where jess ate

I had a craving for some comfort food and ended up at The Grilled Cheese, located in the heart of Kensington Market.

I dropped by with Chris and found the place pretty busy even though it was close to 2:30 in the afternoon. The space is really casual – no frills, with limited seating inside and a picnic table out front.

I’d be careful about coming here on a really busy day. I can see the sandwiches taking a while since they don’t have very much space to grill ’em.

The menu is simple, featuring around 10 grilled cheese variations and a daily homemade soup. While deciding on what to order, the cashier informed us that the Blackjack – jalapeno, havarti, tomato, spinach & black olive pesto ($6) is one of their most popular sandwiches. Given how indecisive Chris and I are, we went with the recommendation.

Now this is what I call a grilled cheese! There was a generous amount of cheese sandwiched between thick slices of buttery bread and we both loved the saltiness from the black olive pesto.  Comfort food at its best! I can definitely see why this is their most popular sandwich.

The second sandwich we ordered was the Apple Bacon Crisp – Ida red apples, caramelized onions, bacon & cheddar ($8), which seemed to be a special of the day. When I first read the name of the sandwich, I thought it was a dessert. Despite being on the heavy and side (it’s a grilled cheese after all), it was a fantastic grilled cheese. If you’re a fan of the sweet and savoury combination, you’d love this – the sweetness from the apples and caramelized onions and the saltiness from the bacon was delicious.

All the grilled cheese sandwiches come with a dill pickle and a side of chips, neither of which were anything to write home about. The chips came straight out of a bag and we didn’t end up eating many of them since we were pretty stuffed from the sandwiches.

Overall, I really enjoyed our meal here. While I can’t attest to the other variations, the Black Jack and the Apple Bacon Crisp were big hits with us. If you’re looking for a comforting grilled cheese sandwich, you’ve gotta drop by The Grilled Cheese!

At a glance:
• Serving up delicious and comforting grilled cheese sandwiches
• Simple menu – grilled cheese and soup
• Located in the heart of Kensington Market
• If it’s really busy, you could end up waiting a while for your food

Ratings (out of 5):
• Food: 4.5 stars
• Service: 3 stars
• Atmosphere: 3 stars