The Cheese Shop

The Cheese ShopThe Cheese Shop
The Cheese ShopThe Cheese Shop
Store

410 W Duke of Gloucester St
Williamsburg, Virginia, 23185-3603
United States

(757) 220-0298 | map
cheeseshopwilliamsburg.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
4
Reviews:
20
Ratings:
33
pDev:
11%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by bamadog:
Photo of bamadog
Reviewed by bamadog from Ohio

3.55/5  rDev -11.3%
OK, so the numbers may seem a little low here, but I was actually pretty happy to find this little gem in Williamsburg. I'm here for a conference and this place is within walking distance, the selection is alright (but don't think that you're going to find tons of offerings from various brewers) and they may make the BEST sandwiches ever.

Quality: Pretty fair - had some nice offerings from local Virginia brewers and I really love being able to pick up beers that I can't back in the greater Cincinnati area despite the solid distribution.

Service: Didn't really look or ask for any help for what was there, so it's kind of hard to rate this. I do, however, imagine that they would be fine to answer some general questions about the beer, but nothing too specific about the potential flavor profiles or any kind of recommendations.

Selection: As I mentioned, it's not as if there are walls with rows and rows of beer, but the variety was solid for as small as the beer section is and there are only a few macro selections and a bulk of the space is devoted to locals and a few out of state imports (Bell's, Victory, etc...)

Value: I feel it was a fair deal for the beer that I bought - a mixed four pack I can't get back home and two bombers for 19 bones, I can live with that.
Feb 25, 2010
More User Ratings:
Photo of Boone757
Rated by Boone757 from Virginia

4/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.25 | selection: 3.75
Note the wine shop downstairs only carries wine, mead, cider now. All the beer is now upstairs in the cheese shop
Oct 24, 2020
 
Rated: 3.82 by gabe71tx from Virginia

Jun 17, 2019
 
Rated: 4.18 by MICAMD from Maryland

Jan 22, 2017
 
Rated: 4.22 by avisong from Virginia

Oct 30, 2015
Photo of oldn00b
Reviewed by oldn00b from Virginia

4.18/5  rDev +4.5%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4
Weird this review for the Cheese Shop doesn't allow for food comments - seems like most of these reviews are for the Wine Cellar below the store (a separate shop but with a stairway connecting to the Cheese Shop upstairs.

Cheese Shop offers a few draft selections from the Fat Canary restaurant next door. Usually very limited, I think to 5 taps, but some really great stuff shows up there like Alpine Nelson or Alewerks Jubilee.

Cheese shop is a mad house though - sandwich line and wait is just obscene and there are less hectic places to grab a bite and sit outside in Merchant's Square. That said, I still go here all the time as a local.

Wine Cellar below has a very limited beer selection but there are some great finds there from time to time.
Aug 19, 2015
 
Rated: 4.19 by hophugger from Virginia

Jul 10, 2015
 
Rated: 3.96 by intobenme from New York

Dec 13, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by ArkyVaughan from New Jersey

Dec 03, 2014
 
Rated: 2.13 by grantfenwick from Virginia

Nov 22, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Barleycorn from Pennsylvania

Sep 09, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by patre_tim from Thailand

Jun 24, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by xseanprimex from South Carolina

Apr 19, 2014
Photo of Mantooth
Reviewed by Mantooth from North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -6.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
Stopped by on a recent vacation. The shop has an amazing selection of cheese and wine, and the sandwiches were selling like hotcakes. The beer section is downstairs, with the wine. There's not a lot of beer to choose from, but it's a pretty good selection. The staff is really helpful. If you're in the area, check em out.
Apr 13, 2014
 
Rated: 4.14 by brocktune from Virginia

Nov 03, 2013
 
Rated: 4.25 by Cubatobaco from Virginia

Oct 09, 2013
Photo of bs870621345
Reviewed by bs870621345 from Iowa

3.75/5  rDev -6.3%
Overall, I had a lot of hope for this place based on the wine selection they have. Fantastic wine selection, tiny beer selection.

What they had was pretty great, stone vertical epic 09.09.09, black ops, batch 10,000 was what I picked up. They had plenty of Victory, Bells, Belgians (common ones), and other breweries. Less of a selection of various other breweries that were pretty sweet.

The guy that helped me (and my mom) was not overly friendly. Seemed that we were a nuisance in his day. Offered to hold our stuff while we walked around, but still not all that great on service and he only knew his wine.

Selection was good, but not great. They had a lot of things i was looking for but not good prices.

Like I said, expensive. Wasn't sure if i was going to be able to find anything else as I've heard Williamsburg is a bit of a beer wasteland. Worth the trip if you are in Colonial area, but still high priced.
Dec 29, 2010
Photo of akorsak
Reviewed by akorsak from Pennsylvania

3.36/5  rDev -16%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5
En route to OBX, we detoured into Williamsburg for lunch and a visit to the Cheese Shop.

Quality: At lunch time on a Saturday, this place is packed. The upstairs has a deli and high-end cheese, along with wine and beer. More alcohol is downstairs.

Service: I didn't seek out any assistance and didn't receive any. The kid carrying an umbrella seemed clueless when I tried to engage him. What can you do?

Selection: I was looking for Williamsburg and Richmond locals and was not disappointed. I walked out with Legends IPA and Pale Ale, a Hop Pocket and a few others. Williamsburg Alewerks was well-represented but nothing spectacular. A good place to go if you're looking for SoVA specialties.
Aug 15, 2010
Photo of afordney
Reviewed by afordney from Tennessee

4.2/5  rDev +5%
Visited twice while in Williamsburg, the upstairs is a swanky litte store that had a cheese case and other type foods as well as a deli that makes fantastic sandwiches. The beer shop is downstairs paired with a Wine selection. I was only looking for local beer with which to stock my fridge so I didn't do much extra looking but there didn't seem to be lots of beers displayed. Everyone was very friendly and helpful while we were there shopping. The deli upstairs has a great selection of meats and cheeses to make sandwiches with as well as all of their beers by the bottle to have with a your sandwich. The patio out front lets you observe the hustle and bustle on Duke of Gloucester in the market square area.
Aug 09, 2010
Photo of clayrock81
Reviewed by clayrock81 from Florida

3.85/5  rDev -3.8%
Maybe I'm being a little harsh but this is a quality place and the help was good but I wouldn't consider it top-notch; just below world class beer store. There is a decent amount of stuff to find but you'll really not find stuff here, especially when it comes to imports, that you couldn't get at other beer shops. Good local selection, but since I live here that means nothing, and good American micro selection from Stone, Victory, Brooklyn but again - any good beer store has that. Are a couple of hidden gems I got here that I haven't seen anywhere else at all but since this is in the heart of the historic district of Wburg and caters to the high end wine crowd you will pay. Worth a visit though if in neighborhood.
Apr 05, 2010
Photo of PatrickJR
Reviewed by PatrickJR from North Carolina

3.9/5  rDev -2.5%
While on our way to Pennsylvania for vacation, my wife and I stopped in Williamsburg to redeem some free passes we had. Both enjoying cheese, we wandered in here and I was pleasantly surprised by their beer selection.

A small cooler upfront carries a lot of local stuff, especially from Williamsburg Brewing and Old Dominion. Down stairs is another cooler as well as a shelf amidst mountains of wine with another 50-75 beers. Lots of good stuff from Southern Tier, Dogfish Head, Stone, and plenty others. A few quality Belgian and German imports were available as well. The upstairs stuff is kept in a cooler along with about half of the downstairs stuff with the remainder hanging out at cellar temperature. It looks like this beer is well taken care of.

No real interaction with the staff; they seemed to be more concerned with their wine stash but not really a problem.

A decent selection, but I'm probably a bit biased because I spotted quite a few goodies that I'm not able to get here in NC. Most of the stock aside from local offerings were bigger, pricier beers so I wasn't able to pick up all that I wanted.

Prices seemed fair enough, bombers in the 6-10 range with singles at around 2-3 dollars.

Overall this was a pleasant surprise after spending a day in the sweltering heat. I was extremely happy to get my hands on some beers I've always wanted to try but are unavailable to be in NC.
Jul 20, 2009
Photo of boxofepilepsy
Reviewed by boxofepilepsy from Virginia

4.45/5  rDev +11.3%
The Cheese Shop is a staple of the College community in the Burg and a pretty huge tourist stop right in Merchants' Square. They've got a beverage case with about 30 or so brews beside the sandwich station, but a better selection downstairs in the Wine Cellar. 100-125 different brews. All the perennial favorites-- Bells, Lagunitas, Brooklyn, DFH, Smutty, etc. plus some cool seasonals. Got my Brooklyn Black Ops there when I was in last November. Also some cool stuff there last time like Nogne-O and De Dolle. My tip is to talk to the staff. A couple of them know their stuff really well and if you ask them if they have anything cool, they might have something sweet hidden in the back for the geeks. Only down-side is that everything is single-bottle only.
Jun 15, 2009
Photo of beer2day
Reviewed by beer2day from North Carolina

4.2/5  rDev +5%
Right off the green in Colonial Williamsburg. Nice selection of cold bottles, probably 40 or so with 20 in the "that would be nice" variety. Troegs, Lagunitas, Stone, and Legend all well represented.

The line for ordering a sandwich is insane. The previous advice for calling ahead and using the side take-out window is well warranted. We opted out and went for a cheese tray, which was very nice and got us out of the shop in less than 10 minutes. Lots of outside seating. Large area of tables out front, but that area fills quickly. Smaller section on the side, but theoretically you cannot drink there.

You can sneak downstairs and get beer from the Wine Shop cooler as well.
Apr 12, 2009
Photo of lackenhauser
Reviewed by lackenhauser from Maryland

3.8/5  rDev -5%
Tucked downstairs from the Cheese Shop just outside the historical district. I am assuming it is a seperate entity from the Cheese Shop, though that doesn't really matter.

Decent enough quality to what they had. Could use a good cleaning some of the bottles had been there a while. Stone 08 Old Guardian anyone? Service was very, very attentive-Brad?-maybe, busy stocking shelves with the hot off the presses Brooklyn 2.

Selection left a bit to be desired in my book. Stone, Southern Tier, some Victory and locals like Legends and Williamsburg Ale Works. Really only 1 or 2 styles from each brewer. Not a lot of space dedicated to beer really. I mean it is the "wine' cellar after all. I thought the grocery store closer to where I was staying had a better selection actually.

Still, if the wife is shopping and you need to find something for yourself to do head here. I was very pleased to find the Local 2. Not like you will go nuts stocking up and have to carry it around all day.
Mar 28, 2009
Photo of Jimbo87
Reviewed by Jimbo87 from Virginia

4/5  rDev 0%
They have some really good beers.

They are friendly and offer help when you walk in.

Selection is good, but not that good. If you have a specific beer in mind, and you come here you will probably not find it, but they have more beers I haven't heard of than some other places. Some notable beers they have now are Double Bastard, Old Guardian, ST Gemini, DFH Red and White, Rochefort 10, Karmeliet Triple, and Korbinian. For a while they had nugget nectar, and briefly bigfoot, and briefly hopslam, and still more briefly they had Black OPS.

Prices are reasonable, but at the high end of reasonable.
Mar 21, 2009
Photo of blackie
Reviewed by blackie from Oregon

3.85/5  rDev -3.8%
drove up from Hampton on an unseasonally warm February Sunday to check out Williamsburg, the Cheese Shop was absolutely packed as people were out in droves to enjoy the weather

quality: all beers were stored warm, no real way to gauge quality as none of the beers present were dated, rotation is probably fine, especially during tourist season

service: the guy working the shop asked if I needed help a couple times, I declined, but you can't expect much more than that

selection: this place is a wine shop first and a beer store third, yes the selection was quality but it was incredibly slim, maybe around 50-75 bottles, and composed entirely of singles and bombers/750s, though case discounts are apparently available, props for the local St. George representation, good
Belgians, high ABV domestic bombers, worth a stop if you're in the area but far from a destination store
Feb 28, 2009
Photo of jwjon1
Reviewed by jwjon1 from Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev -1.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 4.5
The Cheese Shop is an excellent place to grab a sandwich and bottled brew. The other reviews nailed it: local dominated selection, great sandwiches, awesome cheeses and knowledgable staff, but super crowded during lunch. The call ahead comment is appropriate if you know what you want. Pick up a bag of bread ends and house dressing with your sandwich, a bag of kettle chips, a bomber from W'burg Alewerks, and you'll be set to feed two comfortably. The quality of the bread, cheese, and meat is second to none.
Dec 30, 2008
Photo of atsprings
Reviewed by atsprings from North Carolina

4.35/5  rDev +8.7%
We entered through the separate entrance that was down an outside stairwell from the Cheese Shop. We were directed to a singe wall of bottles and a center display of Oktoberfest's and Pumpkin Ales. When I asked about sixers or case prices for Smuttynose Finest Kind, I was pleasantly informed that there's a 10% discount when purchasing by the case, but unpleasantly informed that that price would be 24 times the single bottle price of $1.99. This place seems to be good for those seeking a variety of singles, but not good for those seeking a bunch of one beer. There were a decent selection of seasonals such as Stone 8/8/8 and Uinta 13th anniversary. I will likely check this place out again, but only really because there doesn't seem to be much better in Williamsburg.
Sep 21, 2008
Photo of SkinnyElvis
Reviewed by SkinnyElvis from Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev +5%
I found this place by chance on a trip to Williamsburg with the family. It is not a beer store but rather a high end deli/market with a small seating area (inside & out). We had a large party (of about 18) & we found tables outside on a Sat at 5PM. Since it was a deli, we all had various sandwiches which were all very good (4/5). The beer selection was surprisingly good: DFH, Victory, Bells, & locals were available for onsite consumption. The place was very clean and staff was friendly (4/5 atmosphere). Prices were reasonable. A very pleasant surprise & a nice pit stop while you do the tourist thing.

Cheers.
Jul 28, 2008
Photo of guinnessfan
Reviewed by guinnessfan from Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev +5%
Nice little place in a quaint part of town, close to W & M. If I'd had a place like this in college, I may not have had enough money for books!
Good quality place as the dates I saw were fresh. No dust to speak of on the bottles. Rotation seems pretty good.
Service seemed fine. Both people there asked if I needed help. I didn't, so I don't know how knowledgable they were.
Small, but nice selection. Good representation of beer from all over the US. Very nice offering of Victory, which kinda shocked me.
Prices were very good, especially since I live in PA. I've seen cheaper prices, but only about .50 cents per bottle on 12 ouncers.
Nice place with a cool little selection. Better quality than the pottery, not quite as big as the Wine Cellar.
Mar 03, 2008
Photo of HugoGrim
Reviewed by HugoGrim from Pennsylvania

4.7/5  rDev +17.5%
First off, this place really does not fit into any category Beer Advocate currently uses to describe an establishment. The Cheese Shop is a high end specialty food store which sells a wide variety of beer to go, however they also serve food and beer... so it's not simply a beer/liquor store, but it's not exactly a beer bar either.

I'll start with the beer. They have a wine cellar in the basement which is where the beer is also located. The selection is excellent, and the beers represented is also great. From local choices like the Williamsburg Ale Works, to more prominent US micros like Stone, Dogfish Head, Victory, Rogue to imports like Unibroue there are lots to chose from. They will allow you to mix your own six packs from anything they have, and the prices are great. In many cases even cheaper than I'm used to at home, which is quite amazing considering it's right in the middle of a tourist hot spot.

Now the food. I can't give the food an official rating, because of it's classification as a beer/liquor store, but it would get a 5. They serve fully customizable sandwiches served on a variety of fresh breads, with cheese selections from their in-house cheese counter (there are not many places you can get havardi on a sandwich). Whatever your choice I recommend adding the marinated tomatoes and house dressing... trust me. The locals know how great this place is and apparently word has gotten out, because the wait around lunch time can get quite long, but it is worth it. To top it off as I stated earlier they offer beer with your lunch. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed their roast beef sandwich with a La Fin Du Monde.

If you're visiting Williamsburg, this place is simply a must visit.
Jun 12, 2007
Photo of Drewbeer
Reviewed by Drewbeer from Kentucky

4.85/5  rDev +21.3%
This is the place to go for the exotics. A wide assortment of Belgians, barlywines, and other hard-to-find beers cram the shelves. The staff is knowledgable, and the beer is not expensive considering that you're in the heart of colonial Williamsburg. I spent a half an hour trying to choose which of the great beers I wanted. There were more Belgian ales here than in any five other shops I've been to.

Upstairs you can get the cheese people to match a cheese to your beer, and the shop is especially stocked with cheeses to match the Belgian Ales.
Feb 24, 2007
Photo of TinusTime
Reviewed by TinusTime from Virginia

4/5  rDev 0%
The cheese shop is in the Merchant Sqare area just outside Colonial Williamsburg. Basically the upstairs is a quite nice cheese shop and gourmet store and deli. Downstairs there is a Wine shop that carries some nice craft beers. The selection is not that large, but it is well thought out and 99 percent craft brew. Beers from Val-Dieu, Caricole, Rochfort are nice surprises. Also carried are Victory, Rogue and Local beers from Legend and Williamsburg Winery. Also for sale are some nice French Farmhouse ciders.

The service is polite and efficient. Depending on who is working will determine the level of beer saavy. Overall if you are in the Colonial Williamsburg area it is worth it to pop in and see if they have any hard to find gems.
Feb 07, 2005
The Cheese Shop in Williamsburg, VA
Place rating: 4 out of 5 with 33 ratings