Les Amis Du Fromage

This place has a great selection of cheeses. Parking is ample and the service is very good. Staff are helpful and allow sampling before deciding on purchasing. They take credit card. This place is not cheap though. Some of the cheeses can be found elsewhere for cheaper. Still a great place to buy cheese.

Cheese Lovers, Les Amis is calling you!
I am lactose intolerant and I can still find some good goat cheese here.
Very knowledgeable and friendly staff!
Caution: Don’t try too many of the samples that looked interesting, you will want to bring it all home!

I forgive you for smelling like dead people. You have so much great cheese and wines to match. Your staff seems to know so much about cheese you wonder if maybe perhaps they were raised by cheese. I have never been in a store like you. What else can you say. Plug your nose and go get you some cheese

Remember kindergarten and it was a rainy day out and all of your classmates played outside in their gumboots with smiley faces on the bottom of the boots? I do and I also remember the smell of stinky feet when everyone took their boots off in the cloak room at the same time. That’s the smell that hits you when you enter Les Amis as the mélange of cheese odor in the store lingers about but in a good way.
My cheese knowledge is terrible but being here gave me a little bit more education on cheese filling my brain with a little bit more cheese know how. The staff here know their stuff about cheese and if you’re uncertain they are more than happy to help. Budget, pairings, and clever nick nacks to full fill your cheese adventure. if assistance is needed.

Au Petit Chavignol, the restaurant beside this store, closed in April. It was a good effort but not a great loss. However, Les Amis du Fromage is a delight. They have a wonderful selection from all over North America and Europe, raw milk cheese, too and informed staff (one young woman looks like something right out of Emile Zola’s Le Ventre de Paris) and in the back fridges you can sometimes find great bargains.

Great place. I went the other day and asked for a variety of cheeses, gave her my budget. I added some crackers and a little pâté to round out my order.
We have been enjoying all of the cheeses but they are pretty similar so I would have liked a little more variety but will take more of a hand in my next order.
Can’t wait to bring my GF here and then go next door for a sit down meal.

When the BF’s brother makes pizza, we normally go to the Kits /​False Creek location of Les Amis Du Fromage to get the specialty cheese. We also hit up Gourmet Warehouse, and last time (a few months ago) we heard that Les Amis Du Fromage was opening up this location mere blocks from Gourmet Warehouse. Score!
The shop is HUGE! They also have cured meats and various cheese-​related accessories for the discerning chef. I’d say the selection is the same or comparable to their West 2^nd location, but the space is amaaazing. No more nudging past other customers, or waiting to look at the refrigerated display case, or having to ask someone to move so you can open the cooler doors. You can leisurely spend your time reading each label on the cheese, which detail the place they’re from, how they’re cured, what the taste/​texture is, and what foods they go well with.
And next door is their restaurant, Au Petit Chavignol… cheese coma!

Wow. Amazing selection of cheeses.
I was impressed that each cheese has a little information sign including the price. (Why do other stores make me guess or ask a busy sales clerk?)
Prices could be cheaper but you get what you pay for.

Cheese, condiments, charcuterie… and its everywhere.
Upon stepping into this wonderful store, the smells are almost overwhelming, I’ve never seen such a large deli fridge filled with something for everyone. Since this was my first time into Les Amis Du Fromage and I was searching for a specific cheese, I figured the easiest way would be to ask the store clerk for my request. Unfortunately, Niagara Gold was not in stock and I learned sadly that they had some a couple weeks ago. Thankfully, the knowledgeable clerk was able to make some recommendations for something similar that I could use for a recipe to be part of Easter dinner. The clerk even offered to take my info down and call me the next time Niagara Gold was in stock.
We also perused the selection of house made to-​go meals and opted to purchase some honey lager sausages made with Whistler brewing lager.
Success! The dish was fantastic.

Les Amis Du Fromage, what more could a girl want?
The store is nestled down on Hastings next to Au Petit Chavignol, who serves their cheese along a fairly bland stretch of Hastings. If you don’t know what you’re looking for it’d be easy to roll right by. But poke your head in and you wont regret it.
They’ve got a huge selection of cheeses, and the great thing about this place for someone who can’t eat cows milk is they have a great selection of goats milk cheeses. I ended up with some goat gouda among other blue and sheep’s milk cheeses. Running from about $ 3-​$ 6 per 100g the cheese isn’t cheap but as other reviewers have said, it’s no more expensive than anywhere else in the city for specialty cheese. In fact I’d go so far as to say it’s cheaper than Whole Foods or Choices.
The staff are awesome, super friendly and knowledgeable and are willing to help you find the perfect cheese for any occasion, and the store has a great selection of crackers and charcuterie to compliment your cheese. If you’re looking for something specific just ask and they will be happy to give you a sample and help you plan your cheeseventure.
I love this place, I’ve been going long enough that I’ve tried the better part of their selection and am always happy. Merci beaucoup les amis du fromage!

Great cheese selection. Nice variety of complimentary groceries and kitchen tools. Helpful staff.
Went in recently to try and find some dried mushrooms I’ve been using and am now out of. They were listed by the mushroom company as a supplier of the product and as I’m a cheese lover and hadn’t yet frequented this store, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity.
Sadly, they did not have any of the variety of dried mushrooms that I wanted, but they were glad to take my name with an offer to call me when they resupplied.
Some lovely ginger cookes caught my eye before I could leave so I ended up buying a few things to nibble on, before heading to the restaurant next door.
YUM. I will return!

My darling Cheese,
I just wanted to write you to say how much I love you and miss you. You are one of my dearest and oldest friends. I can scarcely contain my excitement to see you again. Sadly, in those delicious hours when we are together, the time goes by so quickly that before I know it, you’re gone. I must visit again soon. À la prochaine!
Hopelessly,
Your ardent admirer
I found this short note written on pale orange scented paper tucked away in a drawer recently, I’d forgotten it was there. I suppose I was too afraid to send it for fear I would be spurned. That crazy winter… It brought back such fond memories that I was moved to write this review of my favorite cheese shop.
Les Amis Du Fromage is a well-​stocked cheese shop tended by passionate and knowledgeable staff who are very helpful in selecting cheese. They have everything you need to enjoy cheeses from around the world, displayed in an enormous spotlessly clean space at the tail end of the Downtown Eastside, roughly halfway between Main and Commercial on Hastings. It’s a smart move on their part to minimize overhead by choosing a slightly less desirable location which is still on a major thoroughfare, à la Gourmet Warehouse. As a resident of East Van, I’m delighted to see places like this opening up. It proves what we’ve known all along: you don’t need to have a West Nth address to appreciate excellent food.
I’ve recently taken on the arduous task of educating myself about cheese, something I suddenly realized one day that I enjoyed a lot but knew very little about. I’ve had many suggestions from the staff here that have become favorites. Recently I was buying a cheese assortment for a dinner, and came out with several stellar pieces. A perfectly ripe Brie de Meaux that left us all gasping, a nice sharp Tasmanian blue called Roaring Forties (you learn something new every day), and a lovely ash-​covered soft goat cheese from Humboldt county in California, with a Morbier-​like layer of ash running through its middle, all recommended by a perfectly lovely woman who really took her time in assembling my order. Les Amis carries a great selection of olives, pickles, charcuterie, sweet and savory preserves, biscuits, (another recommendation was oat cakes for our Robbie Burns-​themed dinner) and a very nice selection of tinned patés, rillettes and so forth, including foie gras. Oh, and not only do they have baguettes, I came away with two which they had hot from the kitchen of Au Petit Chevignol next door. If warm baguettes don’t whet your appetite for cheese, check your pulse.
A note about prices: Les Amis du Fromage is a specialty cheese shop dealing in premium imported cheeses. The cheeses are expensive, but compared to the other places in the city that carry the same products, very reasonable. Places like Urban Fare, Choices and Whole Foods charge $ 5.99, $ 6.99 and $ 7.99 per hundred grams for cheeses that Les Amis sells for under $ ⁴⁄₁₀₀ g. Do a comparison on cave-​aged Gruyère. Bottom line: good cheese is expensive, but worth it. And think of this: If you do a little research and ask some questions, you can assemble a meat and cheese platter for your next get-​together with friends like the ones they serve next door at Au Petit Chevignol. Oh, and there’s an app for that: search «Fromage» on iTunes.
Consider me more than a friend. I’m not afraid to say it. I’ve taken a lover: her name is Cheese.

My partner and I were driving home from downtown heading towards East Vancouver when I caught a big sign that said «Cheese» in the corner of my eye. I made him stomp on the brake and do a U turn just to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. There is indeed a fine cheese boutique shop on East Hastings. You really wouldn’t expect to find a place like this in a neighborhood where the reputation is predominately esbalished around sex-​trade workers and the homeless. This little impromptu adventure was therefore exciting, to say the very least.
We were surprised by the cleanliness of the spacious place and the number of people that were shopping in there. The demographics of the shoppers were well dressed professionals in their thirties to forties (we saw a couple in their early thirties waiting to pick up their pre-​ordered cheese platter at the check out counter). The cheese shop carries books, equipments, condiments, fresh deli, pâté to frozen soups, sausages, soup stocks etc.
The staff there was friendly and helpful. We tried a blue cheese but didn’t like it very much. As we were walking around the store we saw a glass window separating Les Amis de Fromage and Au Petite Chavignol. We saw people in white coat working on what we believed were h’ordeuvres.
After checking out this shop I was determined to try other cheeses so we went next door to get ourselves the real deal — a full on cheese/​meat platter.

Another ⁵⁄₅ on my list. This is a GOOD weekend!
My girlfriends and I decided to have wine and cheese night for a birthday. We each were responsible to bring something. Someone had meat duty, another had alcohol duty and so on… Lucky me, I was in charge of cheese! And am I glad I went to Les Amis Du Fromage!
There were so many variety of cheeses in there that I just stood in awe for about 5 minutes. The woman behind the counter noticed me and was extremely helpful. I told her we were very adventurous and wanted to try lots of unique cheeses. She spent a good 20 minutes with me helping me decided on my list which ended up with:
Applewood smoked cheddar (needed the basics), honey goat gouda, gorgonzola (blue cheese), morbier-​livradoise (blue cheese mixed with a lighter creamier taste), bleu de sassenage (more blue!), quarto (60% cow’s milk and 40% buffalo milk), white Stilton apple and pear and espresso cheese. They even let you try a few cheeses just to make sure you will like it before buying.
All the cheeses were AH-​MAZING! There are also a lot of crackers, pre-​packaged soups, sausages, appetizers so I think I will try something else next time. With a few cheeses on the side as well.

So much cheese! Cow, goat, sheep, Spain, France, etc. Have your pick. I think I’m cheesed out. They certainly took my «cheese» in exchange for some Manchego and firm goat cheese. So far, so good! I’d definitely splurge on cheese if I was a habitant of this area.

Les Amis Du Fromage does have a very good selection of cheeses and the staff are friendly and knowledgeable. They let you sample cheese before purchase. They were patient enough with me to let me sample a few before I got a few cheeses. They also have a good selection of crackers and frozen gourmet foods. I feel like I’ve been transported to France. I couldn’t believe they have imported butter from France, even though it was kind of pricey but I could taste the difference. What a treat!
A heaven for cheese lovers and foodies. They are indeed friends of the cheese.

Nice gem in the east side – classy and clean interior with high quality products.

If you like great cheese lots of varieties & low prices. then this is probably the only company in town. They have two locations, great selection and the best price point.
Plus a great pre-​made frozen food section, open 7 days a week

My first 5 * review — this is how much I love this place. It’s become my savior from the crowded, overpriced, traffic hell that is Oyama on Granville Island.
It’s almost a one-​stop shop for me for a perfect gourmet picnic. if only they carried baguettes. To their credit, they do have a lot of crackers and rainforest crisps available. The cheese ladies here are lovely, friendly and helpful. Unlike the one at Oyama that pointedly ignores my 5’1 frame and then mutters about the difficultly to cut cheese into a 100 gram portion. Well, HAH! I’ve found somewhere now that carries my beloved Delice de Bourgogne, for a cheaper price. AND they carry truffled salami from Moccia (but it is sold by the whole piece only here). AND they actually act like they want my business here. Super score!
They’ve also got a fascinating array of frozen, ready to eat meals, some from Rangoli and some from their own kitchen. I’m already salivating at the thought of my next visit. I can also recommend the Boschetto Tartufo (Italian sheep cheese with truffles) that I’ve sampled before at their cheese & wine bar next door. They didn’t have it available last weekend, but I’ll be keeping an eye out for it.
I love this place!

Cheese whores in the house!!! I am, I am! And I love, love this store. They just opened their newest store beside Au Petit Chavignol along E. Hastings, and are holding a grand opening sale today, with 15% off on ALL items, and a free insulated bag if you spend more than $ 25 (which trust me comes easy when you visit the store).
I could spend hours at this shop, with their friendly, helpful, and most importantly, knowledgeable staff. Superb and patient service as you explore and sample cheeses you like or may not like. (I recommend asking them for suggestions based on your taste and preferences). May I recommend my current fave — mango ginger stilton? Mmm, mmm, mmm… Sorry, it’s the cheese whore in me!
Aside from the excellent selection of local and imported cheeses, there are tons of charcuterie items and cheese pairings, from olives and pickles, crackers and nuts, honey and mostarda, tapenades and pastes, pates and terrines, ready to eat pastas and Vij’s frozen meals, wine, flavoured oils including a bountiful array of vinegars and extra virgin olive oils, refreshing beverages such as Oranginas, cheeseboards and Raclette maker from France. I tell you it’s endless! A one stop shop for parties, and good tastings of the finest of things.
Did I mention I’m a cheese whore???