Leslieville Cheese Market

This place is to die for. I love their cheese, bread, and croissants. About those croissants: you’d be hard pressed to find better ones in Toronto. They’ve got knowledgeable staff and let you try samples.

Without a doubt, the absolute worst customer service that we have ever experienced in the area. During a crowded time, we were inexplicably ignored (and passed over twice) despite standing obviously at their cash area for some time. Tres etrange. We thought that maybe we were being punked, but no. After expressing concern to management/​ownership, all we got was some rather condescending attitude and weak excuses about difficulties with staff. We would never go back and there are lotsa places to buy cheese. I am done. The end.

Their soups are incredible, particularly the Vegan ones. They are so hearty, they crush anything you’ll find at a super market! The smoked chili and Moroccan kale soup are my favorites, but they are all amazing!

We walked in on a Sunday afternoon– no one else in the entire shop and the employees said nothing to us. Not even so much as a «Hi». Worst service ever. I’m sticking to Kensington Market for my cheese purchases.

I love grilled cheese. I love it so much, sometimes I walk 2 hours to Roncesvalles from my house to go to Cardinal Rule and eat their amazing grilled cheese. So I have always wanted to eat the grilled cheese take out at Leslieville Cheese Market. The occasion has never been right, until today.
First, it really is just take out. So it’s a grab-​and-​eat sandwich, because it won’t travel long and still be good. I chose the Ham & Brie. I was splitting it with someone, but they cut it in half so that was no problem. The problem was the sandwich. If you’re going to be a gourmet cheese shop, and you’re going to make a grilled cheese, ya gotta put the emphasis on the cheese. Especially if you’re charging $ 7.91, and you’re not even giving me room to sit and eat. But this sandwich had so little cheese, it was falling apart, because nothing was holding the two pieces of bread together! And you couldn’t tell it was brie, it just tasted like American cheese.
So why three stars? The dipping sauces were good — you’re only supposed to get one, but the ladies behind the cash let us have two. And they were both good! And the customer service was good, the ladies were friendly, and smiling, and pleasant. So I would go back, to get other products that this shop sells… I’d just never get a grilled cheese from here ever again.

i always spend too much money at this place. tons of selection. but don’t worry, the staff are never shy to give you a sample. the big stores can’t offer this type of selection and customer service.
there are always new products to try. keep up the great selection.

Amazing bread, caramels, hummus, granola. I don’t do cheese, but regular nip to this wonderful shop throughout the week. Love it!

Some amazing breads (and ready-​made sands) but still no bread slicer. Disappointing but still worth the stop. Make sure you have a decent bread slicing knife at home.

Seems to be getting better which can be the case with business as they learn their market area. I had the most amazing almond croissant at this cheese store. Made brick works and café brioche taste like Walmart food in comparison.

I don’t get the hype for this place. I’ve been here at least 5 times and the customer service here is terrible and painfully slow. To be honest, I think that the only reason why they do well is because they’re the only cheese store in the area (which is why I drop by).
My first experience here was terrible as the lady closed shop an hour early and was shooing customers away. Her coworker was serving me blue cheese and would not use the wire cutter because she had to «clean it after and they’re closing». This means that she used a knife to cut my cheese and it fell apart. She then proceeded to use her hands and put the cheese back together (that was traumatizing). They also had a hard time giving recommendations as it was very clear that they did not have an extensive knowledge of their product (ironic as they hold classes there)
In all, its a place that I drop by when I have a huge craving for cheese and the St Lawrence market is closed (check out the cheese stores there, different experience and quality of service).

I can’t believe what I just found in my grilled cheese… A thumb tack. Not a hair, a friggin thumb tack.
I have been coming to this location for over a year now about once every two weeks for different things, and they have let me down for the last time.
A few times now I have had stale croissants which I could forgive. But another time I bought cheese curds that had mould on them.
I still chose to go back today, and they try to kill me with a thumb tack!
When we went back to return them, all that happened was we got our money back, nada half assed apology from the embarrassed girl behind the counter.
Never again…
The worst…

The cheese is okay. The service, the staff and the clientele are painful.
Service — The owners should put some thought into an Express checkout line. I once waited 20 minutes — in a 4 person line-​up — because everyone had to try 5 or 6 cheeses before they bought one.
Staff — I like smoked Gouda. I know it’s not a ‘good’ cheese because its processed. I don’t care. It tastes delicious. When you say ‘we don’t sell that here’, with your faces all scrunched up like a barn animal farted it makes you 1. look like a pretentious wanker and 2. shows bad customer service. How about ‘we don’t carry that but if you like smoked Gouda, try …’
Clientele — Stop budding in line, stop thinking your children’s screams are precious, stop standing in front of the frozen food section blocking everyone’s path, and stop being … just stop. If one more person spends 15 minutes at the checkout hum and hawing about a cheese — keeping everyone behind them waiting — I’m going to start throat-​punching.
No wait … I won’t. Because I’ll be going to the St. Lawrence Market for my cheese. Where they’ve spent years perfecting their craft and they sell smoked Gouda.

Leslieville Cheese Market is right at home in the developing row of high end, delicious, but dare I say — overpriced shops along Queen St. East.
This place has a wide assortment of wonderful cheeses, bread, and dips. I love the hummus that they make on site. They also sell grilled cheeses that are simply delicious. If you buy one, I recommend getting some of their balsamic ketchup with it. They don’t charge extra for it.
So all said, the things they sell here are delicious. If you’re looking for a difficult-​to-​find variety of cheese, they probably have it. You’ll probably leave with a few other impulse purchases as well.
On the down side, I don’t like the layout of Leslieville Cheese Market. This place doesn’t lend itself to browsing. I try to look at the items that they have on display, but there are people constantly. brushing. by. It’s annoying and generally makes me want to leave. If there are more than 3 people in the store, you’re going to have a bad time.
The other thing that I don’t enjoy is the lack of marked prices. You know a place is expensive when they don’t mark prices on things. You’re supposed to be a high roller and not care, I suppose. This makes us feel like cheapskates when we ask.
So if you know what you want and get in and get out quickly, it’s great.
On the plus side, K&S restaurant — home of those who prefer an all-​day liquid lunch — recently closed down, and has been replaced by an expanded and improved Rowe Farms. So you no longer have to pass through clouds of cigarette smoke from the people next door when you come here.
Ok, there are still clouds of smoke sometimes, but they’re smaller.
Leslieville Cheese Market should take a hint from Rowe Farms and expand this location.

they have some pretty interesting things here!
definitely a one-​stop shop for cheese and bread =p
also carry a variety of pates that are pretty tasty!

Not much of a selection, and the young staff don’t seem to know a whole lot about cheese. St. Lawrence Market is where you’ll find a better selection and knowledgeable staff.

WUDDUUUPPP CHEESE!!! I finally made it. I would like to thank my parents for giving birth to me and moving to Canada so I would be able to eat dis cheeeezzzz!!! This place smells like the most beautiful, amazing, used socks and i love it. If you like smelly cheese this is the place to me. They have all kinds of dips, spreads, crackers — basically anything and everything cheese.
i just went for the grilled cheese, i got the original with two kinds of cheese and you get a free dip with it. I got piri piri — my friend said it was awhsum but i’m not a fan of peppers in general, so it’s just depend on his taste buds and say it was delicious.
The cheese was so yummy, perfectly cooked, just enough cheese. It was so flavorful that it didn’t need anything else like meat or veggies.
They have a ham and cheese, bacon and cheese, and a veggie and cheese one (it was with goat cheese, which i do not like so unfortunately i didnt get it).
I paid almost $ 8 but it was worth it, I loved the cheese and would pay a whole $ 10 for it!
Service was lovely — cute Irish boy behind the counter, explained all these weird cheese names to me and got the GC done quick. Thank you, good man! I WANNA GO AGAIN NOW NOW NOWWWW!!!
PS they have cheese that smells like «bad breath» according to my friend. I’m going back there to try that exact cheese ASAP.

My cousin raved about this place, so right after brunch at Joy’s bistro, we headed here to share a grilled cheese. We ordered the chipotle tuna grilled cheese and it was amazing. It is super filling and spicy.
We also ended up buying ROSEMARY and OLIVE OIL BREAD and some cheese. Everything was a pricey but this is because they are a market. There was definitely a lot of stuff I wanted to try in there. Different hams/​cured meats, dips, soups, cheeses, etc.
They also have gluten free stuff which is great. I will definitely be heading back there in the future for more grilled cheeses!

I don’t eat cheese so I’m not Unilocaling about the cheese. I find cheese to be quite disgusting actually, sorry cheese lovers.
Anyway, what I do buy there and love is the Millford Bay Smoked Trout Pâté, it’s excellent. The Epi bread, the best baguette in Leslieville, the chocolate toffee bark in bags at the cash, the olives in garlic, the cold cuts, and mostly for the Beef Bourguignon in the freezer, which they don’t make but it’s out of this world.
The staff are quite friendly and knowledgeable and I have never had a bad experience there. In fact, I’ve gone in there in a bad mood and the staff person went out of her way to make me feel better. It’s small and tight in the shop, but the place is loaded with amazing food especially if you’re entertaining.

After stopping at another cheese market and discovering a new found love for goat gouda I decided to stop into the leslieville cheese market. They had a variety from Holland (I think), also quite tasty. The set up here, requires that you talk to the people behind the counter, who are quite knowledgeable. Prices are not as clearly marked so it can be more intimidating. I have also purchased honeys, dips and breads from here before. They have a nice, albeit small well rounded selection of goods.

As you approach Leslieville Cheese Market, ignore the degenerates loafing next door at K&S Restaurant. The zombies are always around but thankfully they don’t like cheese (or just can’t afford it), so you can browse the store in peace as they clutter the nearby sidewalk.
In this tiny shop you’ll find a panoply of treats: award-​winning cheeses like Le Cendrillon (Cinderella) goat, made in St-​Raymond-​de-​Portneuf, Quebec — literally named «the world’s best cheese» (among 2440 others) for 2009 and very, very hard to find in Toronto. But it’s here, in all its ash-​covered glory. It’s seriously a magical cheese.
Staff hotness has increased in recent months. Every time I go in lately, an even more gorgeous person is working behind the counter. You can sample cheese here and come looking for cheese advice, whether it’s for grilling, melting or serving on a cheese board. Leslieville Cheese Market is also a purveyor of gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches to go, and they usually have a rotation of three or four different varieties.
They also sell loaves from Epi Breads as well as homemade croutons, cream cheese and other spreads like tapenade, hummus and the like. Sign up for one of their nighttime cheese workshops, with cheeky names like «I Never Met A Goat I Didn’t Like» (topic: goat cheese, natch).
My only wishlist item would be more square footage — forget about coming here on weekends or before holidays; there’s usually only one person working and there’s hardly enough room for more than five people to browse at a time. Leave your strollers, shopping buggies and skateboards at home folks.