Photo courtesy of Hannah Grynberg
National Grilled Cheese Day was Tuesday, April 12, so I felt it was the perfect time to discuss it here at The Chronicle. Grilled cheese sandwiches are well known as an American comfort food. They are often seen on the kids’ menu at restaurants, and are also enjoyed by adults. The food tends to be served with tomato soup or french fries. There have also been variations to this classic sandwich. Panera Bread serves a “Mac and Cheese Grilled Cheese” which includes two classic dishes in one. Restaurants such as The Melt Shop have a variety of grilled cheeses, including burgers and buffalo chicken sandwiches. The more popular grilled cheese becomes, the more variations there are.
Grilled cheese sandwiches are my favorite food ever, so I decided to try all known grilled cheeses on Hofstra’s campus and rank them! I will be ranking them from least favorite to most favorite.
8 & 9: The Student Center and Dutch Treats
I know what you are thinking: the Student Center and Dutch Treats serve grilled cheese? Being a grilled cheese enthusiast, I discovered the Student Center grilled cheese on the touchpad kiosk when I explored the deli section. I clicked on the option “cheese sandwich,” added zero toppings and made sure it was toasted. I was able to do the same thing at the Dutch Treats deli. However, there is nothing special about this grilled cheese. It’s just slightly burned bread with slightly burned cheese.
7: Au Bon Pain
I have mixed feelings about this one. It’s supposed to come with other toppings, such as bacon and tomato, but my picky eater self will not eat that. Not a ton of people order it, they kind of just put cheese between whatever bread they have and toast it. If I were you, I would stick to the mac and cheese there.
6: Dunkin’
America runs on Dunkin’, not on grilled cheeses. To be honest, I do not know why they sell it. You can get so many different things there, why would you want a grilled cheese? Again, there is nothing special about this one. It does not have much of a flavor, it just exists … If you want a good grilled cheese, do not go here. Do yourself a favor and get a donut instead!
5: The Netherlands
This grilled cheese is actually delicious. The reason why I put it in the middle of my list is because of its spice and toppings. This is not a normal grilled cheese. It has pesto sauce, tomato and spicy buffalo mozzarella cheese. As someone who is a fan of the classic grilled cheese, I do not know how to feel about this. Eating grilled cheese with a “kick” does not make my day better. Afterward, I felt really nauseous from eating it because of the spice. However, I must say that if you like spice, this is for you. It tasted really good, and I was amazed at the flavor. I recommend it for risk takers!
4: Freshens
Like the Netherlands grilled cheese, this tastes amazing. It has an even better flavor, it has the perfect proportion of bread and cheese and it did not make me feel sick afterward. On the downside, this does have a lot of pepper flakes in it that burn your mouth. Make sure to have a glass of water handy while eating this, as you will need to take a sip every five seconds. Again, for people who like spice, this one’s for you.
3: Bits & Bytes
This grilled cheese is amazing! If you like cheese better than bread, this one’s for you. It had a lot of cheese in it and was very filling. They fry it on a pan and the flavor is delicious. Get it with some french fries, and it’s a great meal.
2. HofUSA
This grilled cheese is buried in very plain-tasting french fries. But the sandwich itself is fire! It is really crisp and has a ton of flavor. This is a classic grilled cheese, which is why I ranked it higher than Freshens or the Netherlands.
1. Starbucks
This is hands down the best grilled cheese on campus! You can pick up a pre-wrapped grilled cheese sandwich and hand it to them to toast. This grilled cheese is made with sourdough bread coated with butter and the perfect amount of cheese. You would not believe how good this tastes. Go to Starbucks and order it right now!
