Forward Foods

Food: ⁵⁄₅
Service: ³⁄₅
Cleanliness: ⁵⁄₅
Décor & Style: ⁴⁄₅
I’ve only tried the smoked turkey here and it was very good. Service was fast and the place is well kept. The entire place is small (for a market) so the selection will be scarce as well.
I give it a ³⁄₅ for service because it is very hard for me to shop here due to closing before I get off work (6:15pm) so it may be a very long time before I come back :(

This is an awesome little shop in Norman. We had lunch there today and had their grilled cheese with homemade tomato soup. So good! They also have a ton of imported cheeses and meats along with local stuff. The staff was super friendly and helpful and did an awesome job explaining the cheeses I was interested in. They also have a ton of fresh pastas to choose from along with a lot of other stuff. This was a really neat store and we will definitely be back to try new things!

I love Forward Foods. It’s the only reputable cheese store in Norman. I usually go to Whole Foods to buy my cheese and when I moved to Norman, I was worried that there aren’t any grocery stores like Whole Foods in the area. But, Forward Foods saved my butt! They have a wide array of cheeses, and for a wine and cheese connoisseur like myself, this place is just wonderful! It’s just a little bit pricey but nothing too extreme– think Whole Foods prices.
It was previously a full-​on small grocery store but now, they’ve expanded the restaurant area. Their sandwiches and soups are also really tasty. Also, they sell fair trade goods. I especially love the chocolates!
I totally recommend trying this place out!

Love this place to the moon and back! The staff is incredibly knowledgeable and helpful! I’ve shopped here a few times, but this last time I came in for a wine and cheese pairing. What fun! It started a little late, but that’s totally forgivable since the whole thing was so much fun!
You might want to have a DD for the tasting because they aren’t shy on the wine pours!

The food was good but the staff was making sandwiches without gloves on. That is a health violation.

It really bummed me out when the OKC Forward Foods location was closed, but I’m glad the Norman location is still alive and well. On my last visit to Norman, I stopped by and everything was just as awesome as I remember it being in the OKC location.
First, Forward Foods has my favorite sandwich in the city. It’s a lightly grilled turkey sandwich with thinly sliced apples and carrots, along with raisins. Honestly, I can’t say enough good things about it.
The service has always been fantastic. The people at Forward Foods are extremely friendly and very passionate about the products they offer.
Of course, Forward Foods doesn’t have the selection of bigger grocery stores, but the quality of the foods they offer surpasses the quantity offered at those other stores.
Forward Foods truly is one of the best local business in Norman!

We had a wine and cheese party over the holiday, the staff here is great and took the time to help us with selections. They offer samples to taste so don’t be afraid to ask. I love their spice selection also. We normally walk away with a whole basket full. It’s nice to have these types of slavishly foods in oklahoma that aren’t in any of the grocery store here.
Great service! Fantastic cheeses. Amazing!

I have to concur with many other Unilocalers: Forward Foods has the best cheese counter I’ve seen in Oklahoma. Also, the employees are very knowledgeable and willing to offer suggestions in addition to a small taste if you need one. I needed several types of cheeses, as I was making a mac n cheese and a blue cheese dip for a dinner party. The recommendations were spot on, the dishes were fantastic.
Forward Foods also has fresh pasta, sauces, spices, and other gourmet type foods. There is a lot of stuff here you can’t get elsewhere, which is fantastic. They have a great soda fridge with a lot of craft root beers and sodas. I’ve heard nothing but good things about their sandwiches, so I know next time I go I’ll time it with lunch so I can try one. This is a gem in Norman, very glad to have it here.

On their Quiche: If you work the only time to go is Saturday and because they are closed Sunday you really only have a few hours you can order it.

Great for lunch!

We decided to stop by Forward Foods because we saw the good reviews here on Unilocal and we are very glad that we did! The sandwiches are amazing and so is the quiche. The prices are a little high, but it is a specialty store and I was pretty happy to see all of the different cheeses. I have had goat cheese in the past (from other places) and I didn’t like it. well today. my mind was changed. This is a place I will frequent for lunch.

Boy do I love that Taleggio and Fig sandwich. Lunch at Forward Foods is delightful and easy. It’s casual and there’s always a nice selection of sandwiches ready to be toasted for you and the soups are all excellent. And the bonus of lunching in a specialty grocery store is the wide selection of sodas and juices.
Comfortable environment, good service, great lunch.

I go to lunch here on average about once a week, I pick-​up a fresh bag of elemental coffee, sometimes some rustic bread and occasionally a random item I’ve been eyeing like Bourbon Vanilla Beans, Powdered Cookies and oh yeah Cheese of course. Make no mistake about it, I think they are a lovely grocery store and in some romantic daydream versions of my life I shop and buy cheese there everyday.
Let’s get real about forward foods though, when it comes down to it I’m not there for my husbands coffee beans, or those deliciously tempting powdered cookies, I’m there for the sandwiches. Like honestly if I could only eat one sandwich for the rest of my life, (which would be ridiculous I know) but if I could have just one it would be the Caprese grilled and the Kim Chi & Cheese would be a close second for me. (as soon as I try another sandwich there it will probably be my third)
I love cooking, I know I’m in love with a really easy sandwich I could make it myself and sometimes I do. However part of cooking has taught me the importance of fresh ingredients and I have to say Forward Foods will always have be beat on that, and I will happily defer to them and their fine sandwich making abilities.

The contents of this place are, indeed, wonderful. However, the workers behind the counter lack any hygienic concern. One girl was coughing all over the food and all three didn’t wear any gloves, handling the food you’re purchasing with hands that have touched everything else behind that counter with no telling when they were last washed.
When one enters a food specialty shop, it’s safe to expect high-​quality products with matching service that wouldn’t raise health concerns. Not here, disappointingly.

I love love LOVE getting lunch here, although it’s pretty pricy so it’s not something I can do more than every couple of weeks. I haven’t eaten a sandwich, quiche or bowl of soup yet that didn’t wow me. Although I’m a vegetarian, I hate salad (rabbit food!!), and I even loved the side salad that came with the quiche lunch here.

Love this place!
They are all very friendly and their cheese are so incredibly good. They also serve a great lunch if you are around at that time! They can help you get ideas any meal you tell them. :)

They have a great selection of different hard to find cheeses. They even had Roquefort for a good deal a few years ago when roquefort prices were very high and hard to find. I love how the prices are reasonable and they also sell a lot of international items and like others have mentioned they serve lunch items that change daily.

The Norman Forward Foods recently moved down Main St., across from Natural Grocers, and I am as smitten now as I was before. The old space was like a small grocery shop you would find in a large European or American city, with the ability to pack all kinds of gourmet & international goodies to its brim. Not much has changed with this new location. In fact, it just gives you a little more room to breathe without losing that hunt-​for-​gastronomical-​treasure feel. They also gained a covered patio with plenty of seating and a private lot that is easy to find parking in.
They still serve one of the best lunches in town. I highly recommend the quiche lunch special which comes with a baby quiche (how Parisian!), a salad of greens with olive oil & vinegar and a cup of soup, your choice. If the cauliflower and Stilton is on the menu GET IT. It was a refreshing take on broccoli and cheddar but not as rich. The cheese selection is as delectable as before and I highly recommend grabbing a cappuccino.
According to the Forward Foods newsletter, they have started doing some of their tasting classes in Norman. They usually have their standard cheese, cheese & wine and cheese & beer, but Norman put on a rare olive oil tasting class that sounded great! Classes are about $ 35/​person. I have yet to try one, but I know I am willing to make the trek to OKC if I can’t make it to a Norman class.

Perfect picnics start here. The gourmet cheese, meats, olives, and sodas are all delicious. It’s so much fun to pick a new cheese or meat I’ve not yet tried. They have a great spice assortment too. I’ve been mesmerized by the preserved lemons at the deli for a while now. I think I’ll buy some soon and make summer cocktails. Ooh and they have some very nice chocolate too. Bring in your picnic basket and fill it up with goodies!

Great selection of products in this tiny space. I really love going into Forward Foods. Their cheese and olive bar is great.
Recently tried lunch there, and it really was so delicious. Can’t wait to go back again.