The ultimate cheese-lover’s guide to Brisbane

It’s official – cheese is addictive. Perhaps only as addictive as all dairy products, but we’re milking this finding for all it’s worth.

With fancy new cheese restaurants and top-shelf boards, Brisbane’s cheese scene has matured to the point where we’d like to take it and spread it across a freshly baked baguette with a hint of quince. Too cheesy? Here’s where to get your fix after Buzzfeed helps you to determine your favourite fromage.

🎶 Sweet dreams are made of cheese. 🎶

Cheese grocers

Cheese Pleaser, New Farm

True to its name – Cheese Pleaser has the goods to please a crowd, with its ready-made French, Italian, Spanish and Australian cheese boards. Cheese Pleaser caters and offers cheese and condiment hampers, with its condiments crafted by internationally renowned Spanish chef Javier Codina, known as the Saucier. They now have a store front on Adelaide St creating cheese boards, sandwiches, toasties and pastas for the CBD crowd. 

Emile & Solange, Albion

Albion’s French grocer is where cheese dreams are made. It has a huge selection of white mould, wash rind, semi-soft and hard, goat’s milk, sheep’s milk, combination milks and dairy cheeses. Safe to say if you’re looking for something specific, you’ll find it here. Choose from the selection or let the experts tailor a cheese and charcuterie board for any occasion.

Olympus Cheese Factory, Coorparoo

Brisbane’s family-owned cheese manufacturer Olympus produces a range of award-winning cow’s milk and buffalo milk fetta, ricotta and halloumi. Yes – this is the place you can go to stock up on your favourite breakfast addition. Noteworthy varieties include its lemon-pepper baked ricotta and fetta with cracked black pepper. Visit the factory at Coorparoo.

Le Fromage Yard, Morningside & Market locations

Bringing the cheese to the people! This grocer can be found at a number of markets across Brisbane and now its store in Morningside all cheeses can be ordered online. The portable cheese room stocks blue, goat’s, sheep’s, hard, semi-hard, washed rind and white mould cheese but the standout product is its cheese towers – the most beautiful stack of cheese wheels one has ever seen. We’ll never need another cake.

The Cheese Room, Kangaroo Point

A room full of cheese? You now have our attention. Woolloongabba’s Cheese Room specialises in international produce with all the goods from the land Down Under, New Zealand, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Germany and the US. Pick and mix the perfect cheese board with its huge range of accompaniments including antipasto, quince, caviar, nuts, olives and crackers.  

Witches Chase Cheese Company, Tamborine Mountain

Straight from paddock to cheese board, Witches Chase use fresh cow's and goat's milk from the Scenic Rim to create their cheeses. Wander into creamy cheese heaven and grab triple cream blue, goats feta, tamembert (version of Camembert) and clothbound cheddar to create your own board.

Cheese restaurants

Fromage the Cow, Milton

Now you can unashamedly eat all of the cheese across multiple courses without it being weird. Every meal here comes with a wad of epic cheese (if it’s not the centrepiece of the dish). Breakfasts such as its smashed avocado are accompanied by goat’s cheese mousse, entrees include double-baked cheese soufflé, and mains come with a side of truffle Paris mash. If you’re not in cheese heaven yet, you’ll get there with some ricotta ice-cream for dessert or a signature cheese platter.

It also has a huge selection of deli goods to take away, including all of its favourite fromages.

Melt Brothers, Brisbane City

Now there’s an entire restaurant dedicated to bringing you the best cheese toastie you ever did devour. Venture down Gresham Lane in the city to find Melt Brothers, a licensed cheese toastie outlet and coffee shop. Take a traditional cheese toastie or mix things up with combos like its M.C. Cheesy – mac & cheese, maple bacon, smokey bbq sauce, mozzarella, cheddar and aioli toastie.

Cheese boards and dishes

Croft House Brisbane, Brisbane City

There’s a whole menu dedicated to chacuterie here so you can pick and mix your way to the perfect setting, accompanied by fig relish, warm sourdough, and crisp bread crackers. We recommend the Fourme d'Ambert.

Gerard’s Bar, Fortitude Valley

An impressive line-up of cured meats, tapas and fancy fromage. International varieties include soft, semi-hard and hard cow’s milk cheeses. There’s lengthy descriptions of each so you can make an educated decision regarding the level of nutty undertones or creamy texture you want in each bite.

Il Verde, Bowen Hills

Typically known for their epic Italian fare, Il Verde is also known for one particular dish – the cheese-wheel pasta. Book a table for Tuesday or Thursday to enjoy their 'Death by Cheese' special starting with wood-fired bread topped with melted cheese and followed by pasta stirred in a wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

Salt Meats Cheese, Newstead

If you can't make it to Il Verde on a Tuesday or Thursday, then it's your lucky day because Salt Meats Cheese do a similar cheese-wheel pasta special on Wednesday nights – you can even add truffle. 

Canvas, Woolloongabba

The perfect warm-up before tapas and cocktails. Choose one, two or three cheeses from the daily selection, served with warm ciabatta, rice crackers and pear, fig and pepper paste. Go Sunday afternoon to pair it with $10 classic cocktails. 

Coppa Spuntino, Brisbane City

An impressive selection of blue, wash rind, hard and smooth served with crisps, fig jam and walnuts. Best order a few and some wines to match - the staff can help with that.

Montrachet, Bowen Hills

What better way to finish off an epic French degustation than with a selection of top-shelf cheeses? Les fromages here are all of French origin and are served with Beachmere truffle honey and cereals, and molasses bread.

Bar Pacino, Brisbane City

If assorted international formaggio and river views are what you’re after, we know just the place. Choose from a share plate of soft brie, creamy blue and sharp cheddar or take out a platter up to 10 people.

Customs House, Brisbane City

A damn fine selection of French, Swiss, Australian and Spanish blues, bries and gruyere served with warmed walnut bread and house made lavosh. Choose two or three to start or finish your evening.

Delicatessens

Inspired to MYO (make your own) cheese board? These Brisbane delis go above and beyond with their cheese, meat and condiment offerings.

The Standard Market Company – 76 Skyring Tce, Newstead & James St, Fortitude Valley

Clayfield Fresh – 823 Sandgate Rd, Clayfield

Rosalie Gourmet Market – 164 Baroona Rd, Paddington

The Stores – 404 Montague Rd, West End

New Farm Deli – 900 Brunswick St, New Farm

Swiss Gourmet Delicatessen – 181 Boundary St, West End 

Penissi - 17 Balaclava St, Woolloongabba

Sourced Grocer - 11 Florence St, Newstead