A cheese lover’s paradise, Venissimo Cheese offers a wide variety of cheeses from around the world.

Their friendly and helpful staff will let you sample the products and will help educate you before you make your decision—and making a decision is a tough prospect here. You can choose between cow’s, sheep’s, or goat’s milk cheeses that range from mild to piquant. For me, the stronger, the better. I’m really partial to a good blue cheese like Rogue Creamery’s Caveman Blue or Papillon Roquefort. (You won’t find Kraft American Singles at Venissimo!)

Venissimo also offers accompaniments that you can purchase to create a nice little picnic lunch—breads, honey, salami, spreads, etc.—and cheese accessories to help you enjoy your cheese—knives, spreaders, cutting boards, etc. You can check out their website for their Academy of Cheese events and classes, and for the trays and baskets they offer.

If you really like their products and want to expand your cheese horizons, join their Cheese Lovers Club for a monthly goody bag filled with three cheeses and an accoutrement. You can opt to have them delivered to you (for an additional cost) or you can pick them up in the store. (A friend enrolled me in the club for a few months, and I always enjoyed going to the store to talk to the staff about the selections for that month.)

Venissimo has four locations throughout the area—downtown at The Headquarters; Mission Hills; North Park; and Del Mar. My location of choice has been Mission Hills. It’s a small store, and if you arrive at a busy time, you’ll get real friendly with your fellow cheese enthusiasts. (The store was filled with other customers during my visit, and I didn’t want to be the obnoxious guy with the camera banging into people trying to get the shot, so that’s why there are only a few photos for this post.)

What You Need to Know

Location: 754 West Washington, San Diego, CA 92103

Hours: Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

Phone: 619.491.0708

Cost: Free to get in, but the sky’s the limit depending on your purchases!

Website: www.venissimo.com

Tips: There is 2-hour metered street parking in front of the store. You may find 30-minute free spots around the corners on some of the side streets.

Gallery

Click to see full-sized photos.

Visited: 27 February 2016