In honor of National Grilled Cheese Day – today, April 12 – we will discuss our favorite local sandwiches.

Every time we go out to eat, and grilled cheese is on the menu, we order it. In our time, we’ve had hundreds of grilled cheeses from food places all around the area. So, we’ve compiled a list of the best – and worst – grilled cheeses.

Panera

Amanda: Panera’s grilled cheese is surprisingly amazing for the quality of the establishment. The bread and cheese aren’t anything special, but the way that it’s cooked makes it the ruler of grilled cheeses. It also pairs really well with their iced lattes. 8/10.

Alyssa: I love the bread they use at Panera. It’s super high quality. This grilled cheese is super filling, and I love the way the cheese falls out of the bread. I’d give this grilled cheese a solid 7/10.

Gabby: I could always go for a Panera grilled cheese. The bread is cooked perfectly with the cheese, and I’d give it an overall 8/10.

Great Harvest

Amanda: These grilled cheeses are absolutely insane. It’s heaven-in-your-mouth and completely worth the twenty-five-minute drive it takes to get there. In fact, I’d drive for five hours to eat this grilled cheese. The bread and cheese are not just plain white bread and American cheese, and I have a conspiracy theory that they put whipped butter on it. 9/10

Alyssa: This grilled cheese is beautiful. It’s a little small, in my opinion, but it tastes heavenly. Definitely an 8/10 for me, the size really does take an effect here.

Gabby: I have never had this grilled cheese, but I’m going to have to take Amanda and Alyssa’s word on it.

Sauce

Amanda: Sauce has a quality grilled cheese. I actually might go ahead and call it better than Panera’s. They use a bread roll to make it, and it’s a nice change from the classic slice of bread. Its only downfall is that sometimes workers make it with too much cheese that falls off the side and gets all over your hands. Overall, very solid and sometimes exactly what I crave. 9/10

Gabby: Sauce surprised me with their grilled cheese. I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did, but it can be a little too greasy. 7/10.

Toasted Walnut

Amanda: Toasted Walnut is a little lunch place in Celina that I call a hidden gem. It’s popular in Celina, but not so much here in Prosper. All of their food is good, but the grilled cheese is absolutely heavenly. Something about the cheese and the way they cook the sandwich make it amazing. It also comes with the best fries ever. The only downside is that sometimes it’s a little hard. While I wouldn’t call it that amazing of a grilled cheese as compared to other options, the whole meal is great because of the restaurant’s cute vibe and amazing fries. 8/10

Gabby: I absolutely love Toasted Walnut’s grilled cheese. I believe they use Vermont cheddar and swiss, but the two cheeses pair perfectly. It also comes with a side, which is a perfect meal. 9/10.

Smashburger

Amanda: Smashburger’s grilled cheese is absolute trash. It’s greasy but doesn’t taste good enough to make up for the grease. The bread and cheese are average, and it wasn’t cooked in the nice way Panera and Toasted Walnut do. I’m pretty sure they put it on a stove and cook it. It’s basically the grilled cheese I’d cook from home covered in grease with no better taste. The only upside is that you can get their fries with it.

It’s not worth the $5.29. 2/10. Sorry not sorry. 

Alyssa: I’ve never even wanted to try this. 

Gabby: I didn’t even know Smashburger had a grilled cheese.

Honeylu’s

Amanda: Honeylu’s grilled cheese is absolutely amazing. The cheese is perfectly melted and tastes fantastic. The best part about it is the really good chips that come with it and the fact that you can also get one of their iced chai tea lattes. The only problem is you can’t buy them after 2 p.m., so it’s hard to get them on school days. 9/10.

Alyssa: This is one of my favorite grilled cheese options out there. They use a “wisconsin blend cheese” which I believe uses swiss and cheddar on sourdough. It’s unique, it’s fun and it’s cheap. Sitting around $6, it comes with free chips and a free tea or lemonade. I love this place, especially this great grilled cheesed perfection. This is definitely a 9/10.

Gabby: I was only recently introduced to Honeylu’s grilled cheese, but it’s already one of my favorites. The bread is always toasted to perfection. 9/10.

Whataburger

Amanda: The only good thing on Whataburger’s menu are their milkshakes. I’ve never had their grilled cheese, and I’ll trust Alyssa and Gabby on this one. 

Alyssa: This grilled cheese is super simple, and not really too filling or special. It does have Texas toast though, which brings it a step-up than a place like Sonic. It’s a 4/10 for me.

Gabby: I’ve had this once, and I’ve never really desired to have this specific grilled cheese again. 5/10.

Sonic

Amanda: I have literally nothing nice to say about Sonic’s grilled cheeses. I would even prefer Smashburger’s if you could get their fries. The only thing Sonic has going for it is its incredibly low price. -1/10

Alyssa: This is literally the same thing as the Whataburger grilled cheese. It’s good if you just need a quick snack, but I won’t make a specific drive to Sonic to get it. There’s better options out there. They just use hamburger buns and melt some cheese on top, which I understand isn’t too surprising for a grilled cheese, but it just doesn’t have the same unique qualities that a place like Great Harvest or Panera does. My rating for this sandwich is a 3/10.

Gabby: I may have had Sonic’s grilled cheese once, and I can’t say I’ve ever wanted to go back for it. 2/10.

Conclusion

Honeylu’s comes out on top, with Great Harvest following close behind. However, all grilled cheese – except for two – were fantastic. We encourage everyone to go buy a grilled cheese today to honor this national holiday.

Click through the map below to see where one can find these grilled cheeses.