Living in South Korea, I was treated to some of the best food in the world and I felt incredibly lucky to be able to experience such a diversity of high quality cooking. There’s one major exception to this: cheese. While you can go to Korea to find any number of dishes or ingredients, cheese is still an expensive import item. You’ll either find yourself emptying your wallet or having to suffer with bland cheese. Being in the United States again, I knew I had to satisfy my craving for cheese. On March 30, I visited Madison Cheese with a friend.

First and foremost, Madison Cheese is a cheese shop. In addition to their extensive cheese offerings, the shelves are packed with local foodstuffs that can be paired well with the cheese. Speaking with the owner, she said that the store had been around for 9 years, although they only recently started serving food.

The menu is actually quite large for a café-add-on to a cheese shop. Soups, salads, sandwiches, and mac and cheese are all available. You can also order tasting plates in case you want to nibble some cheese. The owner also told us that the café is BYOB, so patrons may bring their own alcoholic beverages.

My friend, Mr. C, ordered a Mousetrap sandwich with red birch beer and a cup of tomato soup. The Mousetrap is a grilled cheese sandwich containing “a house blend of 5 or more cheeses,” according to the menu. I ordered The Wise Greek sandwich with cream soda. The Wise Greek sandwich contains Bucherondin goat cheese and fig ginger jam. Mr. C and I both ordered our sandwiches on rosemary focaccia bread.

To cut to the chase, the sandwiches were delicious. The café has clearly put in hard work to pair their exquisite cheeses with the right ingredients to make a killer sandwich.  The Mousetrap was oozing with deliciously blended cheese, whereas The Wise Greek contrasted the saltiness of the goat cheese with the sweetness of the jam. Both sandwiches went well with the locally-brewed sodas we ordered, and Mr. C enjoyed his tomato soup. We were so satisfied with our meals that Mr. C ended up purchasing a gift card for his parents!

If you are in the area, Madison Cheese Shop is a must-eat restaurant. With both indoor and outdoor seating, it’s the perfect destination for any time of the year. My only regret is that I do not know when I can return again! This is a hidden gem of the area that I cannot recommend highly enough.

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Rating:
Tasteless  |  Bad  |  Okay  |  Good  |  >> Tasty <<

Name: Madison Cheese Shop and Café
Website http://www.madisoncheese.com
Phone +1 (203) 245-5168

Credit Cards? Yes
Apple Pay ^[?]? No
Bathroom? Yes
Reservations?  No
Take out? Yes
Delivery? No
Wifi? Yes
Outside seating? Yes
Wheelchair friendly? Yes
Alcohol? No
Dogs allowed? ??
Bike parking? Yes
Car parking? Yes

Date night? Yes
English-speaking staff? Yes
English menus? Yes
LGBTQ friendly ^[?]? Yes
Information updated on: April 18, 2017
Prices ^[?]: $ $ $ $

Hours:
Monday: 11:00 – 18:00
Tuesday: 11:00 – 18:00
Wednesday: 11:00 – 18:00
Thursday: 11:00 – 18:00
Friday: 10:00 – 19:30
Saturday: 10:00 – 19:30
Sunday: 11:00 – 18:00

Address (Korean) Not available
Address (English) 119 Samson Rock Drive, Madison, Connecticut, 06443 U.S.A.