Murray’s is basically the Willy Wonka’s candy store of cheese. The huge West Village shop is filled from floor to ceiling with everything you need for the perfect cheese plate, basket or late-night binge-eating session. The cheese case seems to stretch for miles and is filled with between 350 and 400 cheeses at any time. This goes from familiar clothbound cheddars to exclusive cheeses like the Annelies, an Alpine-style cheese that is cave-aged in the shop until it melts like a dream, and the Other Stephen, a funky beer-washed triple-cream cheese. Once you’ve worked with the friendly cheesemongers to find the best cheese and charcuterie, the rest of the shop has all the crackers, cheese tools (like knives, fondue pots and shirts with whey too many really-Gouda puns) beer and cider, honey and other condiments you need.
There are also cheesemaking and wine-pairing classes, an in-house sandwich shop and restaurant called Murray’s Cheese Bar, as well as a location in Grand Central Market and another in Long Island City.