Harry’s Cheese and Cold Cuts

Harry is awesome. I have been a regular weekly customer for a few years now.
Pros —
1. Harry really cares about you and his cheese. You will get to know him over time.
2. His cheese is the cheapest I have seen in Boston. Nothing over $ 18 a pound, and he even has Raclette, Morbier, and some other higher end cheeses.
3. He is very generous with the samples.
4. There have been a couple instances where he has special ordered something for me. I’ve gotten my boyfriend personal wheels a couple times, and it’s worked out great.
Cons —
1. Because his cheese is so cheap, you can’t get everything there. The selection does change though, and he always picks up his phone so give him a call if you aren’t sure if he’ll have something.

Perfect service, very knowledgeable, and reasonable prices without the pretentiousness of what you’ve now come to expect from a place billing itself as a «cheese shop.» Great spot.

Amazing little shop in the heart of the Haymarket. Great meat selection and the cheeses are very reasonable and tasty. Go inside for the real stuff including thinly sliced Soprassata to die for. Open on days the Haymarket is closed so visit on a weekday when it’s not nuts.

Ok. So Harry’s is truly awesome. Since I first went there a few months back, I’ve returned on a regular (almost weekly) basis. His prices are very, very reasonable and probably one third to half of what you would pay anywhere else. The quality of his meat and cheeses are also great.
I would highly recommend the hot salami and the mortadella is amazing. The pepperoni, which you buy by the stick and Harry is happy to cut for you, is super tasty. The fresh mozz is a steal. I love that he will basically let you try a piece of anything before buying it.
Of note, he is closed on Sundays and Tuesdays and is usually swamped on Fridays and Saturdays. He gets in new stock on Wednesday and Thursdays so if you go on Mondays, he can be out of some the more choice things. Just something to keep in mind.

Complete gem. Reccomend buffalo chicken slices.

The cheeses! Oh, the cheeses. i could live here and die of a cheese overdose. SO good.

Cheese Cheese and more cheese, I love it! Harry’s cheese is a great place to go to experience a slice of cheesy life. If you are a cheese lover like myself this is the place to go. You can get cheese at a good price and even the expensive stuff is well worth it. Everyone that works there is relatively friendly as well, and yes I will be going back, two thumbs up for sure.

I found this place when shopping at the Haymarket’s farmer’s market, and I’m so glad I did. Everyone is super nice and helpful, and the cheese is absolutely delicious and at a good price. They give good recommendations based on whatever you feel like! Definitely recommend.

HIDDEN GEM ALERT!
I’m not cheese connoisseur, nor have I been to many other specialty cheese places, but I’m thrilled about my experience at Harry’s Cheese and Cold Cuts.
Let’s just say after several disappointing and expensive charcuterie boards from various restaurants, my boyfriend and I decided to make our own. I did a little Unilocal research and found Harry’s, mainly through Nancy Z.‘s recommendation.
I was surprised to see that it was right in the Haymarket area — I’ve passed by it several times gawking at produce and being lost in the crazy crowd. After walking a couple of stairs downward into the shop, we found that we were the only customers inside. There, we saw a case of cheese, each labeled with the type and cost per pound, buckets of olives on a shelf, and a refrigerator full of soft cheeses and cold meats.
Somewhat overwhelmed by it all, the girl working there was nice and allowed us to sample anything we wanted. She explained where each cheese was from, recommended different ways of using the cheese, and didn’t make us feel awkward or out of place at all.
I was tempted to buy everything we tried but we left with a ton of goodies for only $ 16!!! The stash included: half a pound of prosciutto ($ 5), a bottle of fig jam ($ 4), quarter of a pound of smoked gouda ($ 2.50), a ball of fresh mozzarella ($ 2), and a types of hard sheep’s milk cheese i forget the name of ($ 3.50)
They are able to slice softer cheeses and cold cut meats to the way you like it. Harry’s even offers vehicles to eat your cheese and meats on, such as various crackers and freshly baked bread. Validated parking is available in the Parcel 7 garage for $ 1 an hour (for up to 3 hours), so therefore, there is no excuse not to come here and give it a shot.
Winner winner cheese dinner!

Harry’s has the best prices of any shop in town, and Roy gives the ultimate in customer service. He remembers the customers that come in the shop, always knows what you want, and is great with suggestions of new cheeses, too!

GREAT place! I love their Old Croc cheddar and fresh ricotta. Great prices and nice owner too.

Mmmm Cheese! Lots of cheese! Affordable cheese! Mmmm!

I am a fan of this place! Relatively inexpensive cheese and cold cuts. They have fresh bread too. If you like cheese, and are around Haymarket or Government Center in Boston, give Harry’s Cheese Shop a try!

I love going to Harry’s and do every time I’m in the Haymarket. Great variety of cheeses, great prices and Harry willingly offers a taste and makes suggestions.
Harry is THE Cheese Man in the North End !!

I’m so glad I happened upon the Unilocal reviews for Harry’s! I’ve walked by the shop many times and never once thought of going inside, for the same reasons why I don’t buy seafood and meat at the Haymarket.
There was already a line of 6 or so people at Harry’s and it was only 1:30p on a Friday! Despite being cramped in a small space, everyone was very friendly and happy to make conversation. The sayings about cheese samples are true as well — when the lady working overheard that it was my first time at Harry’s, she cut off a slice of a delicious sharp cheddar (that I ended up buying) and offered it to me with a big smile. I got a huge hunk for about $ 8 and decided to try an expensive cave-​aged Gruyère, of which I bought a sliver ($ 4 but totally worth it). I wouldn’t say that Harry’s is dirt cheap, but it’s definitely cheaper than your average grocery store and it’s top-​quality cheese. I love supporting small businesses too, so I’m happy to have discovered Harry’s. They also have a bunch of cheese hunks on sale (today featured delicious choices such as feta and smoked gouda) for just a few dollars, can’t go wrong there :).

One of the things I miss about Boston is hitting Haymarket on Fridays for cheap produce. One of the things I really sigh over is not being able to patronize Harry’s anymore for cheese and an Italian loaf while doing so. As far as I’m concerned, Harry’s is the best cheese shop ever, and no one’s in second place.
Let’s stipulate one thing right off the bat. The Haymarket pushcarts on Friday and Saturdays are a complete madhouse. The cramped masses of people, grabbing at this bargain and that, is the closest Boston gets to a weekly zombie apocalypse. Possessing working elbows, and having the willingness to use them, is a prerequisite for survival. Harry’s is dead center in the maelstrom, and it’s a teensy and cramped shop where you often have to wait for someone to exit before you can enter.
Quality, calm customer service under such conditions has to be a heck of a trial, but Roy and his staff have managed for year after year nonetheless. They’re always friendly, they’re always helpful and they never lose their cool.
And the cheeses! Awesome selection, awesome quality, outstanding price: I’ve paid only slightly more for a pound of top-​notch imported Irish cheddar than for a Generic Store Brand cheddar at Stop & Slop. Routinely. Roy will always let you try a sample of something unfamiliar, and is always knowledgeable about the selection. (By the bye, on those Haymarket days, there’ll be a table outside with discounts. I loved picking up two small blocks of sharp cheddar for $ 5, that sort of thing.) He remembers the regulars, even if they haven’t been in in a couple months, and always has a friendly greeting.
I was a patron for many years — the first time I was in there, in 1981, I bought a 5-​lb wheel of amazing Ohio black wax cheddar for a science fiction convention I was attending, so we could snack on it all weekend — and am sad that I’m a hundred miles away from Harry’s now.
If you love cheese, you’ll love Harry’s. Heck, if you just *like* cheese, you’ll love Harry’s. Of all the places I’ve reviewed for Unilocal so far, Harry’s has few peers, and no one beats it.
But why take my word for it? Look at the review history. 29 reviewers. Of that total, TWENTY-​SIX have given five stars. The other three gave four.

I think I’ve found my source for fresh mozzarella (a 4oz ovals for $ 1.75? sounds good to me!). I’ve walked by Harry’s Cheese and Cold Cuts when I’ve peeked at the Haymarket stands, I’ve read online that they will validate for Parcel 7 parking, but I’ve never actually stopped by before.
But I finally did, and I found a gracious host who (not only got off the phone right away, but) offered to open up a fresh tub of mozzarella for me even though his shop was going to be closed the very next day (he’s closed Tuesdays and Sundays). He’s normally out of mozzarella on Mondays, but he said that if I called ahead on Friday/​Saturday, he’d hold back some for me.
Also, call ahead if you’re heading over later on in the day — if things are quiet, he might close earlier.
I love the fact that this tiny little spot not only accepts Mastercard or Visa, but has a website to boot!
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday: 6am to 3pm
Fridays, Saturdays: 5am to 6pm
Closed on Tuesdays and Sundays, except for special requests.
PS — I enjoyed my Supremo Italiano ovoline very much with some fresh very red Haymarket tomatoes, and fresh basil leaves.

Harry’s a wonderfully personable guy who knows everything you need to know about cheese! He was kind enough to point out the discounted parking available just down the street at Parcel 7 Parking, and today I took his advice. Imagine my surprise when my one-​hour visit to City Hall and Harry’s cost me just one dollar to park!
Harry’s has become a standard stop when I’m in the neighborhood.

Are you awake and alert? Then take this quick Yes or No Quiz.
No studying required.
Do you like small, intimate, independently owned shops with a sense of history? Y/​N
Do you like knowing the owner is right there, working alongside his employees? Y/​N
Do you like cheese, olives, cold cuts, and imported food from Italy? Y/​N
Do you like unlimited free samples? Y/​N
Do you like bargains? Y/​N
If your answers were all of the Y variety, this amazing little shop is for You. Even though I do not eat meat, I am able to go in here and bring home some really good food for me and my family. Olive oil, spices, bread, salami… When I give parties, this is the only place I go for the best selection of cheese at the best prices in the whole city.
On the days that the Haymarket fruit and vegetable vendors are operating, Harry’s has cheese specials that will tempt anyone. Five large hunks of cheese for ten dollars? (Or one for three dollars, three for seven dollars.) Nowhere will you find a greater cheese bargain. And these are top quality cheeses, not Cheese Whiz or Kraft American Singles wrapped in plastic envelopes.
And the olives… The olives are just incredible. Assorted, some with pits and some without… dive in and be amazed.
I am a little bit in love with the owner, Roy, so this review may be biased. He opens up shop at 6 am every day with the exception of Tuesdays and Sundays when he takes the day off.
Do you like finding new places?
If you have never been to Harry’s, you receive extra credit if you get over there soon after reading all of the great reviews for this memorable little spot.

SUPER SMALL italian meat & cheese shop, i felt like i was wasting space by standing in there perusing!
granted the cheese selection is limited because the store is small, but their salami & prosciutto prices are cheap! & they’ve got olives too!
the guy working inside is knowledgeable, allows you to sample, but he has a TO THE POINT personality! we ended up gettin’ the simpler pre-​cut cheeses they were selling at the front of their store: any 2 wedges for $ 5, 3 for $ 7, or 4 for $ 10! (not sure if this deal is only during the Haymarket)
NOTE: they accept food stamps!