We went to the Astoria Bier & Cheese soft opening yesterday

On Saturday afternoon, we stopped by the new Astoria Bier & Cheese shop – they had their soft opening yesterday and we were pleased to see that they were doing brisk business throughout the day (we stopped by twice). The staff was in good spirits, friendly, and happy to let us sample the cheeses we were interested in, and answer questions about the beer, too.

People were perusing the shelves filled with a wide range of bottled craft beers – as well as a few artisanal sodas and local fermented tea artisans, Beyond Kombucha.

There were also pickles from McClure’s and Brooklyn Brine, crackers and crisps, and fruit spreads on the shelves.

The cheese selection was quite nice. They had both raw and pasteurized cheeses from places like Spain, France, New York, California, Italy, and beyond.

We purchased a little bit of the Ubriacone (raw cow’s milk cheese washed in red wine and covered in grape leaves), which apparently means “great big drunk.” Hm.

Kunik is also for sale – it is spectacular. La Tour, too.

Some packaged soft cheeses like chevre, brie, and camembert, as wells as some bruschetta spreads, sweet butters, and even truffle butter.

On the other end of the spectrum were these amazing aged goudas. These are the kinds of cheeses that have those wonderful crystals (aka tyrosine, and amino acid cluster) in them .

And here is what was on tap on their first day – 10 different beers.

They have their taps set right into the wall.

There’s nice seating in front and also at the bar. People were enjoying cheese plates on grey slate slabs, where the staff writes the names of the cheeses you’re eating, right onto the slab.

In general, people were having a good time there, excited about the new shop. We spoke to Yang, the owner, who was still incredulous that no one had opened a cheese shop before he did. Our reply? “Someone had to be the first.” We’re glad you’re here, guys, and welcome to the neighborhood food scene, Astoria Bier & Cheese!

Astoria Bier & Cheese, 34-14 Broadway, Astoria, NY 11106; (718) 545-9463 (GMAP)
Open 7 days a week from 11am-11pm