LCBO

I’m from Montréal and my boyfriend and I go out of our way to come here and stock up on a couple of bottles because it’s cheaper than what we have.
The bottles are usually 2 – 4 $ cheaper, depending which wine you want.
The only downside was that it was quite difficult to find an employee but once you did, they went above and beyond to make you smile and help you out!

This is the biggest LCBO I’ve been in. I’ve heard that they have an amazing wine selection in the basement, but I’ve never checked it out. I go here for the beer. The selection is amazing. If there’s a new craft beer available in the Ottawa area, there’s a really good chance that they’ll have it here. Occasionally they’ll have wine and beer tastings at the rear of the store, along with food to sample.
The only real negative I can say is that they don’t always have enough staff working the cash registers when it’s really busy, so line ups can get long. However, the ones who are working are pretty quick in getting you through.

This has been my go to LCBO for awesome booze selection since my time in Ottawa dating back to 2004. Now I only frequent when in town to stock up on some delicious wines from the vintage selection in the basement and watch in semi-​amazement on how quick you can rack up a bill here!
Only downside and I’ll mention it now is that the homeless people tend to beg outside or on the odd occasion get caught stealing here. One my most recent visit they had a security guard positioned right at the entrance. Probably a good idea they have probably had a steady stream of issues. No disadvantaged people this visit. It’s unfortunate that they have this issue but not everyone can handle booze well!
The Vintages selection is seriously divine. I usually can spend around an hour here browsing and perusing the aisles to see what’s new and what’s recommended by the staff. They do have many vintage staples and an ever evolving selection.
On my visit they did have some tastings and some mini pulled pork sandwiches. It was a nice snack while I was wandering around! I washed it down with a sample of Trius Red. Very nice contrasting flavours.
What the LCBO and this location does amazingly better than my provincial SAQ is have a better selection of wines under $ 15. You can find hundreds of wines in the $ 13 or less amount. There is also a decent selection of wines under $ 10! You can find some decent tasting ones at this price also! SAQ needs to stop being so greedy! Also the LCBO has and does a fantastic job of promoting Ontario wineries!
I’ll keep coming back if the selection stays fantastic!

This has to be the biggest LCBO that I have ever seen. Instead of a Vintages section, there is a basement for Vintages. Definitely can see how that would appeal to those who love their wine.
This place carries a wide-​range of pretty much everything. I would be surprised if you couldn’t find what you were looking for at this location.

J’habite à Montréal, donc faire le détour par une LCBO prend quand même un peu d’effort et de planification! Toutefois, puisque ma famille habite dans le coin, quand je m’y rends en visite, je prends le temps de m’y arrêter pour m’acheter quelques vins qu’on né trouve pas à la SAQ et qui sont souvent moins cher. La seule chose qu’ils n’ont pas, contrairement à la SAQ, c’est un rabais pour ceux qui achètent à la douzaine. À pars ça, c’est un vrai paradis pour l’oenophile! Au sous-​sol, on trouve une énorme quantité de vins spéciaux qui sont soit en quantités limitées ou bien qui coûtent plus cher. C’est souvent par là que je commence pour être inspirée! Ensuite, à l’étage principal, vous y trouverez des vins d’un peu partout, des alcools pour mixer des délicieux cocktails, des whiskies et une bonne sélection de bières aussi! Pas besoin d’emmener de boîtes si vous acheter plusieurs bouteilles, on s’occupe de vous.

An FYI to my my fellow citizens from the States, when you are in town, THIS is the place to go to buy your wines, beers, and spirits. Good selection and service.

Besides the LCBO in the Rideau Centre, this place is the one closest to my house. I tend to avoid the one in Rideau because although it’s adequate, the selection isn’t even comparable to this one. Another benefit to choosing this one over Rideau’s is the fact that you’ll probably find something on sale the Rideau one doesn’t have on sale.
The staff here appear to be helpful, when I asked for a very specific brand on Saturday, the sales associate was able to help me find it. They’re also great if you want advice on which wine to pair with what. I went to a dinner at a friend’s place a few weeks ago and wanted a bottle of wine that would impress her, and the associate was able to show me a bunch of options. Most people don’t even know theres a huge downstairs with more expensive aged wines. Apparently there are over 2000 types of wines here.
The line here is kind of long a lot of the time. But here is a good tip for you: go downstairs, theres NEVER a line. Nobody knows about it.

The good thing about the LCBO is that when we buy there, the money stays in the family, so to speak. :-) On the down side, You need a haircut and a real job to be able to buy a good bottle of anything there. US border, here I come!!!

This LCBO is the largest LCBO that I’ve been to in Ottawa. They have a large selection of many items and a great wine selection including a basement full of wine.
This store carries almost everything the other stores in town do. If I can’t find something at this store, the one in the south end usually has it. Between these 2 stores I can find most things that I want.
The staff is actually amazing in this store. I recently went in to get some liquer from Columbia. I tried to explain the name to the person working the counter who was in the middle of helping someone else (he asked if he could help and I told him to finish helping his current customer but he said it would take awhile) when he told me how how down I wanted to walk and what the bottle looked like!
I followed his directions to find exactly what I wanted!

It is true that this particular LCBO is above all the rest. The first few times I was here I was awed by the size of the main floor, but realized later that the basement is full of vintages.
My sommelier friend is often here for tastings of new wines. The wines that you can find in the basement here are not offered at the other LCBO’s, this LCBO has a special and limited stock. Restaurant owners and sommeliers are invited in periodically for tastings.
Even the service here is generally better. I was perusing the VQA wines one evening on the way to a dinner party and one of the men working here offered to help me choose something and was very helpful and attentive. Lineups here can be a bit long, but usually only on the weekends.

So large an LCBO I have scarcely seen. I’ve seen some on a similar footprint, true, though they were but a single floor. This temple to semiprivate alcohol consumption spans two floors, with a Vintages in the basement. Though not personally a wine drinker, I can appreciate that such a service is provided for those who do enjoy it.
The selection, at least in the beer department where I was concentrating, was quite good — more than a few that I’d never heard of before, and a good supply of more standard fare. I’m not sure how much of this is due to regional differences or simply the size of the store, but either way it’s a good thing.
That all I wound up buying was some Keith’s and a tallboy of Rickard’s White should not be taken as a slight against this store, but simply a condemnation of my lack of creativity at the time — a trait evidently not shared by my friends, who came up not only with more interesting beverages to consume, but a novel (if improbable) new iPhone app suggestion.