This guide to downtown Delaware, Ohio will give you the inside scoop on some of the best shops and places to stop for an unforgettable small town experience. Plus a quick guide to entertaining and building the best cheese board.
Where to shop
The Greater Gouda
When you walk into The Greater Gouda you can't leave without several unique cheeses and accompaniments. The owners were so friendly too! They're one of the only high end cheese shops in Ohio that offers cheeses from Europe. They have people come from all over the state to shop there.
What we bought: Tipperary cheddar, Four Alarm cheddar from Iowa, Carway Havarti and Smoked Gouda, spreadable chorizo, gluten free crackers, summer sausage and breadsticks.
Honey and Abernathy
This adorable shop has a mixture of local goods and fresh honey. I couldn't believe the assortment of honey they had! It's so great to know it's local and we're shopping small.
What we got: fresh honeycomb!
Olivina
You can taste test the most delicious olive oil and balsamic vinegar at Olivina. The owner's family owns a farm in Spain where they grow and make the olive oil and they're a part of the entire shipping and import process. The balsamic is aged 20+ years and is fantastic. Grab some fresh bread and keep it in the freezer until you're ready to serve it. You can also buy fresh sandwiches for lunch!
What we got: House Olive Oil, Raspberry Balsamic, Tuscan Herb Dipping Blend, 2 boules of fresh bread.
Edwin Loy Home
I'm a sucker for a home goods store and Edwin Loy Home is stocked full of the most beautiful pieces for decorating your home. We spent so much time browsing and awing over the unique goods and gifts they carry. We went at Christmas time and it took all my will power not to buy all the Christmas decor.
What we bought: large wooden charcuterie board, holly dip dish, festive napkins, a bowl to hold fresh bread and a trivet.
Where to Eat and Drink
Coffeeology
The very first place you need to hit on your trip to downtown Delaware is Coffeeology, the most adorable local coffee shop. When we walked in my husband said, "I want to live here." We had a chance to chat with the baristas and they told us it used to be a bar and an antique shop before that. The coffee is out of this world good and there are so many fun goodies and gifts to buy. I grabbed a fun cocktail maker and a few small gifts on our Christmas lists too.
I shared we were going here on Instagram and the messages started rolling in about how amazing this place is. Take our word for it!
What we got: White peppermint mocha with oat milk, peppermint mocha with almond milk and avocado toast with gluten free bread.
Barley Hopsters
We stopped in around lunch and people brought their to-go lunches in and grabbed a beer for their "working lunch." The workers were so helpful answering all of our questions and we built two 6-packs with all the custom and local beers. I'm expecting baby 2 and they even explained all the non-alcoholic options including a non-alcoholic beer and some fun custom sodas.
What we got: assortment of beers including Christmas Ales and local beers, alcohol free beer and custom root beers.
Oak and Brazen
This winery is full of top tier wine. They have a tasting room to check out for a fun activity or you can sit and have a bite to eat. Visit the shop to grab some wine to take home with you!
Speck Italian
This menu is full of modern Italian dishes. They have a seasonal menu and I was craving the squash and burrata with brown butter. Three of my favorite things!
1808 American Bistro
This restaurant is a hidden gem and should definitely be on your list! They're committed to offering quality classics with the highest quality, local ingredients. All the things I love in a restaurant! They also serve handmade cocktails with fresh-squeezed ingredients.
DIY Charcuterie Board
The secret to the best meat and cheese boards are the quality of the ingredients you serve. Each one is eaten on their own or with each other, so it's important to focus on the quality. We grabbed everything you see here from each shop in Downtown Delaware and it's all local or imported from the best places. Here's how to build your own board!
- Cheese: grab a mix of soft, spreadable, spicy, funky or fruit cheeses for everyone. Aim for 2-3 ounces per cheese per guest.
- Meats: Usually 2-3 sliced or shaved meats are good. We went with spreadable chorizo and local summer sausage.
- Things to dip: I like to have a few options, especially gluten free ones for guests. We had bread sticks, gluten free crackers and toasted baguettes.
- Dips and spread: adding something sweet and spreadable to your board is key! We went with a fig jam, a spicy bourbon mustard and fresh olive oil with an herb sprinkling. We also got local honeycomb to spread!
- Extras: a salty olive off sets some of the richness from the cheese and sweetness from the spreads. We also love adding mixed nuts too.
- Pair it with drinks: local beer and specialty wine are the best additions for people to snack and sip!
If you buy a mixture of these things you're destined to have the most killer charcuterie board. And the best is you can tell all your friends it's important and/or locally made. Leave a comment if you head to Delaware and let me know what you think!
This post is sponsored by Destination Delaware. All thoughts and opinions are our own!
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