Ij Mellis Cheesemongers 330 Morningside Rd 0131 447 8889

Recently discovered that this amazing cheese mongers, not only sell amazing diverse cheeses, they also have an adorable restaurant in the back! I had a truly wonderful cheeseboard with a very generous selection of cheeses for a very reasonable price. I am looking forward to going back there and I would say it’s the perfect location for a date for two!

I received my first online order from IJ Mellis yesterday and I'm thrilled. The cheese is divine, it was all carefully wrapped and securely packaged, and it arrived on time. Looking forward to enjoying with some fellow cheese lovers after our meal. Will definitely be back.

We ate in the cheese parlour over the course of an afternoon. It was great. Boards cut by the staff, great selections and served knowledgably. Coupled with a great, and keenly priced, wine list; we had a fantastic afternoon. I can absolutely imagine eating in one of the neighbourhood bistro, then retiring here for the cheese course. Mad Love, Ian J Mellis. Edit 2.23 still banging, still has the passion. A lovely lunch 😋

Very relaxing place with great staffs. Fab lunch deals. Nice cheese and meats.

A ‘Cheese Lounge’? Where? When I was walking up Morningside I was looking in the window front of IJ Mellis, renowned cheesemonger, and was delighting in their selection. I looked beyond the cheeses to see some kind of section at the rear of the shop that looked like it had tables and chairs. I went inside, walked past the cheese counter to peer inside the most delightful wee restaurant. They call is a cheese lounge - no wonder, they’re selling cheese - but it looks like a tiny wonderfully worn Parisian restaurant. White wall tiles, natural wooden floor and marble tables. I booked a table for two nights later. The lounge is open all day but is open Thursday to Sunday until 9pm. When I returned with my niece we sat down as the corner table. There are about six tables in the restaurant. Jordan provided a menu which we perused. It made sense for a first time visit to select the Cheese & Charcuterie dish, giving us a good cross-section of not only their cheeses but they’re cured meats. Jordan returned to take our order and when we suggested said dish he recommended we go up to the counter and choose our meats and cheeses. With such a selection in the shop, it is quite overwhelming. Therefore, I asked if Jordan could advise, which he was more than happy to do so given they were quiet at that moment in time. So, we went back into the main cheese shop and Jordan provided an amazing wealth of background to the cheeses and meats, as you can see in the photos. He also provided a variety selection that he thought would compliment but would still be different enough to experience. Given I used to live in France I wanted to try a Pyrenees cheese, which he duly selected :-) I was happy. I went back into the restaurant sat down and then we were asked if we would like something to drink. On the wall is a simple list of wines at two different prices and two different sizes. Simple wine glasses are presented below, along with simple glass tumblers and clear bottles of tap water. When the cheese and meat came, the display was beautiful. On the dish were cornichons and quince and a basket of fresh cut artisan bread was provided with fresh butter. One can’t forget the ambience: to the rear of the restaurant was a record player playing Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours :-). Jordan was super with my questions, one of which was that I didn't recall seeing the cheese lounge here before. He said it had only open eight months ago and that originally it was the refrigeration and storage area. To make this space they swapped the cold storage of the cheeses to the actual shop which is why it’s freezing cold when you walk into the main shop. They also have a massive cheese cellar in which to store the cheeses. All in all this was a wonderful experience and I have already booked another reservation for this Thursday as my best friend is over from the States. What makes this place special is its secrecy. Mellis’s have not advertised and they don’t need to because word-of-mouth seems to be doing just fine. It is wonderful to be able to enjoy such a different experience in a part of the city that is teeming with restaurants from which to choose. I should not forget to say how extremely reasonable the prices were. The Cheese & Charcuterie dish was £11.