Cigar Lounge: Conquistador Cigar Parlor – Brooklyn NY

The 3rd stop on my NYC Cigar Shop tour, took me to a brand new and luxurious lounge in Brooklyn, NY.  Conquistador Cigar Parlor has been only open since May of 2018 and it is one of the last shops to get a tobacco resale licence in the Big Apple. Located in the Sheepshead Bay section of Brooklyn, at  2417 Coney Island Ave, the shop is located next to a Dunkin Donuts store, so you can grab a beverage before going into the shop. Yes, this is NY , and the law makes it hard to serve anything other than cigars and cigar accessories in a cigar store.

I have to thank Val Atakhanian from DAV Cigars, who is a Stogie Press sponsor, for taking me to the shop which is conveniently located just 5 blocks from the Avenue U stop on the “Q” Train. We did not not take the subway there, but it may have been easier than spending 2 hours in NYC rush hour traffic. However, the trip brought back some fond memories of my college days, when I used to work at a small Wine and Cheese Pub that was located 4 blocks down Coney Island Avenue near Avenue Z. For those that lived in Brooklyn, back in the late 1970’s you may recall the place known as the Grape Vine. It is no longer there today as the whole area has changed since those days, but the memories remain and this visit will fill new memory cells that will stay with me for years to come.

The Conquistador Cigar Parlor is hard to miss when driving down Coney Island Ave. It has a yellow, brightly lit, “Cigars” sign atop the building.  Unlike many small shops in the NYC area, Conquistador Cigar Parlor is fresh and modern, and has a large glass front and illuminating interior that lights up the evening street and easily attracts you to the establishment, even if you did not smoke cigars.

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The lounge is the creation of three Belarus immigrants; Igor Shafron, Gene Treyvus, and Alex Galynski, who followed their dream to create a business of their own. It was not easy, as NY has stopped issuing tobacco retail licenses this year. The trio were one of the last fortunate applicants to receive a licence. Prior to opening, each of the partners had different business backgrounds – Igor was in Information Technology, Gene was in Trucking, and Alex made a living in Retail.  They all enjoyed cigars and had an affinity for motorcycle riding and would ride around to smoke cigars. The bond of being cigar smokers, motorcyclists and  hailing from the same mother country was enough to put their heads together to create the Conquistador Cigar Parlor.

The Lounge

As I noted, this is a well laid out and modern lounge with bright red walls  decorated with classic photos and comfortable leather chairs to relax in. There is even a beautiful antique grandfathers clock that caught my eye and reminds me – it is always time to smoke a cigar!

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The Humidor – Oh Yea!

Once entering the Conquistador Cigar Parlor, you can’t help but be drawn to the enormous walk in humidor which is the center of gravity in the shop. Like the front of the store, it has a large glass front, is brightly lit, and well apportioned with over 700 facings of the finest cigars on the market. As I walked about the humidor, it was evident these three guys spent some serious cash on the build-out and cut no corners on the humidor or the shop in general.

There is great care taken in how the humidor is stocked. It is clean, perfectly humidified, and neatly arranged with rows of of cigars, wrapping the from front to back and floor to ceiling. The mix of tobacco and cedar aromas fill your nasals as your browse the shelves. You would be hard pressed to not find a cigar that meets your specifications and palate. 

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Members get Privileges

Gene explained to me that they will be offering memberships to the lounge that will cost $1,200/Year. For that price, you will get not only a locker to store your prized possessions in, but also access to the upstairs lounge with 8 large screen HD televisions, plenty of comfortable seating, a conference table, and a large bathroom that even includes a shower. Members will be able to reserve the upstairs area for events with advanced notice. 

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Accessories

All fine lounges include the sale of cigar accessories and Conquistador Cigar Parlor has the goods. They carry the finest lighters, cutters, humidors, and ash trays to add to your smoking pleasure. The glass case in the front of the checkout counter is well stocked with cutters and there are other cases that include a fine selection of much needed accessories.

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Seating on the ground floor is comfortable and makes for easy conversation while you are puffing on your favorite selection. there are sufficient tables and ash trays throughout so you never have to worry about where to drop your ash. Once again, this is NYC, so there is no beverage service, but you can bring your own if you so desire. 

As Val and I were there, there was decent traffic into the shop, both to sit and smoke and also to purchase and carry out. For a store that is still young, it is starting to get noticed and I certainly would recommend it, if you are in the area. The team is learning every day how to run a 1st class operation and they were open to any and all suggestions to make Conquistador Cigar Parlor the shop of choice in the area. 

So make time to visit them and remember, “smoke em if you got em”, and of course if you need more,  Conquistador Cigar Parlor most likely has what you are looking for. 

Contact Info

Conquistador Cigar Parlor is open 7 days a week:

• Sun – Thur: 10 AM to 10 PM
• Fri and Sat: 10 AM to 11:30 PM

Website: www.cigarvenue.com

Facebook: Conquistador Cigar Parlor