The Cheese Company

Odd little local shop with an inattentive staff and a rather limited product selection.

This has become my go to spot for a bagel and iced coffee. First of all, they make their coffee with coffee ice cubes.
So much more goes into everything they make which makes it reasonable for me to go a little out of my way to make the occasional stop here. For the quality of product, there prices are also good.

Fantastic little shop with more than just cheese. I honestly wish it didn’t have the word «Cheese» in it because as a vegan, I passed it by several times before finally going in (only because we asked a guy on the street where we could get coffee and he pointed us in their direction.)
So we ventured in on a Monday morning for the coffee, realized there was a $ 10 minimum for credit card charges (we never carry cash!) and ended up spending $ 27 on some pretty amazing things! We walked out with 2 coffees (very glad they offer soy milk), a fresh olive loaf, some jarred Italian Bruschetta, a mozzarella sandwich for my husband, a dark chocolate covered pretzel and a roll for our toddler who loves bread. I had my eye on the stuffed grape leaves and gigantes (tomato based giant lima beans) but I will save that for next time.
The service was wonderful, the staff friendly and patient and the atmosphere one that will make you want to come back for more. I love the variety in their foods: from flax chips to dark chocolate covered figs, imported spreads and chocolates to locally made breads and other items.
I only wish we lived closer.

Great sandwiches and a charming place to meet friends for a coffee or light breakfast or lunch. The sandwiches are fabulous. The speciality items from other countries gives the perfect opportunity to try new things!

While the shop has wonderful offerings, the owner is about as unfriendly as I’ve ever seen. Today, 5 people were at the coffee/​bagel end waiting to pay or be helped, including me. One woman even poured out her coffee and refilled the cup because it was getting cold from waiting. We were completely ignored by owner who along with two employees, serviced the 4 people at the deli end of the shop. Owner didn’t even look our way. She could have said something! Two of us walked out after waiting at least 10 minutes. I don’t care how great the food is, if you treat people this way, it’s not worth coming to your business. I don’t know why she is in business if she has no regard for her customers. She isn’t the only game in town.

What a cute little cheese shop!
While I was getting my nails done, my husband spent a good portion of his morning in the cheese shop sipping coffee and playing on his lap top. I stopped in for a quick snack after my nail appointment and sampled the chicken salad and the orzo salad — both were extremely good. This spot also offers sandwiches, soups, and a huge variety of meats and cheeses. This is an ideal spot for lunch or to just stock up for a charcuterie. The staff was very nice and my husband ended up having a very nice morning here.

The employees weren’t impatient about my limited knowledge about cheese; instead, they enthusiastically asked me questions and doled out samples until I found a delicious honey brie and Gruyère that I liked.
I can’t wait to be back and explore the other things that they carry!

Summary: good food, weird staff.
Very expensive, but the food and coffee are delicious. The egg and cheese bagel is so so good! Their fruit Danish is also really good. Their coffee is a bit on the bitter side, FYI. They have lots of gourmet grocery items that I would love to buy, but everything is so expensive. But the place is in the right neighborhood – I don’t live around here, I just work here. Also, they have a $ 10 card minimum.
The staff is hit or miss. The older women that work here (also the person that owns it) never have a sense of urgency and they don’t greet people that walk in. Also if they’re doing something (say, making the sandwiches for the day) and a line forms, they don’t even bother to look over to say hello or start taking orders/​money. On more than one occasion I’ve had to walk out because it takes to long to purchase something. It’s very annoying. Also, if they’re working with one person, it’s like they can’t be bothered to just look over and say «hello! someone will be with you soon. Thanks for your patience. Etc.» Though the younger staff is much better at this. They typically come right over if they see people are waiting.
Unless you’re looking to buy a bagel or a sandwich, i suggest going to Le Petit Mitron instead. Better pastries/​bread, better tasting coffee, and kinder staff.

Love this local cheese and specialty shop. I’m no cheese expert but they offer great suggestions and have never led me astray. Plus they have coffee so it’s a great place to stop in anytime. There’s a couple of tables so you can relax and enjoy it. Sandwiches and soup are good. All homemade.

What we have here is a management problem. The Cheese Company is a beautiful shop filled with products I haven’t seen anywhere outside Europe. Yes, it’s overpriced but rarity equals costly. But I am very reluctant to support the owner/​manager of the shop. Two weeks ago, I wanted to pick up a special cheese to pair with a wine for a dinner with a friend. I had 5 $ in cash, exactly, to spend and was very clear in that I didn’t have any more cash and didn’t want to spend 10 $ in trying to make their credit card minimum. The owner took over from the girl helping me (who was very nice) and sliced the cheese for me. When she weighed it, it turned out to be 6.80 $- almost two dollars more than I had and definitely more than I wanted to spend on a piece of cheese as a graduate student.
Instead of offering to cover the cost of her mistake, instead of being a gracious shop-​owner, she stood there looking at me. Then the young girl that had been helping me took money OUT OF THE TIP JAR to pay for my cheese. I was speechless. Having worked in the service industry through college this appalled me. The owner then had the gall to ask the girl/​me for 20 cents more.
The deciding factor for me to go to Reading Terminal for cheese rather than this shop was this experience. Shop local and shop quality but don’t shop mean.

Great cheese shop. Very good, fresh sandwiches that are made throughout the day, great assortment of cheeses and crackers, and the poached egg on a bagel is delicious and they are very flexible about what cheese you can put on the bagel. I generally get mine with goat brie and tomato.

The best part about the Cheese Co. is the employees. The women who are there on weekday mornings are always very sweet. This is one of the places that makes Narberth such a unique and down-​to-​earth little town. No pretension, just a great product served by friendly people who remember who you are and ask how you’re doing.

Love this little neighborhood Cheese/​Bakery/​Sandwich shop.
Strangely the thing I like most about it are the sandwiches. A bit pricey, $ 4.00−6.00 will get you a medium sandwich (tho I think my perception has been warped by modern portion sizes). But dang are they tasty and filling. A good vegetarian selection too, makes avoid meat easy.
The baked goods and the coffee are unexceptional. It’s a good place to stop by on your way to the station if you didn’t have time to get breakfast. And they have expanded, so now they have a a little window seating area. not much in the way of space to eat it, but tremendous improvement from the old cramped store, I really did hate the experience there prior to the added space.
I haven’t actually bought any cheese or any of the other European delights they have there.

Cute shop, seems like a great place to get gourmet food. I saw a lot of hard-​to-​find teas and coffees, including Barry’s Tea in three kinds!
The cheeses looked really good… I was definitely tempted to get something, but we’d stopped in for coffee and croissants.
My almond croissant was good — sweet but not overwhelming. However, I definitely wouldn’t come back here again for an espresso-​based drink again. My latte tasted like steamed milk with maybe a drop of coffee in it. Usually I can get through a bad coffee, but I must have only drunk about a quarter of this before throwing it out. Too bad, as the shop was cute, they had nice seating and a great ambiance. Just improve the coffee, and it’ll be all set.

Good coffee and excellent cheese selection. Great service especially from the owner herself!

Since my last review about The Cheese Shop, they have remodeled and taken over the space next door. The place is much bigger now and I no longer feel an anxiety attack coming on from feeling claustrophobic. Still a wonderful and much needed place in Narberth for gourmet foods and tasty sandwiches freshly made. Narberth needs more stores like this one… oh yeah and a little thing called a REAL coffee shop (the tables outside Le Mitron are great but what about when the rain, snow and freezing temperatures come?). Yes I digress. Must be all the great coffee I’m drinking right now– at home!

Let’s do a little sandwich comparison.
Store: The Cheese Company
Sandwich: Brie, Lettuce, Roasted Peppers, on a Petite Baguette with Honey Mustard.
Cost: $ 4.00*
Positives: Amazing, fresh, authentic, delicious, recently baked bread, local, small business
Negatives: None
vs.
Store: Cosi
Sandwich: Roasted turkey tenders with slices of Brie cheese & spicy honey mustard
Cost: $ 7.39*
Positives: I can walk to it from my office, can fill up on free bread scraps so I’ll eat less of this shitty sandwich, comes with a small bag of the worst potato chips you’ll ever eat
Negatives: Big chain, loud, noisy, crowded, employees prone to screw up your order, cheese is kind of nasty
I simply can’t comprehend that people will lazily be herded over to terrible lunch spots like Cosi while great shops like The Cheese Company exist nearby.
*Sources:
and

Great little shop. My quick and easy «go-​to» place for cheese and bread. Mostly cheese.
Staff is really great at helping pick out something new and special.
Also, like that the wine store is directly across the street.

When my man calls during the day and asks how I am, if i tell him I’m going to the Cheese Company, he knows I’m having a really bad day. Because of my severe dairy allergy, i can eat very little at this place but it looks sooooo good. There are plenty of things besides cheese but it being a cheese shop, one would assume that’s their thrust and it is. My best friend who spent quite a bit of time in France and Switzerland swears my their cheeses and gosh darn it, she knows her cheese!
When I stop in, I watch my man get a few samples and eat them in front of me and then I get a nice fresh bagel and some olives. There have many marinated samples-​pickles, olives, etc. They also have candy and spreads and jams– amazing selection of jams and chutneys.
My other best friend swears by their ice coffee. Which they have lot of. And if you buy beans, they will grind for you. And they have tea– lots and lots of teas.
The staff is great– the owner is something– French perhaps? She will answer tons of questions and is very very helpful. I think she also does catering.
So if you every pass by The Cheese Company and see an angry redhead demanding the cheese wheel, you know it’s me and you know I’m having a bad day.

While it doesn’t have the selection that You’ll find in DiBruno Bros. and Downtown Cheese, The Cheese Co. offers over 60 selections of cheese to go through. they also specialize in all kinds of sandwiches, homemade soup, teas, and all kinds of other specialty items. so it’s the perfect well rounded store to go to for lunch, or if your planning a party.
They make incredible gift baskets and sandwich trays. so definitely stop by here when your in a tight spot for a party, or need to find a gift with a special touch.