Formaggio Essex

What do you do when your favorite pirate is having a housewarming party and you only have one hour to get him something fantastic? If you’re me, you obviously head to Formaggio. Whole Foods doesn’t have gift baskets, and Hell Square probably isn’t the place for this sort of thing anyway. Then i remembered Essex Street Market exists and everything became very easy from there.
I don’t remember the name of the guy behind the counter who helped me, but he took his time and really assisted me, lord knows I had no idea what I was doing. I told him my price range, explained I wasn’t too into cheese, and still walked me through everything. The place has a ton of great products for such a small space and is very nicely organized. I left with three types of cheese, coffee covered mints, some kind of sausage, pasta sauce, a jam of some kind, and multiple other items I can’t remember.
Dude even put it all in a nice basket with straw, gift wrap, and a bow. A freakin bow I tell ya! It made the folks who brought my friend Bud Light look like total jerk-​offs. Thanks Formaggio!

Came here recently while on a scavenger hunt. Was impressed by the variety of cheeses that are available, along with meats. Took home some country pâté. It was quite good. Would definitely go back to try other pates, along with other meats and cheeses.

When I first went into this tiny little shop, I felt like I was walking into a secret club that only the finest palates of the LES were privy to. The staff was helpful, courteous, and totally professional as they guided me through a few tastings until I settled on what I wanted to buy. I could’ve spent my entire paycheck in this shop on olive oils and pastas and salame from all over the old world. I had to settle on some Camembert, a French goat cheese, and a quarter pound of salame. I will definitely be back.

Cheese and cured meat, lots of wonderful mediterranean products. I like this place. The really sell a great selection of imported food. A European person’s patch for homesickness.

Came here because my friend and I were waiting for tacos at Brooklyn tacos. It is close within the market.
We were welcomed with amazing service. We stared at an amazing looking sandwich of some dried salami and compte cheese. I would like to come back and try the sandwiches all served on fresh breads.
The sales guy offered to let us try the cheeses and was knowledgable of the cheeses and meats served at the store. The store has a collection of pates, oils, basically anything youd eat in france and italy with a bottle of wine. The selection is not large but the service makes up for that.

For some reason this place is much less popular than Saxelby’s in the same market, which is good for you because you will get individualized attention instead of standing in line behind ladies wanting to make a gourmet mac n cheese. I described the kinds of cheeses I like and the shopkeeper pulled out a spot-​on Roquefort and a nutty Swiss product called Berghof that made my toes curl.
I had to move on to an appointment so didn’t get to inspect the meats and cured items. Great selection, carefully curated. Bring lots of money and spend it here.

I know what you’re thinking. How could you not go to Saxelby’s? Aren’t you a patriot? Don’t you love American artisanal cheeses? Don’t you love… AMERICUH?
Sometimes a guy just needs a good Comté. Or a better Brebis. Not that this place is limited to French cheeses. Or cheese at all, for that matter. They also carry charcuterie, herbs, oils, vinegars, and all the other accoutrements. (You’re right, I got carried away with appropriating French there: accoutrements (don’t you dare spell it accouterments, you assclown) doesn’t even make sense in that sentence! (It almost never makes sense when used in English, because it basically means the distinguishing apparel of a soldier (think officer’s regalia (great, now we’re slipping into Latin (parents…send your children to trade schools, not college (just kidding)))) not that that stops people from using it.)
I digress. They’ve got a lot of stuff here. It’s all pretty primo. Fortunately, the man who was… manning the store seemed aloof but cool. Not uppity or pretentious. At least, he didn’t mind me browsing his wares while pumping some Paul van Dyk through my headphones, so he’s gotta be sort of down.

Essex Market is an odd place full of contradictions. Like it’s neighborhood, the change and effects of gentrification are clear.
Walking into this shop, I felt as though I were a warrior in some RPG game, finally having found just the right merchant in some underground tunnel. The space is dark – you’d think it was a bar or something.
Anywho, the young man who I often see running the joint is cold, but knowledgeable and unpretentious. The cheese up top are room temperature, which you ought to know, is ideal for tasting. The prices are a tad lower than Murphy’s. This seems like the place after living abroad in Paris or Florence for a year and having serious cravings for luxurious foods. $ 19 [truffle] salt. $ 30/​lb prosciutto. $ 18/​lb bacon (will try in the future!) There are few bargains here, but the selection of the tiny shop is thrilling.
Oh me? I just picked up some triple cream and a young cheese for the Alps. $ 14 for two small portions. Good thing I’m not married.

great shop with really complex and fancy cheeses… theres not a million things to choose from, but 2 of the 3 cheeses we picked out were great (the 3^rd, a small button of goat cheese was a little too «fresh» for our liking). we’ll be back!

May I recommend the coppa ham and the white anchovies? Both here qualify as affordable luxuries. The place is full of more expensive luxury food items, too. Nice for both gifts and indulgences. Worth hitting every other week or so if you live in the neighborhood.

I love this little cheese store in the Essex Street Market. The people working there are friendly and knowledgeable, and always willing to let you sample the cheeses and give you suggestions. I originally came here with my sister after the rude treatment we received from Saxelby Cheesemongers also in the Essex Street Market. We waited in line for a while only to be received by a rude cheesemonger who was irritated because we didn’t know how to adequately describe what we were looking for. We love cheese but are by no means cheese experts and don’t have the perfect «cheese vocabulary» so it would have been nice to get a little help and to be treated nicely. The people at Formaggio Essex did exactly that — they weren’t intimidating to talk to and were very helpful and patient. We ended up getting two wonderful cheeses — La Peral a blue cheese, and leonara, a spanish goat cheese. I have been going back ever since!

I visit this little cheese shop every saturday.
They have a great selection of cheeses, and the ladies there are very helpful and are always offering to taste the cheese before i purchase.
My favorite is Challerhocker, you have to try it!
however, i wish the market were open a bit later during week days…

As a recent emigrant of Boston, imagine my surprise to discover that there is a Formaggio Kitchen branch right here in NYC! A frequent patron of the South End Formaggio in Boston, it’s so nice to find the same phenomenal shop right here in the city. With a very helpful staff that seems to be always growing in size, I like coming here to check out all the new products and to get assistance whenever I am in need of some good cheeses.