King Blvd Liquor Store

Visited Portland from Vancouver, BC and found the selection and service here exceptional. It could just be that I’m used to running in and out of a liquor store for standard vodka so really enjoyed the recommendations to make some yummy cocktails with liquor that I would never think of buying. Took it back to the hotel and it was a great start to my first night in Portland!

Super friendly staff and a great selection. I came here looking for a standard single malt (Glenlivet 12) and after asking for recommendations ended up with a Lagavulin 12, which is one of the best scotches I’ve ever tried. Not the most glamorous store (given the location) but the selection and staff more than make up for it. I’ll be coming here again real soon.

Portland is not exactly an easy town to buy a bottle of booze in. This place is polite, not too spendy, and has a good selection, which makes them alright in my book.

What a horrible place — more like I imagine a prison commissary to be than a store that treats its customers like they’re free to shop elsewhere. Iron bars prohibit you from touching any of the merchandise; dead-​eyed hostility greets you from behind the distant counter. And the prices are bad, too. If you like to be treated like a human being, shop elsewhere.

I have what is known as «Malculay Culkin Face.» You know, where you don’t really age, but you look like an 8-​year-​old with poor sleeping habits who has just had an allergic reaction to shellfish. Because of this I’m often asked to provide proof of age when purchasing age restricted products like alcohol and spray paint.
At the liquor store on MLK, I am asked for identification, but I am asked nicely. They say, «May I see your ID, please?» When I hand them my ID, they say, «Thank you.» After the transaction is complete and I say, «Thank you,» they say «Oh, you are so welcome.» WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE? Where is the air of disdain and thinly veiled contempt I have come to expect from liquor store employees? I thought it was an OLCC regulation that you must blithely toss change in the general direction of your customer? But you just counted it back to me and put in my hand. One time, the lady behind the counter asked me if I had a nice weekend. Is this a liquor store or a finishing school?
Since my love of booze is rivaled only by my love of manners, I’m willing to overlook the limited selection and God-​awful parking. If you live in the neighborhood and need to replenish your liquor cabinet with the basics, I can pretty much guarantee you won’t be metaphorically punched in the throat with rudeness.

The Ladies here are awesome and made of sassier stuff cuz they work on a blvd with a «bad reputation.»
I’ve had nothing but good times anytime I’ve comin.

If wrought iron is your fetish, this is your liquor store. Door and window coverage I understand, but 10-​ft panels blocking every area inside the store?
Are they discouraging thieves, operating after-​hours cage fights, or preparing for a zombie armageddon?
The ladies running this fortress were pleasant, but I couldn’t help feeling like ‘the enemy’. I won’t go back any time soon.