In the early 1990s Rob Kaufelt took over Murray Greenberg’s 1940s modest butter and egg shop on a corner in Greenwich Village and transformed it into a Mecca of cheese. That Murray’s Cheese is now located across Bleecker Street in a modern, expansive, well-lit place and has a thriving mail order and wholesale business, a second location in Grand Central Station, outposts in Krogers supermarkets, and a (delicious) cheese-focused restaurant just up the block. One could fear that all the corporate branding, expansion, and uniformed troops of cheesemongers would mean a drop in quality. That’s definitely not the case; Murray’s has retained a quality and great care of their cheeses.

Cheeses are a bit pricier than other shops, but you can be sure they are in top-notch, on point condition, and the mongers are passionate, well-informed, and happy to give you as many tastes as you desire. Here you’ll find cheeses available nowhere else, a credit to their aging facility, or cave, which you can spy through a window in the sidewalk at the shop’s entrance. Kaufelt originally aimed to open a speciality food shop and that’s evident in the well-curated selection of pastas, craft beers and ciders, and other delightful gourmet products which often pair well with cheese.

Bitesee Tip: Are you a cheese nerd? Sign up for a class!