Best Cheese Shops in San Francisco

Best Cheese Shops in San Francisco

Cheese shops by Önder Örtel from Unsplash

Despite the rising cost of dairy products, we beg you to open a bottle of wine and grab your lactobacillus acidophilus so you may savour the finest assortment of soft, semi-soft, hard, and semi-hard cheeses life has to offer.

But first, take a look at this list of the best cheese shops in San Francisco.

1. 24th Street Cheese Company

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The 24th Street Cheese Company is the real deal. It has been there for a while, and whether on purpose or not, they intentionally pump out the wonderfully pungent and stinking cheese vapours into the pavement for the amusement of onlookers. They provide diverse beer choices and salumi alternatives in addition to cheese.

2. Bi-Rite Market

Bi-Rite, which now has two locations, is unquestionably the best gourmet grocery store in the area, and its cheese selection is unrivalled. Both locations have knowledgeable, friendly employees who can walk you through the selections, but the Divisadero location’s larger cheese counter, which isn’t tucked between vegetables and wine as it is in the Mission, makes it even simpler to browse the selection and ask for a sample.

Tell them what you like—sheep, goat, cow, or a blend—and they’ll be pleased to give you a taste tour for your upcoming picnic or dinner party. However, be advised that nothing comes cheap, so ask them to cut one of those $15 wedges instead since nothing comes cheap.

3. Cowgirl Creamery

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Although it originated in Point Reyes, the flagship cheese shop of Cowgirl Creamery has matured gracefully at the Ferry Building Marketplace. Blocks of their aged Red Hawk and triple cream Mt. Tam, both of which have won awards, may be found there, along with a carefully chosen assortment of other similarly produced cheeses from throughout the world.

Try Cowgirl’s Sidekick Cafe, located in the Ferry Building, where the staff melts their goods into mac & cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches, and Indian naan flatbread melts if you’re searching for warmer cheesiness.

4. Little Vine

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Located at the base of Telegraph Hill on Grant Avenue in North Beach, Little Vine is a little European-style grocery shop that specializes in cheese and everything that goes well with it.

Despite being tiny, they have a huge selection, with 300 different wines and over 75 different types of cheese, a third of which are available for around $20, making them ideal for picnics. A variety of cured meats, spreads, ice cream, pastries, and daily sandwich selections go well with the cheese and wine.

5. Lucca Delicatessen

In the old garage of a three-story apartment building, Mike Bosco established Lucca in 1929. Paul Bosco and Linda Bosco Fioretti, his grandchildren, are now in charge, although the small, traditional Italian deli’s appearance and atmosphere are mostly unchanged. Salami and prosciutto are still displayed in the front window and suspended from the ceiling.

Even the cheeses are aged on the same rack. To the rear of the store, past the deli case, you’ll discover a display filled with Locatelli Pecorino Romano and Rocca Parmigiano-Reggiano. Examine the marble board with more than 50 varieties of cheeses from Vermont, Wisconsin, Vermont, Denmark, and Italy.

The restaurant takes pleasure in using organic cheese from producers who don’t use hormones created via genetic engineerings, such as Straus Creamery, Sierra Nevada Cheese Company, and Springhill Cheese.

6. Rainbow Grocery

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When the hippie era in the city was in full swing, an ashram formed Rainbow in 1975, using volunteers as the workforce. The independent supermarket and co-op still adhere to its GMO-free principles today, and this philosophy extends to its cheese selection.

Since 1994, Gordon Edgar has stocked the main case of the store with various types and kinds of regional California cheese, including handmade, relentless, raw, goat, sheep, cow, water buffalo, and more. (There is also a limited variety of imported varietals available for sampling and purchase.) Author of Cheddar (2015) and Cheesemonger: A Life on the Wedge (2010), Edgar is an expert in his field and is on the board of the California Artisan Cheese Guild.

7. Say Cheese

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Say Cheese has existed in Cole Valley for 37 years, serving as what Bi-Rite is to 18th Street in terms of serving as the wine and cheese cornerstone of the little gourmet area.

With a superb range of cheese and charcuterie as well as reasonably priced wines, this quaint little business, which was established in 1976, is one of those local treasures that makes you feel warm inside and grateful that you live here. It is also conveniently located next to Golden Gate Park.

8. Mission Cheese

An American cheese shop and café called Mission Cheese offers artisan cheeses, meats, sandwiches, and regional wines. The owner’s intention when the wine and cheese bar launched was to “Celebrate American Cheeses.”

Choose the cheese of the day or Monger’s Choice, which enables the shopkeeper to put together a selection of cheeses for you depending on your preferences. A baguette, cornichon, and dried fruit are included with every food order but don’t forget to buy wine as well.

9. La Fromagerie

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In 2012, French Alps native Ruben Donze started his first cheese and sandwich store in the Dogpatch. In 2015, he continued by opening a second FiDi store. The selection of over 40 cheeses, which primarily come from France, Italy, and Spain, reveals the buyer’s European heritage.

The cheese-obsessed crew at Donze is kind and generous with samples, slicing and cutting wheels dispensing tasting remarks and matching recommendations. Try the luxurious Sottocenere, an aged cow’s milk cheese from Italy seasoned with nutmeg, coriander, cinnamon, liquorice, cloves, and fennel and laced with truffles.

10. Cheese Boutique

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Rick and Nada Malouf, proprietors of the well-known Cheese Boutique, are experts in cheese. For more than 25 years, they have been a Glen Park staple, bringing in French brie, Old Amsterdam gouda, and Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano.

They have a well-picked assortment of about 100 cheeses from India to Italy. The duo is also well-known for their homemade baba ghanoush, tabouli, and other Middle Eastern dishes that are created every week in the rear.

From affordable food to exquisite dining, artisan beer to some of the world’s best wines, San Francisco is the home to the best artisan cheese stores and dairies in the world.