Kenwood Liquors

spointon

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev +4.3%
quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $$

I visited this place for the first time on 3/1/2009.

This place is easy to find and conveniently located (for me) in Home Glen just East of the Lockport I-355 exit. Lots of parking right out front.

Upon entering I realized that this place is run by wine people and thus the wine is front and center. No matter, you just have to walk to the back left corner to find the beer. They have about 8-10 glass door coolers full of 4 and 6 packs of craft beers. One cooler has a VERY small selection of bombers and singles, but that is not the reason to come here. The real reason to come here is that they have a lot of solid beers at very reasonable prices. Its not really the kind of place to find a rare beer, but its a great place to pick up a sixer of your favorite American craft beer for a dollar or more cheaper than you will find it elsewhere. Imports are decently priced too (I saw a 4 pack of Orkney SkullSplitter for $10).

Service was pretty outstanding. As I browsed the shelves, I was asked twice if I needed help finding anything. The cashier was especially friendly and nice as we chatted about local beer, brewpubs, etc.

Overall, I would say this place has around half the selection of a Binny's, but the prices are very good (better than Binny's) and its has that nice new store feel. Oh, and for now at least, they have free tastings every Friday night and Saturday afternoon!

03-03-2009 02:10:42 | More by spointon

AleWatcher

Illinois

2.08/5  rDev -47.7%
vibe: 3 | quality: 1 | service: 1 | selection: 4 | $$$$

This is one solid little shop.
The American craft selection is fantastic... The imports leaves something to be desired, but hey, it's in Will County which means it's tougher to get those imports!

The employees pretty much leave me alone. I may have been asked "do you need any help?" once in the 20 or so I've shopped here-- and I like that. I know what I want and if I don't see it, I'll ask. Of course, that's not the attitude of most customers, so I could see this being a slight problem for the uninitiated.

The prices are very fair. $14.99 for a 6 pack of Hopslam vs the standard Binnys price of $16.99.

My parents and inlaws all live in Orland, and I prefer to stop at Kenwood over Orland Binny's. (I still stop at Orland Binny's however, but that is because I really like the employees over there).

--EDIT--
So two stories need to be added to this review--
1) when bcs vanilla came out I had my name on the list at this store... When I went in to pick up my bottle, the guy said, "Oh.. some guy just picked it up." Left empty-handed. I gave them the benefit of the doubt...
2) The store held back bottles of CBS, waited 6 weeks after release and decided to put them for sale at a 600% markup. Retail location attempting to get ebay prices... That's bullshit.

08-19-2011 13:45:04 | More by AleWatcher

snaotheus

Washington

4.14/5  rDev +4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$

It's a liquor store. People asked me if I needed help finding anything, but I didn't, so I don't know how much help thy might have been. They have a good selection (on par with Binny's), and better prices (consistently $0.50-$1.00 cheaper than Binny's). Whenever I go here, I see new beers that I've never seen before, but that could just as easily be because I live in Seattle, and there are lots of beers distributed here that are not distributed near me.

It's a good place and we'll be back.

09-06-2011 03:16:37 | More by snaotheus

cagocubs

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev +1.8%
quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | $$

Stopped in this place the other day after a friend had talked about it. The store is nice and clean with a large selection of liquor, wine, and beer. They have a large selection of hard liquor at nice discounted prices. I'm not a big wine fan, so I didn't check the prices on that.

The beer selection here is suprising. By far the cheapest prices I have seen for craft beer around this area. The selection is large, but not comparable to Binnys. Good place to go and find the more popular beers.

Service was decent. The people are nice, but not very eager to ask if they can help you find something.

Overall, a solid place to go and pick up good beer and liquor at a good price. Will be back soon.

11-29-2009 21:42:45 | More by cagocubs

redjameskidd

Illinois

4.2/5  rDev +5.5%
quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$

Very decent liquor store, and far and away the best in the Homer Glen area. If you drink hard liquor, the prices on hard stuff are lower here than anywhere I have ever seen, usually by several dollars. I would come back from college and buy handles of booze here at home to save money.

Large wine selection. Mostly focused on wine and hard liquor, but decent selection of craft beer. Can't come close to competing with Binny's in terms of selection. Also, no single bottles available for purchase.

Pricewise, beer is mostly the same as you would find anywhere else. The beer prices do not follow the low liquor prices, except for a few random exceptions like $5.99 daily prices on Goose Island beer sixers that they always seem to have. Decent selection of craft bombers. As mentioned before, it's by FAR the best liquor store in the Homer Glen area, but can't compete for selection with the Binny's in Orland. Staff isn't quite as knowledgeable either. But it's a good thing to have nearby.

11-28-2009 17:36:22 | More by redjameskidd

ManofMead

Illinois

4.3/5  rDev +8%
quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | $$

I stopped by on 3-30-09.

Agree with previous reviewers that this place is heavy towards wines. However, its very new, you can almost smell the paint drying. Seriously, they have been open several months,occasionally get distributor reps giving samples and often have Friday and Saturday tastings. The prices are more than reasonable. The clerks are very interested in helping you and I found several bombers that I havent encountered before. Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye ale and Hoppin Frog- Boris the Crusher Oatmeal Stout which were priced below what I would have thought. Several miles east of I-355 on 159th and Will-Cook Rd. Very intriguing place with PROMISE! Stop in and give em a try. I was told they will be expanding their beer area and selections.

03-31-2009 14:53:29 | More by ManofMead

cadizkyguy

Kentucky

4.5/5  rDev +13.1%
quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | $

Read alot of good things about Kenwood Liquors in Homer Glen and the reviews are on the mark. Mike, the head beer guy, is great to chat with about the brews there and was genuinely open to discuss the beers I've enjoyed - pointing out he should give founders porter, goose island bcs and even metropolitan flywheel (among the great selection of micros) a try on his own time. Awesome prices. A must-stop if in the area. Actually liked the store's ambience more than any other beer store in my journeys.

03-23-2010 00:45:09 | More by cadizkyguy

drewba

Illinois

3.85/5  rDev -3.3%
quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | $

I found out about this store because I missed the boat on GI Rare BCS and apparently Kenwood has cases of it still. Located right off of 159th Street, Kenwood looks pretty big and has a nice large parking lot. As soon as you walk inside, you're in the wine section, as you keep walking you eventually run into the beer section.

I was impressed with the selection - there are about 5-6 cooler doors full of craft beer as well as 2.5 aisles loaded with just about every american craft beer that comes to IL. When it came to the belgian and english import section, they have the standbys, but not a huge selection by any stretch of the imagination.

I'm used to paying Binnys prices for everything, so I was glad to see that a 4 pack of GI BCBS was only $17.99 (I'm used to $21.99). Also, most of the other 6 packs looked to be priced a dollar or two lower than what I'm used to.

The service was fine. Several employees milled around me while stocking shelves and moving displays, but I was never asked if I needed help. The cashiers were friendly and I actually ended up going back to Kenwood the next day and one of the Managers, Jon, did me a favor. So while the service wasn't outstanding, it won't keep me from coming back here.

01-11-2011 20:09:40 | More by drewba

ruckus232

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev -2%
quality: 4.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | $$

Have been here a few times and the first time for some reason I don't even know I wasn't impressed. I think it was because it was a little smaller then I was hoping for. Any time I have gone since then I have been really happy. It has a large selection of wine and hard alcohol but the beer selection is pretty good too. I was impressed that it wasn't just the standard BMC beers either. The prices are really good and the service is fine but nothing impressive. I really like this place and would definitely be back (closer and better then Binny's if you consider the selection is smaller).

06-06-2010 00:30:04 | More by ruckus232

Jbeyer

Illinois

3.85/5  rDev -3.3%
quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | $

I went there trying to find Conway's Irish Ale and Black Sun Stout not really anticipating them to have either. It was my first time going and I didn't know what to expect. I was also on my way back from Binny's Beverage Depot, which was out of both. When I stopped in they had wine tasting going on and a bagpiper (it was the weekend before st. pats). I found both beers for cheaper than the price at Binny's. I even found Brian Boru, which i just bought at Binny's for a 1.50$ more. Service was friendly, I talked to a guy that didn't have the greatest knowledge of beer, but was none-the-less eager to help me find them.

The over all selection is below that of Binny's, but its location(closer to home) and prices will keep me coming back.

03-25-2009 05:46:54 | More by Jbeyer