One of my favorite food boutiques is Downtown LA Cheese located in the Grand Central Market. The Grand Central Market, which was founded in 1917 and is comprised of dozens of independent single stall vendors, epitomizes the great revitalization of downtown Los Angeles.
Downtown LA Cheese is a small boutique that packs a large punch with a selection of some of the finest domestic gourmet and imported cheeses from all over the world. Their daily selection will always vary (you won’t necessarily be able to get the one cheese you had in mind) but you can be guaranteed that you will find something special and tasty. The same is true of their charcuterie selection and cracker selections. Baguettes are sold daily and there are special biscuits for sale though on weekends only.
Downtown LA Cheese also sells made-to-order gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, something that’s actually not available at other gourmet cheese stores.
The changing nature of the Grand Central Market also makes Downtown LA Cheese special. Much like the famed Farmer’s Market, the Grand Central Market has transformed from being mostly comprised of pure foodstuff vendors to being comprised mostly of prepared food vendors (most stalls are restaurants or cafes). Essentially, it has changed from supermarket to food court.
But Downtown LA Cheese is unique because while symbolizing gentrification (downtown finally has a cheese shop of its own), it presents a fun throwback as their emphasis is the sale of pure foodstuffs.
I recommend a visit to anyone.