Our last stop on our tour through Berkeley Springs was a two-for-one. We visited the Panhandle Apothecary and Fleur de Lis Cheese Shop, which work in conjunction with each other to serve incredible coffees and drinks, along with some truly show-stopping sandwiches. The Apothecary is cranking out matcha lattes, iced coffees, and caramel macchiatos, as well as providing the option to infuse all of the drinks with various types of plant-based medicinals (yes, that is CBD – but they pride themselves on only using non-GMO, premium grade, lab-tested hemp). The Cheese Shop is serving up extremely loaded sandwiches with unique twists on crowd favorites. This is definitely an experience for sure!
Price 💲💲💲out of 5
The prices at both places varied drastically depending on what you purchased. At the Apothecary, a traditional coffee drink or refresher was going to run you the standard for non-chain coffee shops. However, the price of the CBD items were definitely on the steep side, but you are paying for quality there. The sandwiches at the Cheese Shop were standard as well, ranging between the $15 and $20 range for a very packed and filling sandwich.
Ambience 🧑🍳🧑🍳🧑🍳🧑🍳🧑🍳out of 5
This is pretty straightforward. The ambience here is incredible. There are so many cool things to see at the Apothecary, and the outdoor seating area is so peaceful and tranquil. It is truly a destination spot for locals and out-of-towners alike. The Cheese Shop is very quaint and quirky, as you would expect in Berkeley Springs. All in all, you just get great vibes being in here – you can tell that both establishments love their community and strive to provide them with quality items and a relaxing aesthetic.
Drinks 🍷🍷🍷🍷 out of 5
Let’s start with the drinks. Each of the members of the Foodies team ordered their own specific drink to try. Aleksi, our videographer, opted for a matcha latte, as that is his go to. He has tried matchas all over the place, and said that this one was up there as one of the best. He said it was creamy and he could tell the matcha was sourced from quality ingredients.
Moises went with the caramel macchiato, and he loved it. It was so rich in flavor and had the perfect creamy consistency. It was even garnished with a chocolate covered coffee bean which added the perfect accoutrement.
Lastly, I had my very simple iced coffee, but even a simple drink to make like that was full of flavor. It had the perfect caramel flavor and came out chilled exactly to my liking. You can tell that the coffee they use is so robust and rich in flavor.
Food 🥩🥩🥩🥩 out of 5
The Cheese Shop brought us out a handful of items to try:
Buddha Veggie – while this dish is for vegetarians and is packed with extremely fresh veggies such as onions, tomato, and arugula (on your choice of bread – we had it on a garlic infused bun), you can also add protein to it, so we got ours with decadent salmon lox. If I could have meals like this every day, I could see myself being a vegetarian!
The Full Nonna – this sandwich was insane. Packed with cold cuts, arugula, pickled peppers, and creamy burrata, this sandwich was to die for. Just a symphony of flavors in every bite, headlined by that punch of Italian cured meats and that supremely creamy cheese.
Charcuterie – they also offer various charcuterie boards, including single-serve platters that act like an adult lunchable. The one we sampled had smoked meats, creamy burrata, fruit, and multiple dips/spreads. Everything was so fresh.
Experience ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of 5
All in all, this was a fantastic way to finish out our tour of Berkeley Springs. I love that both places work in conjunction to provide food and drink to the local community. I love the approach of the Apothecary of normalizing natural plant-based medicinal options for the public. Everyone in that establishment is very knowledgeable and will be able to provide you any guidance or advice if you are interested in partaking. And the Cheese Shop is cranking out some of the freshest sandwiches in the area. You truly feel like you get to slow down and relax at both of these spots.