Cheesetique - Shirlington

We went to Cheesetique this weekend for Brunch. After hearing great things and reviewing the tempting menu, my party was excited to try this restaurant. Unfortunately, our experience was not great.

Service: The Service was not great. While our server and his trainee were very nice, it took awhile for anyone to come over to us while when we arrived. I will say they were diligent about refilling our water (a big plus in my book), but that was the only highlight. The biggest issue with the service was that everyone’s meal did not come out at the same time. Three meals came out at once and the fourth came out 5 minutes later. We all politely waited for the fourth meal to come out before eating. Neither the server or the trainee communicated any delay in the fourth meal and others’ meals (for tables that arrived after us) streamed out of the kitchen ahead of our party’s fourth meal (a salad and sandwich).

Food: The food was okay. Having the food sit for 5 mins before enjoying it definitely impacted the experience. Our group ordered the breakfast tacos, green eggs and ham, pearschutto and Brie sandwich, and the classic breakfast sandwich. Nothing was bad, but nothing was great.

Overall, I would not recommend this location or return to Cheesetique. I know they just moved to this location (from down the street), but it seems like they still have a lot of work to do.

Our meals were good but the restaurant was extremely loud and we had to speak quite loudly to hear one another.

The new location is larger and easier to get into but has lost the french bistro ambiance that the previous location had. It seems more like a diner now and that back room has no ambiance whatsoever.

We had a great lunch. Everyone was very friendly and attentive. We loved all the food and it was a cheese lover’s dream. Can’t wait to go back and try something else but you can’t go wrong with grilled cheese and tomato soup and Mac and cheese. Even the rosemary chips were tasty.

The food was delicious, the service was excellent and we had a fabulous brunch!!

Excellent wine selection. Good gluten-free onion soup choice of breads and sandwiches. Light dinner before the theater and lunch

Great food and service. Very noisy and a baby was seated next to us in spite of the fact that we were one of the first seated. That group could have been seated in any of many empty places. Maybe that could be improved. That said , it’s a fine place and I would recommend it.

Lovely decor. The food is delicious! Service was good and we had a wonderful time

Great meal at Cheesetique's new space on Shirlington! Terrific cheese boar, as always! Thank you Cat, Edwin and Edmin for amazing service!

Surprisingly loud in there for such a small place, even though it was only half full. Food was delicious, service was good (took awhile to close our check, but our server was training someone new, so, forgiven). We got some meat and cheese to go to make a board the next day and it was damn delightful; good advice and good food!

The food was, as always, excellent. Our server was also really great. However the hostess was a nightmare and a liar.

I arrived a few minutes ahead of my friend and was shown a table for two, which was adjacent to and very tightly arranged to the two tables on either side. There were two other two-tops in the same serving area that were not occupied and not as tightly configured as the table I was shown. When I politely asked if I could have one of those two tables I was told they were "reserved". I mentioned that I too had a reservation and was not aware that individual tables could be reserved. I asked again if I could have one of the two more comfortably configured tables and was again told no, and the hostess asked if i wanted to speak to the manager. Not wanting to start the evening off with additional confrontation I declined and seated myself at the original table.

When my friend arrived and our server came by we asked if we could move to one of the more comfortable tables, which were still not occupied. He graciously agreed to move us. I asked him if individual tables could be reserved and he said no, he was not aware of such a policy. The rest of the evening went smoothly, our sever was exceptional. However his tip did suffer a bit due to the unpleasant interaction with the hostess.

The hostess flat out lied to me about reserving individual tables. I don't know why and won't speculate.

I have been patronizing Cheestique since they were simply a cheese shop in Del Rey. I will continue to consider dining at Cheesetique, but never again at the Shirlington location.

Dale is a terrific server! Everything was perfect. Thank you! I’ll be back on 12/14 😊.

We had a horrible experience so I cannot recommend this restaurant. I won't be returning. For our party of four we ordered one appetizer and four entrees, what I would consider a standard order. We received three entrees about 20 minutes after placing our order. When we realized that the fourth entree wasn't coming we asked about it and our appetizer. 10 minutes later the appetizer came. Another 15 minutes later (25 minutes after the other entrees were delivered) my friend got her entree. I had already finished eating and my plate had been cleared when my friend finally got her food. It was very uncomfortable to eat in front of my friend and it tainted the entire meal. We asked to speak to the manager and he seemed to not really know what was going on. They comped our appetizer which was the absolute least they could do, as it was the least expensive thing we ordered. I cannot trust them and won't be returning. It's a shame, because the food itself was great.

Too loud for enjoyment. Menu limited but offers several good choices. This is casual eating, not a fine dining experience which meets a good niche for a reasonably fast meal of good quality. Convenient for Signature Theater and nearby movies.

:( I love cheesetique!!! But went this time and sat at a table for over 20 mins without anyone coming over to wait on us. Ended up leaving

Loved the new location! More space and always a great selection of wine/cheese! Can’t wait to return!

The FOOD was amazing! This was a great find.

It was the first week in their new location, and there were lots of logistical problems. The food was excellent as usual, and the management really stepped up to make things work. But they do have to work on their flow, getting things to the table in a timely manner, and just general staff knowledge of the menu. I will still go back, but only because I’ve been a long-time customer. If it had been my first time I might be thinking twice. The new location and drcor is absolutely fabulous though!

We loved the new location and I can't wait to enjoy the little cabana seats in the center of the restaurant. There's much more space in the restaurant but I hope I'll be able to buy the semisweet morsels of chocolate they used to sell in the store area. Glad you all can accommodate more visitors now!

The server was very distracted, and we didn’t get a lot of table support. We would have definitely had an extra glass of wine had we been checked in with more. Even though it was listed as my birthday dinner, which was reinforced to the server, it took us a while to get offered a dessert menu. The one item we wanted, the chocolate mousse, we were told was unavailable. When disappointed and asked why, we were told “it was all runny and I’m not comfortable serving to you”. Within said we just be happy with the chocolate chips that came with our bill, but when the bill came we didn’t even get them!

We didn’t stay because our reservation was not honored by the restaurant and we weren’t seated.

Delicious!

Horrible service and knowledge of menu. Went for their charcuterie festival and was very disappointed.

Overall, we enjoyed the food and atmosphere. The service could have been a little more attentive and knowledgeable. We got the fondue of the moment appetizer. The server didn’t know which 3 cheeses were featured and the chef wasn’t available to advise. Had to remind we ordered a 2nd glass of wine. Little things that can be easily improved. I would return and recommend.

Cheese and wine selection are lovely, the restaurant was not at all busy, but service was terribly slow. This is the second time we’ve had this experience- nice for the shop- but not worth the pain of spending over an hour waiting for grilled cheese.

FYI, for restaurant week, you don’t get to choose the three cheeses in your cheese board. They pick for you.

Slow service, dingy interior, and mediocre food.

Anything with their cheese is very good - but the tomato soup was terrible. Tasted like marinara sauce. All other dishes were good.

Perfect for pre-theater.

We were there for half an hour and and all they managed to get to our table was tepid water. Cancelled our order and left without eating.

Overall good experience. Service was a bit slow as the server mentioned they were understaffed that evening. Good food, but already missing the Ballston location!

Service and food were great!

It was okay. The service was excellent from the host to the server. However the food was a little bit different. You really need to love cheese lol. I would recommend the cheese fondue. The mac n cheese was a little rich for me. The cheese board was really good. After you eat the cheese board you are pretty stuffed lol.

Nice little restaurant with great food and the best cheese selection in town.

I always have a great experience here. Food is always excellent, and they are super friendly. You can try just about anything on the menu and come way happy...

Great food as well as wines that pair well with each dish.

The Cherry Blossom Festival cherry bliss grilled cheese sandwich made with brie and cherries was absolutely sensational! It was incredibly delicious. I would love to see this on the menu throughout spring and summer. Service was terrific and the atmosphere was very pleasing.

Cheesetique is our go-to place pre-theater, but that's because Shirlington options leave a lot to be desired. This last visit was on a day with decent weather, so they opened outdoor seating. Apparently they hadn't staffed for the additional space. Our waiter was (trying to) cover indoor and outdoor guests. Service is always slow at Cheesetique (it can easily take 15 minutes to get a glass of wine while you are seated not more than 15 feet from the bar and can watch the bartender putter around without priorities). This time slower than ever. We had to ask another server to find our waiter after not seeing him for at least 20 minutes. Food is adequate; prices are very good; location is great. We will keep going back, but Cheesetique really needs a better manager and some staff training.

Great place for a casual but creative meal with a good wine selection. The staff are always attentive and knowledgeable about the cheese selections and wines. They turn a grilled cheese into a culinary work of art, and their mac and cheese options are also wonderful. I've never been disappointed.

The service is remarkably poor. They consistently make mistakes on orders, serve entrees moments after appetizers have arrived so there is no room in the table, run out of types of wine (it’s a wine and cheese shop, for Pete’s sake - can’t they stock the wines on the menu?), and forget to follow through on requests. Geesh.