Looking for artisanal cheeses and charcuterie? Visit this market in downtown Matthews.
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At The Loyalist Market in Matthews, it’s all about charcuterie and artisanal cheeses. While the market also offers a diverse food menu, which includes sandwiches, desserts, wine and more, it’s the selection, variety and quality of cheeses and charcuterie that leaves visitors wanting more.
It’s quite an experience, too. Imagine walking into a space with an option of choosing from about 50 different cheeses (some you didn’t even realize existed) and 20 styles of charcuterie. That space is The Loyalist Market. At the market, there’s a distinctive vibe that inherently gives off a homey feeling, which is created by the staff and extends to its guests.
“We’ve definitely tried to not just be a transactional restaurant where you give us your money and we give you food — we get to know our guests,” owner Christopher Sottile told CharlotteFive. “We know where they’re going on vacation or when their kids are getting ready to graduate and where they’re going to school.”
For Sottile — who founded The Loyalist Market in 2017 — building a sense of community and meaningful connections with the people who enter the market’s doors is key.
“We’ve created something special here where we are kind of like that ‘Cheers’ atmosphere, where it’s reciprocal in the sense that our guests are just as good to us as we are to them,” he said.
Part of making guests feel like they’re at home lies not only in the menu but also in the added bonus of leaving with a little more wisdom than you came with.
“When you get a board at our place, we tell you the name of the cheese, the type of milk, whether it’s goat cheese or cow, the cheese maker and some tasty notes on the cheese,” Sottile said. “Then, we pair each individual cheese and piece of charcuterie with something on the board and tell people this is what we recommend you pair this with.”
Like wine, cheese is nuanced, and there’s always something new to learn, he said. The education side helps guests better understand what they’re eating and where it comes from. It also helps with the intimidation aspect of having so many options and the fear of the unknown.
“We’ve done a very good job of taking that part of things out of the equation and really making people comfortable asking questions, trying new things, getting out of their comfort zone,” he said. “I think it’s created a place where people feel safe asking those questions and wanting to learn more.”
Having a weekly rotating menu means there’s a lot to learn, too (This also means the charcuterie board you tried on Friday night will look completely different next week). Guests can expect the shelves to be stocked with various soft ripened, washed rind, aged and blue cheeses sourced from local, regional, national and international cheesemakers. The sandwiches that are on the menu rotate less often than cheeses but Sottile’s goal is to showcase a small portion of more than 2,000 cheeses in the world, he said.
“We wanted to be able to offer our guests something different every time that they came and be able to kind of help educate them on different varieties and different styles of cheeses,” Sottile said.
What’s on the menu?
Beyond cheese and charcuterie, The Loyalist Market offers a host of other fresh, high-quality menu items. In the sandwich shop, the Chipotle Turkey Bacon wins the popularity contest. One the menu:
Chipotle Turkey Bacon: Roasted turkey, cheddar, bacon, tomato, mixed greens and housemade chipotle mayo served on brioche.
Cubano: Pork carnitas, smoked ham, pickles, Swiss and Dijon mustard on Cuban bread.
Fig & Pig Salad: Organic arugula, dried organic figs, ham, pecans, blue cheese, balsamic glaze and extra virgin olive oil.
Pimento Cheese & Pork Rinds: Queen Charlotte pimento cheese with Epic sea salt and black pepper pork rinds.
Devils on Horseback: Non-GMO dates stuffed with Manchego cheese, Mexican chorizo and wrapped in bacon. Served with organic maple syrup.
The most popular snack — and menu item — is the Devils on Horseback. On Thursdays, they are on special for $1 per piece with a minimum of five (normally $9).
“They’re just like the perfect bite,” Sottile told CharlotteFive. “There’s like a perfect sweet and savory mix and people definitely love them. We make and sell a lot of them.”
The Loyalist Market
Location: 435 N Trade St #102, Matthews, NC 28105
Neighborhood: Downtown Matthews
This story was originally published July 13, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
