The Top 10 Cheese Shops In Melbourne Australia

From Carlton to South Yarra, Acland Street to Spring Street, Melbourne’s artisan and aromatic fromageries will cater to your cravings as they serve up crumbling feta, dreamy mozzarella, gouda and gorgonzola, mouth-watering brie and blue vein. Many of these locations are also licensed venues allowing you to accompany your favorite local and international varieties with a drop of red wine. Here are 10 of the best cheese shops in the area.

Milk the Cow

Forget beer gardens and noisy club scenes; if you’re looking for a sophisticated place that intermingles your favorite drop with the finest fromage, then head to Milk the Cow. This licensed fromagerie opened in St Kilda in 2012 and in Carlton two years later and boasts a selection of over 150 artisan cheeses from across the globe. Cheesemonger and regional manager Laura Lown has curated a selection of seasonal cheeses that are available to enjoy on-site, by the gram or in a takeaway Cheesebox. Try a Cheesemonger’s Choice Cheeseboard accompanied by freshly baked bread or the Cheese & Booze Flights. On wintery days, there’s nothing better than the individual fondue pots, and in the summer, try the refreshingly unique artisan cheese gelato.

Milk the Cow, 323 Lygon Street, Carlton, VIC, Australia, +61 3 9348 4771

1. Richmond Hill Café and Larder

Cafe, Restaurant, Wine Bar, Australian, Contemporary, Gluten-free

The Cheese Room at Richmond Hill Café and Larder is a decadent treat for Melbourne’s cheese lovers. As you enter the temperature-controlled room, you’ll notice the maturing cheese wheels that are carefully attended to by expert cheesemongers who are passionate about fromage education. Their wide selection of ‘benchmark’ cheeses include goat’s and ewe’s cheese, washed rind, hard cheese, blue cheese and white mould varieties, including Brie and Camembert. The Cheese Room also hosts cheese and wine workshops, and if you sign up to The Cheese Club, you will get cheesy home deliveries.

Farmgate Cheese

In 2010, Travis and Laura Sanders launched Farmgate as an alternative to the traditional gift hamper; the brand has since expanded internationally, becoming an online artisan cheese shop. Sourcing local ingredients, their hampers include gourmet cheese, wines, jam, jellies, crackers, dried fruits and nuts that have been chosen with precision to complement and balance each other. Also available are cheese towers perfect for celebrating a special occasion. Farmgate products are sold at independent retailers across Australia, including at Leo’s Fine Food & Wine and Toscanos, as well as in selected Woolworths stores and on board various Qantas flights. Recently, Farmgate have also expanded to South East Asia and the Middle East and California.

Online Store, + 61 3 9568 7046

2. Harper & Blohm

Cheesemonger, Australian

In Essendon, one cheese shop reigns supreme. Harper & Blohm has been residing inside Prince Wine Store since 2014 and carries a small, ever-changing range of American, European and Australian cheese. Owner Olivia Sutton credits childhood vacations to King Island, Tasmania as the reason behind her fromage love affair and named her company after the maiden names of her grandparents. Sutton spent ten years working for the Calendar Cheese Club, and her aim with Harper & Blohm is to expose taste buds to flavors not often available to the public.

3. The Cheese Shop Deli

Deli, Australian, French

Tucked away in the Prahran Market, you’ll find The Cheese Shop Deli. The quaint store, owned by Angelo and Di, offers an overwhelmingly wide range of Australian and French cheeses, including hard and soft varieties, goat’s and sheep cheese, blue vein, cheddar, Gouda, artisan and gorgonzola, among others, and after having traded in the market for over ten years, Angelo knows a thing or two about tending to cheese.

4. La Parisienne Pâtés

Cafe, Australian, Italian, French, Dessert

Among scores of Italian stores and restaurants sits a one-of-kind French charcuterie. Owned by Stephane and Muriel Langlois, the shop sells pâtés, terrines, rillettes, sausages, cured meats as well as French oils and wines. La Parisienne Pâtés is also a fromagerie and holds a wide range of imported cheese, many of which are rare finds in Australia and just as hard to pronounce. Once you’ve checked out their cheese range, it’s time to have lunch and try a savory tart or sink your teeth into a tempting French dessert.

5. Two Tall Chefs

Cafe, Australian

Located in Nicholson Street, Two Tall Chefs is a full-licensed restaurant and cheese shop offering breakfast and lunch six days a week, along with a hand-picked range of local and artisan cheeses. Sit down and try Brie, gouda and blue vein with accompanying poached figlettes, pastes and sourdough. Pair you selection with wine, beer or cider and allow the notes to complement each other on your palate. Care for something more formal? On Friday and Saturday nights, Two Tall Chefs offer a two- or three-course dinner.