Harvard Wine & Liquor Store

I’d give it 20 stars if possible.

Awesome!
I used to live a block from here, and the owner and his wife are so nice! They always have what I’m looking for at reasonable prices! Some of the customers are a little questionable. One time I pulled out my wallet and this man was eyeballing my cash. Not cool.
Overall good rating though!

The people are so nice and the prices are good! Just wish they had a rewards card or something because I come here so often!

Competive prices, great selection and the staff is easily the most interesting in all of DC.
It’s my Goto, period.

Came in to buy a watch battery, and the lady replaced it on the spot, for $ 7.50 ish. Nice quick experience!

Harvard Liquor is my go to store, mostly because my row house is attached to it… and they’re my landlords. Even without those two things, they generally have a really good liquor selection and a decent beer one too. I am generally going in for a fifth of Evan Williams, don’t judge. How can I go wrong when all I have to do is step outside my door and make a sharp left to the entrance?

Ok, so this must be one of the few places around to buy liquor. Sketchy. You cannot touch the booze — the bottles and the owner are behind bullet proof glass — while you are out with the bullets and no booze. Not a good sitch. But the need for tequila outweighed the survival instinct. Peer through the smudged glass and yell out your order. Once you hand the money through the slot — you get your bottle. Then skedaddle!

Very affordable and friendly staff. Good selection.

From the outside, you wouldn’t expect much from Harvard Wine & Liquor, but the selection is astounding. The have great prices and great service.

the owners are humanitarians.
they took in a stray kitten last winter.
also, they do their best to carry whatever their customer requests.
especially if you’re a regular.
the owners have two beautiful daughters,
but they’re both married now.
sometimes when you walk into the store, you’ll hear really loud fights between one of the owners and an unruly customer.
it’s really entertaining.
no shame.
just very cathartic to watch.
especially when the owner wins.
in this store, the owner is always right,
but they treat customers beautifully.
i appreciate their kitschy decorations.
gives this urban business a small town feel.
this is really a mom and pop shop.
an american dream come true.
where you know who’s working
right when you walk in the door.
when you ask for condoms, make sure you ask for regular size,
because they’ll hand you magnums by default.
if you’re magnum sized, you’re set.
you can pick up socks, lip gloss, and a moet chandon.
don’t forget your magnum.
the owners are a married couple.
please support small independent businesses.

Yup, I totally agree. Since I’m just graduating college, but still on that broke college student budget, I don’t drink a wide array of alcohol. BUT my friends and I personally LOVE Harvard liquors because they most definitely have the cheapest prices I have ever seen for liquor.
10 dollars minimum on your credit card.
Well, yup. That is pretty much all it takes for me. Cheap prices=happy me!

To call this solely a liquor store is quite an understatement though it appears this is how it chooses to advertise itself. Liquor, while a proprietor of many fine spirits ranging from pints of Papov to pitchers of Patron (ok that was for alliteration, but they have the XL bottles), also deals in souvenir gifts and discounted specialty apparel. There is a wide selection of RHINESTONE ENCRUSTED WATCHES as well as several XXL shirts sporting images of SKULLS or rap artists like TUPAC SHAKUR, many of which are also in rhinestone. There is even a shirt paying homage to the deceased bay-​area legend Mac Dre. Liquor has been a long time supporter of BARAK OBAMA with everything from hats to framed pictures of the President elect. I personally purchased an XL rhinestone shirt with his image and name alongside the White House. *Note: Do not put rhinestone encrusted clothing in the dryer.
As if this weren’t enough, they also boast a WATCH REPAIR and KEY DUPLICATION facility and some sort of social security or check cashing capability, though I have never used it so I can’t vouch for the service.
Oh yeah, the booze. They actually have a surprisingly decent wine selection for as small of a place as it is with Kendal Jackson at the high-​end and a lot of $ 10ish bottles from California and Australia. The beer selection is a little broader than Sonya’s Market down the street with such brands as Flying Dog and Woodchuck Cider as well as the crowd favorite PBR.
The patrons are often in a bright and jocular mood, especially on a Friday or Saturday evening, willing to make polite conversation or muttered quips about the proprietors not understanding what kind of liquor is being requested. Only once have I thought that the wall of bulletproof glass might come in handy when a patron began a dispute because his hand-​full of change would not be accepted as payment for a 32 oz can of King Cobra.
Bottom line: top notch liquor store for the east side catering the east-​side of Columbia Heights as well as a last minute gift or INAUGURATION SOUVENIR
stop.