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Say Cheese - CLOSED
Categories: Restaurants Fast Food Restaurants Sandwiches Fast Food, Sandwiches [Edit]
649 9th Ave(between 45th St & 46th St)
New York, NY 10036
Neighborhoods: Hell's Kitchen, Midtown West, Theater District
(212) 265-8840
- Nearest Transit:
-
42 St - Port Authority Bus Terminal (A, C, E)
50 St (A, C, E)
49 St (N, Q, R)
- Parking:
- Street
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
52 reviews for Say Cheese
Review Highlights
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"YUM - I love a grilled cheese and tomato soup." In 14 reviews -
"...onions on a delicious olive bread- certainly lived up to..." In 5 reviews -
"...great combinations of the Back to Basics (which is just a..." In 5 reviews
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52 reviews in English
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Review from Shadi N.
Los Altos, CA
1/12/2010
- 1 STAR FOR CLOSING!!!!! WTF!?!!?!? =(
SO SAD THIS PLACE IS CLOSED. I used to dream about their grilled cheese (with my choise of like ELEVEN cheeses) with tomatoe cheddar soup on a daily basis.
sad =( -
Review from Michelle R.
NY
3/19/2007
I'm a methodical person when it comes to my food. I tend to seperate things on my plate and eat it one at a time. I also believe that if your restaurant name says "cheese" or "bread", you'd better be damn good at either cheese or bread.
Say Cheese delivers (excuse the pun).
I'm some what a traditionalist as well, so the only thing I order is the Mama Special: Grilled cheese (your choice of cheese) with a Tomato Soup. I choose cheddar w/ roasted garlic inside. They use white bread buttered and grilled to a crisp. It comes to you melty and hot and the temptation is so bad that you burn your tounge! But MAAAAANNNN the pay off. As for the soup, I think they put crack in it. I dream about their tomato soup, it's creamy and cheesy and tomato-y. Let's put it this way, a friend of mine visited from SF, and everytime I see her, she reminds me that when she comes back to NYC, we have to go back to "that grilled cheese place" -
Review from Phil M.
New York, NY
8/11/2006
I like sandwiches. And I really liked the sandwich I had at Say Cheese. It was a turkey sandwich on flatbread, with melted provolone cheese and spinach on it. It had real chunks of turkey, not processed slices.
As I was eating it, a Luther Vandross (may he rest in peace) love song came over the speakers. Maybe it was the song, or maybe it's just where I was emotionally at that time, but that sandwich affected me on more than just a gastric level. This sandwich had me at hello.
I saw a Luther Vandross poster right next to the door on my way out, so I think the owner must be a fan. I know that I am a fan of Say Cheese now, and since it is in my neighborhood, I will go back often. And I know that wherever Luther is now, they probably have great turkey sandwiches, too. -
Review from Anita C.
New York, NY
12/19/2006
If you don't like grilled cheese, you're a communist. And this place has all kinds of fancy-schmancy grilled cheese sandwiches that will make you say "How bourgeois!"
I've been here twice and both times the place was empty when we got there and packed when we left. The guy who runs the place remembered me the second time, and even remembered that I had ordered the soup the my first visit (more on the soup later).
I would recommend anything that comes on the black olive bread -- it's thick, crusty and perfectly crunchy when it comes out of the sandwich press. I was less impressed with their flatbread sandwiches, it seemed wimpy in comparison. The macaroni salad and curly fries are solid, and my friends are bananas about the jalepeno poppers (but don't let them get cold).
So the soup: they have only one kind, tomato cheddar. I had high hopes for the soup, but I was really disappointed. It was quite watery, and I always thought tomato soup should be creamy. The owner says it's his favorite thing on the menu but maybe he and I have different tomato soup standards. He seemed kindof hurt when I said I didn't like his soup. (What can I do? I can't lie!!) -
Review from Andrew J.
Astoria, NY
4/22/2007
Chelsea J and I went here for lunch and I was thoroughly impressed. I didn't get any of the more 'done up' cheese sandwiches. I simply got a half and half lunch deal. Half a plate of salad, the other half was filled with a delicious sourdough and pepper jack cheese sandwich. My two qualms with this place were as follows:
My sandwich did not have enough cheese. Maybe it's just from the experience of making my own cheese sandwiches, but it felt like they had used one or two really thin slices of cheese on my sandwich.
The other problem I had with this place was the waiter was nearly impossible to flag down. Not that he was mean or bad at his job or anything, but he was just so out-of-this-world friendly that when other people came into the restaurant he got easily distracted from one table to the next. But he was nice and reminded me of the restaurant host from The Critic. What was his name? Blata? I can't remember. -
Review from Pete M.
Yonkers, NY
2/4/2009
I went tonight, hoping that a visit wouldn't ruin my desire to go to Pinch/S'mac later this week.
It's kind of a small-ish space. Not as small as some I've seen (for instance, the East Village S'mac), but not large. All of the tables at Say Cheese are two-tops, but it's easy enough to combine them for groups. There were only five other people in the place when I arrived, and three of them were at one grouping of tables.
I had the Tuna Schmuna on olive bread and a Berry Licious smoothie. I have to say, the sandwich was good for what was essentially a tuna melt, though there wasn't enough cheese for my liking. In fact, I had to check to make sure there was cheese on it when it arrived; given the name of this place, I sort of expected cheese to be glopping out the sides. It wasn't, but there was sure enough some cheese melted to the top and bottom slices. The sandwich was big enough to satisfy me, though I considered buying a cup of soup to accompany it. In the end, I'm glad I didn't.
I would characterize Say Cheese as a good place to go if you are in the 'hood for a quick bite of hearty food that will fill you up on a cold day. I arrived at 6:40 and was leaving by 7:02, which was just what I wanted on a night like tonight, when I have a bit of a cold and just want to go to bed.
S'mac's owners, rest easy: You will still be getting my business later this week! -
Review from Angela W.
Brooklyn, NY
9/23/2009
Did this place close??? When I went by here the other day, the grate was down and it looked like the tables had been moved out. Please tell me they're only renovating!!!
I started patronizing this lovely grilled cheese spot when working in the theater district. The service was always okay, but the Mama's Special was where it's at!!! I always go in and order the standard cheddar grilled cheese (comes on sourdough) with the bowl of tomato-cheddar soup. Dip your sandwich IN the soup and life just becomes magnificent!
I hope this place didn't close for good, because I'm hungry for it now!!!! -
Review from Sarah B.
Brooklyn, NY
1/25/2009
I used to live very close to this place, and now I understand what Joni Mitchell was talking about, in that song.
The Roma is just a very good sandwich. I'm going to say that, and you can make a personal choice about whether you would like to try it. But I can say this: life is short. -
Review from Kathleen D.
San Jose, CA
6/4/2007
I went here when I visited my sisters.
It is definitely good comfort food. I don't like to mess with genius too much so I ordered the Mama's Special. Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup.
The sandwich was nice and hot and tasted melted cheesy good. The soup tasted good but was broken.
Overall the food was pretty good but it was was too much for me to handle. I barely could eat half!
The service was excellent! It was way more than I would expect walking inside. They also give you pieces of foil to wrap up your left overs. -
Review from Oh K.
New York, NY
5/28/2007
Hello, comfort food. This is a friendly, tiny and exciting place.
Grilled cheese: 5 stars. The cheese is good (nothing to write home about), the bread is fabulous - nice, thick, buttery, golden brown.
Tomato soup: 3 stars. To me it seems like they took regular Campbell's tomato soup, and threw it in the blender for an hour to get it all frothy. Maybe this sounds good to you, but I thought it was kind of a let down.
Conclusion: the Mama's Special is good comfort food during a crappy workday in January. Otherwise, I don't know, I guess I should go back to try the rest of the sandwiches, which, really, sound delicious.
(Trivia gem: according to the NY Times [http://travel.nytimes.... this place used to be a speakeasy back in the good old days) -
Review from Nicole C.
New York, NY
1/29/2009
Best sandwhiches in the area! I used to live around here therefore used to order delivery all the time.
I had my first Jalapeno Popper here... I can't believe I spent so many years without knowing what a Jalapeno Popper was. Theirs is truly delicious so make some room for them. You won't regret it! Since then, the only comparable Popper I've had is from The Blind Pig.. Sad day... anyway...
Great sandwhiches (obviously) and here are some of my favorites:
- El Cubano - roasted pork, ham, pickles, swiss cheese, with a low fat mayo spread on a baguette
- El Blanquito - queso blanco, ham, fried with a touch of pepper sauce, low fat mayo spread on sourdough bread
- Chicken Melt - tasty grilled chicken, chicken breast, avocado spread, sauteed onions smothered in american cheese on black olive bread
**Nothing better than the black olive bread** So ask if they can use that on your favorite sandwich next time and see what I mean. Avocado spread is awesome, and mayo is my all time favorite condiment (yes, better than ketchup).
I've also had several great combinations of the Back to Basics (which is just a regular grilled cheese) always with tomato slices (just like Mom made them!!)
And finally of course the Tomato Cheddar Soup is a must-have. It was always a bit too sweet for me, so I'd just add some salt & pepper and it was perfect. Love the bits of cheddar you fish out of the soup. And the food was always delivered warm and in a timely fashion.
My only wish is that they were in the Union Square area now...Listed in: Grab a sandwich and GO!
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Review from Heather I.
New York, NY
11/7/2007
Despite the fact that all of the sandwiches on the menu contain cheese, I'm not sure what exactly makes this a cheese-themed place. Wouldn't most delis qualify too? Granted, I didn't get the grilled cheese. I would imagine it's their "specialty," so I'll try to be nice until I give that a try.
I went for lunch with coworkers. I order the Tuna Schmuna. Yes, I said the name. It was good. Definitely a generous sandwich. But to be honest, the cheese wasn't the star of the show, which was somewhat surprising. The prices were good though. As were the curly fries. My coworkers didn't seem all that impressed either. Who knows, I may give it another shot. Come on, Say Cheese, earn that third star! -
Review from Jolina H.
New York, NY
5/16/2007
Thanks to Michelle's recommendation below, I enhanced my traditional 'Say Cheese' experience by adding roasted garlic to my otherwise standard grilled chedder goodness. You think that would be enough, but drench it in the liquid crack they called tomato soup so it goes down easy and you got yourself all the makings you need for a happy tummy. I'm sad to say that Say Cheese will soon no longer be just a delivery away since I'm moving down to the financial district, so if anyone can recommend something remotely similar to this Hell's Kitchen hidden jem, let me know.
Random sidenote: the dude that works there has the nicest penmenship I have ever seen. -
Review from Neeraj T.
New York, NY
10/10/2008
This is definitely someplace worth coming to. I recommend that you get their 'Back to Basics' combo which will come with the plain grilled cheese sandwich, and their outstanding tomato soup. I usually cheat and add chicken to my sandwich, and I get american cheese... But it's still really something special every time! I have had 2 or 3 other sandwiches and they're all very good, but if you can only come here once, do the Back to Basics combo. For sure.
Also, yes, their 'other' sandwiches can sometimes be messy. But some people like it that way. Like me. -
Review from Jason C.
New York, NY
10/6/2006
The harried proprieter of this place had a really difficult time keeping up with the 8 tables.
While I was there, I saw one couple wait fifteen minutes for an (empty) table to be cleared. He shoo'd waiting another couple out of the way for blocking the "aisle" (although in this long and thin restaurant, its not clear where the should have stood to wait for their table to be cleared.) Once you're seated however, the sandwich arrives quickly. My tuna on pita was good, but little different that most tuna melts. I guess the tomatoes on it tasted pretty good. They would do better to make an order at the counter place, rather than trying to do table service.
If you're in the neighborhood and want a sandwich, this is a good spot, just try to go when its nearly empty. -
Review from Ev T.
Miramar, FL
12/3/2009
This place is closed now, but I have to write this.
Say Cheese deserves 4 stars, but I've had too many weird experiences here. The sandwiches were ridiculous here. Only thing was after the owner smashed a roach on the wall that crawled out of our condiment holder, and said "I'm sorry, i can't get rid of them, it's impossible," things changed forever. Worst part is, he left it dangling on the wall for us to enjoy while I ate my cheese grilled crunchy onion sandwich.
I wanted it to work out, but this kind of management must've ultimately led Say Cheese to it's demise. RIP. -
Review from Catherine H.
Philadelphia, PA
8/4/2007 2 photos
I know that it's supposed to be greasy, but I think it actually took away from the flavor in the Chicken Melt sandwich.
The Roma sandwich was great, though -- see my photos on say cheese -- and quite satisfying and warm.
I enjoyed the efficient service, enthusiastic server, and colorful decor. Felt a little bit like being in grade school.
I didn't enjoy the price of the smoothies ($5), b/c I wasn't willing to pay that much just to try a smoothie... -
Review from Mike Z.
Astoria, NY
11/30/2007
I just ate lunch there and it was perfect. It is also 40 degrees out and I had to walk 4 blocks to get there so that made it taste all the better. The only thing I have ever gotten here is the Grilled Cheese and Tomato soup combo. Usually I am an american cheese kind of guy when it comes to the grilled variety but they were out on this particular day. The server/manager/owner? recommended the munster in its stead. I agreed and patiently awaited my meal. It was just as good as the american. In fact i couldn't really tell the difference. Maybe if I had one of each and alternated I could tell but on this day it just tasted like cheesy goodness. I am definately a fan of this place.
The tomato and cheddar soup is very good now but the first time I had it I was a little put off. I don't think the soup changed, I think I changed. It just kinda grew on me. If you dont think about the small chunks of something in the soup and you do as you are supposed to and dip you grilled cheese into it then the soup is amazing. It is a little runny, but that just makes it soak into the grilled cheese all the better.
The place is small but it has a nice friendly atmosphere. The guy who runs it does an amazing job of keeping so busy and ignoring you that he almost seems rude, but when he finally gets to you he is so kind that you forget that you were sitting there for 10 min waiting for him to take your order. The speed of service does vary though. Sometimes you can make it back to the office in 45 min, sometimes you can't. Once I even made it back in under 30 min. -
Review from Chad H.
9/1/2009 1 photo
This place is just disappointing. I mean, your name is "Say Cheese" and you're not incredibly delicious? You should be ashamed of yourself.
I ordered a philly cheese steak and some curly fries. The fries were good enough (I give them a B) but the sandwich was bad. The meat was very low quality, the cheese tasted processed, and even the bread was stale. They are basically getting a second star because of the fries.
I can't recommend it. -
Review from Clark H.
New York, NY
2/6/2008
YUM - I love a grilled cheese and tomato soup. And I TOTALLY agree with Jessica's review to do:
Tomato Soup
Grilled Cheese
Veuve Clicquot
I always order out and I always do that little menage a trois. -
Review from Amanda D.
New York, NY
11/13/2008
This is my absolute favorite cheap dinner stop before a Broadway show, (jazz) hands down.
Try the Back to Basics special, which is a grilled cheese served with their deliciously creamy tomato cheddar soup.
It's a bit greasy, but I'm an old lady with a sensitive stomach. I have yet to find an equally affordable pre-theater bite in Hell's Kitchen! -
Review from Juni D.
New York, NY
9/4/2009
Came here about a year ago. The food was okay, but not memorable enough to make me return.
The service sucked tremendously! I mean come on.. The staff does not have to take the orders.. you order yourself and someone brings it to you. Our "waiter" if we want to call her that, had a horrible attitude.. as if she didn't want to be there.
I'm not sure why restaurants keep miserable people like her staffed. In this day and age, business cannot afford to have shitty service. Get with it people! -
Review from Nathan I.
San Bruno, CA
5/22/2011
This was one of my favorite places when i visited NYC! I can't believe theu are closed! :( Makes me really sad! They had great price, great service and greay good!
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Review from Julia S. J.
Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, NY
4/25/2009
i ended up here a few nights ago, after what seemed like way too long of a time to be traipsing up and down 9th ave for something that was (thanks to the necessary conditions imposed by my companion for the evening):
non-pizza [[we better not have walked from 23rd st to hells kitchen to buy pizza]],
non-restaurant-y [[companion was not in a "restaurant mood"]],
unpretentious [[$11 pitas in gramercy can make one quite embittered]],
and affordable.
my attention's pretty easy to get.. just put cheese somewhere and i'll be drawn to it like... me to cheese. luckily, it was about $6 for a sizeable grilled cheese panini with MADDDDDDDD MUSHROOMS!! there is scarcely anything that gets me more peeved than places that are stingy with their sandwiches, but this was mushroom MANIA in my mouthhhhhhhhhhhhh! -
Review from Sam P.
New York, NY
5/25/2006
I have often said that if I had to pick two foods in life to survive on, they would be cheese and peanut butter. Hence my delight in finding an entire restaurant devoted to the former of my two culinary necessities. The sandwiches here are indeed yummy and smothered in, you guessed it, cheese! Lots of interesting ideas on the menu too. Like the tuna melt with artichokes (YUMMM) I ususally get the cubano (sometimes the Miami roots come out) and it is delicious. I have to say, I've never had the straight up grilled chese though, but I'm sure it's wonderful. And yes, it does take some time to get your food, but I think it's worth the wait.
Listed in: The Earl of Sandwich
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Review from Mari H.
New York, NY
2/25/2009
I used to pop in here all the time when I was low on cash and didn't feel like cooking. The best is the cup of tomato cheddar soup and 1/2 back to basics sandwich combo - for less than $6! I'd take a seat at a table and read one of the magazines they have laying out; then my sandwich is ready in 5 minutes presto! The tomato soup is rich and creamy and served really hot. The sandwich has a buttery crunch to the bread and is perfect for soup dipping. Yum-O! I always say I could make my own at home but with the cost of groceries in the city it'd probably cost the same!
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Review from douglas B.
San Francisco, CA
4/16/2009
I just had a VERY Good Grilled cheese at a restaurant last night but it reminded me of the best grilled cheese in the city and that comes from SAY CHEESE. Nothing beats this place on a chilly fall or crisp spring day get a tomato soup and one of the MANY and i mean MANY grilled cheese options. So if you are looking for the comfort of a fantastic comfort food I say its worth the trip for sure!
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Review from Brian K.
Weehawken, NJ
6/10/2007
This is a great place for a sandwich. I chose something with tuna, cheese (of course,) and artichokes, which was quite delicious and very big. The curly fries were a little cold, but very good otherwise. The staff was also very nice, and the prices are good, so I'm sure I'll be back.
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Review from BrasilPo P.
Oakland, CA
4/7/2007
Nab the Mama's Special for $4.98!!! It includes their signature grilled cheese sandwich with cheese of your choice & Creamy Tomato Soup. My suggestion? Get it with the Grilled Pepper-Jack Cheese Sandwich and Boylan's Orange Soda. YUM!!!
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Review from Chelsea J.
New York, NY
4/22/2007
I'd been wanting to come to this place since I'd heard of it, and was not disappointed by the sandwich. It's hard to disappoint me with cheese, and their Big Cheese- provolone, munster, and I believe mozzarella? with red peppers and onions on a delicious olive bread- certainly lived up to its name. It was the perfect amount of toasted, and came out very quickly. The only complaint I'd have then is that it did take a looong time for us to get the waiter's attention to get our check and some more water. And it definitely wasn't crowded- three of the I'd say seven or eight tables were filled, we were on the early side. All in all, I will definitely come back, but I wouldn't try it when I have to squeeze in a really quick meal, unless they prove to me otherwise. And if that's the case, then five stars, baby!
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Review from Scott C.
Flushing, NY
8/16/2006
My love affair with grilled cheese began young in life so when I found out about a place specializing in them I had to go! It's a small space but there were plenty of tables available when I was there. The person serving us was nice and very honest when I wanted to add something "It's not worth the $2. It's just a strip". I appreciate someone who can be honest about something like that and not just make the quick buck. They have plenty of suggestions for your sandwich and plenty of choices to make your own. The bread and the cheese were of great quality and pressed perfectly. I loved their smoothies too. They forgot to bring me something I ordered but honestly I didn't really need it so that was ok. So if you want a grilled cheese sandwich with something different head to Say Cheese.
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Review from Jonathan C.
New York, NY
3/25/2008
Although the service is lacking, the food is constantly delicious. They make a killer Tomato soup, its pretty hot though, so blow on it before diving in, and their Grilled Cheese sandwiches are huge. Half a sandwich will fill you up. The Curly Fries are delicious too. It's never really crowded, so you can have a cute date there or take someone there to chat. All in all its pretty amazing.
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Review from Beth S.
Brooklyn, NY
1/10/2007
Yum!! Grilled cheese is yummy! Yes, it's small. But hey...at about 4 in the afternoon on a Saturday, there wasn't really a crowd. We were a little slow getting the check, but other than that, I loved it.
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Review from Dorian G.
Boston, MA
3/8/2007
You are no American if you say you would turn down a grilled cheese sandwich.
While planning a weekend in NYC for New Year's, I decided that we had to venture out of our comfort zone for our daily lunches (comfort zone=pizza). After all, we're from NYC...we've had enough pizza to last a lifetime. Let's try something different. I recently saw something on the Food Network about grilled cheese shops popping up around NYC so I did a little research. Say Cheese was the closest one to our hotel, so off we went.
Oh. My. God. Let's just say I'm glad we cancelled the side of fries because there wouldn't have been any room for them after the cheesy deliciousness. I got cheese and tomato and my husband got the cheese, tomato, and ham. The sourdough bread held together well and was buttered and grilled to perfection. The cheese (we both requested a combo of cheddar and muenster) was divine. Oozy, not stringy.
One star short of perfection because even if it is one of the most yummiest sandwiches i've ever had, it was still just grilled cheese and 2 cans of coke...for $20. ouch. -
Review from kerry t.
New York, NY
7/18/2008
Working in Times Square, it's hard to find many restaurants that satisfy my addiction to cheese and love of carbs. However, I've finally met my match: Say Cheese. I've ordered delivery from here a few times and have always been happy with both the fast delivery and the delicious sandwiches. My personal favorite is the Roma, which is melted cheese and some kind of pesto mayo spread. They have a good selection of cheese sandwiches, but if you don't like any of the choices, you can create your own as well. All in all, say cheese is a great lunch option for cheese lovers in Midtown!
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Review from Jamie Y.
Philadelphia, PA
8/30/2007
Gourmet grilled cheese? Where do I sign up? This place was such a good find when I was grumpy, hot, and starving in Times Square. The $4 (generously sized) Reese's smoothie calmed me down. I really can't recommend this place enough. The only way it could be better is if they expanded it - the space is very cramped and always packed.
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Review from angela g.
New York, NY
6/26/2006
Ok... so i have to admit that i have "issues" with sandwiches. I find them scary and gross. I never eat them. However, somehow, grilled cheese has broken through the no sandwich barrier. It took alot of begging and persistence to get me to go to this grilled cheese mecca, but boy am i glad i went. It was great and warm and crispy and melty and delicious. And they deliver!!!
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Review from Kristina F.
Hoboken, NJ
12/2/2006
Okay you know that feeling when you realize you've eaten too much greasy food? You can hear that little voice in your head telling you not to eat another curly fry but somehow it finds it's way to your mouth? Well, I kept eating my sandwich because it was good and kept picking away at the curly fries because those were good, but the simple fact is that I didn't feel very good at the end of this meal. I recommend going because they have a really nice selection of grilled cheese sandwiches, but get the half sandwich half soup or salad insead of fries on the side. Your stomach will thank you.
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Review from JK L.
Washington, DC
3/2/2009
We saw this place on a food channel one day and wanted to give it a try when we were in town. We got pesto presto sandwich and jalapeno poppers. They were both good but I was just very disappointed about the fact that they didn't seem to carry their cheese theme. I looked at other people's dishes but didn't really see much cheese. We were expecting extra extra cheese sandwich but it seemed normal to us. They had good sandwiches but wouldn't call this as a cheese specialty place.
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Review from Siobhan C.
Richmond, VA
12/19/2008
This place has some AMAZING tomato and cheese soup. The sandwiches are also fantastic. It's a great place for lunch on a rainy day.
