What’s ooey, gooey and even better with bacon? We’ll give you one guess. PureWow is taking a road trip around the country to find the tastiest grilled cheese sandwiches (in our humble opinion) in every state in the U.S. (and Washington D.C., too). Let’s do this.
The Best Grilled Cheese Sandwich in Every U.S. State
Mmm, melty
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Published Sep 22, 2016
Melt
Alabama: Melt
Yep, that sandwich has homemade mac and cheese in it. Starting strong, people.
4105 Fourth Ave. S., Birmingham; 205-917-5000 or meltbham.com
Alaska: 49th State Brewing Compnay
Why have crab plain when you could eat it in sandwich form? The King Crabby Grilled Cheese is made with sourdough bread, crab meat, Swiss and cream cheese, and served with a side of Alaskan seafood chowder for dipping.
717 West 3rd Ave., Anchorage; 907-277-7727 or 49statebrewing.com
Arizona: Beckett's Table
Guys, there’s cheese baked into the bread. This takes it to a whole new level.
3717 E. Indian School Rd., Phoenix; 602-954-1700 or beckettstable.com
Arkansas: Hammontree's Grilled Cheese
You haven’t lived until you’ve tried the Ozark Monte Cristo with ham, Swiss and Havarti on jalapeño corn bread and topped with powdered sugar. You just haven’t.
326 N. West Ave. #8, Fayetteville; 479-521-1669 or hammontreescheese.com
California: Tartine Bakery
This is grilled cheese at its fanciest. Spicy sopressata with Italian fontina, pesto and broccoli rabe? We’re in.
600 Guerrero St., San Francisco; 415-487-2600 or tartinebakery.com
Colorado: Steuben's
Best news ever: This amazing grilled cheese is only $5 and it comes with chips.
523 E. 17th St., Denver; 303-830-1001 or steubens.com
The Caseus Cheese Truck/Facebook
Connecticut: The Caseus Cheese Truck
The classic grilled cheese is anything but basic—there’s Swiss, provolone, Comté, Gruyère, Gouda and sharp cheddar on this baby.
Location varies throughout New Haven; 203-850-3504 or thecheesetruck.com
Delaware: Loma Coffee
Amazing grilled cheese and a latte? Win-win.
239 N. Market St., Wilmington; 302-384-8494 or lomacoffee.com
Ms. Cheezious
Florida: Ms. Cheezious
Yep, that’s fried-chicken grilled cheese with waffles instead of bread. Have you ever seen anything more beautiful?
Location varies throughout Miami; 305-989-4019 or mscheezious.com
Three sheets Atlanta/Facebook
Georgia: Three Sheets
The only thing better than sinking your teeth into this epic grilled cheese with applewood-smoked cheddar? Rocking out to a live band at this Atlanta music venue while you’re doing it.
6017 Sandy Springs Circle, Atlanta; 404-303-8423 or threesheetsatlanta.com
Hawaii: Morning Glass Coffee + Café
Four words: Grilled Gruyere with prosciutto.
Multiple locations in Honolulu; 808-366-1525 or morningglasscoffee.com
Idaho: Meltz Extreme Grilled Cheese
See? Amazing grilled cheese can be healthy. There’s artichoke and zucchini in there, so it’s basically a salad.
1735 W. Kathleen Ave., Coeur d’Alene; 208-664-1717 or meltzextreme.com
Illinois: Little Goat
Ooh, we love when you guys melt cheese all over the bread and make the whole thing crispy.
620 Randolph St., Chicago; 312-888-3455 or littlegoatchicago.com
Indiana: The Big Cheeze
What do you get when you stuff macaroni and cheese between two slices of bread? The best damn sandwich in Indiana, that’s what.
502 Kirkwood Ave., Bloomington; 812-727-5234 or thebigcheeze.com
Iowa: The Cheese Shop Of Des Moines
Prosciutto, cherry spoon fruit and blue cheese: a trio made in heaven.
833 42nd St., Suite B, Des Moines; 515-5280 8181 or thecheeseshopdsm.com
Kansas: Best Regards Bakery & Café
This Overland Park bakery might look quaint, but it’s a grilled cheese mecca with some of the best sammies in the state. (And best of all, they’re made on homemade bread.)
6759 W. 119th St., Overland Park; 913-912-7238 or makethemsmile.com
Blue Dog Café
Kentucky: Blue Dog Bakery And Cafe
You say Cubano, we say grown-up grilled cheese with pickles and ham.
2868 Frankfort Ave., Louisville; 502-899-9800 or bluedogbakeryandcafe.com
Louisiana: The Big Cheezy
Turkey, bacon and Gouda with mustard in the Big Easy? Oh, if you insist.
Three locations in New Orleans; 504-302-2958 or thebigcheezy.com
Duckfat
Maine: Duckfat
We just can’t quit you, duck confit panini.
43 Middle St., Portland; 207-774-8080 or duckfat.com
Maryland: Grilled Cheese & Co.
Treat yourself to the Crabby Melt, stuffed with Monterey Jack cheese and crab dip.
Multiple locations in Maryland; 410-747-2610 or ilovegrilledcheese.com
Massachusetts: Roxy's Grilled Cheese
Don’t forget to order yours with avocado and a side of tots.
Locations throughout Massachusetts; 617-202-5864 or roxysgrilledcheese.com
Michigan: Café Muse
Um, it’s Oprah and Gayle’s favorite grilled cheese in the country. End of discussion.
418 S. Washington Ave., Royal Oak; 248-544-4749 or cafemuseroyaloak.com
Minnesota: Toasty's
Fresh, local ingredients and no skimping on the cheese make this a favorite with locals. (The salsa and tomato soup aren't too shabby, either.)
Mississippi: Oxford Canteen
Whoa. One bite of the brisket grilled cheese with Sriracha and you’ll want to move down south.
766 N Lamar Blvd Oxford; 662-638-3393 or oxfordcanteen.com
Missouri: The Fountain On Locust
The grilled cheese with cheddar, mozzarella and Fuji apple slices pairs perfectly with the dill pickle soup. (Yep, you heard us.)
3037 Locust St., Saint Louis; 314-535-7800 or fountainonlocust.com
Montana: Cheddar's Gourmet Grilled Cheese
Thanks to this Helena food truck, an ooey-gooey Monte Cristo just became lunch on the go.
Location varies throughout Helena; 406-475-5564 or facebook.com/cheddarsgrilledcheese
Nebraska: Accelerando Coffee House
We’re actually looking forward to a rainy day, so we can feel all cozy dunking this crispy grilled cheese in tomato soup.
7023 Cass St., Omaha; 402-972-7771 or accelerandocoffeehouse.com
Nevada: Honey Salt
Venture off the strip for this epic grilled cheese with aged cheddar.
1031 S. Rampart Blvd., Las Vegas; 702-445-6100 or honeysalt.com
New Hampshire: Hammersmith Sandwich Company
One meatball ricotta with spinach, tomatoes and provolone, please.
23 Fresh River Rd., Epping; 603-734-4325 or hammersmithsandwichco.webs.com
New Jersey: Melt Factory Grilled Cheese
Grilled cheese is this Morristown joint’s specialty, so it better be good. (Oh, and it is.)
28 Morris St., Morristown; 973-998-8588 or meltfactory.com
New Mexico: Cheesy Street
Spot this truck in the streets of Albuquerque and you could be munching on the Dubliner, which features melty cheddar cheese, apple slices and bacon.
Location varies throughout Albuquerque; 505-352-4151 or facebook.com/cheesystreet
New York: Murray's Cheese
It doesn’t get much better than this, people. The Classic Melt, with a secret blend of Murray’s homemade cheeses, is a revelation—plain and simple.
254 Bleecker St., New York; 212-243-3289 or murrayscheese.com
North Carolina: Tupelo Honey Café
Get the slow-roasted pork grilled cheese, with white cheddar and chipotle cranberry bbq sauce on pumpernickel bread.
Multiple locations in North Carolina; 703-253-8140 or tupelohoneycafe.com
North Dakota: Rosey's Bistro
Our favorite? The Snobby Frenchman, made with Brie, caramelized apples and candied walnuts served on sourdough.
212 Broadway St. N., Fargo; 701-551-0777 or roseysfargo.com
Ohio: Melt Bar & Grilled
You might want to bring some Tums because the Big Popper, with jalapeños, cheddar and herbed cream cheese battered and deep-fried with berry preserves, is a must-try.
Multiple locations in Ohio; 216-965-0988 or meltbarandgrilled.com
Oklahoma: The Mule
Even if you’re not in the mood for the Big-Ass Grilled Cheese, try a salad with grilled-cheese croutons.
1630 N. Blackwelder Ave., Oklahoma City; 405-601-1400 or themuleokc.com
Oregon: Eastburn
Their classic melt made with Gouda, bacon and tomato on multigrain is simple yet sophisticated.
1800 E. Burnside St., Portland; 503-236-2876 or theeastburn.com
Pennsylvania: Meltkraft Grilled Cheese By Valley Shepherd Creamery
This stand in Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Market is literally our idea of heaven. Keep it simple or try a seasonal sandwich…or try both?
Reading Terminal Market 12 & Arch street Philadelphia; 267-639-3309 or meltkraft.com
Rhode Island: Red Stripe
The grilled cheese is stuffed with prosciutto, poached pear and basil pesto at this beloved Providence brunch spot. Don’t even look at the menu; just order the grilled cheese and creamy tomato soup combination.
Multiple locations; redstriperestau
Eli's Table
South Carolina: Eli's Table
Tomatoes + basil + cheddar + sourdough bread = best lunch ever.
129 Meeting St., Charleston; 843-405-5115 or elistable.com
Old Market Eatery/Facebook
South Dakota: Old Market Eatery
Meat lovers, rejoice: This guy has ham, roast beef and salami (and cheese, of course).
424 Fifth Ave., Brookings; 605-692-5757 or oldmarketeatery.com
The Grilled Cheeserie
Tennessee: The Grilled Cheese Truck
What happens when a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef opens her own grilled cheese truck? This happens.
Location varies throughout Nashville; grilledcheeserie.com
Texas: Blue Star Kitchen + Bar
Three cheeses, grilled to perfection. Need we say more?
4800 Burnet Rd., Austin; 512-454-7827 or bluestarcafeteria.com
Utah: Melty Way
Even if you don’t live in Sandy, check out the food truck that travels all over northern Utah.
10450 S. State St., Sandy; 801-571-4111 or meltyway.com
Vermont: Woodstock Farmers' Market
If you want real-deal Vermont cheddar, it’s worth the trek.
979 Woodstock Rd., Woodstock; 802-457-3658 or woodstockfarmersmarket.com
Virginia: The Grilled Cheese Bistro
Mmm, the Don Quixote, with Fontina, Parmesan, caramelized onions, oyster mushrooms, roasted red peppers and olive tapenade, haunts our dreams.
345 Granby St., Norfolk; 757-233-2512 or thegrilledcheesebistro.com
Beecher's Handmade Cheese/Facebook
Washington: Beecher's Handmade Cheese
This Seattle cheese shop’s grilled cheese is so amazing, it might as well have invented it. (And you can even get it stuffed with the signature mac and cheese.)
1600 Pike Pl., Seattle; 206-956-1694 or beechershandmadecheese.com
West Virginia: The Cheese Melt
This truck is delivering cheesy goodness throughout West Virginia. You might want to get extra napkins.
Location varies throughout Wheeling; facebook.com/thecheesemelt
Wisconsin: Bassett Street Brunch Club
The Green Goddess Grilled Cheese is last-meal good. (Oh, and it comes with homemade tomato soup and Goldfish.)
444 W. Johnson St., Madison; 608-467-5051 or brunchclubmadison.com
Wyoming: Persephone Bakery
After eating this grilled cheese on brioche, we’re never eating plain old white bread again.
145 E. Broadway, Jackson; 307-200-6708 or persephonebakery.com
Jaleo
Washington, D.c.: Jaleo
If mixing and matching cheeses is an art, then the grilled cheese with Manchego, Valdeón and goat cheese is a true masterpiece.
480 Seventh St., NW; 202-628-7949 or jaleo.com
