Perhaps with a self-serving eye, I read of a recent study that concluded cheese is good for you. I don’t recall the specifics, but it doesn’t matter. Having done my own research, I’ve known this for years! Here are a few places where I’ve conducted my field tests: nine of the best cheese shops in the world.

Murray’s Cheese, New York

I have been shopping at Murray’s for decades. I well remember the original location, at the corner of Bleecker and Cornelia streets in Greenwich Village, founded in 1940 by Murray Greenberg. The shop is now across the street on Bleecker and under the ownership of Rob Kaufelt, the son of a grocer who transformed Murray’s into a $250 million business. The shop’s selection covers the world, and the staff knows its wares. In fact, much of the cheese is aged in a climate-controlled bunker under the shop and overseen by a dedicated “cave master.” While the shop itself is quaint, Murray’s has a brisk mail-order business, over 240 cheese stands within Kroger supermarkets nationwide and a branch inside Grand Central Terminal, which is great for commuters.

Murray’s Cheese
254 Bleecker St., New York