The grilled cheese boasts house-cured heritage hog ham, Comté Gruyère, and a show-stopping local pear mustard all piled on toasted rye. 16806 Chesterfield Airport.
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Tomato bisque with the grilled cheese and truffle butter on the sourdough? You didn’t know this was fine dining, did you? Actually, it’s just a burger joint but a good one—and the selection of “boozy” lemonades, teas, and coolers is stellar. 4175 Shaw, 920 Olive.
Roasted cauliflower finds its way into the GC at this always popular café, where it’s in a GC is a little offbeat, sure. Its popularity says otherwise. Other cheeses and fillings, like truffle-roasted pears often appear: the vanilla brioche is doing its job, a happily tasty constant. 47 S. Old Orchard.
At the city’s first cidery, the grilled cheese includes roasted apples. They combine cheddar and fontina cheeses to good effect. When apples and cheeses combine with butter and a nice, nutty wheat bread, the effect is pure comfort. Guests have a choice of sides, so we ordered the apple slaw, a blend of red cabbage and apples, which was decidedly tart and well-suited to the smooth tastes in the grilled sandwich. 2000 Washington.
This sultry slide of smoked Gouda and fontina cheeses melts smoothly on the hearty wheat bread. In the colder months, the kitchen adds a spiced tomato jam; in warm weather, it lightens things up with an avocado and lemon layer. The sandwich comes with a cup of tomato bisque, lush and creamy, for a combo better than a childhood dream.1004 Locust.
Try the Four Cheese Panani, an Italian version of grilled cheese. The goodness starts with the house panini bread and continues with four carefully selected cheeses: mozzarella, fontina, smoked scarmoza and Parmigiani. Mozzarella and fontina contribute to creaminess. The dry, smoked scarmoza, with its undertones of light caramel, adds a hint of sweetness. Parmigiano, granular and strongly flavored, contrasts with the scarmoza. It is definitely un-sweet. After a decent trip in the panini press, what emerges is pure heaven. 1900 Arsenal.
Apple slices and tomato jam do a proper number on these cheddar and gouda beauties, which pair perfectly with a side of chili. The energy here’s off the wall fun, with cocktails wilder than your Aunt Edna’s Bingo nights. 7336 Manchester, Maplewood; 1931 S. 12th St., Soulard.
This buttery, perfectly browned sandwich doesn’t get fancy—Dave’s uses a good white bread and American cheese. Pair it with Dave’s home fries, made from real potatoes, hand cut and nicely griddled. Sit at the counter for the best view of the action at the grill. 5513 S. Lindbergh.
A number of publications have proclaimed the Royal Grille here the No. 1 grilled cheese sandwich in Missouri—and for good reason. First, the bread is buttered edge to edge. It then hits the pan to ensure even browning. Thin slices of mozzarella and white cheddar give both melt and flavor to the sandwich, while skinny Fuji apple slices add sweetness. There’s an option to add ham, which we did. The Fountain uses a secret sauce as well, which seals the deal on taste. 3037 Locust.
The “Fatty Melt” is a legendary abomination. Two grilled-cheese sandwiches made with bacon and caramelized onions serve as the “buns” for a triple cheeseburger with Swiss, jalapeño, an egg, and Fozzie sauce (Thousand Island)—served with a bacon-praline milkshake. (It’s not one of those eating challenges, just an obscenity.) 1170 S. Big Bend.
Tomato soup, the grilled cheese’s Sancho Panza, does superlative dunking duty here, for a cheese-licious sandwich of pepperjack, cheddar, and white American. Dig the place’s menagerie of stuffed fauna. 3707 S. Kingshighway, South City.
Jack Nolen’s | AJ’s Smoked & Smashed
Pesto sauce on a grilled cheese? Dang right. And it goes with mozzarella and Parmesan like morning and Bloody Marys, which are also creditable at these spots. Don’t forget those lovely deviled eggs. 2501 S. 9th; 6980 W. Main, Belleville.
The restaurant will make you any kind of grilled cheese you want. Resist the urge, and order the caprese: mozzarella, tomato, and pesto with a balsamic reduction on country white bread, like a pizza in grilled cheese form. 4651 Maryland.
Real high tea is a hearty affair, an early, working-class supper. This place gets it right. The grilled cheese—with sharp, English cheddar on a substantial country bread—is delicious and filling. And the London Tea Room’s new location will be next to the soccer stadium, perfect for a post-match visit. Location to change early 2023.
Guinness-marinated and caramelized onions turbocharge a toasted triple cheese winner that might feed an entire family at our town’s quintessential Irish pub. Live music, a splendid patio, chilly suds, and an awesome bread pudding all contribute to the fun. 1200 Russell.
Pimento—it’s not just for celery anymore. It fits right in, along with American and Swiss cheeses, as well as caramelized onions, for a grilled cheese worthy of the tradition of this St. Louis dining icon. 220 W. Lockwood, Webster Groves.
“Is one of these cheeses…” we started to inquire of the Ultimate Grilled Cheese at Piccadilly. “It’s Velveeta,” our server finished. With American, Swiss, and the aforementioned ingredient on crusty bread, it’s both basic and deliciously genius. 7201 Piccadilly.
Crepes deservedly get the star treatment here. If you’re in the mood for something different, though, try a focaccia grilled cheese packed with three cheeses and the option of bacon jam. (Yeah, like bacon jam is an “option.”) 1025 Washington, 3150 S. Grand.
Lentil soup—not tomato—is served with this classic South City spot’s grilled cheese. Yes, it might represent the demiurgic, blatantly provocative impulses that shock some St. Louisans, but if you’re willing to live on the edge, try it with the Provolone-loaded specialty. 3132 S. Kingshighway.
Bacon, Provolone, and American cheese load the bases on this sandwich. The garlic butter used for grilling knocks it out of the park. The ’60s chic interior makes this deli-like shop special. 5353 Devonshire, Southampton.
“Burger Bar” might be in the name, but Stacked also turns out a complex grilled cheese doctored with spinach, tomato, a honey-thyme balsamic glaze, and two cheeses: gooey goat inside and Parmesan outside, crusted over sourdough. 7637 Ivory.
What ticks all the grilled cheese boxes, even the ones we didn’t know existed? The Sweet & Salty at The Wolf. It has mild Gouda, slightly sharp cheddar, and creamy goat cheese, grilled on sourdough, dusted with pink Himalayan sea salt, and drizzled with honey. 15480 Clayton.
