Formaggio Essex

Wide selection & knowledgeable staff. They're able to cater to different budgets and we had an enjoyable morning visit here

My go-to neighborhood spot for cheese & charcuterie especially when entertaining. Always a vast selection of cheeses, meats & snacks. Been going for 5 years and never had anything but great experiences.

We bought some slices of Fra Salametro picante and manchego and a baguette for our flight and it made for a great lunch. I'm used to getting manchego and salami from Trader Joes. Now I know how different it can be. Of course this is more expensive, but totally worth it. The service was very helpful and personable, not snooty.

This is a superb cheese store with lots of gourmet groceries that are also outstanding. The staff are all lovely and the manager / owner once bought me a cup of coffee when he went to get one for himself which took me from a fan to a super fan. The cheese selection is the best in the city and every brand they carry is excellent.

Looks great. I haven't stopped by. I can't do cheese. Nordic preserve. Unregular pizza. Indian restaurant opens at 5 pm. Ty

i ask for half a lb of rogue river blue, hope its not the owner, but whoever was working says "you know its going to be about 30$"... racist, classist "cant understand normal thinking" thing to drop on a customer. maybe its because of the neighborhood? i wonder how far they drive to work at that cheese shop to feel that way about someone clearly from the neighborhood. i can get the cheese from somewhere else if thats what formaggio essex wants. apologies, didnt realize there was a owner response until today. assumptions are a well trod thing with many sayings to go with it. its very clear to many that essex market is somewhat gated. being of the neighborhood i can say definitively that people looking for cheese from a limited generally classed variety pegged to a maximum cost wont be buying cheese from a case with names they wouldnt be able to pronounce, much less outside of a supermarket. i appreciate the offer of the generous sample and to meet with an authorized agent+ but ive surrendered to the notion avoiding the probable result of self inflicted disappointment in dealing with new people outside of quality proven establishments i built relationships with over the decades. sorry to say that i am one of the few that think gentrification in terms of businesses is great and something i want as a resident in this neighborhood but it is thrown in with gentrification of residences which any person can see has netted negative results for long time residents causing the new incarnation of essex market to perform poorly. i was dealing with the butcher from harlem , harlem shambles? before they left from lack of patronage, ends meat which the owner john was willing to put his own time in in finding many of the workers hired were trash, forced out from the basement being repurposed, etc even josephines isnt there anymore for their great strawberry rhubarb... ive hated the idea of the new essex market but def am trying.. i used to deal with who became the wife of heritage (meats?), her cheese shop in essex market, forget the names. i could accept that the worker is protecting your interests absolutely but this is a zone where people dressed much less than formal frequent michelin starred establishments regularly, like me, that dont have a stated dress code. i am not going to diminish how i choose dress to validate the treatment. how often has someone requested cheese they couldnt pronounce to indignantly refuse to complete purchase upon hearing the cost causing an actual loss? ive seen boutique cheese shops with high ticket cheese cut and wrapped, not saying that its something you need to do.

The olives I bought from this place were completely open and leaked, ripping a hole and spilling my items all over the disgusting street as I walked. Getting olive juice all over my paper wrapped cheese, cracking the $$$ honey I just bought, and ruining my night.

I go there multiple times a month and they are definitely pricey, but it’s well worth it. However the owner/manager (Caucasian male with brown hair) is pretty snooty and rude and it is very off putting; yesterday, my friend and i felt so uncomfortable to the point where we just left. I have been a returning customer for 2-3 years and not only has he never said a word to me but he’s got an impressively obnoxious stare (maybe it’s his resting b face but it’s quite awful). The rest of the staff is extremely kind and helpful though!

The food is good but the owner is so obnoxious and rude I am just done!! Maybe one day someone without an attitude who likes customers will buy it and it'll be appealing again. You treat me poorly and you don't get my money anymore. Simple. Also, watch out because when the owner helps you he will give you way more than you asked for or want to up the bill.

This is one of my top finds in essex market! The meat and cheese selection is amazing and the cheese sommeliers at the counter are so helpful. I went one afternoon and told them my budget and cheese preferences and they made a cheese board on the spot to fit what I was looking for with pairings and told me all about each cheese. The counter was so cute and fun to look at all the different options. All of the selections were so unique and delicious like the pistachio capicola and the seasonal summer gouda. I cannot recommend this place enough!

Was about to buy something from this place and went with my mom and we went to go check on our food we ordered and the lady came running and yelling after us saying we stole crackers!?! Like what we didn't have anything in our hands just very bizarre experience overall won't be giving my money to this business.

Highest quality satellite store from the Boston group. If they have it, the cheese is in great condition.

Formaggio was one of my favorite places for charcuterie and cheese arrangements back in Cambridge, so I was happy to stumble upon their outpost in Essex Market. They were super friendly and helpful. They'll slice up the meat and let you sample before you buy. They also have little cheese nubs for sale in more palatable morsels, in case you don't want to buy a whole block of cheese, or wanted to sample something new, which is a brilliant idea. Both times I've gone I went ahead and bought a nub, and haven't regretted it. Service was fairly quick as well, and as usual I was very happy with my selections. Lovely little shop; I'll definitely be coming back.

My partner and I visited the East Village and stopped here for picnic food. We left with a baguette, cheese, prosciutto, apricot jam. The food was delicious! Fresh and fragrant, the baguette was still warm as were the staff. I highly highly recommend this shop.

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.

The place has a good selection of Mediterranean products. However, the person behind the counter has some kind of royalty attitude. It feels like if you are not going to spend hundreds of dollars you are not welcome. This vibe does not fit within the wonderful Essex Market, but I guess it's just another consequence of the hipster wave invading the neighborhood, sadly.

Fantastic cheese shop, highly recommend! The staff is intensely knowledgeable. The cheese is consistently delicious and high quality.

The staff here is so kind and helpful! They are patient and have helped me discover so many new cheeses! They'll happily provide recommendations based on your taste and preferences. It's become my favorite cheese shop in the city. Highly recommend you stop by as well as checking out the other shops in Essex Market.

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!

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.

I had two very positive experiences and one negative experience. After ordering two fantastic charcuterie boards, I tried to order a third for pick up for thanksgiving. First I was referred to the mercato website which only had individual items. When I called back the person I spoke to was very curt from beginning to end of our conversation. She told me they could make the platter but it would be $165 for 6 people. This was more than double what I had previously paid so I inquired why that was. The reality was I may have paid no matter what the explanation was so long as I got one. However, instead she told me she could make me a smaller board, but couldn't answer how many it would feed and said "it's all relative!" Finally, she said "I'm really busy right now!" And then asked my name. I said I wasn't interested anymore and she hung up on me. I'm very disappointed as my first two dealings with this business were fantastic.

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.

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...

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.

LOVE this place but totally agree with Minnie M. below. The skinny hipster ny wannabee is an asshole...literally everytime. #stophiringflyoverstateimplants

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.

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.

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 pate. It was quite good. Would definitely go back to try other pates, along with other meats and cheeses.

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.

We were faithful Formaggio customers--weekly, to the tune of between $100-$200 each visit, but alas, Formaggio was long on cheese prose--knew the names of all its cheeses, regions, climate, blah blah but not the names of their regular customers, us included. But what cinched it was when one of the people behind the counter took offense at my 15 year old daughter because she asked for mozarella in January. Mozarella in January, the nerve of that girl! Then Mom made the death mistake of asking for cheese with cumin. (We don't sell "infused" cheeses!) Well, ok, then--we left them to the experts and took our business to Saxelby's which sells a) mozarella year round b) infused cheeses and c) all kinds of awesome and delicious cheeses, and other dairy stuff, sans attitude and rhetoric.

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.

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 3rd, a small button of goat cheese was a little too "fresh" for our liking). we'll be back!

Great service, maybe family owned? They were fantastic and very helpful. They also carry charcuterie, herbs, oils, vinegars, and PLENTY of cheeses.

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!