Trejo Liquor & Wines

Aside from the fact that this store is very close to where i live, i also like the selection of wine that they have here. Price is very ranging from very affordable to quite pricey, but in general it is cheaper than else.

This is by far the closest liquor store to my apartment, but I’ve learned to walk past it. Their selection is poor and tilts toward moscatos, liqueurs, and other very sweet things, and most of their liquor is in a separate room behind a glass partition you’re not allowed into. Unlike many liquor stores in which the liquor is behind some glass but still clearly visible, their liquor stock is basically not visible, so you need a drawn-​out conversation with a staff member to get what you want.. . but the staff here is not knowledgeable about liquor or wine, at all.
I wish I could say what they lack in knowledge they make up for in great customer service, but newp. Every staff member I’ve encountered acts like it’s a big hassle for them to help me, especially if I’m looking for something specific.
You might think that such a dive-​y place would have low prices, but they don’t, at least for the brands they’re carrying. Yeah, they have a lot of wines under or around $ 10, but that’s because they charge around $ 10 for two-​buck chuck kinda stuff.

They stock my brand but not in all sizes. The address is not 970, but 948 Amsterdam.

Cheap wine! Cheap! Like a little tipsy bird.

The only reason I’m giving this place one star is because I had to click something. Their selection may be just ok, but the service is abhorrent.
I’ve been in this shop quite a few times, and every single time I have been treated like actual dirt; receiving one-​word and curt answers to simple questions. The most recent time, I finally addressed the lack of service with the manager, who instead of having a conversation with me, told me I «don’t have to come here» and started yelling at me for a reason I still can’t pinpoint.
I live across the street, but I will never give these people my money again. You’re better off going to any one of the serene places on Broadway that actually value their customers.

Trejo looked pretty good from the outside: the equivalent of two storefronts, two front doors, walls lined with spirits inside and outside the glass door.
But that’s just the thing: there’s an ominous glass door separating you from the REAL liquor. Liquor stores, like Trejo, that separate the customer from their stock (and don’t allow the customer back in this case) live and die by the knowledge and experience of their clerks. In this regard, Trejo is a complete failure.
I showed up looking for two things: scotch and pisco. They didn’t have any pisco (and/​or the clerk didn’t seem to know what it was). What the hell is a liquor store called Trejo doing without pisco? Do they even carry tequila?
As for the scotch, the man pointed me to the row of 100ml ghetto-​bottles, and most of which weren’t even scotch (Makers is a bourbon, Seagrams is a whiskey, dear sir).
‘No, I would like a smokey Islay scotch like Laphraoig.
Huh?‘
Sigh.
I know I’m probably expecting too much from a Manhattan Valley liquor store, but with how big this place is, what the hell are they carrying in stock anyhow? I was ready to buy over $ 150 in liquor. Instead, they lost a customer.

A few weeks ago my partner and I walked past this place and exclaimed «oh wow, they finished it! There’s a new wine store here!» After we calmed down we walked in and perused the fairly impressive wine selection on the shelves. They even had our favorite bottle of Rioja! Unlike most liquor/​wine stores on this side of Broadway, we were not forced to longingly gaze through bulletproof glass in order to «browse» the selection. There are wines galore on both the left and right sides of the store. Some liquor can be found on the top shelves, and there is more behind the store counter where the staff work.
Fast forward a few weeks later, and I’m on the hunt for some champagne one Saturday morning for home-​made mimosas. I decide to walk over to the neighborhood’s «new» wine store. There’s a rack of champagne on the right side of the store that range in prices from Andre at $ 6 (remember kids, only do brunch with Andre at your own discretion) to $ 40-​$ 50 bottles. I find what I want, which clocked in at $ 12, and took it up to the front counter.
He asks me if I’d like one chilled. Why yes please! I’d been disappointed that there wasn’t a fridge with cooled bottles in it. He promptly returns with a chilled bottle of champagne. During the transaction I ask if they’ve just opened. He gives me a perplexed look and replies they’ve been there for 20 years. I give him a perplexed look and say that this is the first time I’ve seen their store front. He says they’ve just expanded, and I ask from what. He then proceeds to gesture to a part of the front window that’s roughly the size of a subway car door opening (note: now the store is at least 2 – 3 pizza joint fronts wide).
Ah, that’s it.