The Grilled Cheese Bistro

Stopped by this spot after good recommendations and it stood up too it’s «rep».I ordered the gooey, Parmesan and chrimichurri fries and a Coke. The fries arrived first and were phenomenal, the Coke was bottled, and last the grilled cheese arrived. Every bite seemed to get better!! Overall a hip spot on Granby with happening food!

My oh my. Quite possibly one of my favorite new places to grab a bite in the Granby Street area. The atmosphere is quaint and trendy, and the service was friendly. The seating area is quite small, mostly communal style tables and the bar area, so expect to wait during busy hours and get cozy with some strangers.
I ordered the Gooey — a classic three-​cheese grilled cheese sandwich — and a dipper size of the tomato basil soup (aptly named as it is the perfect size for dipping your grilled cheese sandwich). The sandwich was well cooked and loaded with cheese and the tomato soup was hearty and flavorful. My friend ordered the special of the night — a buffalo chicken grilled cheese sandwich with ranch, celery, and cheddar and mozzarella cheeses, apparently crafted by one of the servers as a new suggestion to the menu. We were both surprised by the quality of the sandwich and the generous portion of chicken. As a big buffalo chicken fan, this sandwich was definitely a win and should be added to the menu as a permanent staple!
The restaurant only carries beer and wine, but the selection was good and covered a wide range of palettes. I’d be interested in seeing some craft cocktails added to the menu to go along with the trendy vibe and quirky eats to round out the experience.
Will definitely be returning for another round of this awesome comfort food!

The wait is nuts!!! Make sure to check their wacky hours before you show up & get disappointed by them either being closed or turned away because they close soon. I would suggest the host (ess) call & text when your name is next, so you’re not awkwardly crowded outside and can venture off to Urban Outfitters while you wait.
The place is tiny, but the food is excellent! I loove the tomato soup! The grilled cheese sandwiches can get adventurous, and that’s what makes this place a big deal. I just get the boring ones like «The Gooey» and «Caprese» because I eat like a picky child. However, everything my friends have ordered, they really enjoyed~ I’m guessing all the sandwiches are delicious.
I only come here for grilled cheese and tomato soup cravings, and it always hits the spot~

Hands down the best grill cheese sandwich I’ve ever had. Nothing else to say. I mean what more can I say. You need to go and see for yourself

My boyfriend was in from out of town and I kept wanting to try this place, so after church we went to grab a bite to eat. When we got there, there was a line out the door for a wait, which may be typical on a Sunday afternoon. We ended up waiting for a table and it only took about 15 minutes. When we waited for our table, we enjoyed the nice views of Granby. When we came inside, we sat at the bar area facing Granby. Our waiter took great care of us when we got in. My boyfriend and I ordered the Hangover and the Johnny Appleseed. The live music was just the cherry on top when it came to setting the great vibe. Let’s just say, we will be back.

Went to the Grilled Cheese Bistro this past week for lunch. This was my second time in and I am still not crazy about the sandwiches.
The setting is nice and I dig the environment, but maybe I’m just not a Grilled Cheese guy.
They were out of the Root Beer draft and our party saw they were serving Hot Chocolates recently (but were not anymore). This was disappointing.
The sides were very good. We ordered the Fried Pickles (Loved!) and Fresh Cut Fries (I believe with Cinnamon Cayenne Pepper).
The iced Hibiscus Tea was good, but I should have ordered the Arnold Palmer. We had one at the table and it was pretty damn good. I had the Dream of Reuben and was underwhelmed. Lots of cheese and sauerkraut and a little bit of corned beef. Like I said, maybe I’m just not a Grilled Cheese kind of guy.

Since my initial visit I have been back here quite a bit, and each time I have not been disappointed by either the food or the service. My last visit on their one year anniversary this past Saturday (1−16−16), solidified the Grilled Cheese Bistro as one of my favorite eateries in Norfolk.
My friends and I saw on Facebook that they were celebrating their one year anniversary with some of their most popular specials: The lobster mac & cheese grilled cheese, chimichurri fresh cut fries with chipotle aïoli, hot cocoa made with with nutella, peanut Butter, hazelnut chocolate bark and camp fire marshmallow drizzled with caramel, and for dessert the Oreo brownie delight with chocolate dipped bacon & coffee ice cream. After hearing all that deliciousness we knew we had to go check it out.
It was Saturday, so we decided to go there a little later to avoid having to wait and being a part of a big crowd, which turned out to be a good idea. When I arrived to grab a few seats I was greeted by the nicest hostess who was also named Jordan, spelled the same way and everything. Of course we hit it off because she had the best name in the world. There wasn’t a long wait at all, I’d say 5 minutes tops.
After we were seated, we were waited on by Marina, who was awesome as well. We all ordered one of each of their specials, and we were not disappointed by what was put in front of us. Everything looked just like it did in the promotional pictures on facebook and it tasted even better. The sandwiches … BOMB! The fries and aïoli, marvelous! The Oreo brownie delight, delicious! The hot cocoa was some of the best we ever had, one of my friends even found herself trying to replicate the recipe at home it was so good.
All in all, after a year of being open the Grilled Cheese Bistro has become a staple in Downtown Norfolk, and I wish them many more years of success. I highly recommend this restaurant.

Amazing! I love how something so simple can be made into something so delectable.
Let’s start at the top.
When I finally found parking (which I overpaid for by the way). I walked into madness and found myself pinned to the door. I had to push my way through the waves of people who had been standing in line. It didn’t seem like there was any order as to how the host sat different people and really, it didn’t seem like there was anywhere she could. It was SUPER PACKED! After 45 minutes of waiting, we finally got a table that we had to share with a couple that would not for the life of me move over, so we got our pregnant friend at the time to push guilt on them…
Side bar: The GCB is all about guests sharing tables, but it you are a couple and take up a huge amount of space because you don’t want to sit next to people, maybe it’s time to get takout?!
On to the food…
We started with the Fried Pickles, since we usually get that everywhere that has it. I didn’t necessarily care for these, they were more like spears and less like chips which is what we are used to. We also ordered the Parmesan & Chimichurri french fries… these were great. By the time we all devoured that. It was on to the sangwiches. I ordered the DON QUIXOTE, which was so good but sooo heavy. I shouldn’t have eaten anything for the whole day. Everyone else ordered the HANGOVER, except one person ordered it with the prosciutto which was the smartest idea ever. I’ll tell you this… if they offered a space to pass out. I would’ve paid an arm to sleep there. Good food that makes you want to pass out is what it is all about.
I have my eye on you «The Islander»…get ready.

This place was very good. We were lucky that we didn’t have to wait in line. I will say I had the best French fries I’ve ever had. I would kill for the chimichurri recipe!
The service was awesome. Everyone was so attentive and willing to help.
One wish: it is SO much food and so filling that I’d love to see a half sandwich option.

Very yummy comfort food
The Hangover and Johnny Appleseed are amazing‼
Fried pickles are absolutely legit‼
I feel fat and like I breath hard after eating there. I will be going back because it’s worth the fat feeling.

Been here a few times, at this point. It’s definitely better than average and none of the sandwiches are ones that I could recreate at home.
I’ve eaten in-​person, to-​go, and as leftovers. All still good. I don’t know whose firstborn they traded for some of these recipes, but it might’ve been worth it. My personal favorite is the Don Quixote.
I really don’t care for the sangria, so I plan to sit in and just do straight wines. It can sometimes be crowded and sometimes they’re slow to greet people. That hasn’t seemed to change. But, they are friendly and know what they’re doing. They can throw down.
I think they may do call ahead orders, as well.

Finally made it for some grilled cheese sandwich! These cheese sandwiches are for the grown folks, sorry kids.
When we walked in, I was shock to see how small the place was. It took about 10 mins to be greeted and another 5 to be seated. Thank goodness a table was getting ready to be cleared or we would have left. The chairs were uncomfortable and table narrows.
I went ahead and ordered the Johnny Appleseed. The bread was buttery and grilled perfect. The thin sweet/​sour granny Apple with a hearty bacon made this grilled cheese sandwich so tasty. I also ordered tomato soup. Now that was the best part of my meal. It wasn’t too tangy but yet had a kick to it, so good!
There was a guitarist singing and entertaining while we ate which customers joined him in singing the popular songs, now that made the visit even better.

The chimichurri fries with mozzarella r really quite tasty.
I had the gooey which has 3 cheeses and I added bacon. Soo cheesy and good.
Good selection of wine and specialty drinks.
They have some french press coffee available too.
Can’t wait to go again and try them all !!

Why did I come here? Why did I do this to myself?
I’m not even supposed to like grilled cheese sandwiches. Seriously. They have never been my thing. I even wrote about this a while back in one of the Unilocal Talk discussion threads.
I had just finished my morning workout at the YMCA this morning and wanted to go somewhere different for lunch. Instead of walking back to Ghent or the NEON Arts District as I usually do, I decided to head further downtown instead.
This was not my first time here. I actually ate here once before last spring and ordered the following grilled cheese sandwich from their menu:
JOHNNY APPLESEED: «Apple, Cheddar, & Local Applewood Bacon.»
I liked it overall, but it didn’t exactly blow me away at the time. I would have preferred my bacon to be a little crispier and for the cheddar cheeese to be a little sharper. Maybe I am just nitpicking here. For whtatever it’s worth, my overall rating would have been 4 stars.
Due to my lifelong lukewarm disposition toward grilled cheese sandwiches, I wasn’t even planning to review this place. I felt that I couldn’t be objective enough to do it justice.
So, I decided to forget all the above and come back with a fresh start and open mind. It was about 11:30 a.m. when I arrived. The place was packed, but I managed to find a seat at the counter. Within minutes, a horde of new customers came pouring in. Most of them were told there would be about a 30-​minute wait.
I ordered the following:
FRESH CUT FRIES: I chose the Sriracha flavor, which I believe is new, as it has not yet appeared on their online menu. I was blown away when they arrived. They came in a large bowl that could have easily fed a half-​dozen people.
I only ate a few of them, as I was awaiting my order of my grilled cheese sandwich (see below) and didn’t want to spoil my appetite. They were crispy and crunchy, mildly flavored with the taste of Sriracha. I would have preferred a stronger presence of Sriracha, but that’s just me.
In addition, I would have preferred a small container of extra Sriracha sauce instead of the container of what tasted like a honey mustard sauce. It makes sense to me that Sriracha flavored fries should come with a container of Sriracha sauce. Just a suggestion.
Nevertheless, the fries were still delicious and dangerously addictive. After finishing my sandwich, I asked for a take-​home box and was barely able to fit them all in. Then I found myself munching ravenously on a few more along my way home, consuming far more calories than I needed for the entire day. My Rating: 4.5 Stars.
And now for my grilled cheese sandwich selection:
THE VIOLET: «Walnut & Blue Cheese Sourdough with Fresh Blueberries & Brie.»
Labled as one of their vegetarian options, this one did blow me away. I was also having a craving for blueberries with my breakfast this morning but had run out.
The flavors and ingredients combined beautifully for a heavenly and delicious taste combination. My blueberry fix was satisfied. The selection was a visual feast for my eyes. My Rating: 5 Stars.
In a state of blissful surrender, I can no longer deny this restaurant a full 5-​star rating. This little gem of a restaurant has expanded my palate to a state of unprecented appreciation of what a masterful piece of art and awesome deliciousness a grilled cheese sandwich can be.

If you like *UNIQUE* grilled cheeses, you owe it to yourself to check out this place. You really will not find just a «normal» grilled cheese here, but you need to be OK with that because the chef here has thought out all the best combinations.
The place is rather small and only seats maybe 25 people, so be prepared to wait if you come in during the lunch hour. We were lucky and went in around 11:00 and found a seat right away but it quickly filled up.
I had the Woody Allen, a well thought out grilled cheese with smoked salmon and capers. Wow. Definitely not something I would have thought of or even thought I would like, but incredible.
This place has a little bit of a hipster vibe, which I dig. I’ll be back to try out more on the menu.

If you want ooey, gooey übernom and yummy, GCB is hands down a must! Every time I come here, I am more impressed, amazed, and satisfied.
Their specials, ambiance, and amazing customer service make me happy. And the staff is just amazing. We enjoyed conversing with our bartenders and watching them prepare food. This was a super clean kitchen with precise chefs on the grillp.
I moved to DC and tried a nameless, faceless, worthless grilled cheese spot that was subpar. I will never again go anywhere else. I will however come here every time I visit my sister and friends.
So my closing advice is go here, as often as possible. It’s affordable, awesome, and you will never be disappointed. Wish y’all were on DC or Maryland!

Wow, this place is stupid… In a good way!!! We walked in to this small little space and they were crammed full. That’s a good first sign. Looking around you see all the details. The gorgeous shelves, the beautiful vinyl work on the walls, the Rosemary on the counter. I noticed everyone was wearing gloves, that made me happy. Everyone was friendly and we were seated at the bar pretty fast. Perfect place to sit too. My son enjoyed watching everything going on. I did to for that matter.
The food, oh my goodness the food. From the tart hibiscus tea, to the fries and the sandwiches. I am so glad I don’t like In Norfolk or I would be fat and broke. I would give them all my money. The tea was tart and strong, the parm fries were as close to my favorite friets as I’ve been able to find. I got a mushroom grilled cheese, don Quixote I believe, delicious. My husband got something with melon and prosciutto… Oh my gosh! The melon balances out the saltiness of the meat to perfection! I could eat that sandwich everyday. I highly recommend this place. And I’m so thankful someone recommended it to me!

This cute little bistro is located right off Granby street. There is metered parking, and a little parking lot right next door but we decided to save a few bucks and park at MacArthur for $ 1 and walk! It’s not far at all, and on a nice day, the walk is pretty nice :)
The space is a little tight because they are almost ALWAYS busy here, and there’s limited seating for groups. Luckily, we found two seats by the window! They even had little basil plants for decoration! We came on a Sunday and they had live music playing which is always a plus.
The menu is pretty straight forward. For our appetizer, we got the fried pickles. We were expecting little «chip» slices but they came as three pickles sliced long ways! It kind of took us by surprise but these were some of the best fried pickles I’ve had. The breading was crunchy and stuck to the pickle, the actual pickle was crunchy, and the sauce that came with paired so well. For my sandwich, I got the Hang-​Over (black truffle mac and cheese), and it was a little disappointing to be honest. The portion size was HUGE, but I wish the mac and cheese had a little more flavor. It was just underwhelming, for lack of a better word. My date’s was better though! He got «Dreamin’ of Reuben» (Corn beef, Swiss, Sauerkraut, and Chipotle Aioli) which he liked!

Woody Allen FTW. Grilled cheese with smoked salmon? Yes, I’ll take two. It’s so delicious. I never would have thought to have salmon on grilled cheese but this one is a winner in my book. Every bite was delicious. Now for someone like me that is a bottomless pit, this sandwich (and offering they have) is filling. Throw in an order of their fries and you and a few others will be stuffed. Food coma to follow. Plan your afternoon/​evenings accordingly.
I recommend that you take a late lunch if you’re trying to dine in because they get packed with the Downtown Norfolk lunch crowd. If time isn’t on your side, get your order to go. These folks are pretty popular and for good reason. Great food, cool décor, and a beautifully laid out downtown-​feel setup. Put this on your list when you’re in Downtown Norfolk or do what I did, plan a lunch trip there. Well worth it.

Yes, this place is small but there is a sense of character right when you walk in. The hustle and bustle you see already tells you that this place is poppin’. Make sure you get there a little before 6pm for dinner or else you will have to wait in line. They have a pretty good selection of beers and out server was kind enough to let us try the ones we were curious about. I ended up getting the Sweet Baby Jesus, which is an American porter with a chocolate peanut butter flavor. Fantastic aromas of flavored that were balanced well. Although really good, I had a hard time finishing it because it was heavy and I had other drinks before that and the food made me full quickly.
In regards to the food, I ended up ordering the Islander (pork belly, pineapple Sriracha cilantro jam, Thai basil). The server informed me that the 2 popular items were Johnny Appleseed and Hangover. My friend and I also go the Parmesan/​chimichurri fresh cut fries, which were bomb! The portion size was huge and could feed a party of 3 (2 if really hungry).
Will definitely come back again to try the other amazing grilled cheese creations. Stop your diet for one night and make this your cheat meal of the week! Great experience!