Cheese Shop Near Me at the Ferry Building: Ferry Plaza Cheese

Travelers and commuters searching for a cheese shop near me along the San Francisco waterfront find their answer at Shop 23 inside the historic Ferry Building Marketplace, where Ferry Plaza Cheese Shop fills the Embarcadero's artisan dairy niche. While longtime Noe Valley counter 24th Street Cheese Company and the former Cowgirl Creamery stall have closed, Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant founders Peter Granoff and Debbie Zachareas expanded right next door to launch this dedicated cut-to-order cheese counter led by Head Cheesemonger Evan McLean. Beneath the soaring 1898 nave of 1 Ferry Building, the shop bridges boutique retail wedges and immediate wine-bar grazing.

What sets Ferry Plaza Cheese Shop apart is its direct integration with one of San Francisco's most respected wine programs. Evan McLean and the monger team curate rotating West Coast farmstead wheels alongside benchmark European imports chosen specifically to shine next to pours at the adjacent Ferry Plaza Wine Bar. Whether you want a quarter-pound wedge wrapped for your ferry commute home or a plated three-cheese flight to enjoy at the marble bar next door, the staff tailors every cut to your palate.

Focus your first tasting on Marin and Sonoma County standouts such as Point Reyes Farmstead TomaRashi or Bay Blue at roughly $26 to $30 per pound, alongside Pennyroyal Farm Boonter's Blue and Laychee goat-and-sheep cheeses from Anderson Valley at $28 to $32 per pound. From Europe, the case regularly features aged French Comté, creamy Italian Robiola Bosina, and Spanish Idiazabal smoked sheep's milk cheese. Add a $10 jar of local fruit mostarda or Fra' Mani salumi sliced to order to round out your selection.

Soft-ripened and triple-crème selections occupy their own dedicated shelf inside the cold case for shoppers who love decadent, spoonable textures. Look for Marin French Cheese Company Triple Crème Brie and Cowgirl Creamery Mt. Tam at $13 to $18 per wheel, or imported French Delice de Bourgogne and Epoisses de Bourgogne washed in marc brandy at $28 to $34 per pound. The mongers also stock small-batch California goat cheeses dusted in herbs or cracked black pepper alongside Rustic Bakery organic sourdough flatbreads for $8.50 a box and Spanish Marcona almonds roasted in olive oil and sea salt.

Hungry midday visitors can order hot pressed paninis, grilled cheese sandwiches, and grab-and-go picnic boxes built fresh behind the counter. The grilled cheese and panini offerings, priced around $14 to $17, layer melted alpine and California farmstead cheeses with cured meats, caramelized onions, or seasonal preserves on crusty artisan bread from nearby Ferry Building bakers. Pre-assembled to-go cheese and charcuterie boxes run $18 to $28, ideal for eating out on the bayfront piers.

Custom party platters and special-order cheese boards are another specialty of Shop 23. Whether you are hosting an office reception in the Financial District or a sunset gathering at home, the team designs custom boards scaled from intimate four-person spreads around $65 to grand grazing tables over $150.

Ferry Plaza Cheese Shop opens Sunday through Friday from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM and Saturday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, while the adjoining Ferry Plaza Wine Bar pours until 7:30 PM on weekdays and 7:00 PM on weekends. Saturday mornings between 10:00 AM and 1:30 PM coincide with the famous Ferry Plaza Farmers Market outside, creating a vibrant buzz throughout the arcade, whereas Tuesday through Thursday afternoons between 2:00 PM and 4:30 PM offer the calmest counter browsing and longest one-on-one chats with the mongers.

Retail counter visits require no reservations at all. If you want to enjoy your custom cheese flight alongside a glass of Napa Valley Cabernet or French Champagne inside the adjacent wine bar during Friday happy hour or Saturday farmers market peak, expect a short wait for a marble table or counter stool.

Inside the marketplace, Shop 23 pairs polished mosaic tile floors and warm wood cabinetry with the natural bay light streaming through the Ferry Building's steel trusses and clerestory windows. Neat calligraphed signs note the milk source, region, and producer of each wheel, making it easy to browse at your own pace before asking for a sample.

Peter Granoff, a Master Sommelier, and longtime wine director Debbie Zachareas have anchored the Ferry Building since the marketplace's revival in 2003. When the building lost its previous cheese counter, they stepped up to ensure that local California cheesemakers still had a flagship showcase at the city's busiest transit and culinary crossroads.

Once your cheeses and paninis are packed, step through the rear doors of the Ferry Building onto the sunny bayside plaza overlooking the Bay Bridge and Treasure Island. You can also walk five minutes south along the Embarcadero promenade to Pier 14, a pedestrian pier extending into the bay with benches and skyline views, or browse Acme Bread Company and Dandelion Chocolate right inside the building.

Note these practical details before heading to the waterfront. Ferry Plaza Cheese Shop at 1 Ferry Building, Shop 23, is open Sunday through Friday from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM and Saturday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Credit cards, debit cards, and mobile tap payments are accepted, and the entire ground-floor Ferry Building arcade is level and wheelchair accessible. Open Karpo APP to check ferry schedules, Embarcadero events, or nearby Financial District dinner reservations.

This waterfront shop is perfect for ferry commuters picking up dinner provisions, wine lovers who want sommelier-grade cheese pairings, and visitors seeking an effortless bayside picnic. Even a quick twenty-minute stop yields a memorable taste of Northern California's dairy craft.