Home > Shopping > LeNell's

LeNell's

416 Van Brunt St., Brooklyn, NY 11231 40.675948 -74.014567
nr. Van Dyke St. See Map | Subway Directions Hopstop Popup
work718-360-0838 Send to Phone

Reader Rating:
7.5 out of 10
|
2 Reviews | Write a Review
Price Range: ($$) Mid-Range
Type: Gourmet Marketplace
Products & Services: Wine

Photo by Jeremy Liebman

Map Rate & Review

Official Website

lenells.com

Hours

Mon-Sat, noon-midnight; Sun, noon-9pm

Nearby Subway Stops

A, C, F at Jay St.-Borough Hall; F, G at Smith-9th Sts.

Directions

Take B61 or B77 bus to Van Brunt St.

Payment Methods

American Express, Diners Club, Discover, MasterCard, Visa

Product Guide

Gourmet

Wine

Special Features

Open After 9pm (at least 3 days a week)

Profile

This venue is closed.

Spirits shops can be soulless places. LeNell’s is just the opposite: a reflection of owner Tonya LeNell Smothers’s particular passions, which range from bourbon (the city’s widest selection) to the sort of obscure bitters that make a mixologist’s heart race. Gin bottles are displayed in a claw-foot bathtub, and wines are arranged by theme rather than grape or country, with shelf space devoted to women winemakers, black winemakers, organic grapes, and labels that feature cats and dogs (both of which, as you might imagine, are always welcome). Smothers stays open till midnight daily (except Sunday, when she closes at 9) and hosts a series of special events that celebrate all things booze-related, from New Orleans cocktails to arcane grapes like rkatsiteli, a Russian varietal that thrives in the Finger Lakes. She even organizes bourbon-sampling field trips to Kentucky—in case you were thinking Red Hook was too far afield.

Quality:	10

Service:	10

Selection:	10

Value:	10

For a true lover of the rarest adult treats, there's no better place than LeNell's. It's like Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory for grown-ups! The place may not be huge, but the selection is. They have an unbelievable selection of hard-to-find whisky, and the staff is very knowledgeable and helpful. When I say they carry hard-to-find items, I don't mean expensive. I mean things that aren't on the shelf behind the bulletproof glass at your neighborhood liquor store. When you walk in, be prepared to indulge in a sampling of whatever treat LeNell has open for her customers. The bottom line is if you are looking for a pint of something to drink out of a paper bag on the street corner, this is not your store. If you want a great selection, and a staff that can tell you a lot more about what you are buying than just the price, this is the place to go!

LeNell's

Rude!

fauxserious from 11237 | Posted on 2/7/08

Overall Rating: 105 (Mixed Reviews)


Quality:	8
Service:	2

Selection:	6

Value:	6

I just called to inquire about their Absinthe selection and was informed the brand I was looking for was "the worst thing I've ever tasted, we don't carry it because we don't like it". Great, a simple "no" would have sufficed. The second one I asked about Belle Amie was declared "not real absinthe, made by people who just started" which is completely untrue. If you're going to be condescending and rude at least be well informed! It's actually one of the top rated absinthes on wormwoodsociety.org, a place where you won't find imitations. I asked what they did have and he said they carried Lucid. I said "oh, I don't like Lucid" and he replied "well, that's what real Absinthe tastes like". So helpful! I've had many absinthes, some genuine vintage, some imitation and a few of the new legal ones, including Lucid, which I don't care for. This place advertises NO SNOBS, well this guy was a piece of work, I just wanted to get off the phone instead of being chastised. I won't be making the trip to Red Hook any time soon.

Read All 2 Reviews >>