Cheese Shop Near Me in Miami: Marky's Gourmet on 79th Street

When Miami chefs, yacht captains, and serious home cooks search for a cheese shop near me on the Upper Eastside or MiMo corridor, they head straight to 687 Northeast 79th Street, where Marky's Gourmet has anchored South Florida's luxury food trade since 1983. Founded by Mark Zaslavsky and Mark Gelman, this flagship retail store is famous worldwide for its caviar and truffles, yet its expansive refrigerated European cheese and charcuterie counter is one of the deepest in Florida. Step inside from the 79th Street Causeway corridor and you find hundreds of air-freighted French, Italian, Swiss, and Spanish wheels tended by veteran counter specialists.

Because Marky's operates its own international specialty food import and distribution network supplying fine-dining kitchens across the United States, its retail cheese counter receives weekly European air shipments that rarely appear in standard grocery stores. Mongers behind the marble-and-glass case slice fresh samples and cut custom wedges to any weight you need, wrapping each selection in protective cheese paper so delicate bloomy rinds survive the South Florida heat.

Begin your counter tour with French AOC classics such as raw-milk Roquefort Papillon, twenty-four-month Comté Reserve, and wooden-boxed Époisses de Bourgogne priced around $26 to $36 per pound. Soft-ripened highlights include Brillat-Savarin triple-crème, Brie de Meaux, and ash-coated Loire Valley goat cheeses like Valençay and Sainte-Maure de Touraine. If you love truffles, ask for Italian Moliterno al Tartufo or Boschetto al Tartufo at $32 to $40 per pound, richly veined with black summer or winter truffle paste.

Italian, Spanish, and Dutch wheels fill out the remainder of the counter with impressive breadth. You can pick up thirty-month aged Parmigiano-Reggiano, creamy Gorgonzola Dolce, and smoky Scamorza alongside Spanish Queso Manchego DOP, Idiazabal, and aged Dutch Gouda with crunchy tyrosine crystals. Over at the charcuterie slicer, specialists carve hand-cut Spanish Jamón Ibérico de Bellota, twenty-four-month Prosciutto di Parma, and French duck foie gras torchons.

What makes Marky's Gourmet a one-stop entertaining powerhouse is the surrounding pantry of luxury accompaniments. Pair a wheel of triple-crème Brillat-Savarin with a tin of Royal Amber Osetra or Beluga hybrid caviar, warm French blinis, and Normandy cultured butter from the adjacent caviar case, or grab jars of Acacia truffle honey, Spanish Marcona almonds, quince paste, and artisan crackers for under $15.

Beyond whole and cut-to-order wheels, the shop stocks specialty European dairy rarities and daytime gourmet bites that reward a mid-morning or afternoon stop. You will find cultured French butters studded with sea salt crystals, rich clotted creams, smoked fish spreads, and freshly baked baguettes ready for slicing alongside your cheese flight. If you are shopping for a wine tasting, the staff can point you toward grower Champagnes, crisp Chablis, and aged Bordeaux bottles kept in temperature-controlled racks just steps from the dairy counter.

For holiday dinners, art-week receptions, and Biscayne Bay boat charters, Marky's Gourmet prepares custom cheese and charcuterie platters arranged to order. Shoppers can call ahead to request bespoke boards combining five or six European cheeses with Ibérico ham, olives, and dried fruits, ready for immediate pickup.

Marky's Gourmet at 687 Northeast 79th Street is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 AM to 6:30 PM, Saturday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and Sunday from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Weekday mornings between 10:30 AM and 12:30 PM and early afternoons are the most relaxed windows to sample multiple wheels with the counter staff, whereas Friday afternoons and pre-holiday weekends bring a brisk stream of regulars stocking up for dinner parties.

Shopping at the retail counter requires no reservations at all. Simply step up to the cheese and charcuterie showcase, ask for tastes of the week's newest European arrivals, and request an insulated cold bag at checkout if you are driving across town in the afternoon sun.

Inside, the showroom feels polished, cool, and impeccably organized. Gleaming glass cases, whole jamón ibérico legs mounted on brass carving stands, and shelves of European olive oils, vinegars, and Champagnes create the atmosphere of a classic Continental food hall right on the 79th Street corridor.

Over more than four decades in Miami, Marky's has grown from a neighborhood immigrant delicatessen into an international culinary benchmark with sister caviar lounges in New York and South Florida, while keeping its 79th Street retail counter accessible to everyday neighborhood shoppers who simply want a great quarter-pound wedge of Comté or Roquefort.

Once your cheeses and provisions are packed in an insulated bag, explore the surrounding Upper Eastside and MiMo Historic District. Drive or walk five minutes south along Biscayne Boulevard to Morningside Park at 750 Northeast 55th Terrace for shaded bayfront picnic tables overlooking Biscayne Bay, or stop along the MiMo Boulevard strip for mid-century architecture and independent cafés.

Keep these practical details in mind before your visit. Marky's Gourmet at 687 Northeast 79th Street in Miami is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 AM to 6:30 PM, Saturday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and Sunday from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM. All major credit cards, debit cards, and Apple Pay are accepted, free on-site parking is right outside, and the ground-floor entrance is step-free. Open Karpo APP to discover nearby MiMo District restaurants, Little River art galleries, or bayfront parks.

Marky's Gourmet is essential for serious hosts hunting for air-freighted French and Italian wheels, truffle and caviar enthusiasts building an unforgettable luxury pairing board, and Upper Eastside locals who want direct-importer quality.