Fromagination Specialty Foods Reviews

This is the place you go to find high quality local cheese.

Tremendous assortment of cheeses, meats and candies that are of an exotic nature.

Somewhat expensive, but great service and a great place to get recommendations on pairings, etc. One of my favorite places in Madison to shop for gifts.

Excellent service, the variety and quality of the cheeses is impressive. And they speak Spanish!

I don't care so much for the recent focus they have on the little restaurant food and merch. It used to be a lot more cheese focused in the cases but now you can almost find similar things and more at other higher end grocery stores. But it seems like they traded variety for a trend. :-/ but I do love the niche they originally created.

Probably has good cheese, but lousy hours!!! Every time I came here and it s closed. The one time I made it before 6, they kicked me out because they had an event. I gave up. I don t like cheese anyways . Surely they will still find business from other people.

Wonderful cheese shop with great selection and tasty samples. Convenient access from the market and other shops. Friendly staff.

I really want to love this company, they seem friendly and have a great selection of cheese. But unfortunately their customer service and follow thru is lacking. I made an order online on Monday the 24th of August, it shipped on Tuesday the 25th, and it was supposed to arrive on the 27th but whoever inputted the shipping information on the label accidentally messed up one digit in my address (it was correct on my order) and gave FedEx the impossible task of delivering to an address that didn t exist. So it went undelivered and spent the night on the truck in high 90 degree Florida weather. Confused at not receiving my cheese on time I realized their mistake but unfortunately the FedEx facility had closed for the day. I had to work early the next day and sent my wife to get it from the FedEx facility, but it was already on the truck attempting to be delivered again and she was told she would have to wait until the evening to get it when the truck returned. I called fromagination explaining the shenanigans and was told since it was their fault they would likely just be able to send me a replacement order, though they had to verify with their supervisor. I managed to pickup the order from the FedEx facility the evening of the 28th (Friday), the cheese was wet and quite smelly but I threw in the fridge just in case it might be salvageable. After going several days without hearing anything I called on Wednesday, 2 Sept, and was told they were sorry for the delay and they would be shipping my replacement order the next day. The next day came (now Thursday, Sept 3rd) and they called me saying they checked the shipping info, and saw that I had picked it up and to call them back which I almost immediately did and was told they were sorry for how FedEx handled my package (even though it wasn t FedEx s fault, which I explained) but fromagination wasn t going to do anything, my cheese should be fine and I just might need to scrape my cheese if it didn t look or smell good (all this despite mandating 2 day shipping to any zone above a 3, Florida is a 5 btw). But I tried giving them the benefit of the doubt and opened up my cheese which most of them were good to go, with the exception of a Gouda I had which was covered in mold (and not the good kind). I called them on Friday the 4th of Sept telling them this, and was told they would likely be able to ship out a replacement Gouda but I haven t heard back since and it s Tuesday the 8th. Today I went to eat some of my cheddar sampler pack I got and most likely due to all the above factors it too has bad mold growing on it. I ve ordered through this company before and the cheese was excellent and held for a very long time, so it is very unfortunate that in this instance their customer service and follow through is so sub par

Sweet dreams are made of Cheese. I am absolutely obsessed with this place. You walk into a heaven. Was visiting family and knew I had to stop by and get some delicious local cheeses. Walked in and was welcomed with big smiles. They handed us some hot cider to drink while we looked around. 5 stars alone for the knowledge of the workers. The young guy behind the counter knew everything and anything there was to know about cheeses. I felt like I was getting schooled in cheese 101. He gave us loads of tastings and recommended pairings for us. We ended buying 6: Red Rock -aged cheddar, Bleu Mont Dairy, cave aged chandoka -Cow & Goat Mix(award winning), GranQueso, pleasant ridge reserve - best of show, Little Boy Blue. They are all beyond some of the best cheeses I have ever tasted in my life. Note: They will cut whatever size you want so don't worry about that. Not only do they sell cheese, they sell fruits, honey, nuts, dishes, and anything else you could possibly need for a perfect charcuterie platter. I would never go to Wisconsin and not stop here. I'll leave you with my one cheese joke:
What music does cheese listen to?

R & Brie........

Amazing selection of cheeses, and craft beer. The service was very friendly however the prices were a bit high

Excellent for lunch. The cheeses are out of this world.

Really great sandwiches. More expensive than the chains to be sure, but you can taste the difference.

We stopped in looming at their cheese selection and stayed for lunch. The sandwiches were great.

Very knowledgeable staff and very interesting store... Be prepared to pay for quality

Owner could work on her people skills but the cheese is delicious and you can try before you buy. Skip buying Underground Butcher meat from here and go directly to it's source six blocks away.

Great product. For gourmands and foodies. Service was terrible, the man who served (balding grey hair, skinny, and glasses) us was a smug jerk. He treated us like we didnt belong in a shop of that caliber and responded to my inquires like I was a moron. Probably will not visit again.

I had a great experience here. Friendly staff and good cheese. Nice atmosphere as well.

Walk in, and the smell pf delicious cheeses envelopes you. Look for one or two types (or make a request) available for sampling. For lunch, they have good prepackaged sandwiches and fresh made salads.

One of my favorite places in town. Awesome selection and the staff really know their cheese! Don t be afraid to ask for a recommendation. Aside from the obvious, they also have great sandwiches and a really nice variety of locally-made snacks, chocolate, crackers, and even beer.

Good sandwiches, nice place to stop when around the capital.

"Never under estimate the powers of a great sandwich" this place is by far the most superior sandwich shop I have ever munched some lunch at. From the pleasant aesthetics as you walk in off the Capitol Square to the finely crafted meats, cheeses, and chocolate....This is a Madison Gem you must see for yourself!

Great cheese and even better staff that helped me pick out exactly the cheeses that I wanted.

It s cheese! Do you need more of an excuse to go?!?!?!?!

5 min lunch order turn around time today. Great local biz.

I like to bring out of towners here to showcase Wisconsin cheese.

Cheese and mustard and meat and honey and jams and jellies and sandwiches and tea and chocolate and salads and ice cream. And beer. And excellent customer service.

If you love cheese you HAVE to stop. Check out their basket of goodies where you can purchase some small bites

Outstanding place for getting great cheeses. Their cheese mongers are most helpful. Try the horseradish and havarti outstanding! Another real benefit is that they deliver! Fromagination is totally worth checking out!

Very friendly staff willing and able to walk you through your purchasing decision, especially when you don't really know what you're looking for, like me. Matt helped me find a gift box set of several cheeses, crackers, a truffle mustard, and bottle of wine that all paired together amazingly. The gift went over great, and the treats enjoyed thoroughly.

Fromagination is an outstanding store for products and service! The team at Friangination is knowledgeable and caring. If you have a chance to shop in the store, you'll feel welcome and find the most amazing selection of cheese and other products, including lots of local goods! Shopping online for pick up or delivery is also easy and makes gift giving a breeze. We LOVE Fromagination!

Excellent help. Came in there to get some cheese to bring back home and I have no idea about cheese. One of the employees came out and helped me decide which to get and even brought out samples (all very good). Very friendly and helpful.

My first visit to Madison. I wanted to get some good cheese to take back and since I heard about Fromagination from my friends and it was walking distance from my hotel, decided to stopped by. Excellent customer service and I would go every time I'm in Madison just because of that. Steve helped me and he should either be a owner or a highly motivated employee. His pleasing manners and general attitude made me want to buy regardless of the price,. Quality of cheese was so good and I'm glad i went to this store.

I enjoyed my visit but wanted to clarify some other reviews. The smell is of...well, cheese. It s small. There were no macarons there when I visited. My 11 and 14 year olds wanted to get going, so I didn t ask about the names of the orphan cheeses (near the register). Too bad, too, because I didn t know what they were! Capitol Square is a lovely place to visit though.

Staff was extremely friendly and helpful. The cheese we picked out was delicious!

Great selection of cheeses, and they're very willing to give you samples and help you find the perfect cheese. They also give out little cups of hot apple cider in the winter, which is delicious!

Locally sourced and crafted cheese, chocolate, preserves, honey. Ian helped me select a good sample of Wisconsin local products to fill a gift basket. Definitely a great choice to choose for gifts for friends and family back home.

The staff here is so great and you can sample a bunch of cheese which makes it worth it to spend a little bit more on the cheese when you know it tastes good. Plus, at the counter they have small pieces of cheese to purchase which satisfied my need for variety.

Cool place, knowledgeable and friendly staff, great selection.

Great selection of local WI cheeses. Fantastic service too. Wish they also served wine at this place - I'd basically never leave

Very knowledgeable and helpful staff. People were enjoying sandwiches at tables and shopping for interesting gifts as well as choosing high quality cheeses. I'll stop in again to try some "orphans"

Great cheese shop with tons of Wisconsin cheeses, plenty of varieties. The staff is super knowledgeable and does a fantastic job helping you find the right cheese.

Nice place to have delicious food, great service. Excellent!!

Huge selection of local cheese and really lovely people. I definitly recommand that place

The staff was super nice and helpful! Cheese was amazing!

I would expect no less than this amazing shop in the capital of Wisconsin, the cheese state. Amazing selection of local and artisan chess from all over the US. They also have charcuterie and crackers and jams, everything you need to put together the perfect basket or board.

Best selection of cheese in the area. Excellent customer service and you will leave LOVING CHEESE MORE!

Excellent source for Wisconsin cheeses - not just the typical cheddar, but many unique cheese options!

This place is super neat!



Store has cheeses ranging from Wisconsin, Holland and even California.



Definitely a place to stop for a quick bite and browse.

Staff treated me well, knew the product, offered samples, and helped me find the right cheese.

Amazing cheeses and sausages - really good selection! The staff is very helpful, take their time to help you chose the right products for you.

High priced cheeses and various other items but very addictive. Fast service and I can't stop eating their sandwiches and potato chips.

Kristi was very helpful. Cheeses are seriously good. Every product very nicely packaged.

You might have to wait for a staff member to help you, but be patient. It's worth it. Knowledgeable staff explained and let me try as many cheeses as I was curious about before making a final decision. 10/10 very nice cheese, would recommend.

It's like a tiny cheese wonderland! If you're curious about a cheese, they're more than happy to get you a sample. Staff are very knowledgeable

Cheese, cheese, cheese, cheese... If you are familiar with the Monty Python cheese shoppe skit, then rest assured, this is NOTHING like that! The only way it is similar is that some of the obscure cheeses you hear referenced in the Python skit may actually be found at Fromagination. For a cheese lover, this shop is paradise! They truly have an amazing selection and variety of cheeses to select from along with other things to accompany whatever you take home - including some meats, crackers, sweets, serving utensils, etc. If it has anything to do with cheese or serving cheese, they are likely to have it. The staff are VERY friendly and helpful and REALLY know their stuff. The wide variety of cheeses they have in stock on any given day is absolutely incredible and ranges from little-known, artisan cheese from Wisconsin to both rare and popular imported cheeses. The shop is located on the capitol square in downtown Madison, so there is no parking immediately on site, but there are plenty of parking structures and surface lots within a block or two of capitol square. The shop is handicap accessible, but it is a very small shop with much of the space taken up by counters and refrigerator/display cases for the cheese, so it could be a bit challenging to navigate with a wheelchair, stroller, etc. On busy days downtown (for instance, farmer's market days), it has a tendency to become a bit crowded, so you might want to avoid on the busiest days at the capital (especially if you have a tendency to be claustrophobic). However, ultimately, if you are seeking a wide variety of high quality cheeses to select from, this is the place to be! It is one of my favorite shops in town! Besides, what could be a more appropriate place to have a cheese shop than the Wisconsin state capitol? If you're in Madison and you want cheese, this is the place to go.

Slightly creepy service, but a fantastic selection of great foodie products (including Zingermans and tons of Jeni's Ice Cream). Not horrible prices, either.

A great place to get WI-made gifts when the summer farmer's market is over. Great selections of cheese, sausage, spreads, and they even have chocolate and loose leaf tea. I had a sandwich and the flavors were great, but too bready for me. But I took off the top bread and made it open face and then it was delightful.

The James Madison salad is probably the best salad on this side of the Mississippi. This is a local shop that defines the best of the Madison area. The friendly customer service is beyond exception; always.

If you love cheese, this place is nirvana! Try a sample before buying. You will find the most incredible cheeses on this planet!

My 19 year son wanted to try new cheese so He chose this place. He basically just eats cheddar and most of that comes from lunchables.This place is on the pricey side but, you need to take in the location and high rent area. Things are priced accordingly. The cheese guy was very helpful in helping him choose a couple of cheeses. He was patient and informative. Lots of unique non cheese related items to buy. Worth a stop to have a looky loo.

Delicious sandwiches and fabulous cheese selection!

Fabulous cheese shop ... only a
cheesehead would disagree. Check out their website - they ship!