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The Cheese Iron

4.9 (74 reviews)

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Recommended Reviews - The Cheese Iron

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Cheese selection
Maggie J.

The Cheese Iron is always a must stop location for us when we are in Scarborough. We love coming here for lunch and their specialty grocery selection is also unmatched. When I tell you I could spend hours here browsing, I am not messing around! On this particular visit I was looking for dark chocolate and the woman behind the counter very patiently walked me through all my options and helped me whittle down what I might like best. For lunch I got the gigante beans, lentil salad and kale salad from the prepared food sections and they were all delicious. Pro tip, they post their daily sandwich and prepared food selections on their instagram daily @cheesemanmaniaci. Lots of specialty pasta, olive oil, crackers, chocolates, cheeses etc. Cannot recommend it enough! The store is beautifully curated and I wish I could take it home with me so that I could stop by more often.

Jules F.

I had a really great experience here last week. Stopped in to see if they had anything I could grab for a quick lunch- and they had a BUNCH of sandwich options ready. Even better was the owner (? I think) was there to tell me about each one and the love and care he put into each cheese selected for each sandwich. Each option is truly carefully put together like a piece of art. It's amazing. There's a cheese for everyone here- higher end, spicy, more affordable, platter-ready. Lots of sides and wines are ready to pick, and they're all laid out so beautifully. I could spend all day in here. It's truly beautiful and such a calming experience to even come in. Thank you, Cheese Iron! A true gem of a spot and somewhere I can't wait to visit again. A must-stop for us cheese lovers.

Outside
Jill I.

Wish I could give it more stars. I walked in here and thought that I could stay here forever. I am already planning a trip back for lunch. The sandwiches looked so good and reasonably priced. The staff was so friendly and seemed to love what they do. I have been driving by here for years and finally stopped. I was so happy I did but wish I had done it sooner. They have so many great things, Fairly high end items but it all looked fresh and high quality. Many varieties of , crackers, jams, chocolate, everything you need for entertaining. The bakery items looked delicious. Lots of different kInds of wine. This would be a great place to get people a gift certificate to (hint hint) or to get someone something special. I will be back when I have more time and money.

Selection
Kerry H.

Quality product! If you are looking for a savory sandwich, a great cheese and wine selection, then this is the place to stop. Located on route 1, and there are a couple indoor seating options as well. Always set at 67 degrees, so bring your sweater in if you get chilled easily. No flashy sign on the street, so keep your eye out for it. Classy spot and local fav!

A wonderful store environment to browse - don't forget to visit the bakery section!
Nathan T.

I'd heard a lot about the Cheese Iron and was excited that a gourmet cheese store of national acclaim had opened right outside of Portland. When it comes to cheeses, they have a great selection - definitely on par with some of the nicer cheese stores you'll find in Boston. The staff was very knowledgeable and willing to lend advice. When it came to cheese accessories (e.g. crackers) I was a little disappointed at the small range of crackers available. I really wanted Effie's crackers - the most amazing crackers on the planet - but had to settle for Potter's crackers, which aren't all that bad. But they really need to boost the cracker stock! The cheese we got was amazing - and the offer the cutest little "cheese orphans" at the register, small pieces of cheese you can take away to try out and see if you like 'em. The BIG surprise was the bakery section - I bought the most amazing looking butterscotch brownie and it was SO GOOD. They should sell the recipe it was that good - I'm still having dreams about it. Who knew? The shop keeper was very friendly. Almost too friendly! But he offered to take a picture of me and my friend in front of the store so I really can't complain that much now can I? Better to over serve than under serve!

Devyn C.

This is my favorite little stop when in Maine. Their store offers not only an amazing selection of cheeses, crackers, candies, wines and more, but their sandwiches are just plain fantastic. The cubano is out of control delicious, highly recommended! Ilove the overall feel of this place...hanging out at a table with some coffee and a delicious sandwich, while great music plays? Sign me up!!!

Smoked meats and cheeses
Kerrie D.

File this in the "WHY HAS IT TAKEN ME SO LONG TO CHECK THIS PLACE OUT???" folder! Stopped in for lunch today with a friend and we both loved everything about The Cheese Iron. As we first walked through the doors, we were greeted warmly and informed of where the cheese samples were located in case we wanted to try them! Who does that? The shop is so packed with incredible cheeses, dried salamis, chocolates, prepared sandwiches, wines and so much more that it was impossible for me to figure out where to look first. But focus I did, and headed right over to the sandwich counter. I ordered the Cuban sandwich, my friend ordered something with mortadella, we included a side of potato salad and took a seat at one of the super comfortable tables inside (there are also lovely tables outside, but at the time we were there, they were pretty exposed to the sun). Anyway, food arrives and A++++++. The Cuban sandwich was well made and super delicious, my friend's grilled mortadella sandwich was incredible, it tasted as though there was a thin layer of fig jam or sweet onion jam, whatever it was, it was phenomenal. The potato salad was homey and delicious. After we finished our sandwiches, we both got coffee from the coffee bar and chose two biscotti and a salted chocolate chip cookie to share. Again, everything was really good. The atmosphere was so comfortable and welcoming that we ended up hanging for awhile. The staff at The Cheese Iron could not have been nicer or more accommodating. What a place! I WILL BE BACK!!!

Ham and Brie and the El Cubano!

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5 months ago

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2 years ago

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6 months ago

Great customer service with top quality offerings. The staff is super knowledgable and courteous. Easy in and out parking too.

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4 years ago

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8 years ago

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6 years ago

Great cheeses and other products, incredible knowledge, and super nice folks. Their lunch options are always so tasty!

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7 years ago

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6 years ago

The bell mortadella is awesome! Great service as usual. My husband enjoyed his Italian sandwich as well.

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4 years ago

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8 years ago

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8 years ago

If anyone ever rates this place one star, I'll finally have my over due emotional breakdown.

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7 years ago

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7 years ago

Awesome little meat and cheese shop with some of the best sandwiches in the Portland area. You absolutely have to try the Mortadella!!

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10 years ago

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Ask the Community - The Cheese Iron

Casco Bay Butter - Casco Bay Creamery Cream Cheese

Casco Bay Butter

5.0(2 reviews)
3.5 mi
$$

Garlic-Herb Lemon Chive…read moreBlue Cheese Honey Maple Sea Salt Cilantro Lime Truffle Salted Caramel Pumpkin Spice Peach Habanero Cranberry Mandarin One might assume those are cheese flavors. But they're not... they're butter flavors. And that's what sets Casco Bay Butter apart from EVERY OTHER BUTTER COMPANY IN THE WORLD. They don't just make butter... they make butter with pizazz. They've entirely reinvented the wheel here with options that are mindboggling... and mindbogglingly good. I've had samples of their product before at fairs, but had the chance to check out an Open House they recently hosted. I ate: blue cheese butter and walnut short bread cookies, peach habanero butter peach cobbler, cilantro lime butter cornbread, and truffle butter on crackers like it was some kind of spread. I may have brought myself one step closer to a heart attack, but "non, je ne regrette rien." (And when I got home, I had salt potatoes alternatively submerged in lemon chive butter and garlic-herb butter.) Casco Bay Butter isn't cheap, but this is one of those cases where you really do "get what you pay for." I believe it's $6 per 5.5 ounce tub. It's made from entirely from all natural and organic dairy made here in Maine/NNE; and the owners are some of the most genuine and kind people I've met. Buy local, folks. (And don't tell your doctor you're eating butter with a spoon.)

If you ever get a chance to try this butter do. It is lite creamy and just delicious I had the…read morecranberry orange this morning on toast. And it was roll your eyes good

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Casco Bay Butter - Casco Bay Creamery Butter

Casco Bay Creamery Butter

Casco Bay Butter - Pasture raised & grass fed butter.

Pasture raised & grass fed butter.

Casco Bay Butter - Garlic & Herb Butter

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Garlic & Herb Butter

Smiling Hill Farm - Creamy delicious ice cream earth friendly materials- wooden spoon

Smiling Hill Farm

4.5(73 reviews)
4.7 mi
$

What a great place! We stopped here to see what it was all about. We had ice cream, we saw cows,…read moreand we paid to go into the area where there was lots of animals. We even fed goats and deer. We pet babies, we loved seeing the different birds. There were peacocks! It was fun, relaxing, cool in the shade. The food part is big enough to eat and relax. Ice cream was delicious. I would go back! People that worked there were really nice too.

You scream. I…read morescream. We all scream... for site made ice cream on a working Maine dairy farm ! This is a special place... a farm on a hill with their own farm shop featuring glass-bottled milk, sandwiches, and most importantly... Ice Cream ! Starting mid-April or so, they open up "The Barnyard" which is a nice little petting zoo for the kids... and occasionally a "Goat Yoga" spot for adults... which is just so uniquely crazy it almost makes me wish I did yoga. Not into yoga...? I get you. Lucky for us, they also have a hardware store / lumber yard, so you could feasibly come for Mocha Chip and stay for the 4x4 milled posts, and that's not an experience you'll soon get at a national big-box lumber store. Or a Baskin Robbins, for that matter. This place is an experience. The farm is gorgeous, the staff are friendly, the animals are fun, the lumber yard is definitely there, and the product... well that's where it's at... it's excellent. There are a few working dairy farms like this one dotted around the state, and I encourage you to check out each and every one. Smiling Hill Farm is that extra special sort of place, where it's only a few miles drive outside of Portland, but it feels worlds away and it's so, so worth the effort to get to. They also have ready-to-go quarts in the freezer, their various dairy offerings, and rotating, seasonal farm shop fare. Support your local farmers! Also... I've found the local barn cats to be super friendly and just a treat to hang with. YMMV

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Smiling Hill Farm - Cows on site - which one of you made my ice cream?

Cows on site - which one of you made my ice cream?

Smiling Hill Farm
Smiling Hill Farm

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The Portland Board

The Portland Board

4.7(6 reviews)
6.0 miWest Bayside

This place is the real f$&@ing deal…read more When you hear "Portland charcuterie," the first thought you probably have is a very expensive miniature spread of minimal, mediocre food and a lot of pretentiousness. This is the absolute opposite of that. The owner of this food truck is incredible. He is passionate about what he does, and he wants to make his customers truly happy with his product. And he sure does. Vegan? Vegetarian? Gluten-free? Meat-eater? He's got you. And you aren't an after-thought. Cashew cheese? Homemade mushroom pate? Ghost pepper cheese? Carefully and perfectly selected vegetables to go with it all? It's unreal. It's affordable, delicious, and so thoughtfully put together. I hope this food truck truly succeeds and that everyone can enjoy what it has to offer. Portland's best.

I had the opportunity to check out The Portland Board on one of their very first days being open…read moreand WOW. In a chapter of our local food scene's history when everything is getting dramatically more expensive while contrarily portions are getting dramatically smaller and smaller -- The Portland Board delivers. I got the Vegan Vibes board: 1. *standing ovation to The Portland Board for having a plant-based option without having to be asked or reminded that we like to eat too* It's nice not to feel like an afterthought. Also, if you're gluten-free they can accommodate you too! 2. The price was super reasonable: $18, and (segue)... 3. The "board" (because I got mine to go) had SO MUCH GOING ON. I was actually delightfully overwhelmed by the generosity. My board had pickles and olives, homemade beet hummus, a homemade mushroom paté, a homemade wedge of cashew cheese, loads of berries and grapes and peppers and cucumbers and carrots, and a mound of crackers and bread. And, no, I didn't share. Because I like to feel full after eating something I spent money on (c'mon, new restaurants and other charcuterie board businesses: in the words of our freed girl Britney "give me, give me more, give more, give me, give me more"). Also that cashew cheese was *impressive*; I've been making my own nut-based cheeses for a decade and they're good, but this? This was exceptional. I hope that The Portland Board is able to keep their current prices and their portions in this ever-changing, ever-demanding, ever-weird chapter in our food and beverage's history.

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The Portland Board
The Portland Board - Vegan Vibes!

Vegan Vibes!

The Portland Board - El Fuego.

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El Fuego.

The Cheese Iron - cheese - Updated May 2026

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