Brooklyn Starbucks to Start Serving Alcohol (and Truffle Popcorn) This Week

Photos courtesy of Starbucks.

This Wednesday, the Starbucks at North 7th Street and Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg (near the Bedford subway stop) will become one of a few dozen select locations across the nation to serve alcohol, DNAinfo reports.

From around 4 p.m. until the store’s 9 p.m. closing time, “a thoughtful selection of wine and craft beer” will be served alongside “the signature coffee and tea beverages you know and love,” according to Starbucks.

The wine and beer will also be paired with a new Starbucks Evenings menu of artisan appetizers — including truffle mac & cheese, truffle popcorn and bacon-wrapped dates. (Full menu below.)

Starbucks was met with fierce neighborhood opposition when it proposed wetting its second Williamsburg branch back in 2014.

Esther Bell is the owner of a coffee house called The West, situated just down the street from Starbucks‘ other Williamsburg location on Union Avenue. She says she collected more than 2,000 signatures opposing a liquor license for the Starbucks on North 7th Street.

Bell tells Patch on Monday that “it was pretty disheartening to have your entire community say ‘No’ to something, and then watch the [New York State Liquor Authority] board override that, upstate.”

Bell says she’s worried that Starbucks’ new beer-and-wine menu will re-route revenue from small, family-owned restaurants in the area. “There are business here that survive on alcohol revenue,” she says. “Billion-dollar Starbucks doesn’t need it.”

The West has been serving alcohol for the past three years. And as Bell sees it, young Starbucks employees, who have no personal relationship with corporate headquarters, might not understand the ”huge responsibility” that comes with a liquor license.

“It’s like having alcohol at McDonald’s,” she says. “Does someone making minimum wage really care about a customer who gets drunk, or underage kids coming in?”

Guess we’ll find out, starting this Wednesday.

UPDATE: Starbucks’ press office says in a response to Bell, sent to Patch: “We’re focused on bringing the best possible experience to our customers and part of that is ensuring the Evenings menu is the right fit for each neighborhood we consider. Our customers have asked for more options in the evening hours and we look forward to bringing them a new menu we know they’ll love as the perfect complement to their coffee.”

You can browse the full Starbucks Evening menu below. And here’s The West’s menu for comparison — including house cocktails, which you won’t find at Starbucks.

Small Plates

• SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP WITH PITA CHIPS: Creamy spinach and artichokes deglazed with white wine.
• TRUFFLE MAC & CHEESE: Macaroni pasta in a creamy truffle fondue with herbed Parmesan breadcrumbs.
• CHICKEN SAUSAGE & MUSHROOM FLATBREAD: Layered with chicken sausage, oven-roasted tomatoes, diced cherry peppers and mushrooms.
• ARTICHOKE & GOAT CHEESE FLATBREAD: Layered with Jack cheese, marinated artichoke hearts, red peppers and goat cheese.
• CHEESE PLATE: Irish Cheddar, Manchego, herbed goat cheese, dried apricots, fig spread and flax seed crackers.
• SALUMI PLATE: Prosciutto, coppa and cacciatore salami, grissini breadsticks and sweety drop peppers.
• MEATBALLS WITH TOMATO BASIL SAUCE: Savory blend of beef and Italian sausage.
• BACON-WRAPPED DATES: Warmed Deglet Noor dates stuffed with chorizo sausage, wrapped in crispy bacon, drizzled with balsamic glaze.
• CHICKEN SKEWERS: Marinated chicken breast coated with Parmesan and panko breadcrumbs.
• TRUFFLE POPCORN: Seasoned with truffle salt and served warm.

Wine (Sparkling)

• PROSECCO (VILLA SANDI “IL FRESCO” DOC TREVISO, ITALY): Bubbly and floral with sweet hints of apple and honey.

Wine (White)

• PINOT GRIS (ERATH, OREGON): Fresh lemon, cantaloupe and pineapple with a lengthy finish.
• SAUVIGNON BLANC (VILLA MARIA, NEW ZEALAND): Aromatic and crisp with melon and passion fruit notes.
• CHARDONNAY (FERRARI-CARANO, SONOMA COUNTY): Ripe apple and pear with a buttery, toasted oak finish.
• MOSCATO (ROSATELLO, ITALY): Sweet and effervescent with flavors of peach and candied orange.
  

Wine (Red)

• RED BLEND (APOTHIC, CALIFORNIA): Rich black cherry complemented by hints of mocha and vanilla.
• PINOT NOIR (LANGE ESTATE WINERY, WILLAMETTE VALLEY): Soft, smooth tannins with cherry, raspberry and earth aromas.
• MALBEC (ALAMOS, ARGENTINA): Dark fruit and brown spice with hints of clove and black pepper.
• RED BLEND (NORTH BY NORTHWEST, COLUMBIA VALLEY): Rich with Bing cherry, black peppercorn, cocoa and raspberry flavors.
• CABERNET SAUVIGNON (COLUMBIA CREST H3, HORSE HEAVEN HILLS, WASHINGTON): Bold flavors of black currant, plum and earth with a silky finish.
  

Craft Beer

• ASK YOUR BARISTA ABOUT OUR CURRENT SELECTION OF CURATED CRAFT BEERS.