A friend and I looked into all of the requirements last year. The overt regulations and licensing in NYC/NYS didn't actually seem too restrictive or expensive. We were very surprised. For some reason, the brewery license even costs more or less depending on the boro. It is the only fee I've ever encountered that is different for each boro, which is very suprising considering that NYC is a single legal entity. In Staten Island, the license to produce beer on site was only $400 a year!
But that's where the "friendliness" ends. NYC is a HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE environment for small business, and unless you are really committed and have good financial backing, you will be in for a big surprise.
To get your liquor license, you need to convince the community board to give it to you,
after you have established your business. In other words, you will have to pay rent, buy equipment, get all of your operating licenses,
then petition the community board to approve your license. I've heard that this can take up to two years depending on the community board involved. I suspect that the best thing to do is get in with the community board before starting this process so that you will have a good heads up and some influence once you start spending money. This should help lessen the time required to be approved. It is NYC after all:
It's not what you know, but who you know.
As a nano, you wouldn't have to deal with many of the labor issues that NYC forces on its small business owners, but you will have to deal with the NYC Health Department, the Death Star of food-related businesses within the 5 boros. Take a look at this article for a taste of what this department can do to you:
Staten Island restaurant Cucina di Napoli is closed by Health Department after owner blasts agency for health code violation enforcement - NYPOST.com
Long story short, we decided it was not worth it to deal with all of the nonsense involved. We were looking to open a brewpub though, so maybe the requirements for a brewery would be easier to deal with. If the health department is involved in any way (I'm sure they are since a brewery produces a consumable), I would personally not bother.
My friend decided to take over a family farm in MA and will be farming hops starting next year with plans to open a brewpub on site. I'm looking at opening a BBQ brewpub sportsbar with my cousin in the Hudson Valley. NYC can keep stealing money from someone else.