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Deli & market · Sonoma, Sonoma County

The Sonoma Cheese Factory

Order aheadSeating on site$$

The short answer

The Sonoma Cheese Factory is a place to stock your picnic — cheese counter (Dry Jack, Jake's Gouda and others), cured and smoked meats, pre-made sandwiches and meats by the pound from The Butcherman BBQ counter, made-to-order hot BBQ sandwiches, coffee and breakfast items, local packaged foods, and bottles from the Sonoma's Best Wine Shop. YES — sells ready-made cheese & charcuterie platters to go in one-, two- and four-serving sizes. Online ordering for pickup and a separate catering menu exist; no stated lead time for picnic platters. It also has its own seating where you can eat.

Checked September 2026 from thesonomacheesefactory.comStated on the venue's own website

Brick-and-glass Sonoma Cheese Factory storefront with red awnings facing Sonoma Plaza
Photo: Bernt Rostad · CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Details

Fee
Cheese & charcuterie to go: $18 (one serving), $36 (two), $72 (four) per the shop's price list
What they sell
Cheese counter (Dry Jack, Jake's Gouda and others), cured and smoked meats, pre-made sandwiches and meats by the pound from The Butcherman BBQ counter, made-to-order hot BBQ sandwiches, coffee and breakfast items, local packaged foods, and bottles from the Sonoma's Best Wine Shop. YES — sells ready-made cheese & charcuterie platters to go in one-, two- and four-serving sizes. Online ordering for pickup and a separate catering menu exist; no stated lead time for picnic platters.
Groups
Group orders go through The Butcherman's online catering menu.
Dogs
The Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau lists The Butcherman's outdoor seating as pet-friendly
Hours
Daily 7am–5pm
House rules
Made-to-order hot sandwiches are served or picked up only in The Butcherman area.

What to expect

The shop invites customers to eat lunch on its back patio; made-to-order hot sandwiches are served at The Butcherman counter in the rear half of the building. The front door faces Sonoma Plaza across West Spain Street, so the Plaza lawns are the obvious overflow picnic spot.

  • Deli or market

Good for: Groups · Families · Dogs

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About The Sonoma Cheese Factory

The Plaza's famous cheese shop shut at the end of 2018 and was bought in 2020 by the Sonoma's Best hospitality group, which reopened it as a cheese counter, BBQ deli (The Butcherman) and wine shop in one historic building. For picnickers it is the easiest Plaza grab: boxed cheese and charcuterie, sandwiches and a bottle, with a back patio or the Plaza lawn a few steps away.

  • Directly across West Spain Street from Sonoma Plaza
  • Ready-to-go cheese & charcuterie platters for one, two or four
  • The Butcherman BBQ counter: smoked meats by the pound and sandwiches
  • Wine from the Sonoma's Best Wine Shop under the same roof
  • Open daily 7am–5pm; online ordering for pickup

Make a day of it

Stock up at a deli nearby, then picnic close by — a short, easy loop.

  1. The Sonoma Cheese Factory (this deli & market)

    Deli & market · Sonoma

  2. Sonoma Plaza (Plaza Park)

    Park · Sonoma · about 0.1 mi away

  3. Depot Park

    Park · Sonoma · about 0.2 mi away

Where to eat it: picnic spots nearby

Take-out lunch on a wooden bench, with picnickers in lawn chairs under the shade trees behind, on Sonoma Plaza
Park

Sonoma Plaza (Plaza Park)

Sonoma· 0.1 mi

Bring your own foodNo reservationWine allowedShade

Sonoma's historic central square is the easiest picnic in the valley: grab food from the shops around it, claim a shady patch of lawn, and legally open a bottle between 11:30 a.m. and sunset. It is lively, free and walkable to dozens of tasting rooms, with playgrounds and a duck pond for kids, but dogs are not allowed.

Sonoma Plaza (Plaza Park)

Bring your own foodChecked Sep 2026
Own food
yes
Wine allowed
yes
Reservation
Not needed
Dogs
No
Fee
Free entry

Nearest picnic food: Sonoma's Tuesday Night Market · 0.0 mi

Details: Sonoma Plaza (Plaza Park)
Historic Sonoma train depot museum and vintage rail cars beside the lawn and benches of Depot Park
Park

Depot Park

Sonoma· 0.2 mi

Bring your own foodNo reservationWine allowedDogs OK

A relaxed neighborhood park a short walk from the Plaza, with bocce and petanque courts, a playground and public restrooms next to the picnic tables. It's the downtown option for dog owners, since leashed dogs are welcome here but banned from the Plaza, and the same 11:30 a.m.-to-sunset drinking window applies.

Depot Park

Bring your own foodChecked Sep 2026
Own food
yes
Wine allowed
yes
Reservation
Not needed
Dogs
Yes
Fee
Free entry

Nearest picnic food: Sonoma Valley Certified Farmers Market · 0.1 mi

Details: Depot Park
General Vallejo's Gothic Revival home behind a white picket fence and garden at Sonoma State Historic Park
Park

Sonoma State Historic Park - General Vallejo's Home (Lachryma Montis)

Sonoma· 0.3 mi

Bring your own foodNo reservationNo alcoholDogs OK

The quiet, shaded picnic grove at General Vallejo's Victorian-era estate is a peaceful escape a short walk or bike ride from the Plaza, paired with a $3 look inside the furnished house. It is strictly a food-only picnic: State Parks prohibits alcohol throughout Sonoma State Historic Park, so save the wine for the Plaza.

Sonoma State Historic Park - General Vallejo's Home (Lachryma Montis)

Bring your own foodChecked Sep 2026
Own food
yes
Wine allowed
no
Reservation
Not needed
Dogs
Outside
Fee
No fee listed

Nearest picnic food: Sonoma Valley Certified Farmers Market · 0.3 mi

Details: Sonoma State Historic Park - General Vallejo's Home (Lachryma Montis)
Park

Maxwell Farms Regional Park

Sonoma· 1 mi

Bring your own foodNo reservationNo alcoholDogs OK

Sonoma's main county park is a practical family picnic stop a few minutes west of the Plaza, with a big accessible playground, flush-toilet restrooms and flat, shaded trails along Sonoma Creek. It's the wrong place for a wine picnic, though: alcohol is allowed only inside the reserved Maxwell Glen group area with a permit.

Maxwell Farms Regional Park

Bring your own foodChecked Sep 2026
Own food
yes
Wine allowed
no
Reservation
Not needed
Dogs
Yes
Fee
$8/vehicle

Nearest picnic food: Sonoma Market · 0.8 mi

Details: Maxwell Farms Regional Park

Frequently asked questions

Are dogs allowed at The Sonoma Cheese Factory?

The Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau lists The Butcherman's outdoor seating as pet-friendly.

What picnic food can you get at The Sonoma Cheese Factory?

Cheese counter (Dry Jack, Jake's Gouda and others), cured and smoked meats, pre-made sandwiches and meats by the pound from The Butcherman BBQ counter, made-to-order hot BBQ sandwiches, coffee and breakfast items, local packaged foods, and bottles from the Sonoma's Best Wine Shop. YES — sells ready-made cheese & charcuterie platters to go in one-, two- and four-serving sizes. Online ordering for pickup and a separate catering menu exist; no stated lead time for picnic platters.

Sources & accuracy

We last checked this listing in September 2026 (freshest source: Official Visit Us page modified Sept 7, 2026 (site © 2026); platter prices from a page last updated Oct 2023). Policies change — especially for groups and holidays — so confirm with The Sonoma Cheese Factory before you go. How we verify.

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