Riverdel Vegan Cheese Shop

Located inside Essex Market in the Lower East Side, Riverdel is the holy grail when it comes to vegan cheese.

The popular cheese monger isn’t just making their own line of vegan cheeses, they’re also highlighting some of the best vegan cheese from the state and country. 

Located front and center by the north east entrance, vegan hearts will flutter at the sight of cases and cases of wheels of vegan cheese in vibrant colors, adorned with dried herbs and flowers and more.

While the bulk of what you can get is vegan cheese, you can also get products like vegan meats, spreads and more.

With a rotating curated selection of vegan cheese numbering more than 20, plus sandwiches, this is the only all-vegan vendor at Essex Market.

Order a sample platter to get a feel for the cheese you’re going to go all-in on, or sample some for $1 a pop.

Our personal favorites are the white truffle from Cheezehound and Riverdel’s Picante. You can also find cheese from purveyors like Yvonne’s Vegan Kitchen, Vtopian, Conscious Creamery and more.

Be sure to try their sandwiches, which includes a triple grilled cheese served on a choice of croissant (get there early for those, they sell out), multi-grain or gluten-free bread. 

They’ve also got some baked goods, like personal fudge cakes topped with creamy chocolate icing, croissants and cookies from local bakers.

Like S’MAC, if you’re not in New York, or want to bring some of the vegan cheese goodness back to your neck of the woods, they ship. 

88 Essex St., New York, 10002; Mon. – Weds.: noon — 7 p.m., Thurs. – Fri.: 11:30 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Sat.: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Sun.: noon – 6 p.m.