Featuring some of Wisconsin’s finest cheese, imported cheese, specialty foods, and much more, Baumgartner’s Cheese Store & Tavern, opened in 1931, is Wisconsin’s oldest cheese store!
In addition to our popular retail store, you can enjoy great food and locally brewed beers at our adjoining tavern! We are conveniently located in the quaint Swiss community of Monroe, a rich cheese producing area in southern Wisconsin. Baumgartner’s features locally brewed beers. They are a fine complement to the delicious cheese you will find here. Baumgartner’s is a center of activity all the time but especially during Cheese Days, a colorful festival held the third weekend of September during even-numbered years.
Business Website Address:https://www.baumgartnercheese.com/
Business Phone Number: (608)35-6157
Business Address:
1023 16th Ave
Monroe, WI 53566
Services Provided: Carry Out, Dining Room, Outdoor Seating
Business Genre: American
Reviews of Baumgartner’s Cheese Store & Tavern
Rachel Gall
19:09 01 May 23
A portal back to 1940 depression era Midwest. Similar to the "No Fuss" sandwiches that your grandma would be serving up... any weekday lunch. Scratches an itch that I didn't know I had. If you are anywhere in the area, make a point to stop.read more
Jenny Ulbricht
02:43 29 Mar 23
The perfect place to grab a nostalgic bite to eat! Friendly service and simple, Wisconsin fare done right! I love the... cheese sandwiches they offer, and I put this place on a must visit list if I pass anywhere nearby. Contemplating a visit? Don't think, just do it, and see why people have been visiting this quaint and lively gem since 1931!read more
Genie
18:01 05 Jan 23
An amazing cheese experience ..Visiting from Texas! We know Wisconsin has legendary cheese and was on a mission to... find some .. we found it in Baumgartner'sA friend recommended this place and we were not disappointed. The service was good but the food was great.I can't say enough about our food .. good cheese is so satisfying. It was a cold day in January 2023 we had the tomatoes basil bisque warm thick and tasty. Tuna melt topped with slice of tomatoes and cheddar, pastrami and Swiss on rye served with extra cheese and a pickle 😋Its an awesome atmosphere serving awesome food . We highly recommend 👌read more
Liv Mueller
23:19 06 Sep 22
Comfortable outdoor seating. Our bucket list included a Limburgersandwich. Our server, Jack, was on the ball in every... way and suggested we could share 1/2 sandwich with liverwurst. It was delicious! Not smelly so he explained that it was young, rather than mature. The special pastrami sandwich, potato salad, and slaw were fresh and homemade. Highly recommend this restaurant!read more
Adam C.
02:37 28 Aug 22
Baumgartner's Cheese Store & Tavern is Wisconsin’s oldest cheese store, opened in 1931. They serve excellent food and... have a great selection of beers, including locally brewed. They claim to have the best cheese sandwiches in the world. I can’t vouch for that but the pastrami sandwich was top notch! The staff was great, very knowledgeable about the beer and food especially the various cheeses and pairings.read more
Caleen Marie
18:04 13 Aug 22
I love this place and now that I live in Tennessee I try to get back every time I get home! Service is always fabulous... and the cheese sandwich is a must! And that chili... Yumread more
Chelsey Bowers
19:38 08 Aug 22
Sometimes people surprise you! We had an amazing lunch here over the weekend. The waitress was super friendly and the... personal service when buying specialty cheese inside was fantastic. Once we got home, we realized 1 of the cheeses wasn't what we had asked for so I called the store and eventually spoke to one of the owners. The owner was going to refund my money until he realized that he's going to be in our area and then he offered to personally deliver the cheese we had ordered! AMAZING! Just blown away by the overall experience!read more
William Wheeler
02:07 01 Jul 22
Came here at the suggestion of our tour guide at the National Historic Center for Cheese Making. After the tour our... family (2 adults, 3 kids ages 17-11) were all hungry for some cheese. We ordered the large cheese plate, various sandwiches, and even dessert. Everything was delicious! Well…almost…our tour guide warned us about Limburger cheese…so I went for it…I should have asked for a sample! WOW that’s some STRONG CHEESE!Anyway, it’s a cozy spot. Our family is road-tripping back to Massachusetts, and between The Cheese Museum and Baumgartner’s Monroe, WI was WELL WORTH the stop between Madison, WI and Toledo, OH.read more
Len Stafford
10:54 24 Jun 22
Great place to enjoy a simple brat or sandwich with wonderful Wisconsin Swiss atmosphere. Local craft beers available... and my favorite place to get a New Glarus beer on tap. Outdoor patio on sidewalk is very nice. Service is quick and friendly.read more
71bluflashes 1PO'dPatriot
01:16 30 Apr 22
Beautifully done very busy weekend crowd.Organized chaos with excellent Wisconsin hospitality.Amazingly clean with... customer focused staff & a delectable selection of truly affordable local cheeses.Worth another visit as the weather improves! 🙂read more
Matt Sheaffer
20:48 18 Mar 22
Without question the best place for a drink in Monroe. And now with great food! Such a comfy, welcoming atmosphere and... staff. Don't forget to donate a $ to the ceiling!read more
Janice Roush
00:20 20 Feb 22
What a quaint place on the town square. The Gouda soup with rye croutons was fabulous. Never having eaten limburger... cheese, I tried the limburger burger and was not disappointed. Will definitely go ago.read more
Doug Murphy
22:37 05 Feb 22
Historic place on the old town square. Very good food (I highly recommend the bread pudding!) and the staff was... friendly and helpful. An enjoyable experience.read more
Kristine Nelson
12:22 09 Nov 21
Glad you are back open! The tomato basil bisque soup was amazing and of course the original Baumies Style sandwich of:... Braunschweiger/Brick cheese/raw onion and that amazing mustard, on soft dark rye bread. Yum!!!! Great service as well!read more
Chris Campbell
22:20 06 Nov 21
Love this place. Cool atmosphere, Great service. Good food at reasonable prices. Get your taste of Wisconsin here.... Newer additions here include more beers on tap and a grill for more hot sandwich choices. Chili is darn good. I sure do miss the Italian Beef sandwiches they used to offerread more
Norma Noonan
13:12 02 Sep 21
Fun place to visit in Monroe! Very good hard salami and Swiss sandwich but a bit pricey. We asked to sample the... limburger cheese and now know we don't like it. Nice creamy texture but can't get past the smell. We will be back to try hot sandwiches! Make sure to donate to the ceiling charity!read more
Thomas Hunt
23:17 14 Aug 21
This place is awesome. They had the appetizer out before we even finished our order. Food came within 3 minutes.... Delicious and filling. Never thought I'd be happy ordering a simple room temperature sandwich from a restaurant but I could hardly set it downread more
jess callahan
17:58 23 Jul 21
I love this place!! A must stop whenever we are in Monroe!! Been coming here my Whole life. We had a Family farm in the... Area. We always grabbed a picnic lunch for the Car ride home. Salami & Swiss so good! Staff is always great. Glad to see them busy and saferead more
Kimberley Ferren
21:49 19 Jul 21
Fun. Great local place. Historic.The staff make the mood and the silly signage and fun menu lighten the day. Great... food and chunky cheese and sausage platter. No foofoo food here!Do the money donation to the roof of the bar!read more
David Lund
23:28 15 Jul 21
The place hadn't changed in over 20 years. the cheese sandwiches are the best around . the waitresses are friendly and... nice.Next time I'm back in Monroe ,I'll definitely stop back and get another chili and cheese sandwichread more
P. Graves
00:33 25 Jun 21
This landmark on Monroe's square is a great place for warm and cold sandwiches (with cheese of course). Lots of... beverages to choose from; alcoholic and non alcoholic. Good service. Lots of cheese choices to go, or eat/drink outside.read more
William Cunningham
03:39 24 Jun 21
Perfect little visit to experience a piece of Wisconsin and sample some great cheese. The bartender was extremely... hospitable and explained everything with a short history lesson too regarding the 90 year old establishment. Made us feel like we were the only two people in the restaurant! Great beer on tap, great food, better cheese - highly recommend!read more
Paul Stemper
00:35 23 Jun 21
What a fun place! The food was very tasty, and our server did a fanatic job and was very fun. Have them toss some... of your dollar bills (or larger) and stick them to the ceiling. Proceeds go to local charities. Can't wait to go back again!read more
Jenny Kuhn
01:09 21 Jun 21
A classic cheese stop in Wisconsin! You can sit inside or outside to eat. I love getting the small cheese plate, as... well as the braunschweiger sandwich with cheddar. The horseradish mustard is homemade and goes well with everything. They have a big store to buy cheese, mustard, etc. to take home with you!read more
Gregg Evans
14:46 07 Jun 21
1st time to visit. Had a sandwich that I have not even thought of in 65 years, braunschweiger on sour dough and... onions. Wife had the small cheese plate. We had enough left over for dinner. Both items were great. Nice shady spot on the sidewalkread more
Jack Sokolski
08:56 05 Jun 21
Italian Beef was 4 on a scale 1 - 10 because it was dry and small amount of meat!Ruben was 6 on scale of 1 - 10... because it tasted good but small amount of meat!The Strawberry Shortcake was 3 on a scale of 1 - 10 because cake was dry, only 1 sliced strawberry, and price of $4.95 - RIDICULOUS!!!The Diet Root Beer was great!The Service was great too!Next time, I will try the BBQ Ribs - they looked AWESOME!Great Car Show!read more
Pat Isaacson
00:07 04 Jun 21
Tom had Italian beef sandwich and I had the Ruben. Both of us very pleased! Good friendly service. Have them put a... dollar on the 12 foot ceiling!read more
Google User
16:41 14 Apr 21
Great selection of sandwiches! All kinds of options from homemade potato salad to local chips, crisp pickles, different... breads including gluten free options, different meats from turkey to pastrami. And, of course, cheese...lots of choices for the cheese lover. It is Monroe. The cheese capital!read more
Chris Brunton
14:38 21 Feb 21
We were greeted and seated right away upon entering. Our drinks were brought out to us instantly as well. Our order was... taken right away too. I had the Reuben sandwich and it was awesome. I have eaten here a few times and try something new every time. I have yet to find something I didn't like. Love this place and strongly recommend it.read more
Baumgartner’s Cheese Store & Tavern in the News:
Sept 11, 2018 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – Yes, it stinks! But fans of limburger cheese, made in Monroe, love it anyway
Aug 29, 2017 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – Video: Baumgartner’s ‘dollar ceiling’