6 Chain Restaurant Grilled Cheese Sandwiches Ranked From Worst To Best

When I think about a grilled cheese sandwich, my childhood nostalgia takes the reins and I think about a homemade grilled cheese that's paired with some tomato soup. Nothing beats that meal on a cold winter's night in New England. While homemade was the only way to go at one point, fast food chains have been acknowledging this sandwiches' popularity, adding limited edition options and permanent staples within their menus. The following exploration is all about this classic, and I'm here to determine which chain restaurant has the best.

Burgers, burritos, wraps, and salads — these categories typically take the top spots when it comes to on-the-go food fame, but the grilled cheese deserves its time in the spotlight, too. From sourdough breads to an array of cheeses, I was determined to find the best combination with that homemade vibe. Let's dive into the top options at our local chains to see which restaurant can satisfy our grilled cheese needs and which ones we should avoid altogether.

Panera's grilled cheese took the last place spot on this ranking and deservedly so. Featuring American cheese on their signature classic white miche bread, I was hoping for a winner, but from texture to taste, I don't have anything positive to report.

While this grilled cheese sandwich was the biggest of the bunch, there were no big flavors or big wins to follow. The bread had a char flavoring to it (assuming from the cooking process) with a tough to bite crust. While it did have a fluffy interior, there was no flavor beyond the char, no notes of sourdough or anything else that salvaged this aspect of the sandwich. The American cheese was also bland, tasting cheap and unnatural. 

Overall, this one was a no, reminding me of something I'd get in my high school cafeteria. With tax, my meal came to $11.44 — charging that price for this sandwich is theft. I'd rather make a copycat version of this Panera grilled cheese at home.

Next on my list was Starbucks' Crispy Grilled Cheese on Sourdough, and it was another fail in my eyes. I know these sandwiches are pre-made and refrigerated, but I had some hope based on their solid selection of breakfast sandwiches.

This one missed last place based on the bread. The sourdough had great flavor — classically tangy — but that parmesan butter spread on top turned most of the flavor profile into straight salt. I also think the white cheddar and mozzarella mixture, combined with the tangy dough, just didn't work well. There were a lot of competing flavors in this grilled cheese, and I don't think they blended appropriately.

Like Starbucks' breakfast sandwiches, it's really all about when you get your order and the expiration date of the food. Sometimes my breakfast sandwiches are light and fluffy, and others times, they are a little tough to chew. This one was tough to chew. The cheese was pretty congealed, and the sandwich didn't have a great overall appeal. I also have to complain about the fact that they don't cut this sandwich. What a pain in the butt to eat, especially on the go.

Starbucks, I'm a loyal customer and a life-long supporter, but this one was a miss. The flavor profile was better than Panera, but the quality simply isn't cutting it (just like your uncut sandwich).

American cheese on Texas toast — sounds like a great concept, and that's what put Sonic's version of the grilled cheese in the number four spot on this chain list. While Sonic is known for its outrageous number of drink combinations, this grilled cheese held its own within the brand's legacy. From packaging to appearance, I gave this one a 10, but my mouth and my eyes didn't seem to agree.

The Sonic grilled cheese as small, but the toast as thick and mighty with a generous amount of gooey cheese. When I think of Texas toast, I expect an explosion of flavor, but there was no buttery goodness to be found. The only real flavor I got from the bread was the char from the grill top.

The cheese was the biggest redeeming factor of this sandwich. It melted perfectly and had a great traditional American cheese flavoring. This one was a steal at $2.39, and I loved that you can add an array of toppings, such as bacon, pickles, jalapeño, and an array of condiments. But on it's own, this one rates "fine" — nothing more.

I don't have a lot of negative things to say about Five Guys. Their burgers are top notch, I adore the cajun fries, and their hot dogs? Well, if you haven't had one, this is your call to get one ASAP. With all of that in mind, I picked up their grilled cheese sandwich, which, quite frankly, I didn't even know they had on the menu. I think my expectations were a little too high because while this one wasn't bad, I didn't love it.

Five Guy's grilled cheese was vastly different from the rest of the options on this list. It featured a circular inside-out sesame seed bun that's grilled until golden brown with American-style cheese melted in between. The cheese was definitely melted, and the char on the bread was truly perfect. However, the taste here also didn't match what my eyes saw. While the bread looked great, the taste was underwhelming, missing that buttery goodness I was expecting. The cheese was fine; it didn't stand out in a positive or negative way, therefore, adding nothing to my review.

This was a simple grilled cheese sandwich and small in size, which I think would be great for a kid's meal. Because there were no real negative notes, it made the top three cut.

I'm going to be very honest: It was hard to crown a champion when it came to these last two sandwiches, especially since eating a grilled cheese sandwich at Friendly's was one of my childhood core memories. However, I had to put America's Best Grilled Cheese in the runner-up spot, and here's why.

If you know anything about me in relation to food, you know I love me some Tillamook cheese. Seeing that Friendly's uses a combination of Tillamook's White Cheddar and Sharp Cheddar, my reintroduction to my childhood nostalgia started off on the right foot. That yummy cheese was melted between two slices of sourdough bread, and you can even get a cup of tomato soup on the side for an extra fee. What more could you want?

Out of all the breads, this sandwich was perfectly buttered with a light crisp on the outside. It had lots gooey cheese packed within, clearly layered with striations of differing color. This was the only grilled cheese on the list that felt like it was homemade and cooked with love.

If you're looking for the perfect homemade grilled cheese without making it yourself, there is no other option out there that does it quite like Friendly's. But I know what you're thinking. If this is all true, why didn't it place first? Keep reading...

After a lot more consideration than I want to admit, I put Shake Shack's grilled cheese sandwich in first place. When I can't decide between two options in a ranking, I always lean towards the item I can't stop eating. In this ranking, the item was undoubtedly from Shake Shack.

Shake Shack's grilled cheese was made with American cheese on a grilled potato bun. While it was small, which almost made me move it to second place, the flavors were by far the best of the bunch. I don't know what kind of cheese they are using, but it was bold, flavorful, and delicious. The bun also had a great toasting and was soaked in butter — just the way I like my grilled cheese. It almost tasted like the perfect toasted hot dog roll or when you get a killer lobster roll done right in New England. Everything about this one tasted rich and high-end, yet the sandwich itself was under $6.

Between the depth of flavor within the cheese and whatever they toast the bread with, this one took the win. I love nostalgia and a tried and true classic, but Shake Shack's grilled cheese evolution just can't be beat. Give this one a try — you won't be disappointed.

For this taste test, I ordered and ate each of the six grilled cheese sandwiches on the list, looking for the best overall sandwich. I took various aspects of a grilled cheese into consideration, including size, bread type, cheese (flavor and the way it melted), texture, and overall cohesion.

While there were many categories at play, it really came down to flavor and texture. The bread had to taste good without having charred and chewy parts, and the cheese had to be melted with a good balance of flavors that didn't run bland or salty. I had to ask myself: Which sandwich had the best bite? That answer brought me to my number one choice.