I take my food fixations to heart and the grilled cheese has now taken over me. Once, when I was 11, I went on a two-week family trip and ate nothing but fried shrimp the entire time. Not bad, right? At least, my fixations are usually delicious.

Today, my extreme love of grilled cheese has led to an exploration of restaurants across Bradenton, in search of the tastiest version. Here’s a look at a few of the notable contenders I’ve found along the way (in no particular order).

Grilled Cheese #1: Ed’s Tavern Adult Grilled Cheese

Ed’s Tavern‘s Adult Grilled Cheese consists of two thick slices of Parmesan-crusted sourdough bread with cheddar, mozzarella, and pepper jack cheese.

The grilled cheese on the bread gives this sandwich its character, it’s bold, firm, and perfect to handle.

You can also add tomato and bacon as I did on another visit. Although, after trying both, I would the standard version without any add-ons is definitely the way to go.

Grilled Cheese #2: River Strand Golf & Country Club Ultimate Grilled Cheese

The Ultimate Grilled Cheese at River Strand Golf & Country Club starts with your choice of bread (white bread for me), butter-griddled with cheddar, American and provolone cheeses, apple-wood smoked bacon, and tomatoes.

All the flavors were there but the bread failed to keep it all together. I would suggest using Texas Toast or a thicker slice. Adding tomatoes is tricky because it needs to be placed from the bread or it will make the bread fall apart. Still, it was a stand-out sandwich, and maybe just skip the tomatoes altogether.

Grilled Cheese #3: The Granary’s Breakfast Grilled Cheese

The Granary in Lakewood Ranch is a well-known spot for breakfast and lunch. On this visit, I went for the breakfast grilled cheese, although you can really have it any time of the day if you like eggs and bacon.

I chose to have scrambled eggs in mine and diced bacon. You can also have ham or sausage.

It was tasty, held together well, and made a delicious and filling breakfast when paired with hash brown potatoes.

Grilled Cheese #4: Panera Bread Kickin’ Grilled Cheese

This is a limited-time menu item at Panera Bread, and I would run to make sure you get a chance to taste it. It’s made with thick miche bread slices paired with American cheese, aged white cheddar, and salsa verde spread.

Miche is very much like a tangy San Francisco sourdough bread and I have to mention that the salsa verde spread had little pieces of jalapeño that added a kick of flavor.

If you enjoy a twist on the standard grilled cheese sandwich, this is definitely a must-try!

Grilled Cheese #5: Sonny’s BBQ’s Brisket Grilled Cheese

Sonny’s BBQ makes their Garlic Bread Toast with melted shredded and sliced cheddar, queso, and chopped brisket. I would say it’s more of a brisket than a grilled cheese sandwich but nonetheless, it’s amazing.

Probably the difference between this and a regular brisket sandwich with cheese is that the great amount of cheese on this one is noticeable even with all that brisket. A little messy but it is to be expected. The flavors were over the top!

Grilled Cheese #6: Sage Biscuit’s Fried Green Tomato Grilled Cheese

Another interesting twist on the standard grilled cheese, I was excited to try the Fried Green Tomato Grilled Cheese Sandwich at Sage Biscuit.

It’s made with grilled sourdough bread paired with provolone and cheddar cheese and a couple of fried green tomatoes.

Everything about this sandwich was quite on point but, sadly, I felt like it was lacking flavor. Maybe a sharper cheddar cheese or more seasoning on the fried tomatoes would have brought it up to the top of my list.

I haven’t yet overcome my grilled cheese fixation, so I’m going to keep looking for my absolute favorite – and I think you should too! Have you tried one of these and loved it? Did I miss one you recommend? If so, drop a comment below! 👇