Central Market

HardTarget

Texas

4.35/5  rDev +5.6%
quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 5

Went to Big D today, partly on an errand and partly to beer hunt. Hit 3 places, Central Market, Whole Foods, and the Liquor Shoppe. Central Market was the clear winner. More selection, better presentation, and just really good stuff besides beer. About my only beef is that after about 15 minutes of careful study of the inventory, I was never approached by any staff to offer assistance (they were out of La Fin du Monde on the shelf, wanted to know if they had some in back). Cashier was friendly. Most of their stuff is refrigerated, which given my 2 hour drive home isn’t a plus, but they also have a shelf of room temp. beer as well. I noted some dust on some bottles, but they were mostly things I was going to cellar anyway. Got a 6 of Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, from 2002 (it’s 11/03). They also have a number of singles and extra 6 pack holders for you. If you are hunting, this is fertile ground.

11-05-2003 07:08:14 | More by HardTarget

ckeegan04

Texas

4/5  rDev -2.9%
quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | $$

Dropped in this past weekend while on my search for Divine Reserve 6. Very long cooler of beers, both imports and exports. A good selection of craft beers with a limited representation from the macro breweries. Saw all the Texas beers I cant find in Tennessee such as Saint Arnold, Rahr and Sons, and Real Ale. Very similar to the Plano store but I felt the selection was a touch better at the Plano location. The help was better here though. Still struck out on my search for DR6...damn waiting lists.

06-19-2008 02:23:15 | More by ckeegan04

Beertracker

Oklahoma

4/5  rDev -2.9%
quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Central Market H.E.B. is a Texas chain of specialty grocery stores with a huge selection of artisanal cheeses, deli & butcher block meats, fresh produce, seafood, plus health, gourmet, & international foods. I started visiting Central Market after the Whole Foods on lower Greenville lost Jeff Engle and the selection started waning. The selection here is fantastic with over 350+ imports & microbrews with some fresh locals in the cooler. Lots of wine for SWMBO! There's usually someone around that can check stock, but don't expect white glove service. This is a recommended stop and should be on any beer lover's map. Don't forget to check out World Market which is just across the way.

CHEERS! Beertracker

02-07-2008 07:54:07 | More by Beertracker

SwillinBrew

California

3.85/5  rDev -6.6%
quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | $$

This was the first place i came to on my way from DFW airport to my hotel. You first walk in to the produce department then head left to the store proper. The beer is towards the back middle thru the wine. Very nice store. It's like a cross between a Bristol Farms, Trader Joes and Wholefoods back home in CA. You can get garlic stuffed olives, craft potatoe chips,... there was a shitload of stuff but i was so tunnel visioned for the beer.

The selection is excellent for a grocery/gourmet store. There's a long open beer cooler. It felt funny because while i saw the usual suspects ie Fullers, Sierra Nevada, Youngs, Spaten, Chimay etc, i didnt see the usual West Coast beers ie Alesmith, Ballast Point, Stone, Rogue, Port Brewing, etc. Instead i saw Breckingridge, Great Divide, DFH, St Arnolds, Rahr, i think Live Oak, New Belgian - Victory - Left Hand brews that i cant get in SoCal, and many more that i just can't remember... i had a friggen hard on. Anyways, i left a pack of DFH Midas Touch, 6er of St Arnolds IPA, Great Divide Hercules and Yeti.

The service was fine. I didnt need any help at first, but later when i asked for it, i got it. We talked shipping rules in TX. I wanted them to ship several cases for me to CA. I really wanted some Rahr. I wish i knew you could break up the 6ers. I guess i should have asked.

Anyways, come here to get good beer. If you're staying in Dallas, come and stock up so you can fill your hotel room and never worry about having a tasty brew.

12-27-2006 05:34:28 | More by SwillinBrew

Daniellobo

District of Columbia

4.35/5  rDev +5.6%
quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $$

Quick dash through Dallas and this is my friend´s go-to store in the area, and for a good reason...

The selection is pretty nice, with dedicated sections to imports, US macros, and Texas-regional production. It includes quality choices with the odd rarity here and there, both in terms of seasonal availability, and stuff I do not get typically in my region.

I was introduced to the beer guy, and we had a nice and helpful chat about the Texas choices he had available. Pricing sits in a common area between "reasonable" and maybe "a bit pricey". But all in all I'd sure make this one of my regular stops if I were settled here.

02-16-2011 17:53:26 | More by Daniellobo

Quaffer

Nevada

4.5/5  rDev +9.2%
quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | $$

I went to Central Market recently while I was in Dallas for business. All I can say is that I am glad that we drove and did not fly. And that we took a van with a large cargo capacity . . .

Central Market is just that: a market. This the one complaint that I have about the place. Like most grocery stores, it was fairly busy when I was there. All the people, combined with the horribly narrow aisles, made it impossible to sit in one spot for more than about 10 seconds. I was constantly moving my cart and myself to stay out of peoples ways. The only thing that kept me from getting totally frustrated was the fantastic array of beers that left me slack-jawed and speechless for quite awhile.

The beer selection was wonderful, and not just because they have stuff that I can't get in Kansas. It is just plain wonderful. Tons of beers from North American breweries that I have only dreamed about buying in a store, plus a supply of Belgians to keep me happy for years. Overall, I was extremely impressed. I completely filled my shopping cart before I reluctantly drug myself out of the place.

The people who work there that I dealt with were very helpful and friendly. They even gave me some complimentary wooden wine boxes that they normally charge for to pack my brew in. I doubt that any of them are very beer savvy, considering that this is a grocery store, but I didn't need help in that department.

Central Market is definitely worth the stop if you are in Dallas, especially if you are from a state that doesn't get a ton of beer.

03-09-2004 01:52:06 | More by Quaffer

BeerAngel

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +9.2%
quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5

I was in jaw dropping awe at my first visit to Central Market in Dallas! I could not even begin to guesstimate the number of beers that were there...and the best part about it was that not one was from the biggies (macros). They had a large variety of Sammy's on sale that was about 1/2 price that I can normally get it. Some of the names that come to mind that were available were Samuel Smith's, Young's, Paulaner, Fuller's, Unibroue, Spaten-Franziskaner, and many, MANY more! The only downside was this is a grocery store that is set up like a maze and it forces you to walk by everything. Pretty intelligent marketing, but man I was antsy to get to the beer and it seemed to be about 3/4 of the way through the crowded maze. Of course that did add to the excitement. I didn't mean to knock those old ladies down...really I didn't ;-). Anyway, if you come to one of the larger cities in Texas and want an assortment, I highly recommend this place.


Cheers from Texas!
Rick

08-08-2002 09:16:20 | More by BeerAngel

kosmoraios

Washington

4.5/5  rDev +9.2%
quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

This is the original Central Market, at least in the DFW area. The selection of craft beer is second-to-none, and the people who roam the beer/wine area really know their stuff. They recently started selling singles, which is a big plus to me, you can "build-your-own" 6-pack, just like World Market. The prices are better than any retail store that I've found on most ales. Some of their food is expensive, but a trip to CM is worth it - especially on the weekends, when they have dozens of food-tasting tables and a live jazz band. A wonderful place.

10-08-2005 16:35:12 | More by kosmoraios

Mora2000

Texas

3.8/5  rDev -7.8%
quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$

I went to Central Market today to see if the Saint Arnold's Summer Pils was available, which it was. It was the first time I had been to this location (the one on Greenville) and I was fairly impressed. There was a decent selection of beers, but not as good as the selection at other Central Markets I have been to. The one thing I didn't like was that very few beers were available as singles. Maybe I have been spoiled from stores like Grapevine Market in Austin, but I really don't want to buy a six-pack of a beer I am not certain of the quality of.

04-12-2008 04:31:48 | More by Mora2000

claytong

Vermont

3.8/5  rDev -7.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | $$

So perhaps for Dallas this is a great stop, but if youre from out of town I wouldn't go here. They don't have a lot of local breweries (they have some). They had theobroma which I almost bought but decided I probably wouldnt like it that much especially for the price.
Service was okay, the guy stayed around longer than I wouldve liked. I didnt really need to know anything except the prices on the singles (none were marked) but he was just trying to be helpful.
Prices were normal. Some were cheaper, some the same.

06-18-2011 03:42:37 | More by claytong