Sapell’s Bi-Rite

I have mixed feeling about Sapell’s. It certainly isn’t the worst grocery store I have frequented (Sapell’s reminds me of the grocery store closest to my grandparents’ house in Anchorage:
) but it isn’t exactly a «nice» grocery store, either.
I like that Sapell’s is a local independent grocer and it’s nice to have something other than Constantino’s around. The selection is okay and staff is friendly. I also like that Sapell’s has a shuttle for customers who buy more than $ 50 of groceries, but pricing isn’t always the most accurate or obvious. (Today I realized after leaving that I paid more than I expected for a loaf of bread.)
It is great to have Sapell’s here, but I wish there were something a little better nearby. W 117^th tends to have some interesting characters and Sapell’s seems to be where they shop. A Trader Joe’s would be perfect but I am extremely curious about the Lucky’s that is supposedly going to be built down the street.

For a small neighborhood grocery, you can’t beat Sapell’s. They carry all the basics, and the staff is helpful. If on the way home, I need fresh fruits or vegetables, or meat, they got me. Plus, they’re a short walk from the apartments on the eastern edge of the Gold Coast.

There are two options for one-​stop-​shopping around this area and that’s Giant Eagle and Sapell’s.
Giant Eagle may look larger, shinier, fresher – it’s not. Sapell’s isn’t much cleaner, but I’ve accidentally purchased just as many expired or moldy items at GE. And it might not have the selection or the brands, but it also offers liquor, some fresh produce and makes me way less suicidal than Giant Eagle does.
For lots of groceries when I also need booze, I’ll tough out Giant Eagle. For just a few ingredients and booze, Sapell’s.
Oh, and they have a shuttle for the elderly and those who spend over $ 50 on groceries.

I was at the Huntington Bank on Clifrton just around the corner from Sapell’s on 117^th street. I am in a wheelchair and when I came out of the bank the Sapell’s Van was parked in the Handicap spot and the man from Sapell’s was in the store doing banking for the store I would suppose. He did not have a permit, so I guess it was just easy for him to park there. I called Sapells and a women answered the phone and I told her one of the drivers had parked in the handicap spot and all she said was ok. I asked to talk with the owner and she told me she was the owner. I asked would she do something about it and she told me she had bigger problems and what was she to do repremand him? I was going to say she should do something and she hung up on me. You do not treat complaints from customers like that and should have told me she would talk with the driver. Tickets for parking in one of those spots without a permit can cost up to 2 to 3 hundred dollars. I will not use the store and I will not tell others to use it.
What a horrible and RUDE owner.

Sure you can go here and find things on sale for a great price, but you definitely have to look closely at what your buying and the expiration dates. I went in here to pick up a couple of items and there was molded cheese and milk that had been expired for MONTHS!!! I only like going here to purchase some of their veggies when they get them in fresh because the prices are dirt cheap, but other than that everything is priced higher than most grocery stores and the items definitely aren’t fresh. Just see my picture for how fresh their cheese was. Smh.

Close to the crib. They have beer and liquor and chitlins. Kinda hoodrat and I like that.

I live in Lakewood so, of course, Sapell’s is convenient. Sometimes I don’t feel like battling the crowds at Giant Eagle after a long day of work.
Sapell’s doesn’t have the largest selection of groceries, but they are fine in a pinch if you want to make meat loaf or tacos or need coffee creamer. OR a box of Franzia Chardonnay!

I won’t go to Simone’s Liquor store in Lakewood. I need to add that to my boycott list. Once upon a time, I was in my 20’s shopping at Simone’s and one of the clerks asked me for ID as I browsed the aisles. I was pissed and walked out; never to return. I live about 12 blocks from Sapell’s and here is where I go if I need some liquor to entertain guests. Like Pac said «Pour out a little liquor».

I’ve only been their once and it was okay. Alot of the prices were over price and others were good deals. Its small but very convenient for last minute iteams. They are also a State Liquor Store with good prices.

Slowly I have watched my neighborhood deteriorate. In typical fashion the city ignores hard working, home and yard maintaining, and law abiding people moving from the area. The councilman along with Cudell Improvement Inc. send out self congratulatory bulletins as homes deteriorate and businesses close. A group of do nothings still fiddling long after Cleveland burned.
A sure sign of deterioration are the empty stores on Clifton. Thank goodness for Sapell’s. Since the evacuation of Giant Eagle it is being paid back for remaining in the area. Registers have been added and more help has been hired.
Those of us growing up in blue collar homes often find the increasing supply of gourmet or trendy products amusing. I do not always need coffee beans picked under the waning moon on remote mountains. I do not always need beef from cows who were massaged after attending a concert on a hill in California.
I frequently crave pot roast, fried cube steaks, beef stew, or chili. Sapell’s offers all the simple and basic cuts of meat at good prices. I can find pork steaks that are perfect for making my favorite sandwich, laci pecsenye. Sapell’s also has the full line of Glory Southern-​style canned goods. The kale is as good as any I ever had anyplace during my eighteen years living in Virginia.
Sapell’s stocks ice burg lettuce and Pierre’s ice cream. Don’t go here for Jeni’s chocolate-​jalapeño-​sea urchin ice cream or for heirloom tomatoes. Go here if you want to cook a dinner that your parents or grandparents will enjoy. You should too.

This is a little grocery that is close to my house. It is NOT Heinen’s, but I get better service for the few things I do buy here than the overpriced Giant Eagle at 117^th and 90.
Giant Eagle has poor quality meat. I am a HUGE food snob and find Sapell’s locally obtained fresh, meats much better. Their chicken isn’t «enhanced» with that horrible salt solution that everyone is pumping into their meats. This is what sent me to Sapell’s to begin with.
Yes, they sell alcohol, which seems to be something more pertinent to previous reviewers. Not a priority to me, but there is that segment that comes in to purchase just booze, cigarettes and lottery tickets. We had those types as well back where in lived in an upscale San Diego neighborhood… live and let live. Sapell’s offers a courtesy shuttle to people who purchase over $ 50 in groceries and elderly customers.
I run in to grab meat, deli meat and cheese, mostly the basics. I shop MANY places, but this little store filled the void that the GE on Clinton left behind… not sure what a «skeezy» neighborhood is. The cashiers are friendly, compared to GE. It serves an eclectic mixed neighborhood…

Do not be fooled by the faux stucco on the outsdie. This is not a «nice» grocery store; that being said, they sell liquor so sometimes it is a must stop.
Seriously, Sapell’s. Mop the floors once in a while.

Ah, the Sapell’s Bi-​Rite, or «The Closest Place to My Apartment That Sells Liquor.» Slightly skeezy neighborhood grocery store that also has aisles and aisles of sweet, sweet booze, the cure for all that ails you. Their array of choices of Mad Dog ²⁰⁄₂₀ boggles the mind. They actually have good stuff, too.