American
Fast food
Take-out
Stall 35 inside the market. Sells vegan cheeses and dairy-free foods, plus made-to-order sandwiches, pastries & coffee. For takeaway. Previously called Riverdel. Reported under new ownership February 2024. Open Mon-Fri 11:00am-7:00pm, Sat 10:00am-7:00pm, Sun 10:00am-6:00pm.
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88 Essex St (at Essex Street Market), New York City, New York, USA, 10002
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Last update on 15 Feb 2024 by Poundie
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Added by Chris26_lilo on 15 May 2019
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47 Reviews
First Review by ManhattanTransfer
INTJ_mara
Points +578
Great cheese. - Edit
This vegan cheese stand is located inside the Essex Market. They have a pretty impressive selection of vegan cheese. They’ll let you sample whatever you want. Don’t miss this!
Read moreGuest
SoyKal-El
Points +4940
Best vegan cheese - Edit
This location doesn’t compare to their OG deli in Austin because it’s just a vendor stall, but it’s still nice to have access to (imo) the best vegan cheese.
Read morePro tip - get a flight of cheeses and the gf crackers (skip the toast)
Guest
Ad3le
Points +173
How freaking cool - Edit
What an amazing selection of all vegan cheeses! The stuff of dreams! I really loved that there was a little basket of tasting-sized cheeses. Yum.
Read moreGuest
xbleedcurrentx
Points +591
Great selection - Edit
Absolutely huge selection. I got a flight of 3 cheeses which I don’t recommend. It comes with cheese, crackers, and jam but the cracker ratio is way off and I ended up eating cheese plain. It also really needed olives or something pickled. I really hated the crackers, they were like mini stale toasts.
Read moreGuest
sunniedarko
Points +132
Cheese paradise 🤤 - Edit
No matter what you buy at this place, everything will be delicious for sure! We chose 3 cheese flights and they serve it with jam and crackers. Unfortunately it is a bit expensive and we couldn't taste more, but it is a must visit for me!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-07-02
Pros: Cheese variety, Helpful service
Cons: Bit expensive
Guest
EABessel
Points +1257
Incredible selection - Edit
Conveniently located in the new Essex Market, Rebel Cheese offers a varied range of vegan cheese from near and far. I gravitate toward cheese with a rind and was impressed with the two types of “blue” they had available. I found the Nutty Artisan Foods Creamery (Spain) to be more nuanced and less salty than the Nourish (USA). Recommended.
Read moreGuest
guybraverman
Points +908
Vegan cheese - Edit
Largest selection of plant based cheeses I’ve seen anywhere in the world. Really nice service and affordable prices. If you’re a vegan and come by here you should definitely check this place out. They all ship nation wide out of their Texas location. As for texture and flavor, still nowhere near dairy cheese, but some of the best I’ve tried so far.
Read moreGuest
EmdotAlice
Points +4620
Worth trying - Edit
We got a flight to try some new cheeses we haven’t had before. We got the truffle Brie, cranberry dill no-goat, and triple peppercorn chèvre. We didn’t care for the peppercorn chèvre. I thought it would be tangy like chèvre but it was way too mild and rather bland. The others were good though. We recommend the truffle Brie in particular, especially if you like truffle.
Read morePro tip: If you get a flight, I recommend getting the seeded crackers. At first we almost passed on these because they described them as gluten free, and we like gluten, but they said the other crackers were “basically cheezits”, so go for the seeds.
Pros: Large variety
Cons: Could have used some help selecting cheeses
Guest
vegandinosaur
Points +386
I dream of the brie - Edit
Ok so as mentioned elsewhere I have strong opinions on vegan cheese. But this place never disappoints. I love the Rebel Brie but I will try anything they recommend — they’re super friendly and knowledgeable. Also the selection is incredible — I’ve never seen anything like it.
Read morePros: Hella options, Brie
Guest
Galini
Points +3717
Huge selection of vegan cheese - Edit
A huge selection!! I had a hard one with pepper and it was really great!! The staff is very kind and helpful!
Read moreGuest
thinkingaboutcows
Points +514
Genuinely OBSESSED - Edit
Their selection is incredible, the cheeses are so unique and good, and it’s not even that expensive considering. Please please go!!!!
Read moreGuest
Prajna
Points +5850
Heaven!!!!!!!! Omgosh!! - Edit
Amazing. This place is incredible! They have about forty types of cheeses on any given day! They are not only beautiful, but also delicious!!!!
Read moreI’m leaving nyc today, and was just there for the first time. If I had gone before I would’ve come back every single day!!
Guest
·X·
Points +21078
Riverdel - Edit
My only question is: Why didn't I visit this place any sooner????????
Read moreTHIS IS THE MOST VEGAN CHEESE I'VE SEEN IN A DISPLAY IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!!!
Dear God...the options available here are so amazing. I absolutely loved all the soft cheeses I purchased from here (except the rosemary one, but that's personal preference). Not to mention, all the truffle cheeses (my favorite flavor) were 100% delicious.
They don't do samples here...but if they did, they probably would have gotten me to buy even more. I appreciate the lack of samples for the sake of my waistline! 😂
Updated from previous review on 2023-07-03
Guest
adalea
Points +1151
Very fancy - Edit
Gourmet vegan cheese place. Pretty expensive but delicious. Would only come from time to time because it’s pricey.
Read morePros: all vegan
Guest
DawnRice
Points +1167
Say Cheese! - Edit
Such an amazing find! Riverdel had an extensive selection of vegan cheeses and numerous other vegan products. I ordered the five cheese plate with crackers & jam and added some meat slices and olives. Every bite was delicious. The friendly and extremely helpful young lady that was working there made some excellent suggestions and I tried the truffle brie, fig, cracked pepper & dill, a cheddar, and an herb cheese.
Read moreThe cheeses are from vendors throughout the US. They also had packaged vegan items and fresh desserts, which were very tempting. I also tried the Kombucha and it was unique and tasty.
Pros: Amazing selection, Great service, Great for a snack or a meal
Guest
Kerrymichigan
Points +88
Vegan cheese and meats - Edit
This was wonderful place to visit on our trip to NYC! Bought small wedges of cheese and enjoyed visiting Essex market.
Read moreGuest
woodlewis
Points +476
Gorgeous, wide variety - Edit
It is stunning to see the creativity and beauty of these cheeses! Really nice selection of crackers and other tasty treats to go with the cheese. Small selection of lovely sweets like cannoli!
Read moreGuest
Ramy94
Points +134
More cheeses than I thought possible - Edit
I've been here twice and tried a multitude of cheeses. They've all been delicious. I always get a flight so I can try 5 different cheeses at once, but I'm planning to start buying blocks soon. I especially love the havarti dill and olive oil feta.
Read morePros: So many cheeses, Great/rare pantry products for purchase, Excellent service
Cons: Expensive
Guest
VeganFamilyTravels
Points +1817
Great selection of cheese - Edit
We travelled from England and this was the first place we went to as we were so excited about a vegan cheese store. As the founder and admin of Vegan Cheese Lovers Club and have made and sold lots of vegan cheese, we always love chatting, tasting and seeing vegan cheese. Whilst the amount of cheese and variety was impressive, the service was underwhelming. We asked for opinions, gave examples of what we liked and was just shown to some bits that had been packaged up earlier. The server was not keen to talk or passionate about the product. We had to go off the labels but had no clue on the product base and limited idea of it's softness or firmness. The three we chose were nice but softened really quickly so were spreadable rather than sliceable. The garlic one was our favourite. For the price I would expect better service. #Veganuary
Read morePros: Lots of vegan cheese, Selection of associated products
Cons: Lack of customer service, Expensive
Guest
Izzy234
Points +1640
Unreal!!! - Edit
A fully vegan cheese deli with loads of different artisanal cheeses... this place is heaven for vegan foodies!
Read moreThe guy working behind the counter was really nice and made some fantastic selections for me based on my preferences. Everything was SO GOOD!
You MUST go here if you're in NYC.
Pros: TONS OF VEGAN CHEESE!!!, Convenient location - near lots of vegan places , Friendly service
Cons: Nowhere to sit
Guest
Yuna_X
Points +689
Wish it had sandwiches - Edit
I saw a really yummy looking sandwich on happy cow but when I got there they didn't have any and it didn't seem like they made them anymore. I got a cheese sampler and it was pretty good but kind of a meh experience to eat it from a to-go container. I was hoping to get something substantial but had to settle for a snack. Cheese was good but if I were a local I'd just buy the cheeses instead of the sampler and eat it at home with my own crackers and fruit!
Read morePros: Yummy cheese and huge variety
Cons: No meal options like sandwiches
Guest
NickTustin
Points +957
Would like to try again - Edit
Love that this place exists, would definitely like to try more, but we tried the cheese balls sampler and they were just okay. One variety was clearly very stale, we couldn't finish.
Read moreGuest
IwaWella
Points +1249
Incredible - Edit
A vegan cheese shop such a niche place and yet it’s one of my favorite places to buy food in New York City
Read moreGuest
paypar
Points +800
Cheeze heaven - Edit
Died and gone to vegan cheese heaven! I did the three tastings and it was so hard to choose but the person behind the counter helped me by asking what my likes were and sharing their own experiences.
Read morePros: All vegan, Not just cheese!
Cons: No place to sit and enjoy, Hard to choose
Guest
mazinha
Points +303
Blue Cheese!!! - Edit
I’ve been looking for a vegan blue cheese for over 5 years.. the search is finally over! I looked for one everywhere in California and could only get the spirulina ones that look blue but taste like cashews, even decided to make my own (with very little success). Billy Blue is the real deal with the perfect creamy texture and pungent flavor.
Read moreWe also got cheeses from rebel and they were also delicious. Finally feel like I don’t need to compromise by deciding to not hurt cows. Happy vegan!
Pros: Lots of options , All 3 we tried were delicious , Helpful staff
Cons: None
Guest
GFGoldenLady
Points +2005
Amazing vegan cheese! - Edit
I was totally blown away by the section of cheeses available and the staff were quite knowledgeable as well.
Read moreLeft with a few pieces of cut off cheeses when ch in my opinion is a great way to sample!
Pros: All vegan , Artisan cheeses , Superb selection
Cons: Blue cheeses are made with spirulina for effect
Guest
GF Cookie Monster
Points +872
Finally! An all-vegan cheese store - Edit
Fresh vegan cheeses cut while you watch. Plus pre-packaged cheeses and other vegan specialty grocery items. The made to order sandwiches are very affordable. The cheeses, on the other hand, are really expensive, but the quality is outstanding. Most of the cheeses themselves are gluten-free. And there is a gluten-free bread option for the sandwiches.
Read moreRiverdel is on the Lower East Side, INSIDE the Essex Market. Most of the vendors in the market are not all vegan, but many have some vegan options. If you're visiting NYC, this is right next to the awesome Tenement Museum.
Pros: Gluten-free options, Affordable sandwiches, High quality, artisanal vegan cheeses
Cons: Expensive (but worth it)
Guest
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