Rubiners Cheesemongers & Grocers

Come in, go broke, and enjoy some real gourmet treats. When we finished the loaf of sesame bread, with fresh Vermont butter, my kids cried.

I LOVE Rubiners, make it a point to stop in to stock up on cheese and other foodstuffs whenever I’m in the Berkshires, and laugh a bit when I read the other reviews talking about the owner Matt Rubiner.
The guy can be a bit intimidating. I remember during one early visit, he gave me a withering look when I mispronounced «Challerhocker» (hey, I pronounced it the way it’s spelled, so sue me). But, I happen to think that cheese is the perfect food. You could strand me on a desert island just with cheese and some good bread (and maybe some ice cream), and I’d be perfectly happy. So, I kept visiting, because their cheese selection is as fine as any place I’ve ever been (and I live in Manhattan). I find cheeses at Rubiners that I’ve never seen anywhere else. I love their offerings from regional cheesemakers in particular.
I don’t make it in often enough to be counted a «regular», but I’ve come to find that a good cheesemonger will appreciate customers who show genuine love of their product, and curiosity and interest in learning more about it. Now I only wish I could make it for one of their «How to Deal With Matt Rubiner» classes! ;)

Limited selection, service barely adequate (and in the case of one person both rude and smug), and rip-​off pricing on items available elsewhere. Only if you’re in a hurry!

I am not sure why Unilocal erased my review… kind of makes me question the legitimacy of Unilocal.
The cheese is wonderful, the service is abominable. My girlfriends and I strolled in at the end of our Girls Weekend excited for some great treats to bring home to our families, and we were made to feel as though we were completely putting the staff out to help us. It was very uncomfortable. One of my girlfriends actually apologized ~ can you imagine! Feeling as though you need to apologize for being a customer. We spent a pretty penny in there, only to find that one friend went home with TWO of the same cheeses. In any other situation we would contact the shop, as any reputable business would want to rectify the mistake, but it appears as though customer service is not a top priority for this shop.

This was an awesome little spot, we got a great selection of cheeses and meats, very cool space and one of the coolest spots in town. Every town needs a place like this and these are the kind of places that I look for when I’m in Europe.

Rubiner’s is an excellent cheese and specialty food shop. I look forward to the experience of selecting, tasting and then buying and serving good cheese. Although they have many other meats and specialty items, a selection of great cheeses is my typical purchase here.
I find the staff to be very accommodating in offering advice and samples prior to purchase. I have been here many times and have never had a bad experience. I also find there prices to be very common to other good cheese shops. Murray’s, Fairway etc… Good cheese is unfortunately expensive. I recall my mother-​in-​law making grilled cheese with my $ 28/​lb English Keen’s Cheddar once. :)
Looking forward to tasting the three cheeses I purchased this afternoon.
Caprino Cremoso al Tartufo (a goat cheese with white truffle)
Pecorino Toscano (a semi-​soft sheep cheese)
and
Pearl Las (a blue cow cheese from Wales, similar to Irish Cashel Blue)
Yum.

I wish I could give this store 5 stars, I really do. The cheese we purchased was delicious and the store also offers imported snacks and pasta.
Unfortunately the owner makes it difficult to love the tremendous cheese selection when the service leaves such a bad taste. We were visiting the area for our anniversary weekend and wandered into this store to pick out some cheese for an afternoon snack. We had a few questions about the ingredients in the cheese and this seamed to: really put out: the three people working in the store, including the owner, even though there were no other customers.
When we went to purchase our expensive piece of (absolutely delicious) cheese the owner was smarmy in response to our ingredient questions and then completely ignored us when a «regular» arrived into the store. We will not be returning on our next trip to Great Barrington.

I’ve read all of the previous reviews, and I get it that some people do not harbor warm feelings for Matt Rubiner, the owner. While I don’t condone rude or condescending service, I also think that the one– and two-​star reviews are just ridiculous.
I am a former cheese shop owner and I can say that that Rubiner’s has a fabulous selection of cheeses. One would be hard pressed to find some of them in a top cheese shop in a much larger city. I bought four cheeses. All were in peak condition and all were excellent. I asked for a sample of a couple of cheeses, and was accommodated without any hassle. A high quality cheese shop lets customers taste cheeses before they buy, and, on this score, Rubiner’s did not disappoint.
Are the prices high? Yes, they are, but these cheeses would be similarly expensive in any good cheese shop. And, contrary to what many people believe should be true, cheeses from American artisanal producers can be every bit as expensive, and sometimes more so, than cheeses imported from Europe.
The locals who have written nasty reviews about how horrible Rubiner’s is should instead be thanking their lucky stars that a cheese/​gourmet shop this wonderful exists in a town with barely more than 7,000 residents. I would kill to have a shop of this caliber where I live.

What a great shop! Delicious cheese, amazing variety and fabulous staff. Why would you ever buy cheese from a supermarket. This shop makes me want base meals around cheese. A delight!

Gotta give credit where credit’s due. The place was immaculate and the cheeses and meats were superb. However, the person who greeted us (the owner?) was really cranky and unpleasant. We’ve heard from friends that he’s always like that. !? How strange!

Wonderful, gorgeous old bank, in one of my favorite towns, but I still have a hard time believing any of these reviews. Have been there dozens of time trying to give this place a chance. My honest reviews along with 6 other reviews have been relegated to the «the owner fought to take them off» section at the very bottom on the list. This is what Mr. Rubiner spends most of his time doing. Warding off bad reviews on Unilocal.I trust people are astute enough to understand and feel the overall vibe when they enter any establishment. The vibe from Mr. Rubiner, the owner, is like an orphaned wet, woolen sock in the dead of winter: Cold, clammy and not the best match for the fine products he poorly represents. At the café, round the back, the Baristas handle food, garbage, and money all at the same time. I can’t wait to go in next time and casually film a selfie of myself on my iPhone and share it on YouTube. Oh wait… there will be a sign in there in a few days that says photographs or filming of any kind prohibited. Poor staff runs around like crazy people because they are grossly mistreated, especially on a Saturday. Let’s see how long this review stays up before the guy who’s supposed to tend to his store and be personable, is back on with Unilocal in his little man-​office whining and crying to squash this review. If this disappears off the main Unilocal list I trust it will just be worse when people see how many bad reviews he actually has hidden, or if someone decides to tape him anyway. It’s all just so laughable. That’s what Unilocal is for. If you can’t see the bad reviews then Unilocal will not be respected anymore. And we all move onto another site. It’s that simple.

A really sweet fancy cheese store. Much local delicious treats. No bargains here but lots of super tasty treats. Great cheese suggestions, local meats and condiments. A great place to get a housewarming gift.

So, I am out enjoying Western Mass on the weekend and all of a sudden begin to crave aged cheddar cheese and walk into Rubiners. And I wait at the counter for like five minutes while the super nice cheese monger helps this yuppie mom sample $ 30/​lb cheeses on her young child. Oh the entertainment! On the plus side the cheese selections are broad and the staff know what they are selling. Its a super cute store fashioned inside and old bank — how can one not love that. On the not so plus side, they are not cheap, but I suspect its not easy hauling all this great cheese to the middle of nowhere so I say four stars for selection, service and people!

First of all, I love building, which used to be a bank. You can even see the door inside that used to lead to the vault. There’s a huge cheese counter in the middle, with gourmet ingredients lining the walls.
A huge plus: they have tons of cheese samples out — and good ones too! And they are not these tiny pre-​cut cubes — they present them on nice cheese boards with cheese knives so you can cut your own pieces.
There’s a good selection of cheeses and charcuterie, as well as chocolates, pastas, gourmet salts… this would be a great place to stop by and pick up a few things for a picnic.

not only rude, but no community spirit.
I have not shopped here since my review of 2011 — Domaney’s in town will order cheeses, Guido’s has a great selection and oh — smiling service with the cheese — a concept that this guy never tried. I recently participated in a benefit for Construct — a local charity that helps all sorts of people in our great community.
90% of the local restaurants and shops participated — it was a great evening and fun, delicious samples of food — all while raising money for the very worthy organization. Notable by their absence was RUBINERS — who made a promise to go and then reneged — without the courtesy of a phone call — at the last minute.
I can not think of a reason to patronize this place.

An outstanding purveyor of cheeses, house-​smoked fish, cured meats, and artisinal chocolate. They have a great selection of local organic ice creams (Can’t compare them to SoCo down the street I’m afraid). Their samplings are terrific to explore the wide — enormous — variety of local cheeses so go expecting to try before you buy. I’d note their goods are expensive but not too much so for the quality of the foods and knowledgeable staff which work there. Try Rubi’s behind the store too — it seems promising for a cup of tea or a latte and a fine sandwich of charcuterie, cheese, and local produce.

This is an update to my last review… Apparently, things have mellowed out in the attitude department, according to my parents…
Even with the attitude notwithstanding, I still buy the heavenly marinated feta that’s $ 27/​pound (last I checked). Because it really is that good smashed onto a sourdough baguette with fresh tomatoes and basil. I’m salivating thinking about it…
Every year at Christmas, I can always expect the awesome candies in my stocking from Rubiner’s.
So, even if I feel a little wierd wandering in, I still go because the food is so good.

Taste. Rubiner has it. You benefit from it. Disregard whatever else you read and accept the quasi-​French you-​are-​lucky-​to-​be-​in-​my-​shop vibe. Why? You are lucky to be in his shop.
Cheeses hard to find even in NYC, from Vermont to Sardinia, keep me coming back and spending the dough – and it’s all good, from the salami (Petite Jesu, I love you) to olive oil to beans to goat’s milk caramels to the whole wheat baguette – the small details are the final proof that this guy is serious and sophisticated.
It may be that his sense of superiority is justified. Rubiner is not just a shopkeeper (though he’s clearly a savvy merchandiser). Rubiner is curating, and he’s very talented. So get over it and enjoy the cheese.

Housed in an old bank with the original vault, this shop is as fun to walk into and study for the architecture as it is for the food they sell.
We couldn’t buy much since the hotel we were staying in didn’t have a mini-​fridge in the room. But the homemade goat’s milk caramels– they’re more than $ 1 a piece, so it’s not penny candy :) But it’s fun to buy one or two and indulge in the amazing creamy caramel. Would definitely go back when I have a fridge at the ready to store some cheese and meat :)

All I can say is; Just GO! Fun to wander around and eyeball the selections of this passionate foodie known by a good friend of mine. My visit was brief AND years in the waiting. I bought a few items which I enjoyed at a later date. All non perishable due to my travel schedule but I’d have spent my last dimes on some cheese or meats as the selection was drool inducing.
Pricey and this level of selection and quality tends to be.