The Cheese Course

I wanted to let everyone know that upon submitting this review the company immediately reached out to me via a phone call. They were very sorry and sent me a $ 10.00 gift card. I was very happy with the way customer service handled themselves. I have not gone back since my original post but when I do I will definitely be submitting another review.

Absolutely loved it! Yummy soups and salads! Can’t wait to eat here again today for lunch! Will meet a friend and give more details of my second visit!

First time coming to this place and I really enjoy it. The food was really good! The girls bathroom was a little bit messy but still clean. They had a good wine selection and amazing cheeses to choose from.

SAY CHEESE!
I love trying new places all the time, but not necessarily alone … So, after many attempts of trying to get somebody to accompany me here to The Cheese Course, I FINALLY convinced a friend of mine to have lunch here! That was a couple months ago. Today, after raving about how great my first visit was, I managed to persuade my boyfriend to take me here for lunch. We arrived around 3:30 in the afternoon, an off-​hour, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves. We each ordered a «Perfect Pairing» which is «Pick any Half Sandwich with your choice of any Cup of Soup» OR «Pick any Half Salad with your choice of any Cup of Soup.» We both chose the sandwich option. You can choose either a «Cold Sandwich» of which they offer 7 varieties, OR a «Warm Sandwich» of which they have 5 to choose from. There are 4 creamy flavors of soup to choose from. (By the way, they have 9 different salads on the menu. NEXT TIME!)
My boyfriend ordered the Grilled Chicken Breast sandwich (warm) with Mushroom & Brie Bisque, and I ordered the Applewood Bacon sandwich (warm) with the Tomato Bisque. Since this is a French inspired place, they appropriately use French Baguette for the sandwiches; choose either White or Whole Wheat.
Now, before I get into the «meat» of this review (no pun intended), I must point out that my boyfriend is downright difficult to please, and if one little thing goes wrong, he’s quick to mutter, «This place has seen the last of me.»
So … with that being said … my boyfriend liked it! HE REALLY LIKED IT! And, coming from HIM, that means A LOT!
As we waited for our meals to be prepared, we sampled some Swiss cheese and some sweet fig spread on little slices of French bread. With French music playing in the background, I mentioned that this would be a great place to come in the evening for a Wine & Cheese tasting (Hint-​hint!)
ALL of the sandwiches, salads, AND soups incorporate some form of cheese in their recipe … quite apropos for a place called The CHEESE Course! My boyfriend’s grilled chicken sandwich had Fontina, a semi-​soft cheese with an intense flavor, made from the milk of cows from the region of the Italian Alps. My sandwich (applewood bacon) was blessed with Goat Gouda, a semi-​hard cheese made from, you-​guessed-​it, Goat’s milk, made right here in the good ol’ USA! I L-​O-​V-​E Goat cheese! I also love bacon! Bacon + Goat cheese = Heaven!
Rosemary aioli (garlic/​olive oil mayonnaise) was used to moisten and season both our sandwiches, and I believe that it is this ingredient which is responsible for the subtle flavor which lingers in your taste buds for hours afterward. Also … the sandwiches and soups taste really fresh! Really!
Although we finished our lunch over 4 hours ago, I STILL have that really good FRESH aftertaste in my mouth! YUM! It’s like I don’t want to eat anything else for the rest of the day because I don’t want to lose that really good feeling in my mouth (and in my tummy!)
As for the prices … the «Perfect Pairings» cost $ 9.99. (Add $ 1.00 for Premium Pairings: Prosciutto, Spanish Serrano Ham, Scottish Smoked Salmon, and Classic Greek selections.)
By the way, this is not a sit-​down restaurant; there is no table service. You order and pay at the counter, then the food is brought out to you. There are no waiters or waitresses per se.
Lastly, I was a bit surprised to learn that The Cheese Course is a franchise! It has such a privately-​owned feel to it.
i am happy to report that The Cheese Course has NOT seen the last of us!

This was my first time having lunch at this place and it was really cheesy, which is never a bad thing. The ambiance is extremely nice and the hot sandwich that I had was really flavorful (the grilled chicken) I also had the broccoli soup and that was my FAVORITE! The balance between the cheese and the broccoli was just perfect. The only reason why I won’t give it 5 stars is because the guy ringing us up was a little rude and I went back to him to ask him to please have the onions removed from my sandwich, he agreed and then brought the sandwich filled with onions.

My boyfriend took me here for lunch — we ran late for most lunch menus in the area so we ended up eating here.
The atmosphere is clearly beautiful as well as the food being top-​notch and basically gourmet. The sandwich and soup I had here was delicious and outstanding in terms of its quality.
The cashier gave us a sour face when we put in our food order and didn’t put a tip on the bill. When we sat down to wait for our food, my boyfriend looked at the check and said he felt bad for not tipping right away at the counter when we ordered our food. The service was fairly slow and from what I can remember, I wasn’t even served water or napkins.
I told him there’s no reason to tip if the server only literally puts our food on the table and walks away (which is exactly what happened). He gave her a good tip, but for that price, I would rather go somewhere else that actually provides decent service and does things like serve water or napkins with the meal. That’s called customer service at a restaurant and I would know because I’ve been a server at a restaurant.
If they don’t do anything else at a restaurant besides put your food on a table, I shouldn’t have to leave a tip with the meal.

Ordered the salmon on white. It came on wheat but no big deal. What was a big deal is that it came smothered in goat cheese. The menu states cream cheese after eating some of it I asked and they said «oh we ran out of cream cheese so we changed it to goat cheese». Ok that would have been good to know before I spent $ 15. I scraped off the goat cheese and ate it anyway.
1. They did not open the doors until 11:10 am. Door shows they open at 11:00 am. Me and three other people were knocking on the door and being ignored. 4 others tried the door and left. Got back in car and left. Lost business I guess.
2. Girl at the register loudly chewing and snapping gum (pet peeve and not professional in any job). Aforementioned girl was staring at the people knocking on the door and ignoring us.
3. Wrong bread. I asked for white got wheat. Equally good. I would never have mentioned this but…
4. They Changed the cheese that comes on the sandwich. Goat cheese is way different then cream cheese. It didn’t go with the salmon. The whole sandwich’s flavor was overpowered by goat cheese. Scraped it off and ate it anyway.
None of this would have mattered at all except for:
5. The Employees Didn’t give a crap about any of the above. All I got was «oh yea forgot to tell you we ran out of cream cheese». Not even a small word of apology.
6. Tried to buy some stuff to go. Asked three times for some of what was being sampled. Was told it was «in the back». After 15 minutes I said I’m sorry, I think you forgot to get my order. Reply «what order» I guess it’s not important to you. Reply «what’s not important». My order. «What order». I said never mind and walked out.

The service is lacking. The food runner seem like they lacked experience. There where no menu to sit and look at. No explanation or attempt to sell any product. The table top where dirty and full of other people’s plates and crumbs. The décor is nice. The food is ok. You would think a cheese store would know better in serving cheese cold. They should be allowed the cheese to come to room temp so the fats loosen up and bring flavor to your pallet. Nothing we ate was amazing in any way. Although the smoked salmon was nice. The lentil soup was ok. There was hair in my wife’s sandwich. The entrance to the bathroom seemed like storage area instead of a customer area. Bathroom where unkept. I prefer other places for this price point. We did not expect it to be this bad. Truly disappointed

The only thing saving this location is that their sandwiches and soups are delicious but the service and management at this location is the worst. Terrible, terrible service. We frequently visit both Cheese Courses in Miami. The location in Pinterest has the slowest service ever! Waited over 30 mins for 3 sandwiches.
The cashier/​waiter came to our table to verify our sandwich order 30 minutes after we placed it. Thats when they started our sandwiches. This isn’t the first time this happens. Kitchen staff seems to be disorganized as they bring out sandwiches that were ordered after ours. Service is deadly slow at this location. It’s never full at night so I don’t understand why the long wait?! They gave me a discount on my second glass of wine for our long wait. Which was insulting because it was only .40 cents less than the first glass of wine.
Hello Cheese Course, listen to your guest and switch up your management team, have them train at your midtown location, do something!

We had a lovely lunch experience. There are a few things I learned as a first time customer that I am inclined to share because I would like to have known this information before I walked in.
* plan on a leisurely meal– took is 40 minutes after we ordered our cheese plate, salad and sandwich to get our food
* soup is not available until after 12
* the menu notes a create your cheese course with selected pairings of cheeses but they ‘don’t have that anymore’ although I was allowed to recreate it (had the #43)
* when they say ‘served with fruit’ they mean grapes (only)
All of that being said, we were not in a hurry and had an enjoyable meal. The place is clean, service on point, staff knowledgeable (I called someone over to explain which cheese was which on my plate which he was readily willing to do– some sort of cheese markers would have been nice). It was pricy for a lunch but not unreasonable. Ambience is comfortable. We would recommend and return again. Try it. You’ll like it.

If you have’t been here I recommend you do try it. It’s very quaint. You feel like you are in your dining room when seated at the big table. Their sandwiches are delicious and so are their soups. The cheese course offers a nice variety of offerings. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does!!!

UPDATE: The Cheese Course mailed me a $ 10 gift card for the poor service I have received at their Pinecrest location on two separate occasions. I found this «gesture» insulting because it will not even cover the cost of a single lunch item… Well, maybe a piece of cheese and an iced tea. Unbelievable! Definitely not enough to convince me to come back to the restaurant. Sorry, Cheese Course, but you have lost my business. Clearly you guys have a serious management problem.
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The food tastes great but the service is HORRIBLE. I have visited Cheese Course twice and they missed the mark both times. I brought a friend with me today and the soup they brought him was cold after a long wait. I was so embarrassed. The kitchen appears very disorganized because people who ordered after us received their food first. It was one disaster after another.
Again, the great taste of the food is the only thing saving this restaurant. They need to get their act together.

I’ve stopped by this shopping center many times and every time I walk by, this place is PACKED! So, of course, I was intrigued and wanted to see what all the fuss was about.
So let’s start off with the pros:
— Great location in the heart of Pinecrest (right next to Whole Foods)
— Plenty of parking
— Nice display from the outside
— GREAT service, especially from Josh — he was a mix of bus boy/​waiter
— Lots of wine and cheese options
— Easy menu available on the wall or smaller ones at the register
— GLUTEN FREE BAGUETTES available that aren’t hard as wood
— Fruit chutney is SO Delish!
— Overall the food was fresh and tasty! :)
A few things that they should work on:
— Location of the register; I’m not sure if they recently changed bc there’s a sign on the back wall to order but then you have to go to the right corner of the displays in the middle. CONFUSING!
— The tea was flavored but it doesn’t say anything but lemon (it was more like a raspberry flavored tea)
— The location of the tables to the left are weird since we see the back of the display area, the kitchen, AND an area that they use on the product shelves just for the cleaning supplies
Overall, it was a great experience but I think there’s a better use of the space and making it less confusing for people. It’s clean and the food is great which is certainly a MUST. I look forward to visiting again in the future.

Wow I instantly fell in love with this place today. I’ve been dying to check out The Cheese Course for quite some time and finally got a chance to give them a try. I walked in and it was pretty quiet inside. It has a nice cozy feel to it, nice relaxing music and atmosphere; I immediately felt like I was in a good place.
A young lady behind the counter was cutting cheese when I walked in. I walked up and told her it was my first time here and I wanted to take home a cheese plate. She asked me questions about my preferences in cheese and was super knowledgeable about the cheeses (they have a TON). She let me try a lot of different types of cheese I’ve never had or even heard of and I loved everything really. I picked my top 3, along with a side of prosciutto, fig jam, and sun-​dried tomato basil pesto. The whole thing came with grapes and 4 nice sized baguettes cut into little ready to eat slices (great touch). I purchased wine somewhere else beforehand but they seemed to have a great selection here as well as a few craft beers.
All in all I was extremely pleased with the final product I had an amazing little picnic with my «cheese course» and I can’t wait to come back here again!

Everything about this place is amazing, I usually come for my lunch. They have the perfect combination half a sandwich and soup. Amazing cookies and service. I recommend for everyone to come here

I love The Cheese Course! Admittedly, the Midtown location is my favorite (it was my first AND it has BEAUTIFUL outdoor seating — win win.) But, the Pinecrest location being closer to my house makes it my home away from home. Had I emerged from under the rock sooner, I’d easily have 50+ check ins here and 100+ at the Midtown location. Its this and Robeks! ;)
The Pinecrest location is on US1 off of Killian in the Suniland shopping center. Look for Flanigans, Eurpean Wax Center and a Nose for Clothes (wth?)
They have Thursday specials called «Siply Thursday» $ 3 glass of house wine, $ 9 bottle of house wine and $ 3 craft beers on Thursdays from 5pm-​10pm (close). They were also running this special today for Father’s Day. So I got to try a new cider (new to me) called Samuel Smith’s Organic Apple Cider 5%ABV. Regularly $ 5, but $ 3 today! I was ECSTATIC to see a Cider in their craft beer lineup because I had never spotted one before. I hope they’ll always have it!
Speaking of hopes and cheese dreams… I was extremely saddened when the (very nice) girl who helped me answered my question regarding the almost barren cheese fridges. Yes, this is the new lineup she said. Something tl do with the demographics of the area and the low sales. I figured. But I was wishing and praying that it wasn’t true. There used to be dozens of cheese per catergory. But I understand, cheese is a very perishable item. And having too many options/​inventory increases waste when certain stock doesn’t sell. The only way to prevent this? More of the same item instead of less of many! Am I making any sense? Sorry, that Cider is making me a little woozy already. Hey! Don’t judge. .I came here on an empty stomache. I was treating myself to a little indulgent Sunday. It was this or getting my nails done. I chose Cheese… duh.
Anyway, back to TCC. Its the perfect quanit little spot for all occasions, really. A romantic date, day or night. Catching up with the girls. Having an afternoon lunch meeting. Why does that always have to be at Starbucks? Boring! They even have a 14-​seater table. So bring the whole family. You’ll feel right at home. The ladies here know what real customer service is!

Gotta love The Cheese Course! I’ve been to 3 of their locations and so far I love them all. Great selection of cheeses, fresh salads and sandwiches. And great wine prices! Sit down for lunch of pickup some stuff to take home for dinner.

I’m finally able to write my review for this place. It was my first time here. It’s been on my radar for awhile now. Finally got my chance. Well starters, the parking here in the suniland mall is always packed and hard to get space. The set up is not a sit down type, but more of order and pay at counter and they give you a number and they bring out the food. It’s a large menu, mostly just salads, sandwiches and of course the signature choices of cheese. I went by the reviews and ordered the prosciutto and Mozz on whole wheat baguette and paired with tomatoe soup. Loved it!!’ The bread was so soft, the meat and cheese was very fresh. I ordered a glass of Cabarnet, hello!!! It’s a French restaurant!!! Lol. But they also have a variety of other beverages, such as, sodas, water and beer. I really enjoyed this place and definitely will return. The only draw back for me was the noise level. It has very high, open concept ceilings and tile floor, which makes for a very loud experience. Also I came during lunch and was very busy. I was lucky to get a table. The service was nice and helpful.
You won’t regret.

I. LOVE. Good quality CHEESE.
And the Cheese Course serves exactly that and more.
The Salads and delicious.
Some of my favorite cheeses include
Prima Donna, Garroxta, Midnight Moon, Barely Buzzed and the Bilberry one (so sad that they don’t carry it anymore. And no suitabme replacement either!)

Unilocalers, you did me right! I loved everything about the Cheese Course. First the parking around here sucks, you might want to go to the back. I can’t stand when everyone goes to the front and watch people walk to their car just to get that closer parking. Ummmm walk people! It’s not far.
Anyways, when you first walk in the menu is on the right along where you take your order. I walked to the cheese display and thought I order there. But the cashier is friendly and helps you if you never been here before or need some advice. I ordered a cheese platter from Italy along with the house merlot wine. The hubby ordered a asiago and fontina grilled cheese sandwich. OMG was everything on point. My intent was to order the caprese sandwich or the procuitto sandwich but I thought ordering a cheese platter would be good enough. It was enough to fill me up with some left overs. Def going to try the France and American platter next time.
Oh before you go, make sure groupon or Loving social is offering a deal. I found one after the fact and it was a damn good deal ($ 12 for $ 20 worth of food). I bought one for when i go again! Overrall, good food and great customer service and decent house wines.