John’s Marketplace

What horrible serive! First and last time coming here. When a customer asks if you can help them find something and your response is «you just have to look around» tells me you don’t want my business.

I went here specifically to buy McEwan’s beer for my boyfriend for Christmas. but they have so much more beer than I could have known… and wine! I didn’t have much time so had to buzz in and out… but I definitely will be back there to peruse for a little bit longer. Great place and nearby to me at work.

They have Drake’s Barrel House Beer!!! I’ve lived down the street for YEARS and really do love the selection from here. I think more Trxas beers (like Karbach) would make me even more happy. But the fact they have my home turf brew makes me warm and fuzzy inside.
Service is good and they’re informed on things!

There is one reason to go in this place and it is BEER. It is the only place I have found certain random beers that I was out to get. I am not sure if all of the non alcoholic things are in the store because it is required based on their liquor license or if it is required for insurance reasons but I would not consider grocery shopping here. BEER-​YES, Groceries-​NO.

John’s Marketplace is magestic. It looks like one of those stores that you would encounter in a rural part of the state. There is variety upon variety of liquid, whatever soda, kombucha or alcohol that you are looking for. The prices can be good, though the space might be too tightly packed for some.
I have been here many times. The price of my apple soda and terriyaki beef jerky combined was less than three dollars. Surprisingly, this is not a gas station. I like it.
They put the convenience in convenience store here.

Wow!
Nothing like being a witness to watching Michael the cashier chew one guy out. Then insult me and treat me incredibly disrespectful all over his lack of
Communication skills.
What a complete Jack Ass! Even his coworker told him to shut up then Michael decided to cuss out his coworker in front of multiple customers.
Never have I ever experienced anything like this anywhere.
Can I put zero stars?
This guy should get Fired!!!

This secret beer mecca is amazing! So many bottles on my ‘want’ list were here including ones that I haven’t seen after many searches of some of the great local bottle shops. It is so deceiving from the outside as it looks like a little run down neighborhood market.
The beer selection and what I saw of the wine selection is just mind boggling incredible.
When I told the clerk how impressed I was, he thanked me because a lot of people came in looking for milk and such only to be disappointed that they export all of their groceries to the local Safeway…
Vast amounts of space dedicated to adult beverages and snacks and a worthy variety of bottles that I haven’t seen elsewhere in the city makes this a must stop destination on any beer hunting adventure’s itinerary.

I REALLY liked to stop in here when I lived in SW. Great selection and the folks working here were always friendly and helpful. Today was an entirely different story.
My friends needed a keg for her BBQ tonight so naturally I suggested John’s Marketplace. Each person working there was standoff-​ish and seemed put off by simple questions. At one point a clipboard of available legs was aggressively tossed at my friend by a rude cashier. Everyone has a bad day but by that point we weren’t sure we wanted to get a keg anymore as we were trying to make a selection while in line to talk to the rude cashier.
A random person, who I assume works there, started heckling my friend about the clipboard with the information about the kegs. And that was it. We were done with our experience and took our business elsewhere. My friends were upset by being treated like it was an imposition to the staff for simply stepping foot in the store and having the audacity to inquire about the availability of kegs. And, as you can imagine, I was embarrassed that I had talked up John’s Marketplace on the ride over to SW. So that’s the last time I will make that mistake.

Gotta say, my expectations were low, mainly because I’ve ordered kegs at various places around Portland before and became accustom to curt, unfriendly and aloof service. I’m not saying that at John’s you’re going to get the welcome wagon or anything, but they were at least friendly, helpful and even carried the keg out to my car for me. They are also fast and easy to order from. Their selection of beer/​wine is unmatched — I don’t think I’ve seen such depth and breadth of options anywhere in town.
Highly recommend.

Favortie bottle shop in Portland by far. Looks small from the outside but looks can be deceiving! You walk in and the bottles just keep going and going and going. Bottles are organized by region. I’m from San Diego and they have a HUGE San Diego selection. This is my go to for anything new or just to pick up my favorites. I hear they have a great price on kegs as well!

When Did Portland Get Snoby?
Went to John’s looking for a specific beer that I was having a hard time finding. When I walked in one of the Employees asked if I needed help. I told him that I was there to find a specific beer. He told me that he had cases of it up front, pushed me out of his way and walked off. I stood there floored that that had just happened. Another employee that saw the whole thing happen came over and apologized and told me that the beer I was looking for they did not have. I thanked him and told him that I wold not be back due to how I was treated by the first employee.

5 Stars for the Beer selection. I wanted to pick up some bottles to take back to Canada with me after a couple nights in Portland and some sampling so I went to John’s. Well I took more than some back; I asked Google what the extra duty would be if I went over my exemption and then i filled a couple boxes with Stouts, Oatmeal Stouts, Milk Stouts and threw myself on the mercy of Canadian Customs.
Seriously, the selection is absolutely amazing; I like to sample all the craft beers I can find and this is THE place to get a variety. Go here!

Whoa, can you say BEER? John’s looks like a regular small corner store/​deli on the outside but it’s like the Tardis: bigger on the inside. And packed silly with beer! I wish we had more time to shop while we were in there, because I love discovering new beers and there were so many I’d never seen.
Two things that could use improvement: the way the beers are organized (they’re sorted by region, not type– labels or signs would be super helpful if you’re looking for a particular kind of beer) and the staff friendliness. The guy who was manning the counter both times we were there was terse at best. Still, I’d highly recommend John’s if you’re a beer fan.

Awesome, awesome, and totally awesome beer selection. I felt like I hit the jackpot the first time I came here. It seems very underwhelming from outside, but once you are inside it is downright jaw dropping.
We left with a basket full of beers from all over the world, some cider too, and were impressed with the total cost. It was not bad at all.

Johns Market is a place I really want to like. Quantity over quality is seems to be what they are going for, and that kind of sucks. I want to be able to brag about how my neighborhood beer depot is the best spot in Oregon for beer. Sadly, when I’m telling people about John’s, I’m warning them to tread carefully around the surly staff. Everyone seems to have a chip on their shoulder. They do offer one heck of an assortment, fortunately.
Plenty of local beers, but a surprising amount of shelf space is given to European beers. They have region specific sections, which is neat. This international selection is undermined by the fact that expired beers are waiting to be purchased by unassuming clientele. The high alcohol doppelbochs and imperial stouts are probably fine, but I would skip any IPAs or hop-​heavy beer from across the sea.
The store is very cluttered, which is fun the first time visiting, but it becomes frustrating when I drop by and end up looking for ten minutes, just to buy one of my standard choices. This browsing period however can become worthwhile if you’re waiting on a burger order. For under $ 3, John’s has the best cheap burger in miles.
John’s Market is worth a stop just for the spectacle of their large collection of beers. I just wish they didn’t seem to rely so much on the sheer quantity of their products, and instead put time into good customer service and recommendations.

This place is wonderful! Not only does it have an endless supply of any type of beer, from any brewery or country you could want, as well as tons of wine, but the staff is so friendly and helpful.
Dave, the wine guy, is wonderful! I had had a lovely bottle of a Cabernet Sauvignon at Portland City Grill, and I wanted to buy a bottle of my own. I called Johns Marketplace to see if they had the wine in stock, they did not. However, Dave offered to order me the wine! So lovely of him to do that. Once it was delivered to John’s Marketplace I simply came in and got it. How wonderful! Customer service goes a long way in my book, and this place has some of the best!
They also have kegs that you can order as well. Keep this place in mind when needing beer or wine in the future :)

Meh. I’ve experienced better. Some friends recommended John’s because of their wide selection of beer. I wanted to take a few home and wanted some suggestions since I don’t know much about beer.
While they do have a large beer selection, service was below par for me. Around noon on Tuesday, I didn’t expect the store to be bustling, but I was disappointed to have to walk around for 5 minutes looking for staff. Finally found a guy at the front register… appreciating the scenery out the window.
I asked for a few recommendations for local Hefeweizens similar to mainstream Beer X to help expand some beer horizons for friends who didn’t frequent microbreweries. To that, he answered that «Hefeweizen is a process» and that I should look in the 2 aisles of local brews (that I’d already been browsing through). He said he’d «be there when he got a chance».
And then he went back to standing at the register to stare out the window and 15 minutes later, I picked a few bottles based on friend recommendations, Google, and packaging.
When I got to the checkstand, the same dude that was supposed to come and help me didn’t say a word.

In conclusion, this store would be the same (or better) if it was run by self-​checkout.

John’s Market is a blast, even when I was pregnant, and not drinking!
I love walking into John’s Market, grabbing a cart, a few empty six packs and scanning the aisles for the perfect mix of brews. There are literally thousands to choose from. A spectacular variety of locals, domestics and international.
John’s Market doesn’t have much on the frills side, it’s just a plain, huge space, filled to the brims with beer, cider, and wine… How can you go wrong?!
John’s Market also has a good selection of Kegs. In my pre kids life we had a Kegerator, and this was our go to place.
Besides beverages, John’s Market also has snacks, basic household necessities, and a deli with sandwiches, and burgers. I’ve never tried anything from the deli, but it’s cheap :).

«Hey. Wanna grab a beer?» You better have a pretty good idea of what you want before you walk into John’s, or you may end up spending an hour, and a whole lot of cash in this place.
I am a self-​proclaimed beer hound, geek, freak, whatever you care to use as a descriptor, and I love to travel the world one beer at a time within reason. To that end, John’s is the kind of place people should visit if they have a wide interest in adult bevs, and not just beer. Also populating this store is a deli, an awesome wine selection, and harder offerings. Coolers line the walls all the way around the store, and isle upon isle of beers, wines and liquors fill the floorspace.
Beer from Evil Twin, Chimay and St. Feuilien (in 6L, mind you); Corsendonk, Orval, Hoegaarden, Edelweiss, Mikkeller; from Asia to Zimbabwe. I would wager that if it’s not here, they might be able to get it for you. That’s how amazing the selection seems to be. Truly overwhelming. And I’m not easily overwhelmed. ;-)
Order a keg of your favorite stuff from the staff. They have shared with me that over 150 different kegs are available. Be prepared, however. Exclusivity more times than not comes with a large price tag. Watch out Wachovia! Here comes John’s.
Four stars for cleanliness (it’s an old store), and the rest is beer heaven. Best selection in the Portland area, if not a much larger area than that. One point worth mentioning — with as grand a selection as this, make sure you check dates on your choices. Stock may not always rotate.
Cheers to John’s Marketplace. Thanks for broadening my horizon.

Beer selection.
Yes, that’s why I go to this store. And it’s walking distance from me.
They also have a good wine selection and snacks.
But… I go to buy beer. They have huge refrigerators of beer plus wire shelving racks full of beer from local breweries and all around the world.

Not only do they clearly not care about the appearance and cleanliness of their store, but they have completely no concept of customer service. Some tips to anyone who still chooses to go here:
1. If you get a keg and want to use your own tap: I had to leave mid-​party after an hour of trying to get our tap to work on their keg. Why? To drive across town to rent a tap from them, when they informed me that when they ask you on the phone if you have a tap, they don’t tell you what kind of tap the keg uses. So don’t assume that means the keg uses the same tap that 90% of the kegs sold in this country do.
2. If you have a complaint, shove it. When I indicated I was upset, all I got was a VERY condescending «Awwww… I’m sorry!» in the very same tone you’d tell a two-​year-​old you’re sorry they dropped their Tootsie Pop.
3. And I really can’t stress this enough — Check your receipt when you leave. They told me when I arrived that they would waive the first 3-​day rental ($ 10), still charging me the deposit ($ 50), and reiterated what the total would be ($ 50) when they asked for payment. Now that $ 10 was hardly any consolation, but imagine how I felt after I left, only to learn that they charged me the $ 10 rental anyway.
Take it from me — they don’t give a rat’s behind about their customers. So for a good selection of bottled beer, go to Beer Mongers. Don’t waste your money on overpriced beer sold by a bunch of righteous a-​holes.