Laiterie Gilbert Nation — Specialty Store in Charonne, Paris
Laiterie Gilbert Nation on Rue de Montreuil is where you go for raclette cheese by the platter and a wide run of French cheeses, with the shopkeeper steering you toward the right one.
What this shop is
Laiterie Gilbert Nation is a specialty shop on Rue de Montreuil in Charonne, and cheese is the reason to come: a wide selection of French cheeses, plus raclette cheeses sold by the platter, pre-ordered and presented with care. Expect to spend €5–20 on a few items, and come Tuesday to Saturday, since it closes Sunday and Monday.
Verified November 2026 · 2 independent sources
Cheese first, advice included
Laiterie Gilbert Nation is an independent specialty shop on Rue de Montreuil in Charonne, and the counter is given over to cheese. Walk in and the selection is the first thing you meet: French cheeses laid out across a wide range, from the ones you would carry home for a dinner to the ones you would eat on a bench outside.
The raclette cheeses are the thing to plan around. You can order platters ahead, and they arrive assembled and presented with care, which takes the work out of feeding a group. If you are buying for yourself, ask what is ready and let the shopkeeper point you toward a French cheese worth trying; the advice is part of how the shop works, and it is freely given.
The format is small and personal rather than a self-service aisle. You talk to someone, you taste with your eyes, and you leave with a wrapped piece rather than a plastic tray. That is the pleasure of a specialty shop in this neighbourhood, and it is why a stop here takes longer than a supermarket run.
On cost, a few items land in the €5–20 band, and raclette cheese comes at a reasonable price for what it is, so a platter for a group does not have to be a splurge. Buy the cheese you came for and let the advice shape the rest.
The shop is closed Sunday and Monday, so build it into a weekday or a Saturday. It suits anyone assembling a cheese course or a raclette evening, and anyone who would rather be handed the right piece than guess.
What to look for
Raclette cheeses and platters
Raclette cheeses come in plenty of options, and platters ordered ahead arrive assembled and presented with care.
A wide run of French cheeses
The selection of French cheeses is broad, and the shopkeeper will point you toward one to try.
Advice at the counter
Ask what is ready and you get a suggestion rather than a shrug, which is how the shop works.
The pick list
What to bring home
Excellent cheeses
The cheese counter is the reason to come: a wide selection, and the shopkeeper will steer you to a French cheese worth taking home.
Raclette cheeses and platters
Raclette cheeses come in lots of options at a very reasonable price.
Who is this for
This shop suits anyone putting together a raclette evening or a cheese course, since the platters are ordered ahead and come assembled. It also suits a curious browser who would rather be guided to a French cheese than pick blind from a shelf. And for a solo explorer wandering Charonne, a short stop here ends with something worth carrying home.
For the rest of the meal, Supermarché G20 on Rue des immeubles Industriels stays open until 9:30pm most evenings, including Saturdays, so you can pick up everything the cheese counter does not sell.
The verdict
It is a small cheese counter rather than a full grocery, so you come for the cheese and the advice and go elsewhere for the rest of the meal, which still makes it worth the detour for a raclette or a cheese course.
Keep exploring nearby
Champs Libres Voltaire
Bio Store
Supermarché G20 · Charonne
Supermarket
Mon Marché · Charonne
Specialty Store
La Main Verte Diderot
Supermarket
Researched across 2 public sources and confidence-checked November 2026, against our methodology, reviewed by the AisleTrotter editorial team. Spot an error? Tell us — corrections feed straight back into our verification system.
Disclaimer: All curated content and the Trotter Standard verdicts reflect AisleTrotter’s own editorial research and methodology. No paid or editorial influence.