Grande Cheese Company

This sure is a cheese shop. If you are in the great Orfus Road area, you might as well pop in. I had never seen anything like it, because there just isn’t space in the city core to have this much stock. It’s essentially a grocery store dedicated to cheese.
Sadly, cheese is an expensive item these days, and so I was limited in what I bought and tried. But I would go back if I was searching for cheese. The employees actually know what they’re talking about. That’s another treat when you leave the city core.
I would like to invest more time in this expensive hobby, but I’m afraid of what might become of me if I do!

Condiments and pastas — huge variety, imported and domestic. Large array of olive oils. Generous array of cured meats, imported and domestic. An antipasto counter as well with some gorgeous olives and of course my favourite seafood — octopus … mmmmm. The cheese counter is well stocked and you can get grated Reggiano Parm. cheese in reasonably-​sized containers. This place does it for me, in the best way imaginable.

This place offers quite a miserable shopping experience. The staff are either very opinionated or look like they’d rather be anywhere else. The selection of foods is as follows:
Bread — the bread bins and shelves were almost totally bare
Olive oils — yes, let’s give them that. There is a large variety of olive oils.
Mixers — good place to get chinotto at a good price.
Cheeses — there are a lot of fairly common cheeses but if you’re looking to build an intriguing cheese plate for your guests, you’ll walk out disappointed. It is a good place for fresh ricotta and mozzarella, though. I was really hoping for some fresh burrata but they only had a few sad dusty tubs so I passed.
Pasta — large selection of dry carbs, not much in the fresh category.
Deli meats — I saw a lot but didn’t dive in.
Prices — not bad, not great.
Conclusion — I might be back for mixers and pasta once my pantry supply dries up, but I’m going to keep looking for my cheese place.
The biggest thing missing: Italian spirit.

The first thing you will notice upon entering this outlet is the aroma of cheese. Only after, will you notice a selection of cheese, meats, oils, pestos, coffee, tea, pasta, frozen meals, fresh rolls, and a large selection of Biscotti. Well stocked, well staffed, With very good prices. This is not a high end store. The parking situation is a nightmare. Pot holes, uneven ground, small spaces. Its better to park at the side of the building. The hours are not standard. Check on the day you plan to go so you will have no surprises. If one of Grande Cheese locations is not convenient, don’t go. It’s not worth going out of your way for.
Bottom line… good prices and good selection.

Cheese heaven
Rare gems are expensive and the Grande Cheese Shop in no exception. You get what you pay for so if you want a taste of the best then be prepared to shell out some heavy bucks. You name the cheese and they’ll probably have it. They also have great service and hours. So if like me earlier this morning you wake up wanting a French-​style omelet with Gruyère and you lack the Gruyère then head over to BCS because they open at 8AM.

Excellent variety of olive oils and a mind boggling array of cheese made by them as well as imported. Italian food products rarely seen elsewhere. A true gem! Magnifico!

Love the store, hate the hours. They have a huge selection of pasta, coffee, Italian baked goods, etc. but you can get all that down the street, too. This place is about the cheese. They have a hugh selection. Pre-​packaged and fresh. Being an outlet store things are usually a couple dollars cheaper per pound. On my latest trip I got a big package of sweet provolone cheese ends for snacking for about $ 1.50. A package of smoked sliced cheese for my sandwiches for about $ 2. I also got a little ball of smoked cheese that I can’t remember the name of for about $ 5 that was good on pizza. This store is only open until 6 so anyone with a job will probably have a hard time shopping here.

After my trip to Italy I started coming here to get some authentic Italian deli and cheeses I could not find at a regular grocery store. I get bresaola which is a dried salted beef and prepare it with arugula, olive oil and parmigiano… so good but one of the most expensive deli meats. I also pickup pecorino romano, olives and my new favourite burrata cheese. Burrata is a fresh cheese made from mozzarella and cream that is solid on the outside and soft and creamy inside. Try it caprese style or with a nice crusty bread with a touch of salt and olive oil… and a glass of white wine or beer.

Great selection of house-​made Italian-​style cheeses, and cheeses from other Canadian producers, and from much of Europe too. Great deli section — at least ten different procuittos — and many, many kinds of olives. WAY better prices than at the St. Lawrence Market — or even Kensington. A destination, for sure. Go out of your way to check it out.

Honestly, I do not understand the hype of this place. I do not find the selection of cheeses to be much greater than your average grocery store. They do have excellent Feta and Fresh Cheese at good prices but everything else is just average… what am I missing?

This place packs a wallop and one is hit with the smell cheesy goodness when one walks in.
This is as authentic as they come in Toronto for an Italian store, complete with Italian speaking cashiers, Italian goods filling rack after rack and some items that I have only seen on line especially truffle related items.
As per the name the cheese selection is amazing and there are deals to be had for some purchases. Excellent selection fresh pastas and cured meats.
The biscotti variety is good as well but I didn’t like the last batch I got from here.
My main reason for the trip was to get particular brand of espresso but unfortunately they don’t carry it anymore but nevertheless I walked away with my other go to brand Kimbo espresso bricks. They are priced very well. In addition they have one of the widest variety of espresso I have seen at any store.
Italian dessert selection is good as well, some of them are imported that I haven’t seen elsewhere.
I can go on and on but you get the idea if you want to get your Italian grocery fix this is a very good option.
They don’t take any credit cards so bring lots of cash or pay with a debit card.

1. This is a good place to practice your Italian as most of the staff and patrons are either natives or fluent speakers.
2. If you don’t like the smell of provolone type cheeses, don’t enter — this place is redolent.
3. The domestically produced Italian-​type cheeses here are reasonable and quite good — maybe not the same level as imported ones from Italy but not bad. And they carry one of my favourite non-​Italian cheeses, Dutch Leyden, for a reasonable price.
4. Deli is extensive, deals not as good as the cheese.
5. If you can’t find an unusual shape of pasta you are looking for or have celiac disearse, come here. They have literally tons of fresh and secco pasta with lots of gluten free choices.
6. My Italian immigrant friend who accompanied me on the trip yesterday informed me my $ 137 shopping bill would have been about 40 euros in Italy. However, they pay about 100 euros for a pair of jeans, so I guess it evens out.
7. Don’t go here looking for a butcher, produce, or fresh fish. It’s pretty much a deli, albeit a very large one. They do have some baked goods and frozen meat and fish.