27 Specialty Food Shops and Markets in Cleveland You Should Have Visited By Now

Saucisson

5324 Fleet Ave., Cleveland

Melissa Khoury aka the “Queen of Pork” and Penny Barend aka “Local Meat Maven” opened the Slavic Village butcher shop in 2015, after being staples of flea and farmer’s markets around town. Slavic Village used to be home to butcher shop after butcher shop and Saucisson brought some of that old world back to the neighborhood.

Old Brooklyn Cheese Co.

4464 Broadview Rd., Cleveland and 3441 Tuttle Rd., Ste. 101, Shaker Heights,

Prepare yourself to boldly go where few Cleveland cheese connoisseurs have gone before. Old Brooklyn Cheese Co. not only will be selling upwards of 100 varieties of local and international cheeses, including area favorites Lake Erie Creamery and Yellow House Cheese, but the shop also makes its own delicious products in a state-of-the-art production kitchen and ages others on site. And their freshly made cheese forward sandwiches are out of this world.

The Cleveland Brew Shop

4142 Lorain Ave., Cleveland

In the last 10-15 years, the microbrewery wave has taken over the country and Cleveland has seen its fair share of breweries pop up. In addition to breweries, home brewing has grown in popularity. If you need all the materials for home brewing, Cleveland Brew Shop, which supplies the gear and the know-how for brewing up a batch of your own suds, is your spot. They also have fun events like a homebrew competition and Oktoberfest and have brewing and winemaking classes.

Gallucci’s Italian Food

16610 Euclid Ave. Cleveland

Since 1912, the shelves of this fine Italian market groan beneath a vast collection of meats, cheeses, oils, sauces, breads, pastries and pastas. Meantime, customers’ waistbands groan beneath the delicious onslaught of Gallucci’s prepared carryout foods, including subs, salads, lasagna, eggplant Parmesan and — especially — authentic Italian-style pizza, available by the pie or by the giant rectangular slice.

Jaworski Meats

7545 Pearl Rd., Middleburg Heights

There are newer butcher shops like Saucisson and Ohio City Provisions that get a lot of shine these days but don’t forget about the staples like Jaworski’s. In business since 1935, this Polish butcher shop contains hundreds of feet of gleaming stainless steel coolers brimming with hand-cut chops, house-ground beef, slow-roasted meats, and hot-smoked sausages. Behind the counter, mammoth wooden butcher blocks, bowed in the middle from a million little cuts, are piled high with steaks getting a final trim. Want a 3-inch-thick bone-in ribeye? Just ask.

Astoria

5417 Detroit Ave., Cleveland

Astoria manages to put a smile on our faces morning, day or night. In addition to being one of the best restaurants in town, their specialty retail market keeps our pantry flush with gourmet foods like imported cheeses, cured meats, olives and wine. If you’re planning that perfect charcuterie board or just want some great wine for your dinner party, Astoria is the spot.

EDWINS Butcher Shop

13024 Buckeye Rd., Cleveland

Since opening EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute, Brandon Chrostowski has been single-minded in his mission to provide a culinary training center for ex-convicts. With almost no exception, those who do advance and land jobs stay out of prison because, as the moniker suggests, education wins. When EDWINS Butcher Shop opened in 2018, it became the Buckeye-Shaker neighborhood's first fresh meat vendor in almost 50 years. Customers can pop into the 3,300-square-foot shop for rotisserie chickens, braised meats, smoked barbecue and hot soups. Coolers and freezers stock pickles, burgers, ground beef, stocks, bones, condiments and beverages. The shop also sells carryout beer and wine.

Koko Bakery

3710 Payne Ave., Cleveland and 1767 Coventry Rd., Cleveland Heights

For more than 15 years, Koko Bakery has lured Asian food fans to its downtown store for fresh-baked buns, colorful fruit tarts, cakes and pastries, hot lunches and the best bubble tea around. In 2021, they opened their second shop in Coventry Village in the former Piccadilly Artisan Yogurt space next door to Pacific East.

Gingham Market

17000 Madison Ave., Lakewood

Ever since opening Gatherings Kitchen in Lakewood, Ruth Kostadinov has had her eye on the next-door space, which finally opened this July after 13 years of wanting to acquire the space. Shoppers will find a bright and inviting space filled with prepared foods, local pantry items, beer and wine, and more than a few surprises. Rounding out the offerings are more than 90 local products that range from hot sauces and mustards to fermented foods and small-batch cheeses. Cold beer, wine, cocktail mixers and cooking utensils also are in supply.

Marchant Manor Cheese

2211 Lee Rd., Cleveland Heights

Kandice Marchant began making cheese as a hobbyist, working her way through a beginner’s cheesemaking book. While she enjoyed the results – straightforward creations like ricotta, mozzarella and cottage cheese – she had loftier tastes and ambitions and opened Marchant Manor Cheese in the historic Cedar-Lee district of the Heights. In addition to producing their own delicious cheeses, shoppers can find other products for charcuterie like pickles, olives, jams and cheese boards.