Spec’s Wines Spirits & Finer Foods

This is across the Dairy Ashford (no ped crossing lights at this intersection bee tee dubs so make sure you pray to Kabbalah Monster or whichever spirit monster of the realm you may prefer before taking your life into your hands and crossing) from the south side of Memorial Drive housing such things as Nirvana Indian Restaurant just a stone’s throw away on the other side of the Dairy Ashford.
This is a very leanly staffed Spec’s. There was a line of ten people waiting for just one open register. That’s a lot of gentlesirs clutching their hooch and gettin’ increasingly angry at the line. One brother looked like he was about to uncap his vodka and have at it right there if the line didn’t start GODDAMN MOVING. That brother was not me since I was clutching wine at the time, so uncorking in line would have presented additional complexity — I think this is why people tell me that screw tops are «in» and all of the rage, for this reason.
The wine selection is unnecessarily upscale with bottles in the hundreds of bucks being the first bottles off of the main vestibule from the register. I know this is Memorial but c’mon. We were looking for the cheapest stuff possible to bring to a party (Yellow Tail holla) of heavy drinkers where quantity would easily trump quality. The cheap shit was hidden on the back wall, as compared to the top hat and monocled gentlesir’s stuff more conveniently housed first off of the main aisle.
Most of our fellow patrons were headed right back in our area to the cheapass vodka housed right next to our cheapass wine. You are a liquor store located literally in the shadow of a Taco Bell brah. Calm the pretension. Most of us will be drinking our thing out of a brown paper sack, Bunny Colvin’s smokehound-​style any how before we even get to the bus stop just around the Dr. John cornder.
I would recommend reordering the wine section and having more tills open besides just the one, at «rush hour» liquor store traffic just before you close. Because there are people to drink and things to see, or [glug glug glug] something like that.

Small dinky SPECs off memorial and dairy ashford. By far not my favorite but nothing wrong with it. They have a decent beer selection although its not as good as other locations. Its a good location if you are in the area /​driving by.

Great place for cigars. The beer coolers do not seem to end. This place has everything for the night. On Sat free samples does not get much better then that!!! The staff takes you to what you are looking for instead of just putting and staying it is over there. The staff always can answer any questions you may have! Getting a 5 percent discount just for paying with debit card. Does not get better.

Great selection, friendly staff, decent humidor. One of the staff recommended the Bodega La Flor 2013 Malbec from Pulenta Wines which was very good. Also bought a cohiba cigar; always good.

When I went in here, one of the salespeople insulted my choice of vodka.
The price was ok but not as good as the mom and pop places I tend to frequent.

I’m not too big into alcohol products BUT whenever I do get that urge, I drop by here. My urges usually come around the Christmas time and they can be very busy at times but the lines get knocked out pretty fast. I recently dropped by to get a bottle of Dom Perignon 2003, If I had paid cash, it would’ve been nearly $ 20 cheaper than Central Market’s price. Thats a Deal! So, just a heads up, take cash if your going to be spending some $$ and want to save a little $$.

This store isn’t as nice and doesn’t have as much variety as, say, the one on Mason Road in Katy, but it still has the generally high quality of merchandise and the friendly service I expect when shopping at Spec’s. My wife and I were at this location looking specifically for crème de violette, and two of the employees helped us scour the store for it. We eventually found one of maybe half-​a-​dozen bottles that they had in stock, so it was a huge win!

Spec’s…saying the word makes my tongue constrict in anticipation of a ripe and firmly tannic structure but with plenty of black cherry, currant and vanilla aromas and flavors…
Unilocalers have uniformly sung the praises of this liquor store to end all liquor stores regardless of which location they have chosen. Hence, I’m not going to pave any new ground here. However, I will dispel any rumours that Spec’s is great because of all the other stuff it sells in addition to its wine (single malts with unpronounceable Scottish names, cigars, the deli selection, etc). All of these added accoutrements are merely lagniappe!
Spec’s is great because of its vast wine selection and the knowledgeable staff that can get you to buy considerably more of it than you originally intended. I have never disagreed with a staff recommendation (and I always ask). I love big, bold Spanish Riojas, but won’t hesitate to load up my shopping bag if they recommend a voluptuous Pinot Noir.
The only reason this store located right around the corner from me doesn’t get five stars is because, unlike the downtown and Austin locations, its deli section does not carry Dutch Stroopwafels (a sweet treat my son thinks is heaven sent).