Best Grilled Cheese Sandwiches in Shanghai

Where to get the best cheese sandwiches in Shanghai

The grilled cheese sandwich is a simple American comfort food­—bread and cheese that’s grilled or toasted with butter—that you can easily make at home. But sometimes, you just want to be fed perfection. Here are the best grilled cheese sandwiches in Shanghai.

Co. Cheese

We’re grateful everyday for having Co. Cheese in our lives. They have a wide variety of more than 20 grilled cheese sandwiches (RMB50/regular, RMB65/large), as well as Campbell‘s tomato soup and a short and sweet selection of craft brews and picklebacks to wash them down. Everything we’ve tried has been perfection, but our favorite so far is the Ramen Grilled Cheese. The staff are friendly and efficient, making it a great place to go get plowed with beers and greasy goodness. Also available at Hop Project.

Address: 32 Yuyuan Dong Lu (near Changde Lu) 愚园东路32号(近常德路)

Market 101 by Goga

This gourmet sandwich shop under Goga chef/owner Brad Turley’s watchful eye serves up supersized sandwiches that never fail to please. They have two grilled cheese sandwiches, the Five-Cheese and French Ham with Cheddar, both RMB75. We prefer the Five-Cheese, which comes stacked with thinly sliced fresh tomato that adds a hint of sweetness, disperses the cheesy flavors and makes for a juicy sandwich.

Address: 1226 Changle Lu (near Huashan Lu) 长乐路1226号 (近华山路)

Madison Kitchen

Expanding Shanghai’s limited range of quality delis and sandwiches is Madison Kitchen, the latest deli by chef Austin Hu. Here, they serve only one grilled cheese sandwich, but it’s well worth it. The Molten Oppa Love (RMB50) takes the basic grilled cheese and ham but laces it with kimchi. Madison Kitchen is more of a grab-and-go spot, but to truly enjoy this grilled cheese we suggest dining in to have it piping hot.

Address: 1414 Huaihai Zhong Lu (near Fuxing Zhong Lu) 淮海中路1414号 (近复兴中路)

Tock’s

This Canadian deli is just about the only place in town where you can get Montreal smoked meat, their customizable sandwiches offering a choice of lean, medium or fatty meat. They also do a Grilled Cheese (RMB50) where the beef (RMB30) and other additions are optional. It’s served on the same white bread, toasted with ample strips of cheddar. At a place like this, though, you got to get it with smoked meat. Our only gripe was the not-so-melted cheese. Served with skinny fries and vinegar slaw.

Address: 221 Henan Zhong Lu (near Fuzhou Lu) 河南中路221号 (近福州路)

Bites & Brews

Bites & Brews is a small eatery in Jing’an that serves an assortment of sandwiches, along with quesadillas, wraps and bagelwiches. There’s barely any space to sit inside, but they usually place tables outside when the weather’s nice. The Grilled Cheese (RMB28) is one of the best values on this list. It’s toasted sourdough stuffed with cheddar cheese, mozzarella and smoked ham. We loved every last crunchy bite of this classic sandwich, grease and all.

Address: 397 Jiaozhou Lu (near Wuding Lu) 胶州路397号 (近武定路)

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