After a quick look at the Yelp app in order to try and find a liquor store nearby to pick up some tequila on the way to a friend's house for a Mexican food night on Monday, we decided on The Buzz since it seemed to be the most highly rated store in the area.
At first glance when you walk in, it seems like they have a decent selection of wine, but too bad we weren't in here looking for wine. Instead, we were on a mission for tequila and some margarita mix to take to a friend's house where she was busy prepping the food portion of the Mexican food night. The selection for liquor on the other hand is lacking, and the prices are a little ridiculous. The smallest bottle of tequila was $29.39, which also happened to be the cheapest before one descended down to the land of brands that you just don't want to tempt fate with. They only had the largest bottle of margarita mix that one could possibly find in stock, and that was something like $13.
Yes, this is Manhattan, but I've frequented plenty of liquor stores in Manhattan that have a better selection and lower prices. Can't say that I'd seek this place out again, but it did the trick for us on that night, and at least they accept credit cards (though we certainly smashed a $5 or $10 minimum charge if they had one…).
My main impression of the Buzz is that it's very clean. Extremely clean. It's just really, really, clean. Every bottle is neatly in place. There's nothing sketchy at all.
Although it's mostly wine, the wine selection is fairly small and uninteresting. The shelves aren't too high, and they've taken to putting wine two or three bottles abreast, you know, like a supermarket does with its cereal boxes. The European wines are a little more dense, just like Europe!
There's also a small but decent selection of upmarket mainstream vodkas, agaves and tequilas, Prices are a little on the expensive side.
It's not a bad place at all, I would not feel bad about buying from here, but it does not elevate me. I think a liquor store should elevate you and engage your imagination, but maybe that's just me.
On a whim, the Buzz was calling for some liquid revelry after an exhaustive Friday which includes two prior respective stops at FedEx. The sales associate noticed me leaning over browsing for a bottle of wine as my party of three was getting impatient waiting for me to make a decision, so he interjected with a 2012 Californian Pinot Grigio at $10.99. Normally I do not like when sales associates interject when shopping, but in this case I was glad as I needed assistance for my impulse purchase. The Buzz is a nice wine store. At the counter lies small shots under $3.00 each who need a quick buzz without attaining a whole bottle. Their business card also serves as a magnet.
The next two days, in my solitude, I drank 1/3 after struggling for half hour to get the stupid cork out!! Surely then, I was buzzed.
After a quick look at the Yelp app in order to try and find a liquor store nearby to pick up some tequila on the way to a friend's house for a Mexican food night on Monday, we decided on The Buzz since it seemed to be the most highly rated store in the area.
At first glance when you walk in, it seems like they have a decent selection of wine, but too bad we weren't in here looking for wine. Instead, we were on a mission for tequila and some margarita mix to take to a friend's house where she was busy prepping the food portion of the Mexican food night. The selection for liquor on the other hand is lacking, and the prices are a little ridiculous. The smallest bottle of tequila was $29.39, which also happened to be the cheapest before one descended down to the land of brands that you just don't want to tempt fate with. They only had the largest bottle of margarita mix that one could possibly find in stock, and that was something like $13.
Yes, this is Manhattan, but I've frequented plenty of liquor stores in Manhattan that have a better selection and lower prices. Can't say that I'd seek this place out again, but it did the trick for us on that night, and at least they accept credit cards (though we certainly smashed a $5 or $10 minimum charge if they had one…).
My main impression of the Buzz is that it's very clean. Extremely clean. It's just really, really, clean. Every bottle is neatly in place. There's nothing sketchy at all.
Although it's mostly wine, the wine selection is fairly small and uninteresting. The shelves aren't too high, and they've taken to putting wine two or three bottles abreast, you know, like a supermarket does with its cereal boxes. The European wines are a little more dense, just like Europe!
There's also a small but decent selection of upmarket mainstream vodkas, agaves and tequilas, Prices are a little on the expensive side.
It's not a bad place at all, I would not feel bad about buying from here, but it does not elevate me. I think a liquor store should elevate you and engage your imagination, but maybe that's just me.
On a whim, the Buzz was calling for some liquid revelry after an exhaustive Friday which includes two prior respective stops at FedEx. The sales associate noticed me leaning over browsing for a bottle of wine as my party of three was getting impatient waiting for me to make a decision, so he interjected with a 2012 Californian Pinot Grigio at $10.99. Normally I do not like when sales associates interject when shopping, but in this case I was glad as I needed assistance for my impulse purchase. The Buzz is a nice wine store. At the counter lies small shots under $3.00 each who need a quick buzz without attaining a whole bottle. Their business card also serves as a magnet.
The next two days, in my solitude, I drank 1/3 after struggling for half hour to get the stupid cork out!! Surely then, I was buzzed.