The Cheese Society in Lincoln

The best meal we've had in Lincoln! Amazing cheeses, knowledgeable staff. Very friendly atmosphere and fantastic lunch.

You see a shop called The Cheese Society. It can only get better than that if you really like cheese. As I live by the mantra, 'There is no such thing as too much cheese,' then no, it couldn't get any better, no. Seriously, it's cheese. What's not to like? I was beginning to panic, I'd looked in the fridge and I was down to my last block. I'd let standards slip, let myself down somewhat. I gave myself a stern talking to and headed off to The Society. My cheese stocks were replenished in no time at all. Glorious cheeses bedecked the shelves tempting me in and I obliged with vigour. It's a fantastic little dairy haven of joy and I heartily recommend the shop. If you love cheese, that is!

This place is well worth hunting out on a trip to Lincoln. A cheese lovers paradise from the moment you step through the door and take in the aroma of baking cheese. It's been around for twenty five years but we came across it by chance on a very wet day in the city. There is a fine selection of cheeses, both local and from other well known artisan producers further afield which you can try before buying from friendly and helpful staff. There is also a small walk in cafe in the shop with the most incredible, delicious cheese related dishes. If only this outfit was in my nearest town!

Received a wonderfully friendly welcome, after walking through the door. We chose a cheese sharing board and a charcuterie board. The cheese was well explained and was a great choice - we both enjoyed it very much.

I came here on holiday to get some local cheese, and unexpectedly found out that this is also a cafe that specialises in everything cheesy! If you are a cheese lover, I would thoroughly reccomend.

We love some cheese. A lovely visit to Lincoln and we found this little star of an eatery. No booking, just rock up - if there’s space there’s space. The menu was everything cheesy; from soufflé to Mac & Cheese and to varied cheese boards. Absolutely scrumptious. And the service, impeccable. Beautifully welcoming, casual and fab. Absolute star of an eatery!! Thank you.

Having run a cheese counter ourselves for ten years, this was an absolute delight. Without question the best selection of cheeses, beautifully looked after and presented, that we have seen. Many people don’t appreciate how much work goes into selling quality cheese, and The Cheese Society do it perfectly. Not only that, they also run a bustling cafe/restaurant, focussing largely but not only on cheese. The food is delicious and well priced. The place is very busy, with many customers clearly regulars. A must visit when in Lincoln.

fantastic highly recommend, food, shop, staff all great. will be ordering my cheese from here for Christmas.

Lovely lunch, fantastic soufflé with Boston sausages added. Absolutely delicious. Great menu, so difficult to choose what to have.

Been awhile since we visited one of our favourite places to eat. I had the special of baked camembert with garlic bread potato & dipping vegetables My beautiful wife had double baked soufflé With blue cheese and bread soo good but so very bad lol great food great friendly staff and of course you have to take a selection of cheese for later much later on in the evening. We love this place just perfect on a sunny afternoon or a wet afternoon. Thanks once again see you soon.

Ben @ Lincoln wine school delivered another great evening, this time covering Rosé wine, accompanied with cheese, bread and grapes. Learnt loads, tasted a great selection of wine and generally had a fantastic evening. Glad we have tickets for the Spain wine tasting and Port evenings later in the year.

They don't take bookings, they only have a few seats and they serve - primarily - cheese. Yet every time we visit they're full and there's usually people waiting for a table. It's cheese heaven. I have Raclette with chilli pretty much every time and the Better Half usually has the rarebit hot dog. Both delicious. It has to be said, everything I've seen other people have also looks delicious. It's the kind of place where complete strangers talk to you about what you're having. You don't see much food waste. The desserts also look and sound delicious. Bear in mind it's very small and there's only a couple of seats on the flat, the rest are on the raised area. It's quiet and friendly, but there's not a lot of room between the tables. Not much option, because it is so small. Staff are very knowledgeable about the food and there's a deli selling cheese (!) and accompaniments. It's just as well I live a very long way away or I'd be the size of a house.

To finish off my wife’s birthday celebrations we decided to go here for lunch, we’ve bought cheese from here for a few years and it’s always amazing quality. This was the first time we have eaten in though and we are glad we did, the service is very professional, knowledgeable and attentive. The food was a very high standard and I will definitely be returning soon.

Amazing place for lunch. The coffee was delicious. Staff were very friendly, professsional and welcoming. The food was delicious and the experience was so good I left a tip!

I absolutely love the cheese society. The food is absolutely amazing. I’ve had the cheesy hot dog, the macaroni cheese and the soufflé before and all 3 dishes were outstanding. I have also had the plum bread and cheese before which was a gorgeous snack. You can’t book a table here but if you get lucky you can just walk in or just let them know you are looking for a table when you walk in. Everyone who works here is really nice and this is a genuine gem of Lincoln. I love to take my friends here and wow them. The shop is in the same room as the restaurant so if you absolutely love any of the cheeses, just ask them which one it is and they will guide you in your purchase at the end of your meal :)

As always, the Cheese Society's friendly atmosphere, delicious cheese based menu & great service doesn't disappoint. A mention that I drink my tea weak produced, unprompted, a pot of hot water. My salad with warm potatoes and crispy serrano ham was beautifully presented & so large it nearly defeated me. Worth a trip to Lincoln.

A well deserved second chance and really pleased we gave it another go! Fantastic food, lovely white wine and Friendly professional service . Will be telling our mates to go get their fill of Lincoln’s finest cheese and enjoy comfort food at its best . When issues are addressed properly and customer confidence is regained, that’s worth a great shout out . Thanks for a lovely lunch guys .

Paradise in the form of cheese! So much choice and some excellent deals on cheese bundles. We bought a selection of local cheese to bring home. Will definitley done in next time

Great atmosphere, friendly staff (and customers too) and a chance to buy first class cheeses. My wife and I went for lunch last Friday (2/12/22) and had an amazing lunch. The staff were ultra friendly and the food was scrumptious and there was a lot of it, with "proper" leaf tea. Also a great selection of cheeses to buy as well (we bought a few). Would recommend this cafe to ALL.

Great deli and licensed cafe. The Wookey Hole and herb scones are amazing ! Lincolnshire red and poacher cheeses to take away were a real treat. Efficient and friendly staff.

Had a fab vegetarian meal here chilli cheese smothered potato....mmm The Lemon Cheesecake desert was heavenly....will be back soon...

A lovely location, busy eating area, so assuming it’s good, and well stocked shop. Helpful service in selecting some local cheeses to purchase.

Stopped here for a spot of lunch, if you don’t like cheese give it a huge swerve! We all had a different dish, all really well presented and all very cheesey, the most important thing all very tasty.

Its been many years since visiting The Cheese Society. Its changed. Looks smaller than when I last visited. But it is cosier. If you like cheese and wine, with a bit more thrown in, then you will love this little cafe/bistro. You may need to...

A small cafe, limited opening hours, only a few tables. A few seats on the flat but a step up for most of them. You can't book so may have to wait - trust me - it's worth the wait. The staff are amazing, really...

There are only a few seats in the cafe so head there early! The menu is amazing with so many wonderful cheese dishes. We opted for a 5 cheeses cheeseboard and one of the specials which was Brie and potato salad between two of us....

We popped in to pick up some bread and cheese for mid-afternoon snack. We selected a local goats cheese and a couple of alpine cheeses (our particular favourite) along with a delicious artisan looking flute-style baguette. The cheeses were neatly grouped by style making it...

Omg this place is fantastic!!! Been several times and never disappointed Fantastic service with knowledgeable staff and a great menu. Definitely worth a visit - opening hours are limited and you can’t book but definitely worth a visit. All food cooked to order and with...

It is great to find somewhere different, independent and good to have a nice lunch. Food was excellent, staff lovely and the shop/cafe clean and welcoming.

Wet rainy saturday visit to Lincoln. We passed The Cheese Society window on our walk up to the Cathedral. We decided to call back for lunch and what a wonderful find. Friendly service. Food amazing.

Wish we'd found this little place on our first visit to Lincoln, rather than our third. Although I'd probably be heavier than I am now. A very small place, we had to wait a short while for a table which isn't a problem. By the...

Lunch time birthday treat for my wife not been for a few years but we always loved it. New look cafe area new look menu. Great food nice staff good price. Not to sure about the one long table in the middle of the cafe...

Found this place almost by accident while visiting the Christmas market. What a lovely little place! The staff were excellent , it’s not huge so you take your chance with getting a seat … but wow worth the stop ! I had the tartiflette (probably...

A nice small informal lunchtime restaurant (bookings not accepted), show-casing all things cheesey. Their shop stocks a very good range of cheeses which go into some great cheese-laden dishes. Afterwards, you'd be foolish not to take some home and the knowledgeable staff are only too...

As a 'new to the area cheese lover' this shop is a dream come true for me. Where we lived before meant cheese had to be ordered online - having a shop and being able to pop in and browse some great varieties is wonderful....

Wonderful cheese emporium staffed by knowledgeable,pleasant staff who recommended some excellent local produce. The double barrel poacher was particularly moreish.

Waited a long time for this and it did not disappoint The soufflé was Devine and worth the wait The coffee lovely and we will be back to buy the cheese they use for their sauce before we leave Lincoln.

Err, you know, just ‘good’ really. The cheese counter isnt big, selection isnt mind boggling, they dont do bread or much in the way of condiments or paraphernalia . Its a good cheese shop, its not setting the cheese world alight, the staff know cheese,...

A delicious lunch, so fresh and very tasty. Mac and cheese and Rarebit were both perfect, then scrumptious desserts to finish, plus a glass of perfectly chilled wine made this lunch a wonderful relaxed experience.

Have been here before and was SO happy to get a table this time. All good Covid restrictions in place so felt happy and safe. Food mainly cheese as you would expect but oh my word! it was divine. Both dishes were packed full of...

I cannot day enough how amazing the food, service and experience was here We had the cheese fondue to share and a bottle of wine It was amazing 😉 The staff were really knowledge on the cheeses and they even had great looking desserts This...

As I couldn't visit, I rang Lucie and asked if she could send me some more cheeses. She's so knowledgeable and passionate about cheese, I always ask for her recommendations as well as my favourites. Well, this selection is particularly gorgeous! We loved a really...

A wonderful cheese shop & cafe in the Cathedral Quarter of Lincoln. Very friendly & helpful staff, the range of cheeses is superb. Comfortable cafe area, it's well worth seeking out if visiting the city.

If you want a quick, inexpensive lunch then this is a great place to try. The core business is selling cheese and so most of the dishes on the menu are - as you might guess - cheese based. Get here early, you can't book,...

An hidden gem. This is a must when visiting Lincoln. Beautiful cheesy delights and wine. You may have to wait for a table but worth it. Our son took poorly while waiting. The staff were very helpful. Will definitely return

Our go-to destination eaterie in Lincoln for a cosy Birthday day Out treat. Once again we had a most marvellous time chilling out listening to the eclectic soundtrack (not in any way intrusive), and enjoying brilliant cheese-based main courses (tartiflette to "die for" and maccy...

Went with friends for a lunchtime cheese fest and wasn’t disappointed. We’ve been a few times before and the team are always welcoming and friendly. The food was excellent and hood portion sizes. Would highly recommend x

Visited with a friend for an overdue catch up. Cosy, friendly and truly amazing food. We had the double baked cheese souffle and the raclette. Good portion sizes and the plates were scraped clean ☺ We followed mains with a chocolate brownie each, which were...

Have bought cheese from here several times, and was so glad to finally have the opportunity to eat here at last . After eating most of my meal, I found a large, very dead, dried out fly under the last bits of my salad ....

Just left this restaurant feeling sick. Half way through the meal my wife found a very dead fly under her salad. Once the staff were informed they simply removed her plate at which point I told them that I’d lost my appetite and to remove...

A delicious lunch for 2 and fabulous friendly staff. I can’t recommend The Cheese Society highly enough. We love good food and this place is an amazing find. Well worth searching out.

Being nosey I wanted to try this place for lunch. Love my cheese.

Lovely menu with so many tasty cheese dishes to choose from. If I lived in Lincoln I'd be a regular here... Nice atmosphere. Friendly and efficient staff. Only open during the day.

How I’ve never been before is beyond me !!! Should be behaving diet wise to recover from Christmas indulgence but the chance of yet more cheese could not be passed up . I love that it’s walk in only . The macaroni cheese is gorgeous and the 7 cheese board nicely set out and good variety . When my stomach has recovered from cheese overload I will be going back without hesitation

The last time we visited, this place was due to close. Well it's still here, it's had a bit of internal remodelling and it's still fantastic. If you like cheese this place is a must visit.

We came for lunch today and not only was the food delicious but the service was fantastic! Made even better by the gluten free options available on request. An all around great atmosphere - we even bought some cheese to take home.

Great little place located bang in the centre of Lincoln. The menu is of course Cheese-centric and includes souffles, classic cheese boards, fondues.....I could happily have spent a week there just to try the lot! The staff were friendly and helpful and the food was well presented. There is also a wide range of Cheeses on sale. Would definitely recommend.

So, not only is the cheese selection in the counter brilliant, the food is awesome.

Amazing and unique cheese cafe with a superb atmosphere! Staff very friendly and professional! I can't recommend this place enough !!!

This is my second visit to the cheese society. Amazing place. The staff are friendly, lovely and very helpful. Small cafe so be prepared to wait at busy times, well worth the wait though. I had the camembert which is hands down the best thing I’ve eaten in all of 2019!!! We will be back to work our way through the menu :-)

Visited based on a quick scan of the visit Lincoln website and looked cute. Wasn’t disappointed, I had the tartiflette which is the best thing I’ve eaten in ages!! Very quaint with lovely service and excellent food. Plus the cheese selection is exceptional. Will recommend to anyone headed this way!!

My colleague and visited The Cheese Society back in February and decided that whilst we were in Lincoln on Tuesday 26th we would visit it again as we enjoyed ourselves so much last time.

Pooped in (go early for a seat) around 11.30/12 for lunch. Haven’t been here doe more than a decade, pleased we returned. Since we were last here, the whole place has been redesigned- a few small tables and a longer central table. The menu was as good as ever with many delicious sounding dishes, we opted for the Vacherin fondue for 2- delicious!!! With a couple of non- alcoholic drinks lunch was around £30 for the 2 of us. Service was friendly and personable. It’s well known by the locals, but well worth a trip if you’re in Lincoln.

We had a day planned in lincoln and fancied something a bit different for lunch.i foundthis place online and knew you could not book. We left it a bit later than the usual rush and found a table straight away.the choice of food was excellent and made it a tough choice. We had the tartiflette and the baked camembert. Both were delicious and we shared a pudding . Would highly recommend. Plus we bought some cheese to take home. Great say out must do it again

Took a solo trip to this hidden gem. Staff were amazing, service was incredible. Cheese was great, drinks great and as for the price it is perfect for any cheese lover!

This is a must for any cheese lover.

Always absolutely lovely! Service prompt and food delicious. Prices as you expect for the quality. Our only choice when we go into Lincoln! Expect to wait for a table, it’s worth the wait!

If you are visiting Lincoln and you love cheese then you must come here! Had a fabulous lunch, the most delicious cauliflower cheese and lovely service . Really couldn’t fault anything.

What can I say ! ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. seriously nice , friendly , clean , interesting and CHEESY🐝🐝🐝🐝

Get there early, and enjoy the cheese! Only a small cafe with a cheese shop at one end.

Visited as it was recommended by a friend. It was everything we wanted and more. Can't wait to be back.

First try whilst shopping in Lincoln after reading reviews from you know where!! And needing good food.

On a day out in Lincoln to celebrate my mum's birthday we found this little gem purely by accident. We went in for coffee and the staff were really friendly and very helpful. As we were going to visit the castle and the cathedral we said we would be back before they closed to buy some cheese. When we returned later the staff welcomed us back with a friendly hello and we both purchased cheese to take home.

Found this place using Tripadvisor - tucked down a side road, not sure we would have otherwise, but definitely worth seeking out. It's a cross between a small cheese shop and a small cafe. It probably only seats about 24 in total so a little bit of luck and timing to get a seat. We'd already chosen before we'd sat down - we saw the rarebit being served to someone else, and that was that! Very tasty indeed - the sausage and onion will be added to our homemade rarebits from now on!

I have studiously followed the growth of this wonderful place and l have long wanted to visit. Finally the time came and my adventure friend and I went off to visit. It was everything I wanted it to be, the joy of the cheeses displayed, the enthusiasm of the staff explaining the different cheeses and always some free to taste. The decor is simple and classic for cheese shop making it feel a special occasion any day. We both ordered different meals I had the potato layered with racelette cheese and a side salad. Yummy was the word and the pickled elements were amazing. My friend had the smoked salmon with herb scone, it was really hard to have a conversation as we were both more interested in savouring each and every mouthful, helped by a delicious rose wine. The atmosphere was wonderful and it was obvious that all the people there were extremely happy with their food. The staff were discreet but on the ball to make sure you had everything needed and were happy with your order. Of course we had to buy cheeses and my friend even found a blue cheese called Duke of Wellington that she loved. This is going for someone who doesn’t normally like blue cheese! I of course do and purchased some also, it would be rude not to with this quality of cheese. I also alongside my other buys managed to buy Gjetost a cheese that is hard to find and my absolute favourite treat being a toffee coloured cheese that does have both sweet and savoury elements with a definitely delicious whisper of fudge, heaven.

We have lived in Lincoln for 23 years and can’t believe it’s taken us this long to try this place! We had been given a £30 voucher for my wife’s birthday and thought as my son and his girlfriend were up from uni, that this was a good opportunity to use it. The restaurant is quite small only seating about 16 people and you can’t book because of this. When we arrived it was quite busy but the friendly lady behind the counter said that four of the ladies were about to finish and we were welcome to wait. Whilst we waited we ordered some drinks and were offered some cheese taster samples including anything we asked about in the display cabinet. We were made to feel really welcome. The table was rapidly cleared and we were seated within 10 mins. I ordered the cheese and meats platter which was outstanding, thought I’d died and gone to heaven! I ordered the one with 5 cheeses as I knew the others would dip into it and they were all exceptional plus a variety of great salamis and pork pie! Others in the party ordered raclette which came with meats, potatoes, bread, cheese and a lovely salad. My wife enjoyed the Mac n Cheese with mature cheddar and bacon that she swooned over! All in all a fabulous experience with exceptional food and service and a brilliant atmosphere. We will definitely not be strangers to the Cheese Society, a fantastic find.

Reviewed this last year for 5 stars and it’s a repeat again! The atmosphere was great and alongside some amazing food and service puts this as one of my favourite lunch venues. I ate the raclette whilst my wife had the goats cheese salad. Both cooked to perfection and bursting with flavour. If you love cheese then this is the place for you. Excited already about the prospect of visiting again.

Just off the top of the high street is this boutique cheesery where they sell artisan british cheeses. There’s usually a free free sample tasters on the counter top. Eat in or to go, it’s clean and friendly and a nice spot to casually eat.

This is a cheese lovers paradise! A small and intimate place with only a few tables but the cheese...oh the cheese!!

I have had the pleasure of eating here and only wish I had taken a larger bag. As their Cheese shop(next door) had so many great cheeses. I can't recommend this place enough to anyone visiting Lincoln. It is also a stone's through from the Cathedral.

Brontë was so hospitable in helping me find a rustice brie de meaux sandwich to go, with salad and pickle. Outstanding sandwich and outstanding service. Thank you!!

We arrived at about 2pm, after the rush, as you cannot book here. It's an informal place, which is part of its attraction. The menu is pretty varied but predictably cheese based. I tried the Raclette and would recommend it. It all looked good. And you can get a decent bottle of local IPA. The staff are cheerful. Service is quick and trouble free. We will definitely be back.

The range of cheeses and cheese related dishes is extensive and the staff are more than happy to answer questions and tell you more about each and every cheese they sell. I’ve never had a bad experience and recommend it to anyone visiting Lincoln.

We had lunch for four and a toddler yesterday, the staff were so friendly and happy to accommodate our toddler (although they didn’t have a high chair).

Amazing experience, so much food that excites me. Looking forward to going back on numerous occasions to tick off the menu.

One of our favourite haunts, the modest menu allows quality to be maintained. Flavour is the order of the day. Worth the walk up the hill, after all the calories burned can then be replaced with delicious food!

Our lunch here was just perfect, absolutely beautiful food (even the side salads were delicious!), the white and rose wines were fantastic, wish I knew what Rose I had, I would buy it for myself at home!)

This has been our best foodie spot in our last trip to the UK. This is a MUST visit if you are close to Lincoln. Pleasure experiencie for sure. Try the soufflé and the salad.

Went with three friends and we were not disappointed. The food and service was excellent, we literally couldn’t decide what to have as all sounded fantastic. Everyone had a beautiful meal and will definitely return x

Lovely lunch, very friendly staff and very decently priced. I had baked camembert, partner had mac and cheese. Will definitely visit again.

First visit and it was superb, had a platter so that we could try as many different cheeses as possible.

The cheese here is phenomenal and the staff really help you choose your cheeses. Free samples available and I would recommend the cheese board. We also pur-cheesed some sourdough and port which were also great. Cannot recommend highly enough.

Went to Lincoln looking for afternoon tea. We were aware that Cafe Rouge do a cheese afternoon tea but there was not one in Lincoln, so we went here instead and ordered an assortment of scones and cheese with wine. Absolutely excellent. I hope the shop looks at doing a cheesey afternoon tea.

We visited the Cheese Society during our visit to Lincoln. This is a very good Shop to purchase a variety of cheese and a small Restaurant serving a variety of dishes.

Came here for lunch based on tripadvisor reviews and not disappointed. Yes, and not unsurprisingly it’s a menu centred on one food but if you don’t like cheese you wouldn’t be in there and the menu was varied and the Lincolnshire rarebit I had was really tasty. The owners were so friendly and the whole shop was really nicely done. Highly recommended

I do have the odd friend who claims to not like cheese, me....heck no! Cheese is a passion of mine and therefore when i saw this place in Lincoln we decided to give it a try.

We went for a nice lunch option at the Cheese Society in Lincoln. Nice semi-communal seating and very nice and accommodating service. We had the mac and cheese and the dish of the day, cauliflower and zucchini and cheese. Lovely flavours and piping hot. And very cheesy - yum!

The best place for lunch by far in Lincoln. The only problem is deciding which dish to choose. Prices are very reasonable.

I had the tartiflette (with sausage and bacon) and the wife had goats cheese salad. Both dishes very tasty and came quickly. We also sample some cheese available in the shop. First time we have been here and will definitely be back. Friendly service as well.

Fantastic little place with great friendly service and an awesome range of cheese dishes. The cheese platter was stunning.