Just in time for the weekend, Filling Stations is a weekly post that highlights one of Los Angeles’ destinations for craft beer, be it a bottle-shop with a great selection, a restaurant with great food to go with their beer list, or a bar serving excellent beers.

Vendome Wine and Spirits – Toluca Lake

• Neighborhood: Toluca Lake/North Hollywood  View Larger Map
• Type: Bottle Shop
• Yelp Page
• Selection: 5/5 Price: 3/5 Staff: 5/5

Vendome is a chain of liquor stores with a history in Los Angeles stretching back to the 1930s. The shop at the corner of Riverside and Cahuenga Blvd, right across from the entrance to the 134 freeway, is one of our favorite bottle shops in all of LA.

What makes a neighborhood liquor store stand out from the bodegas and mini-marts that line our city’s streets? We think it starts with the staff, and the staff at all of the Vendome shops are great. They are helpful and knowledgeable of course, but more importantly they genuinely care about their customers and they want to help you get what you want. A far cry from the average retail experience these days. Selection is the other important element of a well loved liquor store, and Vendome has one of the best. Aisles of well-organized wines and spirits dominate the shop, but there is also a well curated selection of cigars and classy accessories (think flasks, tobacco pipes, lighters, and ashtrays).

The beer selection is the real draw for us of course, and it is tough to match Vendome’s. There are a dozen coolers along the back wall, the majority of those are filled with six-packs of craft beers from across the country, with a couple dedicate to macro-brews, imports, and a selection of chilled bombers. There are three long shelves filled with bombers and assorted bottles, organized by country. They have one of the largest selection of Belgian imports you can find in Los Angeles, and while the organization can seem confusing the staff is happy to help find you anything you’re looking for. Vendome doesn’t leave out ciders or even meads, and they each have dedicated sub-sections.

Vendome also hosts weekly beer tastings, with each week being focused on a different theme. Check out their events calendar to see what’s coming up.

Prices are fair, and there are usually sale-items available if you’re looking for a deal. Though we must caution you, don’t go into Vendome expecting to save money or just grab a six-pack. It is nearly impossible to go in there and not leave burdened with boxes of treasures that you couldn’t leave on the shelf. Or maybe that’s just us.

• Photo by Mister Munchie via Flickr