Tom + Chee

Ehh. I’m not at all impressed with this place. I love grilled cheese and was excited to try it but I was highly disappointed.
I built my own grilled cheese with tomatoes and bacon with what should have been pumpernickel rye but turned out it was only rye. It was beyond greasy to the point it wasn’t appetizing to me. I didn’t even finish it. Maybe my expectations were too high?
I ordered the bleu cheese chili which was better than the grilled cheese but mainly ground meat, very few beans and had an interesting bite I couldn’t put my finger on. It seemed like the spice overwhelmed the chili.
This was something I would have easily made better myself.
I will say that the service was great. Everyone was friendly and helped out but the food left something to be desired.
If I want a good grilled cheese, I will stick to Kings Café on Central in downtown St.Pete.

I love grilled cheese so this place just comes natural to love. Although I have found that alot of the toppings I get so excited about can get easily lost in the super heavy taste of butter. And this price can rack up super quick, getting you into a 11 to 12 dollar sandwich easy! The tomato soup is on point. Like the best… ever. We get creative in the kitchen at home and we live about 3 mins away from this place so we have gotten to a point where we make our own amazing grilled Sammies and stop in to grab soup and grilled cheese donut to go. Yes, I said a grilled cheese donut.
Sounds weird, but just trust me. If you like a glazed donut, and your in Tim n cheese so you obviously like cheese… just pay the extra 4 bucks and make yourself a little happier by getting one. Tried them all (several different grilled donut combos) and still yet, our favorite is the plain old cheddar.

I am shocked how I haven’t written a review yet about this fine, fine establishment! This is easily a 5-​star establishment and they are working their way up!
Who would’ve thought that a grilled cheese and tomato soup concept could be so delicious? a thick Texas toast, various cheeses and/​or meats as well? Yes please! and what about the variations of tomato soups from the classic, chunky and all the way to a hamburger soup? even better!
Now I came here on a late, right before closing time to bring in my sister who was a first timer, the owner explained their concept, their freshness and choices and was floored on what to decide upon (eventually chose the crunchy garlic chicken-​yum!)
Coming here and looking at their menu isn’t quite so simple as most people would think, there are many ways to have your sandwich done from a Cuban to the classic plain ol’ buttery sandwich. My most recent visit I had the Italian-​crunchy grilled cheese with a hamburger soup and boy, was it delicious. If you plan on coming here being on a diet-​throw it out the window as you’ll be counting your calories over your daily limit here. Now, they do offer salads and are vegan-​friendly for those who has their beliefs but as a carnivore, I devoured my sandwich and soup in a quick pace.
As for a dessert, I got the Bananarama and my sis got the S’more (grilled cheese donuts). Both are delicious but I preferred the Bananarama a bit more because of the process of how they make this concoction and how fresh it is!
Of course I will be back, even though it is a bit of a drive from where I’m at but have to support this up and coming chain because of the delicious food but EXECELLENT customer service by the employees and owners of the shop. With service the staff and owners provided, their caring and friendliness they showed me, I bring in people because I will go out on a limb for them!

It takes a pretty good offering for a chain restaurant like this to get above 3 stars from my, and really this is more of a 3.5 star review, but it’s just such an enjoyable place to go eat, and their sandwiches and soups are so tasty, that I just can’t help but give 4 stars.
Stopped in here last weekend with my boyfriend after visiting Tyrone Mall. This place is very much a chain restaurant kinda feel, but still fun. Very clean, bright, and open with lots of reds and yellows. The menu is filled with amusing names, and the people working there are much nicer than most restaurants of this type. This is an «order at the counter, they bring you your food» kinda place. Above said counter is a HUGE menu board, 80% of which is filled with various grilled cheese options. Who knew that there even EXISTED so many grilled cheese options.
Service was pleasant and our food came out quickly, which is exactly what I’m looking for from this kind of restaurant. The guy who took my order at the counter commented on my Cuba t-​shirt and tried to convince me to get the Cuban Grilled Cheese, but instead I went with the Hippy + Chee and a bowl of Chunky Tomato Basil Soup. My boyfriend had been excited by the idea of the BBQ Crunch grilled cheese, but was disappointed to find out there wasn’t any actual bbq in it, just bbq chips.
The sandwiches and soup are, of course, the most important part of this visit, and I must say they were awesome. My Hippy+Chee had hummus and vegetables on it, on griddled whit bread. I must say I was absolutely blown away by the combination of hummus on a grilled cheese, but the vegetables seemed like an afterthought at best. Still, it was absolutely delicious. My boyfriend’s sandwich had meet, peppers and onions, but I can’t remember the name of what he got. It was similarly delicious. And my cup of soup was about 4 oz of chunky tomato heaven.
The price here is amazingly fair. They’re truly reflecting the fact that they’re offering grilled cheese and tomato soup. Most sandwiches only cost about $ 5 – 6, and could easily be a good sized lunch. The soup is a bit more pricey. My cup was $ 3, though it was only good for about 4 spoonfulls. Still, a cup of soup and a sandwich ends up costing under $ 10 which is a pretty good deal nowadays. Especially with how good the offerings are.
Definitely a place I will consider whenever I’m feeling a guilty pleasure/​easy/​quick lunch. It was awesome, and the biggest barrier to me going again is the fact that it’s just a bit of a drive from where I usually am in St. Pete.

This place was outstanding!
Not sure what was better, the service or the food.
Upon entering the woman working the counter heard my friend and I say it was our first time and walked us through the menu. My friend got a make your own grilled cheese and I got a I got flying pig and creamy tomato soup. Everything we had was fabulous. The manager Matt came over to make sure everything was going well. We got to talking and he gave us a brief history on tom and chee. We finished our meal with the s’mores, which was on a donut. Sounds strange, but super good.
I will certainly be back to tom and chee! I hope they open more locations in Tampa soon.

A great concept for grilled cheese lovers. They have a variety of options to choose from, or you can build your own grilled cheese. They are notorious for being on Shark Tank. I will come here once in awhile, but not on a regular customer basis. The customer service here is spot on. I wish they had a bigger variety of gourmet cheese to choose from, along with more options for items to put in your grilled cheese (fig jam, prosciutto, pork belly, etc).

My girlfriend and I noticed this opening up recently and have driven past a couple times. We finally decided to give it a try for lunch.
I ordered the flying pig and a cup of the chunky tomato basil soup. The sandwich was not greasy or soggy and was packed with ingredients. The bacon was nice and crispy, there was plenty of turkey, just enough pickles to give it a nice crisp and very creamy Gouda. The soup was very good and I wish I would have gotten a bowl. Very balanced flavor and the chunks of tomato gave nice texture to the soup. The basil is noticeable but does not overpower the soup. Dipping the sandwich in the soup made the flavors really jump out.
My girlfriend ordered The King donut and a shot of the blue cheese chili. The chili wasn’t bad, but after having the tomato basil soup, we both agreed it just didn’t «pop» like the other soup. The blue cheese was very creamy and complimented the chili but I’m not sure it’s something we would order again. The King donut was served on the inverted donut with peanut butter, bananas, chocolate, marscapone and mozzarella. The donut was very soft which helped keep the filling inside and not ooze all over the place. Peanut butter, banana and chocolate are a pretty popular combination and the cheeses definitely add another depth of flavor to the donut. Very good and savory.
For dessert we ordered a s’mores donut. It’s exactly as it sounds, it’s s’mores in between the donut halves with marscapone added. Very very delicious and the graham cracker pieces give it a nice crunch to add texture.
This is a place we will be coming back to to try the other sandwiches and donuts all with a side of the tomato basil soup. If you like nice quick soups and creative sandwiches then I do recommend you come.

I dined here with my almost 22-​year-​old daughter who was in town visiting from college on a Friday evening around 6:30 PM. As a child she really love grilled cheese sandwiches so I thought this would be an extra special treat and I had heard that you could get smoked Gouda grilled cheese there and I had a hankering for that. Upon entering the place the layout is a little odd. You walk into the dining room and you have to walk around to get to the counter in order to order. We stayed back a little bit and surveyed the menu and as such were approached by a manager type who did a very good job of explaining the menu to us and recommending a couple of choices along the way. My daughter ordered the ham + Chee which is ham a pickle American cheese and hearty white bread she switched out the American for chatter you can easily make substitutions with no penalty unless you upgrade the ingredient to a premium cheese or meat. Upgrading is either one or two dollars respectively. I ordered the flying pig described as roasted turkey, bacon, pickle, smoked Gouda on a hearty white bread. I decided to minus pickle thinking that that would probably detract from the Gouda. Additionally, I ordered the chunky tomato basil as a cop which was three dollars and my daughter ordered a bag of chips (beware these chips are only 1.5 ounces instead of the typical 2.5 ounces) my daughter ordered a water and I had fountain drink. It rang in at around $ 20. They give you a stanchion with a number on it and you can be
seated anywhere throughout the restaurant.
I grabbed myself a soft drink and we sat down inside at a small deuce by the window. There is an outdoor patio which has a sign up that says no smoking it is covered as well. Positioned in the middle of the restaurant are two large screen TVs back to back airing local news. Glancing around the restaurant you’ll notice that the lighting is extremely bright couple that with the vibrant yellow and red throughout the entire restaurant and you feel like you’re stuck inside of some sort of strange McDonald’s nightmare. It’s not incredibly pleasing to look at.
The food arrived relatively quickly and the presentation was nice. I immediately was taken aback by how small my cup of soup was three dollars I might have gotten a half a dozen spoonfuls out of it. It was however quite tasty I could easily have downed a serving size 3 times that. I found my sandwich to be incredibly dry but it did have an adequate amount of bacon and turkey on it both of which had good flavor. The amount of cheese served on this was questionable at best. In fact the manager that assisted us at the menu board came by and asked me how we were doing and I asked about the cheese he immediately went back to inquire as to whether or not they were portioning out the cheese correctly returned to tell me that 2 ounces of cheese were included on that sandwich I’m not sure if it was all absorb other bread or not but it certainly wasn’t on the meat which left me with quite a dry sandwich. Unfortunately, he didn’t really make any kind of an effort to fix it or correct it. I was a bit disappointed in that but as I said the meat was tasty so I did finish it. My daughter fared a little better. Her ham and cheese did seem to contain enough cheesy goodness in between the ham to make it a decent sandwich. Her biggest disappointment was in the chips this bag of barbecue chips that she picked up were only 1.5 ounces served in a bag that looks like 2 ½ to 3 ounces.
After we finished we decided that we would try one of the grilled cheese doughnuts for dessert the manager had recommended the strawberry lemonade which is listed as fresh strawberries, candied lemon, mozzarella, lemon mascarpone, and a doughnut. We opted for the blueberry blue. It is listed as blueberry compost and blue cheese with mozzarella lemon mascarpone and a donut. When it arrived, the presentation made it look a little bit like a bagel sitting on top of another half a bagel facing up. It was very interesting and the taste was very good. For some reason I had a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that blue cheese might be able to be used and the thing would still be sweet but surprisingly it was. We were able to effectively split it at $ 5.95 I believe, and felt satisfied.
Overall this was a very interesting adventure. It was mixed with a few ups and downs but overall it was decent. I wouldn’t make it a regular stop though because to me paying $ 10 for a grilled cheese sandwich meal that barely has any grilled cheese on it just doesn’t really work. Especially because the manager assured me that the cheese was the correct proportion. It has a strangely compelling feel to it though it’s almost like you know you want to go even though you really don’t want to go. So more than likely I’ll probably return at some point but I can’t see it being my first choice at these prices.

Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. I love both of these things. Everything is made fresh and to order. Many variations of the sandwich and soup. But the thing I enjoyed the most was the Mac and cheese. I would say it was excellent.
Décor is bright. You order and then they carry it out to you. They also have a few tvs.
Even though the food is good I do think the prices are a bit high.

I don’t know, everyone is raving about it but it just didn’t blow me away. My mac n cheese grilled cheese was rather flavorless. I barely tasted the cheese. And the tomato soup tasted watered down to me. I’ve definitely had better.
The best thing about the place was the donut grilled cheese sandwhich. It was delicious, but it’s rather bard to make a glazed donut not taste good, don’t cha think?

FOOD TRUCK REVIEW*
Ok, so like I said. This is a review of their «food truck.» Visited Tom + Chee in Ybor during the Grilled Cheese Festival this past weekend. I have to commend them on how quickly I got my food, can’t speak for others, but the line kept a steady pace and after paying got my food within minutes. Needless to say, I will now be a regular in store!
To begin my experience, I split a Grilled Cheese Donut with a friend and am so sorry I did. I deserved my own. This donut opened my eyes to a whole new world of donut options. The sweet and savory matched perfectly. The cheese to donut ration was on point. And finally, the melts in your mouth goodness was super easy to eat without being crazy messy. Had the lines not been so long, I’d have gone back for a second or third.
Can’t wait to go in and try all the other amazing cheesy options.

Yes, I am a fan! I was told this is their 40^th location, with number 41 opening soon. I can see why they are so successful. Great, creative food, with a price that’s not too hard on the bank.
I tried the doughnut grilled cheese. It was good, but not something I would order on a regular basis. It was very sweet, dessert sweet. If someone said, «would you like to add cheese to your doughnut»? I would respond with a profound yuk. BUT, if you ask me if I want my grilled cheese made with a doughnut instead of boring bread, the answer is HECK YEAH!
Their version of a Cuban was good, but it didn’t have Cuban bread. I think if they incorporate the Cuban bread, it would be better. This would not be my number one place to go for a Cuban, but it wasn’t the worst I’ve ever had either. They have a ton of combinations to build your own, they even offer chips to add to the sandwich to give it a crunch (I’ve been doing that for years). There’s a plethora of other items on the menu I want to try.
The dining area is bright and clean. The cashier was knowledgeable, and super friendly. I felt like she truely enjoyed working there. The manager was involved. He made rounds asking everyone about their experience, and seemed genuinely concerned that everyone enjoyed their meal.
I can see why Tom + Chee is so successful.

Calling all grilled cheese lovers!!!
Such a cool place! Not only is the food awesome, the ingredients are all fresh and you can even get gluten free bread. They accommodate allergies, special request, ect. Their spicy mustard is amazing and made in house too:)
I personally loved the creamy tomato basil soup.
The chunky tomato basil is what it says… chunky. Still good. But I prefer the creamy one. I heard they have a blue cheese chili seasonally and once a week in her off season… Would love to try that!
The sandwiches… So good!!! I don’t know what my favorite is but my top 3: Mac+Chee, bbq+bacon, & the Cuban!
You can add a crunch (potato chips) to any sandwich… it is so good!
I also tried the grilled cheese donuts: not a fan of the classic but the s’more was really good.

I love grilled cheese! My first experience was in Kennesaw, GA. So when I saw we were having an Elite event here, I had to come by since it’s so close to home. I was craving a burger… then it turned into craving a Philly cheese steak. So I decided to make my way over! So glad I did! I love philly cheese steak, but hate it on hoagie rolls. I always have to pick off excess bread. So coming here I k ew I wouldn’t over do it and I just wanted a sandwich. My belly is now happy.
First bite, you taste that butter from the griddle that’s been toasted into the bread. Yes, Texas thick hardy white bread with a beautiful golden color. Then, the cheese melting off the sides and the lovely peppers and onion popping out. The steak was as tender as it could be, but dos enjoy a few pieces with that extra chewy to it. Grilled mushrooms, peppers onions and the mayo! Man, I want another but my thighs will hate me! They give you a number and bring it out hot and ready for you. Presentation is clean. Staff is friendly and will take your empty yeah for you.

Absolutely fantastic!
The whole concept is a win. The grilled cheeses are perfect (I’ve tried the glazed donut grilled cheese and the «Grilled mac & Chee» grilled cheese sandwiches — both were as good as grilled cheese gets). I added bacon to both selections and I highly recommend making this life-​choice yourself, it’s good bacon — not just bacon bits.
The only reason for withholding a full five star rating is that the mac & cheese (as a side) is nothing special, nor are the soups — I have tried their Clam Chowder and tomato. Everything seemed pretty ‘meh’ compared to the glory of the grilled cheese.
Service was stellar on both visits… I’ll keep coming back until I die.

When you go to Tom + Chee and order something you can make in your own kitchen you are left disappointed. When you are left disappointed you stare at the ketchup and mustard colored walls. When you stare at the ketchup and mustard colored walls you notice how much you paid for that sandwich you could make at home. When you notice how much you paid for that sandwich you can make at home you get angry. When you get angry, according to DirectTV, you wind up in a ditch. Don’t wind up in a ditch. Order something from Tom + Chee that is out of your comfort zone. Like:
Vegan cheeze! Loved that Tom + Chee makes their own version instead of buying stock in some of those less than stellar store brands. It actually melts and squishes, sort of like the cheez whiz that Philly steak places slather on their bread. If you aren’t vegan, I would recommend you stick with the real thing because you will be left disappointed. But if you are vegan, fear not, there is a decent sandwich available that won’t make you feel like an outcast at a grilled cheese venue for the first time in your life. Wheatberry bread! The thickly sliced, handsomely toasted bread that enveloped my vegan cheese served as a firm contrast to the gooey insides. It held up well to being dipped in the chunky tomato soup. Grilled Onions and Mushrooms! Some would say I’m bordering more on a veggie sandwich than on a grilled cheese by adding onions and mushrooms but that vegan cheese needs some kind of texture to break up the monotony. The sautéed onions and mushrooms did just the trick.
My lasting thoughts about Tom + Chee is that the sum of the parts is much greater than the parts themselves. Eating the vegan cheese alone, too rich. The soup by itself, lacking flavor. The veggies, plain and boring. The wheat berry bread, well that’s good with or without the other ingredients. But when you pair it all together that’s where a unique dining experience full of varying flavors and textures and dietary accommodations can be had.
If you are into the customer service thing, Tom + Chee does a nice job of that. They had employees coming around often to fill drinks, take away plates and answer questions about the vegan cheese.

Five star all the way! Super friendly staff and Holly took so much time explaining the menu to me, since it was my first time here.
The food!!! They will do a half and half so you can taste more than one sandwich, but I’m glad I didn’t. The crunchy onions in the middle of the Beef and Cheddar make it that much more of a winner. I tried both the creamy tomato soup and the roasted cauliflower soup. Dee-​lish.
Ok– let’s talk about the donut sandwiches. …I tried The King (have them caramelize the bananas) and nom nom nom…
Run, don’t walk to Tom and Chee

Oh Tom + Chee, how I love thee.
Does it get any better than a restaurant devoted to grilled cheese sandwiches? No, it really does not.
I’ve been to Tom + Chee several times now, and I really still don’t have a favorite sandwich because they are all my favorite sandwich. I’ve had the regular Tom + Chee, the Flying Pig, the Grilled Mac + Chee, and the Crunchy Garlic Chicken. They are all stupendous, and if I HAD to pick one, the Grilled Mac + Chee might be the one I pick. But, they are all heaven.
They are also known for their Grilled Cheese Donuts, which are donuts that are grilled to perfection and covered in some sort of delicious cheese. They have several different varieties, and at least sometimes a special of the day that isn’t normally on their menu. On one occasion, said special was a peanut butter and chocolate grilled cheese donut, so naturally I had to try it. It was very sweet, but very divine.
Go here if you enjoy delicious things.

Why 5 stars? Because good God, I want to live in here.
— — —
Why there aren’t more amazing grilled cheese sandwich shops, I’ll never know. I feel like there should be at least as many places to grab a grilled cheese as there are breweries in Tampa Bay. But right now, the score is like 38 – 2.
Think about it — Thick Texas Toast + All kinds of cheese + an unlimited assortment of veggies/​proteins.
Who doesn’t think that’s awesome? And Tom + Chee does it amazingly well. You can choose between one of their drool-​worthy concoctions, or dare to build your own.
My biggest problem during my visit, was that trying to decide what I was going to order, felt like the toughest decision I made in 2015. It actually hurt… much like my stomach hurts right now as I pen this review a couple of weeks later. I literally wish that I could spend the next 10 days eating a different item on the menu. Alas, New Year Resolutions have damned me again from happiness.
I was nervous to build my own, as I am not a Grilled Cheese professional, and did not want to screw up a good thing. But, like the brave hero that I am, I just named a bunch of things that sounded good, and awaited my fate. Turns out, I’m not too shabby at this grilled cheese game! That, or the options at Tom + Chee’s create a situation that’s impossible to fail.
The fiancé, not being the pioneer that I was, ordered the Mac & Chee sandwich. As you could guess, there’s no chance that it was anything but superb. I was actually pretty torn on which of the two I enjoyed more.
And for dessert, we ordered a special called the Dark Vader. It consisted of a grilled donut, mozzarella, dark chocolate, strawberries, graham cracker, marshmallow, and mascarpone.
What do you think that tasted like?
Tom + Chee, will you be my cheat meal every Sunday this year?

A good solid meh!
I really really wanted to like this restaurant. Expectations were high — and quickly came crashing down.
When the restaurant’s name implies that they serve cheese on bread, you kind of expect that. And that’s where my disappointment came in. I was taken back to the long-​ago commercials from Wendy’s «where’s the beef?» That’s how I felt here, «where is the cheese?»
The sandwich is definitely lacking in cheese. I deconstructor the sandwich in search of the cheese. Eventually I found some trace evidence of melted cheddar.
Now on a positive note, the employees are incredibly friendly and helpful in the ordering process. The restaurant is nice and bright and clean. And the food is creative — but definitely not a grilled cheese. It is a grilled sandwich with a micro dusting of cheese.
I feel compelled to return one more time. I’ll update the review if I have a better experience. I must return to try the signature grilled doughnut with cheese. For now you get a 2.5 — review.

I’m a huge Shark Tank fan so I’ve been dying to see this place since it appeared on the show. It reminds me of a CiCi’s Pizza as far as the décor goes. All red, yellow and black everything. The menu is pretty basic. Unique variations of the classic grilled cheese sandwich.
Their claim to fame is a grilled cheese donut which is a glazed donut sliced in half and stuffed with cheese, sweet side in. Mix of cheese and glazed tastes like honey to me. (I dont like honey)
I had their classic tom and chee which is your classic grilled cheese with diced tomatoes inside with a cup of chunky tomatoe basil soup. It was good. Nothing fancy or pretentious… between my husbands 2 sandwiches, 2 drinks and my soup and sandwich we spent $ 16. Personally, everything I had I could make myself in less than 20 minutes. I wont be back unless someone else is curious to try it.
All Coke products.

Yes, I drove an hour to some place Unilocal listed as hot and new. Yes, I took the Momster with me (I treated).
I haven’t been down to the Tyrone area in –ages– Probably a decade or more, but this trip was worth it. Tom + Chee was damn good. In fact, my check-​in, apparently inspired a few of my friends to go later that night and actually try a donut of theirs. Hehe.
Mom and I were surprised by their menu, it’s extensive. Since we didn’t want to hold the line up, mom went with the classic: And chose 2 cheeses, Mozzerella and Cheddar on wheat with their soup of the day, Broccoli. Me, I chose their Roni Chee and the Chunky Tomato Soup, because I LOVE me some Tomato soup.
We were told that this is all hand made, no fryers, no microwaves, etc. and I tend to believe them, so we took our number and sat down at our tables with chairs that reminded me of being back in High School in Pasco County, and waited. We had been given the wrong number, but the waitress found us, and our food was delivered.
The sandwiches and soups smelled great, they looked great and they were hot! The first thing I noticed? BUTTER! My sandwich had that great, grilled in butter taste. MMMMM Yes! Mom said that the Broccoli soup was good, but it was different, so I tasted it. To me, It was like they’d used Cauliflower as their thickener not cream. And if so. YAY! It’s one of my favorite tricks. She liked it.
Now the Roni Chee? We used to call that a hand pizza, and they did a fine job of it. I would have just added a few more pieces of pepperoni, other than that, this was a perfect visit. Ok other than the HOUR drive, it was a perfect visit. Bring one to Tarpon, Clearwater or Oldsmar! Please!