Pull to refresh
Logo
Georgian wine bar Lileo receives New York liquor license

Georgian wine bar Lileo receives New York liquor license

Rule Changes New York, NY local

State Liquor Authority approves food-and-beverage license for the Park Slope spot at 86 5th Ave

6 days ago: New York issues Lileo a liquor license

Overview

Updated 26 minutes ago

Lileo, a Georgian coffee and wine bar in Brooklyn's Park Slope, can now legally serve alcohol. New York State Liquor Authority records show the shop received a food-and-beverage license for 86 5th Avenue on September 22, 2026.

The approval arrives about three months after owner Tamar opened the shop with coffee, pastries, and Georgian dishes like khachapuri and khinkali. It fills an alcohol-sales gap left when the address's prior tenant, the pie shop Miss American Pie, let its license lapse on October 31, 2025. The license is one approval, not proof the business holds every permit it needs.

Why it matters

The license lets Lileo pour its Georgian wine list, completing its shift to a wine bar and filling a storefront vacant since late 2025.

Questions about this story

Free account needed to ask — your question is kept and asked for you right after sign-up. Answers are public.

No questions yet — be the first to ask.

Key Indicators

326
Days between the address's previous liquor license expiring and Lileo's license
Miss American Pie's license lapsed Oct 31, 2025; Lileo's was issued Sept 22, 2026.
2
Liquor licences issued at 86 5th Ave since 2025
The address held a license for Miss American Pie, then Lileo.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

Ever wondered what historical figures would say about today's headlines?

Sign up to generate historical perspectives on this story.

People Involved

Organizations Involved

Timeline

October 2025 September 2026

3 events Latest: 6 days ago
  1. New York issues Lileo a liquor license

    Latest Licensing

    The State Liquor Authority approves a food-and-beverage license for Lileo.

  2. Lileo opens in Park Slope

    Opening

    Owner Tamar opens the Georgian coffee and wine bar at 86 5th Ave.

  3. Miss American Pie's liquor license lapses

    Regulatory

    The pie shop's state alcohol license at 86 5th Ave expires.

Scenarios

1

Lileo starts pouring its Georgian wine list

Likely Resolves by End of 2026

Discussed by: Park Slope Pulse, which profiled Lileo as a wine bar on opening

The license's obvious purpose is alcohol service. If Lileo's menu and social media begin showing wine and beer for sale, the license is doing its job. The restaurant opened with a 'wine bar' concept and a Georgian wine selection ready to pour, so this should show up quickly in its public materials.

2

Lileo closes, following Miss American Pie out of the storefront

Unlikely Resolves by Sep 22, 2027

Discussed by: A common risk for new New York restaurants; the prior tenant at this address closed

New York restaurants face high rents and thin margins, and the last business at 86 5th Avenue did not last. If Lileo's license is revoked, lapses, or the shop stops operating by autumn 2027, the storefront would change hands again.

3

Lileo earns a place on a local best-of list

Possible Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Local food coverage in Eater NY and Park Slope Pulse

If Lileo wins steady customers and positive reviews, it could show up on a published roundup of Brooklyn's best Georgian restaurants or wine bars. That would signal the shop has become a recognized neighborhood fixture rather than a brief tenant.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

through October 2025

Miss American Pie at 86 5th Ave (until October 2025)

Miss American Pie, a pie shop, held a New York liquor license at 86 5th Avenue. That license expired October 31, 2025, and the shop vacated the space.

Then

The storefront at 86 5th Avenue sat empty of a licensed food-and-beverage business after the pie shop's departure.

Now

The lapsed license opened the door for a new tenant to apply for its own approval at the same address.

Why this matters now

It shows Lileo is taking over a space with a history of food and alcohol service, and explains the license gap the September 2026 approval fills.

2010s–2020s

Georgian cuisine's spread across New York (2010s–2020s)

Georgian restaurants long clustered in Brooklyn's Russian-speaking enclaves around Brighton Beach, where dishes like khachapuri and khinkali were staples. In recent years Georgian food has reached Manhattan and other Brooklyn neighborhoods, drawing a wider audience.

Then

More New Yorkers outside the Russian enclaves gained access to Georgian food.

Now

Khachapuri and khinkali became familiar dishes across the city's dining scene.

Why this matters now

Lileo brings Georgian food to Park Slope, extending that geographic spread to a new Brooklyn audience.

Sources

(2)

More from New York, NY

Openings, permits and council decisions in New York, NY, in your inbox every Monday.