he doesn't have.

I've been here three times and have enjoyed myself every time and left with some nice brews.. If you are near Waltham, this is a must stop for your beer needs.
Nov 09, 2008
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Reviewed by Jayli from Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%
Stopped by Gordon's during a lunch break. I grew up in the area, and work right down the street - have always driven by but never went in.

The layout of the store is slightly odd - coolers and racks jut out, however it allows for more storage space. Gordon's has a rather large selection of beer and wines. I didn't peruse the wine section, but was pleased with beer selection. There was a decent selection of 6packs and roughly 4 six or seven tier racks with specialty beers. Good selection of Stone and Southern Tier beers. Finally found a place that sells the smoked porter - which SO made my visit worth it! Not only do they have a decent selection of styles but they have decent stock in those selections.
Wasn't approached by anyone, however the cashier struck up conversation about Stone Brewery and let me know about the Octoberfest tasting this weekend.
So far, proximity to work or proximity to stores around where I live, this has the best selection, decent prices without a drive.

** Edit: After a few more trips here, Kurt, the store manager, is quite knowledgeable about beer and takes all the time in the world to talk to you about beer. He'll ask your preferred style and make recommendations based on that, let you know what is new that has come in, and also let's you know of specials going on. He's also offered to get items. I already enjoyed Gordon's, but Kurt continues to kick up this place with each interaction I have with him.
Sep 30, 2008
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Reviewed by IBUnit63 from Massachusetts

3.8/5  rDev -8.9%
This must be the elder of the Watertown location. Their service is always solid in the wine section; beer is prevalent but maybe not their primary focus here.

There's a decent amount of craft offerings here but I do see a fair amount of dust on a number of bottles.

Prices are on par with other locations. Some higher than others, a couple of select items (Rochefort, for example) run $1-2 lower.

Definitely a place to stop when you're in the neighborhood, especially if waiting for a cheesesteak take-out order from Carl's.
Sep 10, 2008
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Reviewed by bags6lax from Massachusetts

4.15/5  rDev -0.5%
Just wanted to make some general comments...i've lived in the area for 3 years, and shopped here regulary for the ordinary stuff. Recently things have been getting much better. Bigger selction, fresher beer and some excellent people to talk to. I met Kurt (bad with names) and he was a great guy, showed me a bunch of good stuff, and gave me the 411 on what was going to be coming in etc...

Overall I'm very happy with the way its coming around. It was a little disorganized a while ago, but has changed significantly.

Its nice and close to home!
May 02, 2008
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Reviewed by YonderWanderer from Colorado

3.5/5  rDev -16.1%
Gordon's on Main Street is a fascinating view into a vastly confusing liquor store. Though their wine and liquor are organized neatly, and even the fridges for the beer are as well, much of their stock of beer is in a huge pile in the middle of the store, left in cases, or cases that are partially opened. It's very odd, since the rarer or seasonal stuff is usually in this mix. A shelf of bombers is also crammed in there, but there's barely room for two people to be looking at it at the same time. It's an unusual tactic to say the least. The selection is decent, with a wide variety of micros, and decent imports. Cost is on par with the area, and service has been decent. Worth a stop, since it's one of the better places in the immediate area.
Mar 17, 2008
Photo of BeTheBall
Reviewed by BeTheBall from Florida

1.9/5  rDev -54.4%
I work near Gordon's so I have been there quite a few times. Their selection is much better than average, with some Belgians, Germans, and more. Many US microbrews as well, including many IPA's, my favorite. The problem with this place is twofold. First, their finer beers are "thrown" in a heap on the floor, with some cases not even opened, let alone marked with a price. Second is the pricing. You can't tell what it is. Many bottles are unmarked, so you get to the cashier, who says its not in their system, then look at the 3-4 people in line behind you groaning; its ugly. In the cooler, there seems to be no effort to match their shelf labels with what is in stock. There was a sixer of Stone IPA with no sticker to be found anywhere. There was a shelf on labels for Victory various brews, but the Victory selection they had was totally different than those labels.
I personally am puzzled why a store would make the obvious effort that they have to develop the selection that they have, then they totally frustrate you with the shopping experience. Not one person has ever offered to help me, or even approach me to ask if I needed help. The cashier of course says that its someone else's job to do the display;s, what else is new. Did they learn that line at Wal-Mart? Such a waste. I'm now at the point where the frustration has overtaken the good selection, and I've decided to go elsewhere.
Jun 28, 2007
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Reviewed by BattleRoadBrewer from Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev -22.1%
Selection looks quite varied, a lot of it is in the cooler to keep it fresher.

They've just expanded their variety of beer quite a bit, at least doubled, it looks like. Until now, I'd only stop there if it was on the way, now could be a go-to place instead of trekking all the way to Newton.

Saturday afternoon, and no beer geek there to help me with my selections.

They're short on space, so it's tight squeeze and hard to browse.

Prices are stupid high, and no discount as far as I can tell (might have missed a sign).

Worth a visit.
Jun 23, 2007
Photo of TheManiacalOne
Reviewed by TheManiacalOne from Rhode Island

4.65/5  rDev +11.5%
Edit 1/16/10: After attending the "Black Tie" event, it should be noted that this store has improved dramatically since I had first been there. Eventually I will re-write this review entirely.

Visited on 5/10/07 after a completing a training class for my job, which had me in the area. It's a pretty spacious store with an awkward but efficient layout. The cooler juts out into the middle of the store, which essentially allows for twice as much rack space since there are doors on both sides, approximately one third of which contain micros. The craft section is in the very front of the store; however, that portion is very cramped. The cases have six packs on top of them and are all stacked in front of the shelves, with barely enough room for you to get through to the shelves. There's one rack of bombers & 750ml bottles and then to the right some shelves with 12oz singles arranged in no apparent order and jumbled in with a bunch of other items like glasses and so forth. Despite the set-up, you can tell that the effort is there to get as much product out there as possible, which is commendable and to me makes the appearance secondary.

I really don't have anything negative to mention about the service, while I wasn't approached during my browsing, as long as I know there's someone available to ask if I need to and the person cashing me out is pleasant (which they were), that's fine with me.

While the selection wasn't the absolute greatest, it was still pretty good. There was plenty of Unibroue, Boulder, Smuttynose, Schmaltz, A'Chouffe, Oskar Blues and many others. I saw a little bit of Stone IPA as well. The prices seemed about on-target for the area, nothing seemed exorbitantly expensive from what I saw. For me it was definitely worth stopping by while I was in the area to try getting something that might not make it far enough south of the Boston area to get to RI.
May 11, 2007
Photo of rousee
Reviewed by rousee from Massachusetts

3.7/5  rDev -11.3%
Pretty nice liquor store in Waltham on Main street about a mile from the highway. The place is big so you would hope that they have a decent selection of better/craft beer and sure enough they do. A tremendous selection and very good pricing on Rochefort, Westmalle, etc. For American beers, they had a very good selection also. Here are some I remember: better than avg selection of Boulder beers, all the DFH, Smuttynose, Long Trail, Paper City, all the Berkshire brewing offerings. Plenty of Sam Adams, Sierra Nevada, and some of the more readily available craft brands. Also a decent selection of German beers too like Ayinger, Schneider, Weihanstephaner, etc. Overall, an excellent selection especially for a suburban location.

The staff were not able to handle the line that formed while I was there very efficiently and thats why I am scoring that low. Overall, quite a good store if you are nearby.
Jul 04, 2006
Photo of Lnedrive14
Reviewed by Lnedrive14 from Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -16.1%
I was stuck in Waltham for 4 miserable years and this was about the only place to get a beer. Well, luckily it doesn't horribly suck, but it isn't Bauer Wines either. They actually have quite a large beer selection, but they just don't have anything terribly interesting! They don't really rotate their beers. It's the same stuff, day in, day out. They have all the major micros from the area, but only their standard brews (e.g. Smuttynose Pale, Magic Hat 9, Ipswich Brown). Very little in the way of singles, basically nothing. They have quite a large import selection, but again, it is all pretty much the standard stuff. Chimay Blue is about the best thing you'll find.

N.B. The kegs are really expensive. Go down main street another half mile towards Watertown and hit up "Skechy" Steve's for your keg needs. They dont really have much of a selection (bud light, that's about it) but you'll save a good $15 over the same thing at Gordon's (although Gordon's does have a selection of better kegs).
Oct 21, 2005
Photo of pikemark
Reviewed by pikemark from Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -4.1%
Probably the best place in Waltham to pick up quality beer believe it or not, even though it is a chain.

They do sell singles which is cool and they have a fridge of just growlers which is also cool. Alot of local stuff, Sam Adams Chocolate Bock, Harpoon 100 Barrel Series, Paper City.

This Gordons had a nice range of everything from unibroue to Hi.P.A to Big Foot Ale.

They have wine tastings some days and there is always someone around to make suggestions. Actually one time a guy suggested Erdinger for a good Hefe and it turned out to suck. Next time Im sticking to BA for advice.
Apr 18, 2005
Gordon's Fine Wines & Liquors in Waltham, MA
Place rating: 4.17 out of 5 with 40 ratings