Milki Way cheese shop & café, Mukachevo

Milki Way is a cheese shop with a small café in Mukachevo, at 15 Uzhhorodska Street. People drop in to put together a cheese board for dinner, pick up a tasty souvenir from Zakarpattia or simply sample a few cheeses over a cup of tea. The shelves hold more than sixty cheeses, from young Transcarpathian ones to aged European classics, alongside a collection of over a hundred Chinese teas. The regional tourism office lists Milki Way in its catalogue of Zakarpattia craft producers as a place to get to know local cheese.

Why go

Most visitors come to Mukachevo for Palanok Castle, the old town and the wine cellars. Milki Way adds a food stop to that walk: in one visit you can compare several cheeses, ask for an assorted selection to be cut and take it with you on the road. It is handy if you have no time to drive to a remote mountain pasture or farm but still want to bring home a genuine taste of the region. You can sit down with tea in the café or put together a gift box in the shop. Dedicated masterclasses or organised tastings are not confirmed, so if you are coming as a group or want a special cheese platter, arrange it by phone in advance.

What to try and buy

• Craft cheeses from small dairies — the shop has stocked, for example, the “Zamamber” from Mukachevo’s Varosh Cheese; the range changes, so ask what is fresh.
• European classics — aged Alpine cheeses such as the Swiss Fromage d’Alpage with its creamy, herbal flavour.
• Cheese boards and gift boxes — ready-made sets for a picnic, a train journey or a present.
• Cheese crisps — crunchy snacks under the shop’s own label that go well with local wine.
• Chinese tea — over a hundred varieties, including pu-erh, plus lavender tea and lavender syrup from Zakarpattia, homemade jam and other delicacies.

Cheesemaking in Zakarpattia has deep roots. Up in the mountains, shepherds on the summer pastures still make budz, bryndza and vurda to old recipes, while lowland villages, shaped by Hungarian and Central European cooking, grew fond of hard and aged cheeses. In recent years many small dairies have appeared in the region, combining local milk with European techniques. Shops like Milki Way let you taste this new wave in one place and discover that Transcarpathian cheese is much more than bryndza.

How do you build your own cheese board? A simple “mild to bold” rule works well: take one young soft cheese, one semi-hard, one aged and, if you like, a blue. Honey, nuts, jam or plum lekvar go well with them, as does a white or red Transcarpathian wine. Don’t hesitate to ask the staff what is best right now and to try a few slices before buying — it is the easiest way to find your favourite.

Practical information

• Address: 15 Uzhhorodska St., Mukachevo.
• Phone: +38 098 437 07 64.
• Opening hours: not published — check the shop’s Facebook page or call ahead.
• Social media: Facebook MilkiWayCheeseStore, Instagram milki.way.cheese.store, where new arrivals are posted.
• Tip: if you are taking cheese a long way, ask for vacuum packing or bring a cool bag, especially in summer.

Getting there

Mukachevo lies on the M06 Kyiv–Chop highway, so it is an easy stop by car on the way to Uzhhorod or the border. Trains run to the town from Lviv and Kyiv, and buses from the regional capital. Uzhhorodska Street is close to the centre, so you can walk to the shop from the pedestrian old town or take a taxi for a few minutes. Parking is easier on the side streets.

Website and social media: facebook.com · instagram.com

Photos: instagram.com.