Penny's Cheese Shop

Walk into Penny's Cheese Shop, and you'd think you'd died and gone to cheese heaven. With two fridges stocked to the brim with creamy, stinky, funky and hard cheeses this little unassuming fromagerie is one of the best in Sydney. Why, you ask? Because of Penny.

While the beauty of the fit-out is only outdone by the cheeses on show, Penny Lawson is the reason you should come to Penny's Cheese Shop. Whatever you're looking for, or even if you're not looking for anything at all, you'll leave with a cheese that is your new favourite.

Almost everything, like nearby Whole Beast Butchery, is cut to order. Little tasters are on offer most days, too, which should make it even easier to find a cheese you like. With an emphasis on education and service, Lawson, a self-professed "curd-nerd", will guide you through her selection of local and international cheeses with humour and excitement.

Lawson's commitment to local produce doesn't end with cheese, either, the shop also showcases honey from the Blue Mountains, Papanui eggs and bread from Pyrmont's Pioik Bakery to accompany your cheese.

Aside from the service and the cheese, Lawson's golden toasties, which quickly achieved cult status, are another reason you'll return to the shop again and again and again. With cheese both on the inside and the outside of the Pioik bread, as well as a rotating range of fillings — from kimchi to smoked wagyu and jalapeños — we think they might just be the best in the city.

Images: Kimberley Low.