When we first visited this adorable and super awesome Speakeasy, The Little Shop for the first time, we absolutely loved it! So, when my mother and my niece were visiting us in September 2022, we decided to take them there. They were of course a bit confused when we took them to a small grocery store… There was a pretty big change from the last time we visited – No hot food! Thier kitchen is now closed, until further notice… We were disappointed since their food was quite tasty. So, instead, we bought a few things from the store, and hand them to them so that they can plate them nicely for us.
The surprise on their face when we walked through the secret door was great! The ambiance was still as lovely as it used to be, minus the welcome drinks… I wonder when they stopped doing that… Another sad note, but we were determined to have a great time regardless! The staffs brought out the snacks we purchased from the store, nicely plated for us. They were pretty good, especially the chocolate covered fruits!
For drinks, we each ordered cocktails. The first one was Purple Vesper ($19), made with empress gin, vodka, lillet blanc, and shop-made lavender bitters. Second one was Black Cherry (19), made with scotch, amaro montenegro, cherry liqueur, grapefruit, lemon, and luxardo. We had these coctails during our first visit, and remembered how good they were, so we couldn’t resist… Then we got Shop Slushie ($18) and Piña ($18). Didn’t take notes on the Shop Slushie, but it was so cute, tropical, and delicious!
Piña, made with white rum, pineapple, homemade almond orgeat, Dr. Bird float, and rosemary, was the most interesting one! A bartender came out the torch the rosemary to give that smokey notes, which was awesome!
So, with or without the hot food, we had a great time there. It was my mother and my nieces first Speakeasy experience, and a total success! They were surprised of the concept with the secret door, and happy with the delicious cocktails. The staffs were welcoming and friendly. We will be sure to go back there again in a future!
The Little Shop – 252 Front St, New York, NY 10038