13 places in New Jersey that serve the best grilled cheese

🍅 Grilled cheese is a favorite comfort food

🍅 It can be served plain, with tomato, bacon, and dipped in soup

🍅 These are 13 NJ restaurants that serve some unique grilled cheese sandwiches

A gooey cheese filling between two slices of toasted brown bread with a layer of butter, perhaps a few bacon strips, or a tomato slice. Dip it in tomato soup and you’re in “grilled cheese” heaven.

Grilled cheese is a comfort food that’s been around for a long time. Most people make it themselves at home. But there are New Jersey restaurants that are famous for their grilled cheese concoctions. Some are the traditional grilled cheeses we all know and love. But some are pretty fancy, too.

These are 13 places in New Jersey where you can get an amazing grilled cheese sandwich, according to New Jersey 101.5 listeners.

Chimney Rock Inn

41 NJ-31, Flemington

Listeners rave about the “Grown Up Grilled Cheese” at Chimney Rock Inn. It’s a golden brown pressed sandwich with a melted three-cheese blend packed with smoked beef brisket, BBQ sauce, pickles, and onion crisps.

Nip & Tuck Bar and Grill

23 Norwood Ave, Long Branch

At the Nip & Tuck Bar and Grill, you can customize a grilled cheese with a variety of cheeses including American, cheddar, pepper jack, provolone, and mozzarella. Choose white, rye, or wheat bread. It comes with pickles, chips, and slaw on the side.

American Melts

515 Springfield Rd, Kenilworth

Customize a grilled cheese to your liking at American Melts, as it’s all about cheese at this joint.

Build a grilled cheese by selecting the bread, cheese, protein, and/or toppings of your choice.

Bread: White, Rye, Whole Grain, or Gluten Free

Cheese: American, cheddar, mozzarella, provolone, Swiss, Monterey jack, Pepper Jack, Brie, vegan, or feta

Protein: Turkey, roast beef, ham, bacon, chicken, or chicken bacon

Toppings: Apples, caramelized onions, mushrooms, roasted red peppers, pesto, avocado, sun-dried tomatoes, tomatoes, greens, balsamic portobello mushroom, pickles, cole slaw, jalapeno, red onion, or potato chips

Accents: Mustard, vinaigrette, siracha, horseradish aioli, mayo, herb aioli, fresh lemon, Thousand Island, or honey mustard.

Suspenders

1131 Magie Ave, Union

Listeners raved about the grilled cheese at Suspenders. It’s filled with American and mozzarella cheese, tomato, and applewood bacon, and served on sourdough bread, with chips or fries for $14.

The Grilled Cheese and Crab Cake Company

55 W Laurel Dr, Somers Point

A build-your-own-grilled-cheese bar seems about right at a place that has the words “grilled cheese” in its name.

There are billions of combinations to make at the grilled cheese bar. Cheese options include American, Swiss, provolone, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, cheddar, smoked gouda, bleu cheese crumbles, mozzarella, and muenster. Bread options include white, rye, whole wheat, or Texas Toast.

Add-ons: Fried egg, tomato, cole slaw, pickles, fries, sweet potato fries, jalapenos, and sriracha, sauteed mushrooms, sauteed onions, extra cheese, bacon, ham, onion rings, fried pickles, avocado spread, chicken tenders, buffalo tenders, barbecue tenders, cheese steak, chicken cheese steak, and mac n’ cheese.

Ultimate Add-ons: Fried shrimp, buffalo shrimp, pork belly, Maryland Crab Cake, Supreme Crab Cake, crab meat, grilled chicken, burger, bratwurst, hot dog, and the ultimate crab cake.

Also, try the Cuban Grilled Cheese. This is ham, grilled pork belly, yellow mustard, and Swiss Cheese.

The Pop Shop

729 Haddon Ave, Collingswood

There are 9 types of grilled cheese sandwiches to choose from at Pop’s.

Classic Grilled Cheese – Classic American on thick-sliced country white.

The 5B’s – “As seen on Throwdown with Bobby Flay! Our version of the grilled cheese created by Food Network star Bobby Flay during the famed Pop Shop Grilled Cheese Showdown.” It’s brie, goat cheese, Martin’s applewood smoked bacon, and tomato, on thick-sliced country white.

The Arlington – Mac n’ Cheese, cheddar, and crumbled bacon on sourdough
Calvert - Provolone, roasted turkey, Martin's applewood smoked bacon, avocado, and balsamic mayo on ciabatta.

Linden – American cheese, Philly-style beef, caramelized onions, and roasted mushrooms on a Philly pretzel braid

Magill – American, cheddar, and provolone cheese on sourdough

Maple Grilled Cheese – Cheddar cheese, grilled chicken, and Martin’s applewood smoked bacon on sourdough

Park – a Pop Shop original. It’s American cheese on a Philly pretzel braid
Richey – This unique grilled cheese concoction has mozzarella sticks, mozzarella, and marinara sauce on rosemary focaccia.

Bearded One BBQ

933 NJ-33, Monroe Township

The Bearded One BBQ serves up five kinds of grilled cheese sandwiches.
For non-adventurous people, there is the plain grilled cheese.

For those willing to try something new, sink your teeth into the Brisket Grilled Cheese. This is thick Texas Toast with cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese, topped with sweet BBQ sauce, and brisket.

The Pulled Pork Grilled Cheese and the Pulled Chicken Grilled Cheese both feature the same as the brisket, but with pulled pork and pulled chicken, instead.

The Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese has two slices of Texas Toast filled with the cheddar/Monterey blend of cheese with bleu cheese crumbles, served with a side of bleu cheese dip.

Bond Street Bar

208 Bond St, Asbury Park

The grilled cheese sandwiches at the Bond Street Bar are a fan favorite. Choose American cheese, jalapeno cheddar, bacon, apple and bleu cheese, mushroom, frizzled onion, and Swiss, artichoke, sun-dried tomato, and mozzarella, or frizzled onion, bacon, and cheddar. Choose either white, wheat, rye, or sourdough bread.

Capital Craft

171 US-22, Green Brook Township

138 Route 10, East Hanover

This is not your ordinary, plain grilled cheese at Capital Craft. The restaurant serves a Short Rib Grilled Cheese. Served on Texas toast, this sandwich features white and yellow cheddar cheeses, smoked mozzarella, crispy fried onions, and fig jam. It includes fries or a side salad.

The Committed Pig

165 Main St, Manasquan

At The Committed Pig, customers can choose from six gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches.

The Spinach and Artichoke Grilled Cheese features fontina, gruyere, and white cheddar cheeses with spinach, and artichoke spread.

The Garlic Avocado Grilled Cheese has smashed avocado, sun-dried tomato pesto, muenster, and garlic butter.

The Grilled Cheese Steak is made with grilled peppers and onions, cheddar, on a hoagie roll.

The Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup is a classic dish featuring a cup of tomato soup to compliment the classic grilled cheese with American and Cheddar Jack cheeses.

The Fig-n-Brie Grilled Cheese has creamy brie cheese, and fig preserves.

The Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese is stuffed with a fried chicken cutlet, hot sauce, cheddar jack, and bleu cheese dip.

Say Cheez

183D Nassau St, Princeton

A build-your-own grilled cheese sandwich place. Customize with American and parmesan cheese on classic white bread. Choose your bread, two free cheeses, one free toping, and a free sauce. Add protein and extras for a little bit more.

The Grilled Cheez and Tomato Dipper is melted American cheese on classic white bread, tossed with parmesan cheeses, plus a 5 oz. tomato dipper.

Grilled Cheese at the Melt Factory

28 Morris St, Morristown

There are tons of grilled cheese combos to choose from at the Melt Factory. Choose the original grilled cheese with bread, a choice of cheeses, and add tomato.

The Fresco has mozzarella, provolone, and roasted peppers.

Build-your-own-grilled cheese, too. Choose from white, Italian, multi-grain, rye, or garlic bread. Fill it with American, cheddar, provolone, pepper jack, mozzarella, fontina, Swiss, or Havarti cheeses. Dress it up with these extras: tomato, onion, lettuce, roasted peppers, avocado, sauerkraut, turkey, roast beef, ham, mac n’ cheese, bacon, Taylor Ham (or pork roll), pulled pork, grilled chicken or corned beef.

Kim Marie’s Eat n’ Drink Away

1411 Kingsley St, Asbury Park

There is a section on the menu at Kim Marie’s called “Grilled Cheese Please.” Served with hand-cut fries or mixed greens on sourdough bread, choose from the Classic Grilled Cheese which is a simple American and cheddar cheese sandwich with grilled tomatoes.

The Pulled Pork Grilled Cheese features slow-roasted pork, BBQ sauce, and cheddar cheese.

The Shrimp Scampi Grilled Cheese is a unique sandwich with jumbo shrimp, scampi butter, provolone, and parmesan cheese.

There are so many places, so many options, and so many combinations of grilled cheese sandwiches in New Jersey. Feel free to make one at home, of course, but if you’re dining out, check out one of these 13 places, too.

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