July 7, 2009
this smallish place has been around for quite a while. though a few years back it was closed a while for medical reasons. the proprietor is standoffish but will open up if you convince him that you know a bit of what you are talking about. once he has something to say you can enjoy some good conversation. the prices are high of course due to location and ect. and the place is nice and clean with a fairly respectable selection. i do beleive some kind of deli type food is available or had been.

May 30, 2009
This is a must if in West Village. Not the selection of New Beer Distributors, but one of the best in Manhattan. Sure beats Wholefoods and other kiosks. And it the charm of a local small West Village unique - bordering to historic - kiosk. See http://www.yelp.com/biz/hercules-fancy-grocery-new-york for more raves.

July 31, 2006
This place had a pretty decent selection of German and (some) Belgian (and Belgian-style) beers. The gentleman who owns the store, whose name actually is "Hercules", is extremely willing to help out and answer questions. He will actually go far beyond what is necessary in terms of sharing his in-depth knowledge of beers and brewers and the like. At one point he came out from behind the counter, slapped my friend and I on the shoulders, and basically became our best friend right there on the spot. He had many, many suggestions and also offered some possible food pairings while talking about particular beers. I liked this place a lot, but I found their selection to be lacking somewhat. The prices were, in fact, on the beers (despite what is stated on this page). There were price tag stickers on the undersides of the bottles. The prices were actually a bit high, despite Hercules’ claims that his were "the lowest in the city". Pretty good, but not the best.

May 26, 2006 [ Updated October 30, 2007 ]
Priceeey! Holy cow, this place is expensive. And the guy behind the counter who doesn’t speak much english and refuses to put price tags on the beer is, er, a real character.brbr Fancy Grocery seems to focus its selection on German beers and other Euro imports.