This place was everything we were looking for and more. It is a charming, cozy, and very inviting.We had a wonderful experience exploring a vast variety of cheeses with the help of the knowledgeable staff. It was very refreshing that the first gentlemen that helped us with the hard cheeses made sure we sampled cheese in an order that wouldn't muddle our pallet, and when we had questions beyond his expertise, he passed us onto Matt. Matt made our shopping experience so easy, exiting, and personalized. We could tell he was invested in our experience, and his recommendations were spot on! he was a ray of sunshine on a rainy day ( literally lol). If you enjoy cheese, this shop is a must!! P.S. They also have a great wine collection and sommelier on staff read more

The Better Cheddar - Cheese Shops Near Me - Kansas City, Missouri

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Smaller than the PV location but the differences you can tell form the cracker and spread selection! Has a larger section for Asian and middle eastern products too! Cheese selection was fantastic as always and the meats had more lamb options, which we loved! There were some of our favorite picks but also some new ones too that we fell in love with! Staff was great, professional and so knowledgeable! And the little clearance section is always a must to thumb through, might find some new things to add to your pantry! read more

Very nice shop with good selection of products. Customer service was perfect. We will return. Thank you very much

Visiting from Atlanta, and this may be the best store I've ever seen. Coffee, tea, cheese, chocolate and wine of high quality, all at reasonable prices. read more

What an incredible little shop! I love visiting this store to simply window shop and take in all the varieties of cheese, olive oils, and other unique items that you may not find at a normal grocery store. The employees are always friendly and willing to answer any questions you may have. Once, several months ago, my husband and I decided to try our hand at authentic Detroit style pizza and to make this kind of 'za, it's recommended to use "brick cheese." My husband went out on a mission to find it and ended up here. The owner of the shop was really friendly to him and when he got home he remarked at how kind they were at helping him along his cheese journey. Overall - this is (in my experience) the best place to source exotic cheeses in the city, and it's also one of the few really delightful local shops to just window shop in. You never know what treasures you may find! read more

The store ambiance and selection is great. The price for their sandwiches is not worth it. When I buy food I expect anything I can make at home in under 10 minutes with similar favor to be cheaper. As a result of buying their food, I cannot give this place more than 3 stars. Perhaps you will feel differently when you see their cheese and drink selection. read more

The Better Cheddar - Cranberry Smoked Turkey - Cheese Shops Near Me - Kansas City, Missouri

This is a great place to stop anytime you are visiting the plaza. They always have dozens of cheese samples. Some of the best cheeses I've ever tasted I have found here. Of note, they sell sandwiches! This isn't immediately apparent. In fact, I'm embarrassed to say I visited the store several times before I discovered them. Now I have yet another reason to stop in. Enjoy! read more

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I walked in with my service dog and was continually rudely questioned about the nature of my service dog, I was asked questions that are legally not supposed to be asked. I was turned off by this encounter and left the store. I will not be coming back here in the future, even though my service dog has been in the store a handful of times. read more

This shop was a fun find for us and we found their very nice but small selection of craft chocolate bars. Overall they have a lot of unique and fun treats but the prices are so darn high I just cannot give 5 stars for that. We bought some chocolate bars that were priced ok but overall maybe not the store for me. I do understand rent to be high in the plaza. read more

The Better Cheddar - So much good craft chocolate - Cheese Shops Near Me - Kansas City, Missouri

Eat, shop, talk and walk cheese while you're here and you still won't get bored! Gourmet and artisan cheeses, specialty jams and dips make this place the best spot to buy cheeses in Kansas city. I'm a cheese lover and in my very first visit to The better Cheddar, I was blown away! They have imported cheeses that are aged to perfection, knowledgeable and very polite staff and a huge variety of samples you can try before you make a purchase. I was specifically looking for the spanish Manchego- a sheep's milk cheese that my husband and I had tasted at a restaurant a while back and went crazy over! The sampling really made it easier for us to identify the taste and it was delicious! My husband and I tried a variety of cheeses and jams with crackers. They also cut your block cheeses in slices if you ask for it. It was a great visit and I'm definitely up for some more holiday cheese shopping this festive season! read more

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For a lack of a better way to explain it, I needed some cheese. Fancy cheese... and as a novice who is working on becoming a more experienced cook, I wasn't familiar with where to acquire said fancy cheese because all I knew was supermarket bagged cheese. If you're anything like I am, please let me introduce you to The Better Cheddar. The Better Cheddar has all kind of cheese and it's everywhere. On top of this, they have plenty of things to sell you that go with cheese. Crackers, sauce, dip, even beverages and more. If you're planning a little soiree, they almost have everything you need. And now, even on top what I've already written, I want to mention that the staff is amazing. Like I was explaining above, I'm working on becoming a better cook and my recipe needed some cheese I never heard of. I walked in and the gentleman behind the counter took a look at it, said, "Oh yeah, I got these except for this one, but I'll substitute this other one in. You won't even notice." Then he offered up some cheese samples. Very nice. He was right, I didn't notice any difference and my dish turned out great. If you're looking for high quality cheese and other items, The Better Cheddar is a good place to be. read more

The Better Cheddar - Cheese Shops Near Me - Kansas City, Missouri

Not much of a cheese lover, but a great place to get cheese for parties. Great selection of cheeses you have not even heard of. If you're a bit hungry but just want a snack, there are plenty of 'tasting samples' throughout the store.... :-) My favorite are the jellies. Bought a couple jars of the pumpkin yesterday and will most likely return for more. Picked up a couple boxes of crackers as well. Sort of a one-stop shop if you are looking for cheese or items for entertaining. read more

I have an excellent sniffer for quality. Cheese, petite bisque, wine, vanilla, and one of my all-time favorite English crunchy bar.

very pricey but select cheeses not available anywhere else. their onion cheddar is to die for! the place has a tony vibe to it, hip upper class urbanites go there for the best cheeses. good luck trying to find a parking space, though. read more

I love this place! I mean, it's mainly a cheese shop that lets you have free rein of the samples. What's not to love? Free samples aside, this is a wonderful little gourmet grocery store. If you're looking for a specialty food item they probably have it. Other than the massive cheese selection, the shelves are stocked with chocolates, wines, pickled veggies, pastas, and various food items from other countries. They've got a good selection of cured meats and caviar too. You could easily build one heck of a charcuterie board here. The staff is super friendly and approachable. No cheese snobs behind the counter here! They always make wonderful suggestions about what cheese you should try and can help you pair it with wine or even beer. So, I've been coming to this location for years now and somehow I've missed the fact that they offer cooking classes involving cheese and they sell sandwiches! What?! This is a game changer. While I didn't grab a sandwich tonight, I'm adding it to my list of things to eat in KC. read more

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If I ever become homeless, the first place I'll go is to Costco, but a close second is to Better Cheddar. As cheese places go, this place is about as good as it gets! Upon entering, you're greeted with enough cheese to construct a decent sized mall! There are samples of just about everything you can think of, from aged cheddar and swiss to more exotic combinations of bleus. Straight up amazing! There were probably 30 samples on the day we came by....and the next day when we came back! The ancillary items were also pretty sweet. The choices of jams, dips and other deliciousness were vast and complimented the cheeses well. We got some jalapenos jelly that went great w/ Goat cheese! The soda selection was surprisingly good and they have a ton of wines to make the perfect evening with the cheese you're about to discover! Check this place out and prepare to be wowwed by the sea of milk product that will soon grace your palate in any number of ways! read more

The Better Cheddar - An enlightened pop selection! - Cheese Shops Near Me - Kansas City, Missouri

I have a medical exemption to not wear a mask with a doctors note in my purse. I walked in...was fine last time. This time I was verbally accosted by two team members. I was asked to show my medical note, which is illegal, and I presented the note. He said fine...and then LOUDLY ANNOUNCED I had a medical exemption and hollered to the ENTIRE store that I have a medical exemption and not to call 311. I left embarrassed. read more

Better Cheddar has always been my staple gift location in the Plaza as long as I can remember. Not only do they have a HUGE selection cheeses (complete with samples!) they also have wonderful small batch specialty foods, wine, chocolates...a gift basket assembly dream. In college I would drive from Lawrence to Kansas City to go shopping here making sure I didn't forget some habanero cheese. It gives Mac and cheese a fantastic kick! If you don't know what you're looking for the staff is always friendly and incredibly knowledgeable. They can steer you in the right direction! This is a must visit location when heading to the Plaza. read more

Call me Princess Jasmine, because as soon as I opened the door it was A Whole New World. I've heard of what The Better Cheddar has to offer, but the reality is ridiculous. I'm a huge fan of cheese, and to see so much across the store was a dream come true. Sectioned off by styles of cheese, there's plenty of free samples to find what you want. You'll get the entire spectrum of cheese flavor and then some. There were cheeses from all over the world - far out countries, the neighboring states, and a few I was surprised to see from the Bay Area. A killer for any window shopper, there had to have been over a hundred of these delectable puppies. And that's just the cheese. There were oils, vinegars, wines, caviars, charcuterie - a huge selection for gifts outside dairy. And along the left side was an amazing spread of crackers - many I've never even had before. Two of the ones I got were a charcoal biscuit and a red rice cracker, both of which were extremely delicious with the blues and pecorino style cheeses I bought. I came to Kansas City for the barbeque, but I'll be damned if this isn't a stop the first day I'm back. Straight up the best cheese store/heaven I've ever seen. read more

Need a gift? BOOM. Go straight to Better Cheddar. Need a sandwich? YES. Go straight to Better Cheddar. That's what Better Cheddar is to me, a wonderful hodgepodge of gifts and sandwiches. For gifts, you're going to find food related things like Christopher Elbow chocolates, salsas, wines, cheeses (naturally), nuts and nearly every single thing you taste here will be delicious. They even have some samples set up throughout the small shop. While all around solid offerings, I am really pleasantly surprised by their sandwiches. They are great quality, very filling and have some pretty creative offerings. Glad to have this local shop holding it down on the Plaza. PS they've got some strong cheeses for sale here, so it might smell a tiny bit funky when you first walk in. read more

This store is adorable and the selection is amazing!! BUT the shining star is Christian. He was so knowledgeable and passionate about everything in the shop. If you're in Kansas City you have to drop in! read more

I used to work at The Better Cheddar, behind the scenes and loving it probably as much as those that shop there. Dinners at my house aren't "gourmet." Cheese in my fridge used to be purchased orange and usually KRAFT. But thanks to this oasis, a foodies heaven, it has all changed. I have converted to a true cheese lover, appreciating quality over price. On a side note, the store is kept very clean and the products very fresh. I spent a significant amount of time rotating stock daily and wrapping and re-wrapping cheeses. And the cheeses, where to I begin... If you like Italian cheese, I always recommend the Piave Vecchio, a salty aged cheese, sharper than Parmesan and nuttier than Romano. It is my favorite cheese, maybe of all time, very dramatic. The most popular, people-pleasing cheese: can't go wrong with Triple Cream Brie, Camembert, Vintage Irish Cheddar, Applewood Smoked Gouda, or Sweet Swiss. These were best sellers and paired well with most flavored crackers and compotes or chutneys. There is a variety of caviar, although rarely purchased, and cured meats to match the saltiness of the cheeses, and exotic chocolates in varying percentages of cocoa to taste. There is always something for someone there, and the staff is well trained to answer questions or offer advice. Because the cheese is pricey, the staff is also very used to and accommodating to customers asking for wedges to be cut into smaller sizes. This is common and a good service to take advantage of, if you are not used to buying artisan cheeses and do not want to sell your home to purchase some block of blue cheese larger than the size of your head. The only food I would steer clear of, are the samples of cheese placed outside of the refrigeration, usually paired with a type of jam and crackers and a small serving knife for customers to pick from. These samples can be set out as long as the entire day and can get kind of funky. Overall, the specialty shop is one to visit at some point in your food purchasing life, if you live in Kansas City and love cheese. read more

The Better Cheddar - From The Better Cheddar website - Cheese Shops Near Me - Kansas City, Missouri

The Better Cheddar is a must-stop every time I'm in the Plaza area. Upon entering The Better Cheddar, I become a crazed, hyper, little mouse and will scurry around and nibble on samples of each and every kind of cheese...without buying anything. I get the occasional glance from the employees. Their eyes whisper "omg...this girl is going to eat us out of house and home!" No one ever says anything; I'm sure they're used to my kind. The Better Cheddar also carries jellies, crackers, teas, wines, andchocolates. This is a remarkable place to browse and sample some delicious snacks! read more

Why, oh why, dear Lord, have I not been in here before. I'm not the biggest fan of the Plaza, and I never seemed to be near the Better Cheddar during their business hours. I will remedy this in the future. They make sandwiches, so I can use that as the excuse, but gourmet everything: pickles, olives, pickled lemons and quail eggs jams, butters, oils sodas from around the world spreads, sauces cheeses!!!! crackers of every variety CHOCOLATE Come and check it out. They have more samples out than Costco! read more

I'm about ready to change my Plaza review from 3 stars to 4 stars. Some of the stores are impressive, including The Better Cheddar. I can't pass up a gourmet food store. The Better Cheddar has cheese, and alot of it. It has sauces, and butters, crackers and wine, teas and mixes. The employees are willing to cut their prewrapped cheese down to a smaller amount so you don't have to buy a huge amount. I had NEVER been into the Better Cheddar. Now it will become second nature, as stopping into Sur La Table or Three Dog Bakery. I was with Sara D., and I admitted to never going into Better Cheddar, and she could hardly get me to leave. There were cheese samples everywhere, with plenty of willing staff to help out. I kept eating cheese, and sampling crackers, and eating dip they mixed, and then came the wine. There were wine samples. I bought a fig/walnut butter and goat cheese. Nothing fancy, but very good. I will be back and back and back and back. read more

Friendly, accessible, great selection. Samples are lovely. Great place to research how to seem all sophisticated-like. Or to get good cheese. Whichever. The staff is very helpful, like the college librarians you totally took for granted when you were in school. All you needed to do was ask, and they could open up worlds to you. Well worth a visit, you're not just supporting a great local business, you're helping to sustain a cultural educational institution. read more

A more affordable shop next to the normal Plaza store... Love it. The samples are amazing and they sell a whole bunch of different things (sprinkles, muffin/bread mixes, gifts, cheese, wine, tea, etc.) I've bought random little "housewarming" presents here for people and it's always been a hit. The staff is willing to help if you should need it but they aren't "pestering" like some places. I make it a point to stop in here on my random walks around the Plaza and you should too! read more

A wonderland of gourmet goodness! The best cheese in KC hands down, and I simply love all the bottles and jars of everything to accompany the cheeses. Beautiful atmosphere, lovely staff. read more

A wonderful store packed with lots and lots of cheese from all over the world, crackers and a large amount of other goodies to temp your diet. You can try almost all the cheeses before you buy-please use tongs to take one of the tiny cubes from the covered plastic containers located in the 4 large cheese cases. I'd say there were at least 50 varieties you could try the day we stopped in. But there's more than just cheese-they also sell a wide variety of crackers, nuts and sweets. Definitely worth a visit. read more

Our Kansas City Food Tour. Its not a restaurant but what a wonderful store to get gourmet food to try at home. I love this place but cant go to often or I would be broke. The staff is friendly and very helpful if you want suggestions or want to pair a cheese with a wine. This store is required by my husband before a movie if we are going to the plaza. He has to have the malted milk balls for the theater, LOL. Do you like cheese? They have all kinds and samples too. Give them a try and take home a new cheese. They even offer classes at times on cooking with cheese or you can buy sandwiches for a quick bite. Their drink choices is quite unique too, they offer so many different brands of soda, lemonade, etc... things you just need to try. They sell sauces, condiments, crackers, different salts, even some deli meats. Way to many items to list. What I find interesting is everytime I try something new there it is delicious. Its a great place to take the family, a date, or go by yourself. You wont be disappointed and you will have a wonderful shopping experience, trust me, its the best store ever. read more

I travel to KC a few times a year for business, and always make sure to stop by this fantastic place! Definitely worth a visit if you are in the area. read more

Tucked down one of the smaller streets on the County Club Plaza, this shop is amazing. Beside the obvious plethora of cheeses to sample, there are chocolates and crackers, olives and preserves. Just tell the folks who work there what you're planning or looking for and they'll happily help you. While you're there, get a sandwich. The Horse and Cow is delicious! read more

Browsing this gourmet specialty store is a delicious experience. The cheese stewards know their shiz, and they have an expansive collection of vino and cooking spirits -- the good stuff. It is a little tight to maneuver, but an awesome resource for the Plaza. Now get off me so I can do shots of cooking sherry with my Mommy. read more

The Better Cheddar - Cheese Shops Near Me - Kansas City, Missouri

I've now been in Better Cheddar a couple times. The first time, someone asked if they could help me. The next time left me doubting this was sincere. I did need help. In my endless quest for a half-decent half sour pickle, I'm always on the lookout. As I walk in, I see this huge display of McClure pickles and continue to walk around the store. The store was virtually empty except for another couple of customers. Three people stood around inside the counter talking to each other and really that's fine but not when I'm standing there trying to get your attention. Finally one of the girls (an older lady) asked what I needed but with a bit of undertone attitude. I asked about half sours and mentioned how they were nowhere in the KC area. I was hoping that attitude lady would either point me in the right direction or at least say it's something they'll look into for their store since gourmet shops supposedly carry hard-to-find items. Instead I attitude lady gave me more attitude, just said they didn't have them with a complete lack of care and said I'd like the pickles they have. I asked if they'd taste anything like half sours. Her answer? You'll like them. Well, how would you know? They tasted nothing like half sours. Just because I like one thing doesn't mean I'll like another. There was no correlation. I thought the answer was a bit demeaning. If anyone should carry them or make the effort to, it would be a gourmet store. If you're just a cheese store, don't sell tons of other odds and ends that have nothing to do with cheese. I don't know. I just feel like for the money they charge, I'd expect a bit better customer service. I cannot justify paying gourmet prices for 99 cent store service. read more

Crazy wonderful place! Not just cheese!, all kinds of gourmazy stuff!!! Think fancy chocolate, lots of jams and jellies and sauces...dips and crackers and fruits chips dried and cued meats and of course, cheeses! Lovely well arranged shop with particularly friendly counter folk. Yes! read more

Don't hate, cheesemongers of The Better Cheddar. Yes, I routinely come in and filch from your myriad sample cups, I confess. But, unlike probably 95% of the patrons who do the exact same thing, I do, in fact, typically plop down a fair amount of my hard-earned filthy lucre for your exorbitantly-priced but oh-so-delicious product. I'm not the dreaded cheap-ass grazer (like my boyfriend, ahem, ahem). Yes, as the name implies, it's predominantly a cheese shop, and has a great selection, a veritable United Nations of Cheese, if you will. Last time I was in there, I left with Britain, Italy, Netherlands, and Norway all solidly represented (as well as the goat, the cow, and the sheep). Little-known fact, but they will cut portions to order, so if you're making the rounds on the sample cups and are impressed with the Shropshire Blue, but only see $20 hunks wrapped up in the case and didn't bring your wheelbarrow to tote it on outta there, it's not a problem. Although the cheese cases take up the bulk of the store, they also have other foodie-bait arranged liberally around the perimeter (and frequently have clearance sales...have gotten some GREAT teas there for a song when I hit it right). Expect to pay more than World Market prices, but expect a great selection. Lots of chutneys, salsas, marinaras, oils, vinegars, sauces, imported chocolates and other sweets, specialty pastas, a small wine section (I noticed local vintner Michael Amigoni's stuff there last time I was in), and a small case of cured meats. Lots of garnishes and wafers and crackers, too, to make a mean gourmet meat and cheese plate. It's not really inexpensive enough to be a place you'd go for staples, and the stuff they sell isn't most people's staples, anyway...but it's a great go-to place when you wanna whip up some chow that's a little more high-falutin' than a bowl of cheese puffs and some Pabst. read more

Anyplace that carries Green Dirt Farm's cheese is A-OK with me! I love their selection of cheese, gourmet accoutrements, and beverages. They have a lot of unique sodas and wines - great for packing a quick picnic. Love all their mustards. Who knew how tasty bacon mustard on a pretzel could be? The staff is very friendly and knowledge, helping with any questions. They also have samples provided for each of their cheeses so you can sample and browse at leisure. Will definitely be back for all my cheese and picnic needs! read more

Yummm! I kept hearing from the girls at work that the Better Cheddar not only serves sandwiches, but that they are darn good. And I'll tell you, the cheddar is better here...that, and everything else. While I waited on my sandwich I nibbled here and there, and my favorite was an Italian truffle white cheese. I may have snuck a second piece. It was incredible. The guy behind the counter was very pleasant. The woman was cordial, but not warm. But the menu was extensive, quite a selection of different sandwiches. I was impressed, especially that a lunch place like this could be such a well-kept secret (at least from me!) right in the middle of the Plaza. I ordered the Horse and Cow which is a beef sandwich with horseradish, and all the girls at work practically drooled all over it. The cranberry nut bread it was on was pretty darn good, too. I'll be back, in spite of the cool 'tudes. PS the sammies are only 7 bucks or so. It's awesome. read more

Fantastic specialty shop on the plaza. It has a large selection of chocolate, tea, coffee, dried meats, and of course cheese. They tend to be pricier than Whole Foods for example, when Whole Foods carries the same European cheeses. Great atmosphere and fun place to shop. read more

Year after year I revisit the plaza and The Better Cheddar. Sometimes I buy, all the time I sample. I jokingly refer to this as the store for a cheap lunch, but I try to be more civil now. They feature many cheese samples, but also barbecue sauce, marinades, jellies, preserves, salsas and more. Besides these samples, the store offers a robust selection of wines including ports, bottled soft drinks (many unique), chocolates and other sweets, meats and more. They are willing to cut the cheese to your price and poundage preference. I'm most impressed with the sampling and eclectic selections. Thank you for being a Plaza staple for so long. read more