Clarendon Wine Co

MOST HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE EVER HERE — And it seems like from the reviews this happens a lot…
I’m 26 years old and have a NC ID… was in Boston for a work visit and had to catch a flight later that day. The Australian guy working behind the counter was a huge ahole to me from the beginning and showed my ID to the manager of the store because «he has never seen a NC ID before.» And then came back and demanded me to leave immediately because they thought my ID was fake. What ensued was a 2 hour screaming fight with the owner and Australian cashier. It makes me so angry to even think about.
Honestly after reading these other reviews, I think the owner of the store gets pleasure/​a serious power trip out of taking cute girls’ ID’s and making them upset. I also think it’s highly likely that they’re stealing ID’s and selling them.
Of course I made a huge scene in the store and it seemed like the owner enjoyed it — MESSED UP SHIT.
The Australian guy at the counter also started making fun of me for crying while this was happening… in front of customers AND me. I had to call 911 3x before a cop came to the store 2 hours later to simply hand me ID and leave.
The owner of the store didn’t even glance at me as the cop gave me my ID back. No apology, nothing. What a miserable, terrible human being.
As I like to say, «I literally cannot.» and this was the biggest «literally cannot» moment of my life thus far.
Please please please do yourself a huge favor and never go here. Just don’t.

I wanted to buy a very rare Dogfish head 120 min IPA as a souvenir — it’s the HOLY GRAIL for hopheads. I called several times to check their inventory & delivery service but failed due to their suboptimal inventory system & miscommunication.
They did not have the full amount I asked for. Only 8 bottles. So the system was incorrect.
They delivery times are earlier than their closing time, and they do not deliver every day. I was a little disappointed, just because they could have told me when I called like twice before. I also had some person lie to me about returning my call, as I was next to my phone & never received a phone call back after being told that they will call back. As I called back due to no response, they told me their delivery time is now closed. Wtf?!
So I had to über there from my hotel by the airport, & back to the airport before my flight, on the day of my flight. I also had a conference this day, so I’m not a happy camper but I got my beers & the gal was super nice & helpful. She have me extra boxes & cushion, as for the others are lazy. So two extra stars for thanks to her & beer selections, this place is good.

This is the most convenient place
to buy alcohol in Back Bay Boston.
You may pay a little more,
as they have a high rent to cover.
For beer lovers, they offer an
unusual variety brews I’ve never seen.
They also stock jumbo bottles
with fun labels that make great gifts.
The deal: if you buy a case of wine,
Don’t give you a 10% discount, if you ask!

We’ve only come here for the spirits and liquors and Clarendon definitely is adequate. Never really looked at their wine and beer selection but it definitely looks somewhat sparse. I agree with a lot of the other reviewers here — if you’re looking for wine for your next dinner party, probably best to hit up a different place nearby. Interior is simple and unpretentious — this really isn’t a fancy place.
They have a decent selection of liquors — all of them are behind the counter out of reach so you need to ask the staff to get them for you. They have all the basics — the Bombay Sapphires and the Absoluts of the world — at prices that are great for Back Bay and on par with some of the places in Cambridge, as well as some nibs if you’re looking for small portions.
My standard for staff at a liquor store is for them to have what I want and to check me out speedily, which the staff here have always done. I don’t really think I would listen to them to give me wine pairing suggestions, so don’t expect that from here. Grab and go, especially if you know what you want. Not the nicest place but priced to make up for that.

I felt compelled to write a review after such a great experience with Clarendon Wine’s manager. If you’re looking for a review of their liquor store, stop reading.
I smoke Camel No. 9 Menthe cigarettes, which are next to impossible to find in the city without having to drive 45 mins away. Because I worked on Boylston Street, I figured i’d ask if they would order my brand. One week later, they called and said they were now in stock for me. Now I have someplace reliable and close AND they take LevelUp. Oh yeahhh!

Holy Hell, Batman. I’ve never (ok, almost never) seen a sadder looking liquor store in all my days (and let’s be honest, I’ve made my way through more liquor stores than I feel comfortable sharing.)
The wine racks are filthy and are falling apart.
The selection is great if you have never seen or tasted wine before and have no working knowledge of the basics. (I’m no wine snob, but when Oyster Bay and Barefoot are your *best* options, go elsewhere.)
Dark and super creepy.
Way overpriced.
What a shame to have such a crappy liquor store in such a great location.

I will put no star if I could. Very rude. I’m 28 year old and they did not want me to buy beers because they don’t even know how to recognize an official ID. Quite inconvenient for a liquor store…

The staff was generally not interested in the customer other than saying ‘next’ and how much you owe. The wine selection was limited but better than a typical drug store or corner store.

This is the worst place ever! The location is the only thing that keeps them in business. They clearly don’t give a rat’s ass about the customer experience. They are in business for the k’ching of the cash register. The staff are aloof and unengaged from the customer experience. The store is dirty and reeks of cigarette smoke. If you ask them a question, they act as if it’s an imposition.
At 5:00pm Christmas Eve, they had raunchy, hostile, rap music blaring on the sound system and the place was filled with cigarette smoke. A nasty experience just to go pick up a bottle of champagne. When I complained, they didn’t care. They simply don’t care.
For a better experience, walk a few extra blocks to The Urban Grape on Columbus Avenue in the South End. They have a beautiful, well-​stocked, attractive, clean and upscale store where, most importantly, they actually care about the customer who walks through the door. The service there is excellent and genuine and they treat people with respect and appreciation.
Don’t bother with Clarendon Wine — they don’t deserve your business!!!

This place doesn’t deserve your business. In fact, it shouldn’t even be in business! The staff (such as they are) hardly know the difference between beer and wine, and they certainly don’t know proper manners. The average client in there is the guy who just asked you for a dollar on the corner, and the place smells like it.
NEVER buy a bottle of wine there! The majority of bottles I’ve bought there have been corked! They store all the wine in the main part of the store, where its about 90 degrees during the summer. Mmmmmmm, armpit warm wine! As for the selection: think of the kind of wine you’re served at Ruby Tuesdays and you’ll know what to expect. They have a few token bottles of stuff like Opus One, but who would be stupid enough to pay their jacked up prices for a wine stored in improper conditions? It’s probably spoiled.
There are plenty of other places to get booze in the Back Bay. Unless you hate yourself and like wasting your money and the attending frustration, NEVER go there!

I wish I could give zero stars for the rudeness of the staff. Specifically a late 20 something man. It was just shy of closing time and I asked if I could just go in to get something I knew I wanted. He didn’t even let me finished and hostilely said no. With the plethora of liquor stores in Boston, why bother patronizing this business when they don’t respect people or their loyal (now once loyal) customers.

This place has a pretty horrible selection for anything other than wine. They have a total of 8 beers that are not in the fridge, and the fridge beers are the standard mainstream crap. But even the wine selection leaves much to yearn for. Everything is dusty, like it’s been there forever. Does this mean the wine is aged? It’s also kinda overpriced for the things they do carry.

This place is incredible. We were walking to dinner at a friend’s house and just wanted to stop in quickly for a quick bottle of wine. not knowing much about wine, I asked for some suggestions, and they had PLENTY. They were able to help me pick out a great bottle of wine based not just on what was for dinner (which is often the case) but also off of my taste preferences. They chose a bottle of wine that everyone enjoyed and was paired perfectly with the mean.
The other great thing about this place? They let you try any bottle of wine. That’s right. If you want to taste before you buy, they’ll get you set up with a sampler.
With all this, I thought I would be walking out with a super expensive bottle of wine. Turns out, the great bottle of wine (plus the PumKing beer) were very reasonably priced. I would go back here without a doubt.

This is my FAVORITE place to go for booze in the city. Good selection and a GREAT staff. Thanks guys!

Looking for the basics? Clarendon Wine delivers. On the small side, Clarendon Wine stocks a modest assortment of some pretty standard liquor store categories: wine, sparkling wine, spirits and beer. Spirits arranged out of reach beyond the check out counter, reds and whites grouped by region on various shelves, champagnes and proseccos (no cava) mingling together in a fridge in the back; beers chillin right next door to the bubbly.
Assuming your search is broad, you’ll be able to find a decent red for dinner, something effervescent for a celebration and a bottle of the hard stuff if you’re just looking to get hammered. And who isn’t every now and then!?!

You can pay for a replacement liver for less than a bottle of decent whiskey here. And by decent, I mean anything above Canadian Mist.
Then again, it is only 3 blocks from my house. Oh, the dichotomy of frustration.
Ill be back, begrudgingly. Motherfuckers.

I find myself frustrated every time I leave this place with extremely warm beer. I always hate myself for not taking the extra ten minutes and just going to Shaw’s. The wine selection is good, but it’s organized in a very strange way. Personally I like heading in the opposite direction and just going to Beacon Hill Wine & Spirits.

I am a loyal Clarendon Wine customer primarily because it’s around the corner from my apartment. The guys who work here are friendly and there’s a decent wine selection, cases of cold beer and the expected wall of bottles behind the counter. It’s much pricier to buy here than further out of the city, but the convenience factor is worth it.
I feel bad penalizing this place because of the long line of homeless people who use their hard earned change opening the door at CVS down the block to buy themselves a bottle in a brown bag BUT it’s hard to try to find a bottle of wine for a dinner party when you’re surrounded by foul smelling alcoholics with the shakes.

Liquor Stores in Back Bay/​South End are a rare thing these days. I think I first bought beer here New Years Eve in the late 80’s. Then, there where many, many corner packies. Nowadays, I can think of only three places within a reasonable distance to home to get beer or liquor; Shaw’s Market and the liquor store at Dartmouth and Tremont are the other two.
This store is wedged into the 500 block of Boylston, directly across from the wading fountain at Copley Sq. They sell wine, beer, liquor, mixers, lottery tickets, cigarettes, snacks with trans-​fat (but strangely no pork rinds), corkscrews, mints, and lighters (matches are free). And it all fits into a florescent lit room, 10′ wide, 25′ deep. Line moves quick; staff is knowledgeable, friendly and funny once you get to know them.
They sell 40 oz beers and little bottles of liquor, but they’ll throw your ass out if you come in drunk (I’ve seen it, not done it)! Open until 11pm Mon-​Sat, 6pm on Sunday.

If you’re in the back bay I don’t know why you would go anywhere but Shaw’s for alcohol (best selection by far) but this place is pretty good too. The wine selection is much betetr than Shaw’s as they have some better and harder to find wines but the liquor and beer selection are not nearly as comprehensive (though they are very good). Clarendon does sell 40’s though which gets any store a gold star from me. Overall a very good palce to get alcohol.