Murray's Cheese Bar

264 Bleecker Street

(between Cornelia Street and Morton Street)

Cheesemongers everywhere love Murray’s Cheese—the famed cheese shop in West Village. Many times when I have gone to stock up on meats and cheeses for holiday get-togethers, I have run into guided tours so it must be a required tourist stop.

So it would make sense that Murray’s Cheese would open a bar and restaurant a few doors down. The establishment is rather small; it’s actually a long hallway. The tables for two are small, so I strongly recommend sitting at the bar if you have parties less than three.

The bar is extraordinarily comfortable as the bar’s marble counter gives more than enough distance so that the bartender/waiter is not on top of your conversation. The chairs are solid and easy for persons of shorter stature to climb onto (hence my dislike of sitting on many a barstool!) and they have strong purse hooks underneath the counter.

The service at the bar is also very friendly. My friend and I must have been attended to by at least four different waitstaff: all of whom were up for conversation and fun, but knew when to allow my friend and I time to have our private gossip sessions. It might also have been due to the time of our arrival: around 3 p.m., between brunch and dinner.

We knew that we wanted to start off with a tasting of two cheeses ($6 each): Epoisses (left) and Perseille de Rambouillet (right); the latter of which was their most exotic cheese. If you are a fan of decadent, creamy cheeses this is a must-try duo. Absolutely gooey goodness!

We had also requested a side of mean: lamb coppa, which unfortunately was sold out. So they comped us a duck salami that was not listed on the menu. It was spicy and peppery and could almost be confused with chorizo in its appearance.

And you can’t go wrong with pairing them with a glass of their Artesa Pinot Noir. But at $16 a glass, sip slow.

We then decided to order the Raclette for two. It’s sort of like a mashup between a fondue and a Korean barbecue where you melt cheese slices on a grill. They offer three cheeses, which go from “mild to wild” starting with the Raclette cheese on the left. I sadly can’t recall the other two cheeses. If I were to order this dish again, I would request that they go from “wild to wildin’ out” as mild cheeses are rather lost on me. It also came with two meats: pepperoni and speck, along with cornichon pickles and caramelized onions.

Pros:

The service.

The Epoisses and Perseille de Rambouillet.

Cons:

Wish the table seating for two were larger and not on top of the next table.

Pricing is a bit steep.

Final Thoughts

Did return for their $25 prix-fixe lunch the following week, but was not as impressed with either the service or the food. So experience might be highly dependent on who your servers are and the time/day you arrive.