Surdyk’s in Northeast Minneapolis is undeniably a specialty-shop gem. The highlights are wine and cheese, but the deli, chocolates, spreads, and other odds & ends are definitely worth nothing.

Having heard about Surdyk’s in various Twin Cities publications since moving here, when I passed by the shop I couldn’t resist going inside. Although I didn’t purchase anything, the inside view was enough to tell me this place is GREAT. And I wanted to purchase everything. Yes, everything.

First up: chocolate (naturally).

An entire display was devoted to pretty much every variety, flavor, and cocoa concentration you could imagine. This was all high quality melt-in-your-mouth stuff: the real deal. No Hershey’s to be found. 🙂

After tearing my attention away from the chocolate, I checked out the dessert case:

Cakes, bars, tortes…enough said.

Moving on to the deli case, there were several types of sandwiches (a turkey panini looked especially delicious!), cold salads, and a selection of soups:

Last but not least, the cheese. Oh, the cheese.

More cheeses than I knew existed (there’s cheddar and swiss, right?). Surdyk’s is serious about their cheese. Not only do they have literally hundreds of cheese options, they can ship anywhere in the world and there is always a cheese consultant at the counter to help you. Yes, cheese consultant is a job.

Next time I’m having a picnic, I’m stocking up here. 🙂