Chocolate chip is my absolute favorite!!! Such a clean and welcoming place. I'd go here as a kid all the time

Still as much fun as when I was a kid! Great finds and cool treats! The sandwiches at the deli when fantabulous!!! We enjoyed every bite! If we lived closer we would be here all the time! Yummmm read more

Hilmar - Devon w a BLTT - Cafes Near Me - Hilmar, California

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This place comes out of nowhere - a little oasis in the middle of miles of miles of dairy farms and orchards. It's a beautiful visitors center from the outside, and once you get inside your nose takes over- grilled cheese! We shopped though the gift center (we bought CHEESE! and wine) until we made our way to the lunch counter. Too many delicious choices, but we managed to pick- me: the 1/2 Piggy Pretzel Griller with a cup of cheese chowder-him: the Farmers Club sandwich. Yummy! I loved my sandwich, but found the cheese chowder a little bit too rich- a few bites was plenty for me. He loved his sandwich. We didn't really "save room" but we did have to try the ice cream...I mean, we're at a DAIRY...and they have fresh ice cream...the strawberry was delicious, and it was a generous serving. We purchased our gift store finds and headed out. Everyone we encountered was pleasant and helpful. This place is sparkling clean. If you're so inclined they offer a cheese factory tour too. It's just a great place to visit- for breakfast, lunch or just a treat! read more

Hilmar is located, quite literally, in the middle of nowhere. During wet months it can be a beautiful drive. Green pastures and meandering livestock makes for a great backdrop. Hilmar has done a beautiful job with their facility and visitor's center. I came here 20 some odd years ago with my parents and remember it as a small store front with a few refrigerator cases of block cheese and gift baskets. They have since done quite the upgrade. It reminded me of some beautiful Napa estate wineries. Inside you'll find a fantastic selection of their own cheeses, plus a wide variety of other local (and not so local) specialty cheeses. There is also a nice selection of California wines. It's a nice stop if you're traveling the 99. A little east of the 99, it's not too far off the beaten path, but still a nice side excursion. Check their website for tours and classes. read more

Hilmar - Cafes Near Me - Hilmar, California

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Coffee service was slow but man was it delicious! They had an informative video for the kids and my grandma liked the gift shop. Would go if in town! read more

My son went here for his field trip. It was a couple kindergarten classes. I was chaperone. The kids had tons of fun. There was alot of information given out that I didnt even know about cows, milk and cheese. That was awesome. BUUUTT, It was sooooooo hot upstairs! Omg... very warm. They shud try and do something about that. Also, they had us going up and down and up and down the stairs. I feel like it shud be better organized. The flow of the presentation and tour should flow better. I also think that more should be offered for the kids. They get to make ice cream which is cool, BUT that's thee only cool thing there was. Other than that they stayed in a confined place and put on a costume once. But that was it. Side note, the cheese they gave us to taste was BOMB BOMB BOMB!!!!!!! lol I have eaten there in the past at the small restaurant down stairs and it was sooooooo fresh and yummy!!! read more

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We live nearby and have come here often for the little guys to blow off some steam on those really hot or rainy days. There are lots of learning stations upstairs for the little guys and they can look down into the factory. Downstairs there's the moooooovie and free cheese samples (nom!). For moms and dads, there's the beautifully decorated shop, deli, and even better -- COFFEE! Be sure to bring change for the waterfall / fountain! Bathrooms are always immaculate and unless you want to buy something at the shop or deli, the cost is FREE. read more

We weren't sure what to expect of the escape room, but it ended up being an epic experience... some would even say legendairy! read more

Hilmar - Cafes Near Me - Hilmar, California

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This was a surprisingly good place to visit. The museum isn't very comprehensive, but it does cover the production of milk and milk products pretty well. And it is free. What is really impressive is the selection of specialty items having anything remotely (and some not at all) related to milk products. Lots of fun little specialty items. And if you are into cheese, of course you will be delighted and treated to many items to sample. However, perhaps the best might be the little deli included inside! What a great sandwich. So fresh and tasty! Price was neither cheap nor excessive, and the quality was well worth the asking prices. I wish we lived closer so I could visit more often. A little treasure off the beaten path! read more

We were very disappointed in the food and service here. I had the grilled cheese. It was served barely warm and was nothing worth the calories or cost. The Lays potato chips was the smallest I have ever seen. My wife had a turkey ham bbq sandwich. It tasted like it had a spoonful of sugar dumped on it. Do not waste your time or money eating here. read more

Nice spot to stop on your roadtrip. Teaches you about how cheese is made, all kinds of goodies. Some locally made. Clean and not too busy. read more

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What a great place to stop. Cheese factory. Lots to eat here. Lots to see. We stopped here for a quick sandwich as we were waiting for our meeting. The grilled cheese and ice cream was great. It was beautiful outside so we sat outside and enjoyed beautiful weather. The club sandwich was great as well. There is plenty of parking. Lots of candy, cheese, and jerky. They also have a place where you can see how the cheese is made. Interesting to see how it's all made. The grounds around are beautiful and it's a very nice place to visit. read more

Hilmar - Cafes Near Me - Hilmar, California

Everyone is so friendly and helpful. There are so many choices of cheese:) The deli is good, a bit pricey for the portions! Don't pass up the cheese chowder... I go mainly to stock up on cheese. The jelly/jam section has a good variety to choose from as well. read more

It's a little smelly outside but tolerable. Once inside they have free samples of cheese to try help yourself. This would be a good place to eat but a Tour bus of people I just saw at Duarte's Poinsettia was inside. read more

They just opened up a new learning center with some fun/interactive displays for kids. granted its a bit small but its free so I can't complain. We arrived just in time for the tour, which featured this cheesy moovie (haha get it CHEESY MOO-VIE!), that had tons of corney lines, but it was informative and educational. Then we went upstairs where they had the about 4-5 learning stations with interactive displays. They even had a dress up area where you could dress up as a vet, dairy technician or a cattle that came free with a hair net! You could also check out the factory below where they were packaging cheese. In the gift center you could try a bunch of different cheese samples, purchase cheese, eat at their deli, get some peets coffee or pick up some ice cream. another fun thing to note is that their visitor center is NICE, its got this really upscale feel (except for the elevator which is old and slow), and it looks like it would be nice for a small event (wedding of 50 or a small company party) read more

Made a stop here on the way back to the Bay Area from Yosemite. There is really not much to do in the Central Valley and this was the one place that seemed remotely interesting. They had an ice cream class that sounded fun but we just missed it. We ended up taking a small self service tour upstairs where they had some info on the dairy business. There is an area where you can peek into the cheese factory which seemed pretty dull to be honest. The ice cream was pretty good and I thought must be super fresh. Turns out the ice cream was from San Diego! Nice assortment of cheeses and wine to buy at the store. They have a deli as well. read more

Very good place classy and value for the price. Good deals on cheese and wine. Gift shop has nice product at Christmas time read more

Hilmar - Cafes Near Me - Hilmar, California

Hands down the best grilled cheeses ever!!! My mouth is in heaven! We tried all three. My favorite was the bacon and vintage grilled cheese. We also tried the 4 cheese grilled cheese and the pb&j with bacon grilled cheese. All were delicious!!! read more

Hilmar - Best grilled cheeses ever!! Loved them all!! - Cafes Near Me - Hilmar, California

The visitor center here is much larger than we expected. The cheese store however was a little disappointing. While they have a good variety of local (Californian) cheeses, we didn't find enough from their own company. If youre a fan of cheese curds don't miss the squeakers here! ($3.73 for our large container). It's an easy stop off the 99. We missed the exit (saw the sign a minute too late) but took some back roads through farm land and check out the unexpectedly beautiful homes of the Hilmar area. We finally arrived at the Cheese company - a beautiful waterfall and creek runs around the outside of the place. That was nice, but I really was hoping to try and purchase a variety of their cheeses. read more

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Love the waterfall outside and the landscaping. Everyone was very friendly. I expected more cheese samples or more types or cheese but their deli was delicious. Best bacon grilled cheese around! read more

Had fun at Hilmar cheese factory. Ate a half turkey sandwich with a cup of the Chicken tortilla soup. Finished things off with a brownie cream cheese bite everything was moist and had good flavor. We were happy read more

Hilmar - Cafes Near Me - Hilmar, California

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Had a fun time here spent about and hour to an hour and a half. Get there before 11 or call ahead to ask about any events because the upstairs gets closed after 11 if there is. The upstairs was pretty neat got to see factory workers and a fake cow milking. The shop was really nice, got a punny t shirt. The outside is so nice too! Loved the waterfall. Only reason for 4 star and not 5 is because my sandwich was messed up. read more

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Open to the public. Indoor & outdoor seating. Wine & cheese for sale. And a Peets Coffee inside for your caffeine cravings. I recommend the Turkey Pesto Sandwich. It is delicious! read more

Hilmar - They sell wine! Great addition if you're buying cheese or not! - Cafes Near Me - Hilmar, California

I deliver for them. They are very organized. Nice to talk to from the guard to the shipping clerk. Plenty of room to maneuver around with a 53 foot trailer. Loading is done pretty quickly and on time. Make sure your trailer has been washed out or they will turn you away. As they should. read more

The food is really good.. nice clean deli and tons of great cheese options.. very pricey though

We had a little time to kill before our football game at Hilmar high so we stopped by the Hilmar cheese factory. We didn't have time for the tour but stopped in the visitor center to get some sandwiches and check out the lobby. There is many stuff to choose from to candies and treats to of course many cheeses to choose from. They have a deli inside and Petes coffee with double rainbow ice cream as well. The sandwiches were really good although they were a little skimpy with the meat. We both ordered the turkey bacon cheese on a croissant, comes with either pears, apple or chips on the side. It's a great stop if your driving through the small town of Hilmar. read more

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This was stop #2 on an impromptu cheese trail tour my husband and I made up on our way to Sacramento. If there's an official cheese trail tour, sign me up, but this was curated by our love of cheese and with the help of the internet. We took the self-guided tour around the facility then perused the main floor before grabbing some grilled cheeses (duh?) for lunch. All in all, we enjoyed the visit. I recommend it for anyone / family that wants to try some cheese and break up the long drive from Southern California to Sac town. read more

Shared an amazing tri tip sandwich with my husband for lunch. We stop here every time we drive to Northern California. The food and staff are wonderful. The cheese tour is fun also. read more

We ordered Turkey cheese avocado sandwiches with bacon and there was a tiny piece of cheese , 2 small slivers of Avacado and the bacon was visable . Turkey was piled thick so that was good but It was definitely not worth $29.00 . The salad selections was small , they use to have pasta salads but not now . I've been here many years but I won't come back . read more

Hilmar Cheese is a great place to stop and enjoy some grill cheese or one of the other items on the menu! Food is decent with a fun atmosphere read more

Boo! The production area was closed off due to a private event. There was a little mock-up of the production area downstairs, but it was nothing special. They did have a nice area with at least half a dozen cheeses where you can try to your hearts' delight - a definite plus! We ending up eating at the cafe for lunch. The Roast Beef Griller ($7.99) tasted alright, but I wished they grilled the sourdough a bit more like the Bacon and Vintage Grilled Cheese ($6.99) that I ordered. If you want to order something to eat, I would recommend the Grilled Cheese. It wasn't that big of a portion, but it was perfectly grilled. All the sandwiches came with an option of chips, apple or pear. read more

Hilmar cheese factory is really cool!! Pricey though! I really enjoyed lunch of pretzel bread sandwich and the tomato soup totally rocked!! Its unfortunate that my penny pinching senses wont allow me to indulge that often. If you are looking for cute gifts this place has some!! read more

So we decided to go to this place after hearing that Colin Kaepernick's dad is a VP here. Go niners! Checked out the website before we hit the road and low and behold there's actually some cool stuff for the kids. Like others have said, it's in the middle of nowhere. Once you arrive, the visitor center looks like a MTV Cribs house. Very nice with an outdoor grotto/waterfall. The gift shop is pretty much the entire downstairs. There's a presentation area where you can see how cheese is made. The cafe/ice cream stand and deli are on one end. There are free samples of cheese made on-site. If you're a cheesehead (not a Packers fan) then you'll be in heaven. There's just about every kind of cheese available. We went on a Sunday so luckily there wasn't that many people there. There was ample seating upstairs. Tables were laid out banquet style upstairs so it was nice sitting there with the kids running around. There are a lot of hands on activities for kids to check out upstairs. From the upstairs, you can check out the workers below packaging the 640 crate of cheese. Pretty cool. The workers were waving at the kids from down below. We ordered a Club sandwich, Turkey Pesto and 4-cheese grilled cheese sandwich for the kids. The sandwiches were all excellent! Good value for the money and the cheese is awesome. Next time we'll try some of the artisan pizza. When you order at the counter, there's a signed Kaepernick plaque hanging on the wall. That's just about the only 49er memorabilia I found. I'm sure there will be more in the future. The only bummer was that we missed the kid's ice cream making session. We got there too late and there was only one session available on Sunday. Oh well. The kids had fun and we grubbed good. We even learned something about cheese making! Oh yeah...Go niners! read more

If you love cheese, this is the place to be. They have lots of samples and variety of different cheeses available to the public to purchase. I tend to go in there, walk around, get the samples and load up on my stash of chipotle cheddar 1lb blocks. They also have a very delicious pesto cheese that I would recommend to anyone. Walking into the visitor center you will find that there is plenty of parking and a nice little waterfall on the side where at times I see kids throwing rocks in there haha. The place is two stories and you are able to walk around and learn more about how cheese is made. Upstairs you are able to peek into the factory where you can kindly wave at the workers there. The staff is helpful and friendly as well. During my last visit I was looking for the pesto cheese and one of the girls was kind enough to look into if they were maybe out of stock (which they were womp womppp). I had a salami filled with some sort of creamy and amazing cheese. I couldn't figure out what kind of cheese it was and they were quick to help me out and show me where I could purchase it as well. They also have a few bottles of wine, sell freshly made sandwiches and even coffee. Don't forget to try the squeakers... the squeaky cheese. You will find all sorts of cheese here that is fresh and affordable (sharp cheddar, mild cheddar, pepper jack, pesto, garlic, etc) read more

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I love this place I drive 170 miles (round trip) Just for an Itilian Sub and a couple lbs of squeekers. A nice country ride on my Harley makes it worth while (so dont laugh) read more

My husband and I took the back roads on our way to Angel's Camp. We spotted this place, and decided to pop in for a look-see. We planned to eat lunch in Oakdale, but when I saw the Chicken, Apple, Fontina Pannini sandwich, I had to order one. It was delicious, for under $7.00. The staff is super friendly, too. We took a self-guided tour upstairs, that has some great exhibits about dairies, and it was fun to peek into a portion of the cheese factory. We learned some interesting new facts about making cheese. Downstairs, we bought a couple of their cheese, to bring with us on our vacation. They were excellent! If you're ever passing by here, it's a nice place to eat, shop and take pit stop, before heading on wherever you are going. read more

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Needed Xmas gifts so stopped in to get gift boxes. My daughter and I decided to have lunch, we both got soup and sandwich. My soup was cold and cheese sandwich was cold. Asked went to clerk at counter told her food was cold!! She stated that food should be warm we keep it in warmer? Not very good customer service!! Her first thing should of been I'm sorry let me get you another soup and or sandwich. Will not be going back. read more

Drove here after church with my little cousins. They were excited to go and take me for the first time. We toured upstairs vistor center and learned alot. Definitely appreciate the visitor center. Before we left had a delicious lunch. The staff was very friendly and genorous with cheese samples when my little cousins changed their minds about what cheese they wanted *as little kids often do change their minds) . read more

Hilmar - Cafes Near Me - Hilmar, California

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Great activity for kids! We enjoyed the cheese tour and even made ice cream ($3/kid). It's a rock salt/shaker method and each kid gets about 1/8 cup of ice cream so it doesn't spoil anyone's lunch. The ice cream part is new, definitely worth checking out! We had lunch here too but be warned it gets busy. Wednesday and Fridays are busiest as they have lunch specials (BBQ on Friday). Coffee is great, food was good too. We took our lunch outside on the picnic tables behind the waterfall and the employees were very cordial. Great place to spend a few hours, especially with kids or out of town guests. read more

Hilmar Cheese Factory is the biggest produces of cheese curds on the west coast. They have a viewing window of the factory and a great information center. But the best part id the CHEESE! FREE Samples! Not only can you buy amazing cheese here ( highly recommend the Vintage sharp cheddar) but you can taste it. Hilmar has a deli making sandwiches, wraps, pizza, soups and much much more. To finish it all off don't forget the Cream Cheese Brownie. read more