Cheese and Crackers

Have been a long time customer, but this place is going downhill. Lots of confusion and mistakes with orders, short shipments, emails that contradict themselves, & a GM by the name of Jayda who is unprofessional, has a bad temper, & is totally unpleasant. I called to ask an honest question and was exceedingly respectful in speaking to her; however, she started berating me and hung up on me for no reason at all, so I’m done. I can put up with the mistakes and confusion but the bad attitude seals the deal. I will not set foot in that place until she is gainfully employed *elsewhere.*

One of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had. I’ve had the turkey and goat cheese sub and the hot ham sub. They were both incredible. Inside of this specialty foods store, you’ll find a huge variety of cheeses, meats, jams, chocolates, candies, and much more. It is small and intimate and usually only one person is working behind the counter. They slice the meat for the sandwiches fresh for each one (so they do take about 10 – 12 minutes). However, you have plenty to look at while you wait.

I was looking for a great deli in my area, and saw that there were rave reviews about Cheese and Crackers. On this rainy day adventure, I decided to give it a shot. It’s a quaint little deli in an outdoor shopping center. Upon entering there’s a good selection of boars head meat products, cheese and pops. There’s also– you may have guessed, a great variety of crackers. The chocolates were very beautiful and I was highly tempted to devour a selection, yet I was looking for specific deli items that included pasta dishes. I noticed that Cheese and Crackers has a wide range of deli meats and cheese, but not many pasta dishes. After deciding on what to buy I waited at the register with a lady that had been waiting since I arrived at the shop, five minutes later we were both still waiting. I’m not sure what happened, but at this point I made the decision to go elsewhere. Yet I did receive samples of their kalamata olives and some beef meats which were great. I’d love to come back and buy those items as well, but on another occasion; which is why I gave Cheese and Crackers only three stars.

The best place in C-​U to get fresh fish, especially sushi grade (get on their email list to order it.). The emails could be better formatted, but the fish is excellent quality. They also have some good cheeses and meats, but that is not the real draw for me. I did see the owner be a bit rude and pretentious once, but Doug is great and so are the other employees who work there that I have had interactions with. Maybe everyone can have a bad day? I recommend them highly for the fresh fish and also have picked up meats and cheeses.

One of many delis in Champiagn Urbana where one can find nice meats and cheeses (seriously there are a lot per capita in this town!) What sets this place apart is the deli meat selection. I would say it’s the most extensive of the four ‘high end’ delis in town.
A year ago I would’ve given this place a five. I go here for the fish list but have been disappointed too many times lately. I have had my order messed up four times. Two of the four times they didn’t get in what I ordered and made no attempt to contact me to let me know despite the owners insistence that ‘somebody should’ve called you.’ When the order is right, the fish can be really good.
Another turn off is the atmosphere. The owner occasionally berates/​yells at the staff with customers present. It can be uncomfortable and makes you feel bad for the employees. Also the fact they accept Bitcoin is kind of obnoxious. Once I went in there and the guy in front of me was trying to use Bitcoin to pay and it was an ordeal.

My issue with this store is not the quality of the products. I have found the cheese and the meats to be of very high quality and enjoyed them immensely. I love the variety. I’ve gotten chocolates there, too. Delicious. However, there is more to running a great establishment than the quality of your product, it’s the employees, it’s interaction with the business owner.
I have gotten sandwiches there before. The Italian is delicious, the veggie is great, too. However, one time I got my sandwich (an Italian) back to the office and the bread was so tough that I could not bite through it, and I have a good set of chomers! I know baguettes should be tough to a certain extent so they won’t get soggy from condiments and such, however, this was completely inedible. In their defense, it only happened once, but for $ 8 a sandwich, I should always have something edible. I feel like the employee should have been able to feel how tough the bread was as it was being cut. I’ll give them a pass on the bread. That’s not my what really upset me. I WOULD have been willing to go back and try again however what I experienced in the store the last time I went in will prevent me from returning.
As I was ordering, the owner came out of the back and started yelling his other employee in front of me. I felt embarrassed for her. First of all, if you have an issue with an employee or their actions, it should NOT be screamed in the employee’s face, that is unprofessional. Employee issues should be handled calmly, professionally, and respectfully in an office and out of sight of your customers. I was very uncomfortable as this was happening. I regret not speaking up at the time but I find it best not to confront angry people who are larger than me. I just wanted to get my cheeses and get the heck out of there. The issue he was screaming about was olives. Freaking olives. Losing your temper, screaming, and waving your hands over olives is ridiculous, sir. You should probably see a counselor for your anger issues.
While I understand that owning a business and managing employees is difficult and stressful, I was utterly disgusted by his behavior. Initially, I thought I would bite my tongue and chalk it up to a bad day, but obviously this is his norm. He’s doesn’t care if he humiliates his employees in front of customers. I’m not the only one who has witnessed this and mentioned it in a review.
Please sir, change your behavior before you lose any more customers.

Getting on the Cheese and Crackers fish email list was probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made! Every other day, I get an email about how to order the freshest fish possible in Champaign. They do a great job to source only sustainable fish and they have a huge selection of sushi grade options. I went with a pound of Canadian salmon & while I was there, I couldn’t resist picking up a small box of chocolate. I was a little disappointed that the chocolate wasn’t sourced from a local chocolatier but nonetheless, it was delicious and beautiful!

Restaurant review
This is sort of a hybrid restaurant/​store review. I’ve been meaning to visit this place for a long time after seeing the review of the day. It’s a very small deli shop that also makes fresh sandwiches. I was surprised by the selection of cheese that they had. The menu is rather limited with only a few sandwiches. They do prepare these fresh on the spot. The price of the sandwich is about $ 6-​$ 7. I had the Italian sandwich which is similar to the one at to Jimmy John’s. It does come on a baguette. It was good but for the price paid I thought there would be more meat. In terms of their store, they have a large selection of cheese and you can sample some for free. They had a small display case for chocolates which seem quite pricey. Also there’s a limited selection of fresh fish, but the prices close to $ 20 a pound. For seating there is one small table inside and a few outside, but you’re likely to take your sandwich to go. For me this is a one-​time experience.
Pros: Large selection of cheeses, high-​end meat cuts
Cons: Very expensive, small parking lot
Hidden deals:
Free samples of various cheeses on the counter daily
Health code rating: A. Very clean and well maintained.

I ordered a cheese platter as a birthday present and was very happy with it. I only knew that he liked a nice, hard gouda and the gentleman behind the counter helped me pick out other cheese that were similar. He obviously knew his cheese, and we were very happy with the selections he made for us.

Loved Mindy’s Italian Deli sandwich– very fresh and flavorful. We will go back to try each sandwich as we buy our cheeses. We love to support the local business and Cheese and Crackers is very worthy.

What a lovely little shop with a great selection. Loved every minute I spent here.

Freshest fish in town along with a great selection of cheeses, meats, pastas, sauces, chocolate crackers, olives and more. A very knowledgeable and helpful staff is a great plus!

I stop in eveytime I drive in from Chicago. The quality of cheese and deli here incomparable. And the service is amazing, they really go above and beyond. Thank you!

So much cheese!!!
Good selection, lots of cheese I’ve never heard of some international imports and a few local cheese too.
Loved that they offered samples of everything. Ended up getting some small cuts of cheese and some Serrano ham.
My overall favorite is the five year aged cheddar. Oh and wash it down with some Kitty Piddle soda.
Good customer service, I will have to go back and try the chocolates some time soon.

Excellent sandwiches and unusual deli items, and by unusual I mean unusually good. I had a hot ginger soda, my son didn’t care for it but I thought it was excellent. The sandwich bread had some major crust that challenged my jaw muscles but the flavor was good. They’d do well to find a different but equally tasty bread that’s not so tiring.
They have a nice number of imported items, chocolate, salmon, crackers, and cheese. The staff was nice and knew their product.

I’ve been stopping at Cheese & Crackers for close to three years now. It’s one of those rare small-​town businesses that are easy to become inordinately fond of. There are few other places around that compete with their selection of cheese, certainly. I’ve noticed that the nearest Schnuck’s makes a somewhat dispassionate effort, but Schnuck’s selection is more a disorganized trough of cheese miscellany stared down by the gleaming piles of bacon just across the aisle. I’ve read other reviews that suggest the Art Mart — I don’t really think the competition is there, to be frank, and I can’t recommend that anyone without a sturdy constitution take their torch and compass through the relic halls of the Lincoln Square Mall.
If you’ve looked at the other reviews, you’ve picked up on a few things — they can be a bit expensive, they sell far more than just cheese, and they make excellent sandwiches. All of these things are true. They’re situated very close to a Subway sandwich shop, a Jimmy John’s, and a Panera, but I’m always more than happy to spend a little extra time and money getting a sandwich from them. The ingredients are high-​quality and the final product is always delicious. And while I’m waiting for a sandwich to be made, I love perusing all the cheeses, pastas, sauces, teas, coffees, chocolates, cured meats, and other inspiring food-​fancier items they’ve got (they’re always adding new stuff, too, which is fun).
Really, the only reason I’m not giving them 5 stars is because there has been some minor inconsistency with sandwiches in the past. I’m not sure if there isn’t a standard write-​up for how the various sandwiches are made (exact ingredients and at least rough amounts of each), but I’ve occasionally ended up with ‘variations on the theme’ that I’d at least like to have been warned of beforehand.
But that’s about my only complaint. As long as you don’t mind a little waiting now and then and aren’t scared off by premium fare, Cheese & Crackers is a great place to check in again and again. In fact, for some meals (principally ones including cheeses and meats), I consider it an indispensable stop.

This is the place for a good selection of cured Italian sausages and ordering fresh seafood! The cheese selection is kind of bizarre and mostly infusions which are not my preference. Never been disappointed with the things I’ve actually purchased and the staff are really nice.

This place is a straight up hater-​free zone. One of the only places I trust in Champaign-​Urbana to get things like fine cheeses and sushi quality fish.
Like I said, this place is a hater-​free zone, you can even use that futuristic BitCoin money there. It’s like I’m in the Matrix every time I buy stuff from there.

This is one of those places where if you blink, you’ll miss it! Tucked away in a small strip mall where Panera and PNC are located. It’s been awhile since I have been back but it’s right next to a UPS store.
Obviously from the name, they have TONS of cheese to choose from. They will let you sample anything that might look interesting to you.
They also have an array of little treats and gifts including hot sauce but you’ll have to visit more than once because I think they get new stuff all the time!

If you’re a home chef, you’ll love this place.
It’s so much more than cheese or crackers. They have some choice meets, chocolates and some packaged goods.
They also have a sign-​up for fresh fish that is flown into Chicago and immediately trucked down. There is also a list of fresh fish that they have available.
Bart is a cornucopia of knowledge with everything in the store, and can even describe exactly what will happen under different cooking conditions with the cheeses. He loves talking with the customers and getting to know them. Clearly the guy likes his job, and it shows.
I was surprised not to see a huge mark-​up on the cheese prices. They are high quality. And I was also very happy to get fresh mozzarella instead of something packaged up from one of the local groceries.
And root beer — there are so many choices. That alone makes me happy.