Sonoma Cheese Factory - Burgers/Sandwiches, Sonoma

2 West Spain St, Sonoma CA 95476
(707) 996-1931
Parking: public parking lot behind cheese factory
http://www.sonomajack.com/

Last Visited: June 27, 2004 (dine in), 2010 for cheese purchases

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Service: n/a
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Price: $

Sonoma Cheese Factory is actually a cheese factory. Most of the cheese is now made outside of the building in nearby Petaluma. This is a place I love to share with others, not just for the feeling of Sonoma, but for the cheese! They offer cheese tasting. In the refrigerator out front, you just walk yourself along the counter and try out all the cheeses. I usually suggest people go right to left so you can start out with traditional jack and then work your way through the flavored jack cheese. Flavored versions include garlic, pesto, Mediterranean, pepper, and others. Depending on what’s available, you may even get to try some cheddar, available in sharp and mild varieties as well as chili cheddar. If you’re lucky, they’ll have teleme which is much like brie in consistency. It’s one of my favorites.

Adjacent to the retail building is a dining area with rectangular tables and round tables under umbrellas.

I gave atmosphere 3 stars, but there’s really not much to share about the atmosphere except to say it’s a covered (thus shaded) area near the barbeque.

The menu for the grill includes hamburgers with choice of cheese and ribs. Inside the deli, you can order just about any type of sandwich you would like.

- Hamburger – Get a good hamburger with a lightly toasted bun and choice of cheese (Jack: Mediterranean, hot pepper, traditional and Cheddar: regular or chili cheese). There is a help yourself condiments bar where you can pile on the tomatoes, lettuce, onions, etc. $5

If you don’t know where to go while visiting plaza and want a good burger, check out the Sonoma Cheese Factory. Note that it may be chaotic when you go back inside to pay for your purchase if there are a lot of people around– there could definitely be some better organization, but once you make it back outside, your order will be just about ready and you can enjoy the Sonoma air.