Shubies

If you live, work, or play anywhere near Marblehead, MA, stop by Shubies on Atlantic Avenue. My wife and I were driving through Marblehead one day and decided to stop at a nearby pub for a quick lunch when we noticed the "Best of Boston" sign in the window of a very plain looking building. Normally, I wouldn't have gone out of my way to investigate but something was calling my name. After closer inspection, I realized my name was being called by the contents of this amazing store. You enter the store directly into the very well-stocked wine section and continue toward the food section which starts with an unbelievable display of cheeses from all around the world. As it is with any respectable cheese shop, they let you try before you buy. The difference with the incredible staff at Shubies is that they don't wait to be asked. They are very eager to suggest cheeses, open them up and serve you a slice. It's a great marketing tactic due to our purchasing of several cheeses I would not have considered buying or trying. This tactic works well for their prepared food section as well. We tried all sorts of chicken, potato and tuna salads, grilled shrimp and a number of other things. Needless to say, we didn't eat at the pub. We chose a sampling of our favorites and sat down at one of only three tables at the window. After lunch we continued our tour. We only made it half way though the store. The rest of the store consists of a very small but very well-stocked deli display, an excellent collection of desserts and breads, a coffee and tea section, lots of packaged goods which were all available for sampling and last but not least a kitchen gadget section. A lot is packed into this space. I highly recommend you visit the fine folks at Shubies. Just make sure you do so on your way home as you'll need to refrigerate your purchases.