While exploring Gloucester a week or so ago with my mom, we popped into The Cave to buy a bottle of wine. I thought the shop was so charming - filled to the brim with cheese and wine and other food and charming little knickknacks. The customer service was incredibly friendly, too, and we found a great bottle of wine to give as a gift! I wish we hadn't been on our way to lunch, because their cheeses looked incredible! What a charming shop. read more

The Cave - Cheese Shops Near Me - Gloucester, Massachusetts

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Ordered cheese trays for a party. They did a fantastic job! Everything about the experience was great. My husband picked up the tray and said " the woman working there was an absolute delight". The trays were beautiful, and the food was fresh and delicious. Each item on the tray was identified. Our guests were engaged in trying each cheese because each one tasted unique! (So unlike a tray from a grocery store where they all taste the same.). It came with a ribbon tied in a bow so it would make a great hostess gift or addition to a potluck. I encourage locals to support this great asset in our community. Added bonus: we have a food allergy in our family and they were very mindful; even provided gluten free crackers. read more

Great place for a good meal. Service was great They also have music which was very delightful. Great bar crowd. Enjoyed this place very much. Great French cuisine. read more

I love cheese, wine, bread and chocolate... Being able to get them all in one adorable shop with friendly employees is the best! I'm not sure about some of the negative reviewers knocking the customer service but my experience was quite the opposite. The owner was more than helpful and more than willing to let us sample what ever we wanted. I ended up buying some of the French Tomme which rocked my world. We also purchased some of the "three little pigs" toasts to go with it which were perfect and so inexpensive. I splurged on a blood orange caramel dark chocolate bar that literally turned me on haha. We also picked up a few sea salt caramels from the checkout/register. Prices are reasonable for amazing products. Don't buy the negative bitter reviews, check this spot out. I certainly will be back asap! read more

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I don't normally give bad reviews, especially to a locally owned shop. However I was in Gloucester for the first time 2 weeks ago and stopped at this cheese shop. The store was very nice with a nice selection of cheese and condiments. The person working there seemed nice. I like to support local businesses so I bought a 1/4 pound of comte cheese. I noticed the seller didn't cut from the main wheel of cheese but cut my order from a smaller piece of cheese. I didn't look at the piece that was cut for me. When I got home I found that the piece I bought was a long piece of rind with a small amount of edible cheese on top. I expect to have some rind when I buy cheese but not over 1/2 of my order being rind. Very disappointing. If you buy from this shop, make sure you look at the piece cut for you before you buy it. read more

If I could come here every day I would!!! We stumbled upon this place while walking down Main St. I love cheese, I love wine and a cheese and wine store is just my thing!!!! They have a HUGE selection of cheeses and they were so wonderful when I asked to try almost every kind of goat cheese they had. Not once did they get annoyed, they were happy to help, happy to explain where the cheese came from and what kind of cheese it was. In the fridge with all the white wines, they have a basket full of small cuts of cheese, you can get a huge variety for pretty cheap!! After we picked the many different kinds of cheese we wanted, they helped us pair the wine. Customer service was beyond perfection. The only downfall....they arent open on Mondays so I had to wait a few extra days to get my cheese!!! Great people and great products!! read more

Amazing cheeses and knowledgeable staff. Love. 2013 Update: it's been a while, but I have vowed to frequent this place from now on. I enjoyed this visit even more than the first time. Super awesome. read more

I love the attention to detail, the fanatic cheese head employees, the easy taste bites to educate (and sell!) and ambiance of the this charming, delightful must stop when in the neighborhood visiting family. My experience has been so much FUN and I love this little shop. read more

We always look forward to stopping at The Cave when we visit Gloucester. This trip we all masked up and headed to the store - one of our first trips out during COVID. We arrived and the door was open and the owner was talking to someone. We were excited because it looked like they were taking orders from the door. An older woman walked by with her dog and was so excited to see that they were open. As we were waiting for the owner to finish up with the customer at the door, the older woman shared with us how excited she was that her favorite cheese shop was open. She went on to tell us how she was looking forward to getting her favorite cheese and that this was her first time out since COVID started. We all were wearing masks and it was a beautiful day. Her excitement was contagious and fueled by such a simple pleasure. It was so refreshing. The customer walked away and the older woman went to the window and started to tell the owner how happy she was that the store was open. Before she could finish her sentence the owner interrupted. She sharply stated as she shut the door "we do not take orders though the door you have to phone in your order!" and she literally slammed the door in this woman's face. I have never witnessed such callousness from a business owner. I understand we are all facing challenging times. There is fear running ramped and I believe it affects everyone's actions. Regardless it was so disappointing to see this older woman walking away so dejected. So disappointing. I just read through the reviews and it's amazing how many people have had similar experiences. There's a new cheese shop nearby - we will be giving them our business from now on. read more

Whenever my husband and I are in Gloucester, we stop by this great little wine and cheese shop. Almost every time we go in they're offering free wine and cheese tastings! In our experience, they have been eager to help but not pushy. Our last visit, we discovered a little section of half priced wines (the labels were slightly damaged). We ended up selecting two lovely bottles of Riesling for the price of one! The owner also recommended a great cheese to pair with our wines and even gave us a free freshly baked baguette! read more

Loved this shop!!! Knowledgable & welcoming Bought 2 different cheeses, wine and chocolate. Highly recommend My 10 year old son loved tasting the different samples of cheese. Thank you for a great experience. read more

Meeh- Mediocre from what I could tell. But then again, I left pretty soon after arriving because the cave woman behind the counter was so rude & obnoxious in her loud and condescending chatter with the other employee, and she obviously couldn't have cared less about any of the customers. Ya, I expect pleasantries from the staff in a store with $10 4oz. jam! Decent customer service is hard to find these days! I'll continue to buy my expensive wine & cheese elsewhere! read more

Store owner was super nice and helpful. She told us all about Gloucester and provided helpful information. The cheese, wine, and cracker selection was very good. The location amongst the shops and restaurants of Gloucester is hard to beat. read more

Stopped in here to look at their cheese selection and was surprised by not only the variety and high quality of cheeses, but also the affordable wine available. Fresh breads, many choices of crackers, chocolates, and spreads round out their collection. We have already tasted the very savory Manchego, the amazing brie, and some lovely clothbound cheddar. I believe the owners/operators are a super nice mother and daughter team. There's lots to taste in the store itself and you can sample any of the cheese before you buy. They do a lovely job wrapping it up and will give genuine opinions on the wines and other merchandise. read more

The vibe is dark in The Cave, aptly named. The Cave's proprietor, behind the counter, exudes a rude and unhelpful manner. This Cave sells cheese, after all. You can buy cheese far less expensively at Market Basket or Shaw's, so your edge as a purveyor of cheese might lie in your level of customer service. I don't care if the cheese is from "Moo Moo the Talking Cow" who munches clover and lavender all day in the Luberon Valley in the south of France; if your service makes the customer curdle, it just doesn't cut it. You ask for a certain cheese. She barks: We've never carried it. You ask to taste-test a sliver; she cuts you a hunk and wraps it for sale. You go to ring up your hunk of cheese, and she snaps that it's a $10 minimum on credit cards. You produce the cash, and happily emerge from The Cave into the light with your hunk of cheese. Shop owners nearby on Gloucester's East Main Street are courteous, helpful, friendly, and patient, restoring your faith that customer service is alive and well. Customer service at The Cave, however, gets my "Velveeta Rating." read more

We keep going in to try to like this place but the bored staff is all over us and won't let up! We can NOT enjoy the cheese/ chocolate/ cookies withOUT their high pressure sales pitches! If you do not buy $$$$$$$$ of goods, you will be OUSTED and SHUNNED. We bought $7 worth last summer, and that was not enough. We thought we would be welcomed because we are nice people but for some reason you must $$$$$$$$$$$$pend! Sorry but that is very POOR customer service. Please make your store easier to navigate. We felt stuck and every time we tried to browse we had to look at the employees faces, upset because we were not big buyers. How RUDE! Sorry but I am not going to buy their overpriced stuff just to please them, only to have them forget that we are people 2 minutes later. Don't put samples out if you do not want people tasting them. Do not stare your customers down if they are not interested in your products. We bought stuff and it was not great, but we thought we were supporting local business. NEVER again will we spend anything at this dump. Sorry, but putting pretty items everywhere does not mask your terrible business skills. You HAVE lost business because I would rather shop at nicer places. If you knew how to cultivate instead of destroying customer relationships you would be richer. Don't be so ready to jump down people's throats because they aren't going to pay your rent with every purchase. Thanks read more

I love going to this small shop on Main Street. The cheese selection is so unique and fresh, as are many of the other items in this store. Laura recommends cheese to your liking and how to serve it. My guests continually compliment my cheese boards whenever I create them from the Cave. read more

I had the same experience as the other reviewer yesterday. I approached the door, which was open, saw the schedule on the door that said they were open, and there was nothing obvious telling me I had to call the order in. I was masked I touched the door handle and a guy came over screaming at me that they don't offer window shopping and I needed to call my order in. Completely rude and overreacted to an honest mistake. I will never patronize this shop again. It's the 2nd rude encounter for me. The first time (pre-COVID) I explained that I was looking for smoked goat cheese which I had at another cheese shop (Formaggio) and the person scoffed and said they didn't sell any cheese that you can buy at the grocery store. I would have thought that a cheese shop would actually know that smoked Chevre is artisanal and only available in specialty cheese shops. I would also expect to have my request treated with respect not disdain. I'll go to Savour or hike to Salem before I ever step foot in that place again. read more

Hands down the cutest place in gloucester! Cheese is fabulous and can not beat the prices! The chocolates and crackers are amazing. I am here about 3 times a week for dinner time cheese! read more

This is a great little store in the West End of Main Street and worth a visit. There is a wide selection of cheeses and every time I've been in the samples are plentiful - which makes it easier to make my selection. Grab a loaf of bread, some cheese, and a bottle of wine - and enjoy the afternoon down at Stage Fort Park. read more

One of the best cheese shops around. The owner keeps a great selection of both foreign and local cheese at very reasonable prices.

One of my favorite in town!!! They have the most unique stuff in there . The staff is so friendly and let us try different cheese. They have all sorts of candy in there and gluten free stuff. It smells even better!! They also carry the pickles my family likes from a local company!!! Don't buy cheese or anything else from anywhere!! Worth every dime!! read more

I still can't believe what happened! I walked into the store as a delivery man was leaving. The person there - I don't know if it was the owner or an employee - ignored me. I asked her if she could help me, and she said no, that she had to unpack the cheese that had just been delivered, and I would have to wait. I asked her how long, and she said, "20 minutes or more." There were two specific cheeses that I wanted, and I asked her if she had them, and she said that she did, so I figured she would realize that I wasn't going to take a lot of time because I knew exactly what I wanted. She still refused. Clearly, unpacking the cheese could have waited for five minutes, and I would have been a satisfied customer. What a bad experience! read more

Just visited this store today. Really cute store but the woman behind the cheese counter did not once acknowledge us or say hello the whole time we were there. Another customer walked in and she immediately greeted him and helped him right away. I guess we were beneath her. I won't be coming back. I'll stick to buying expensive wine and cheese elsewhere. read more

Not knocking the selection by any means, but can do without condescension and pretentious tone of the staff. I'm not expecting a hug or even a smile, but would rather not be talked to like I am "less than". read more

I recently purchased cheese plates for my son's rehearsal dinner. Laura did an amazing job. The cheeses were delicious and the trays looked all most too beautiful to eat. Everyone enjoyed them. I will definitely be back. read more

Have been coming to Gloucester with the family since 2011--the innkeeper suggested we check out a recently opened cheese shop. We stopped by The Cave and have been enthusiastic visitors every since. In fact, we look forward to that more than to the beach! We always buy cheese, wine and French bread and have a picnic on the beach and then stock up for home and gifts. Their Sweet Gorgonzola is wonderful and everyone's favorite, along with the Horseradish spread. I have read some of the negative reviews; having worked in retail I will say that finding and training good and reliable staff is very difficult. We go for the products and not to be entertained. Shopkeepers and staff also appreciate friendly customers - it works both ways! Elvira read more

My husband and I stopped by after breakfast today to see what all the fuss was about. Wish we hadn't eaten first! The engaging staff were more than willing to offer samples. Unfortunately we were to stuffed, we passed on the samples and purchased on reviews only. Boy, were all the reviews accurate. Delicious! I left with some duck Foie Gras and Gorgonzola cheese, as well as some out standing wines and chocolate molt balls. What a surprisingly wonderful experience. We recommend all to try it out. Oh, did I mention the fair prices? read more