During a search for vegan options near my Chicago hotel I happened upon Gayle V's. "Vegan?" you might ask, "this is a grilled cheese place!" I know, I know - I thought the same thing. HOWEVER: Gayle V's does indeed have several plant based options for the discerning vegan diner. I ordered: - Cheeze & Thank You - a fabulous sourdough situation made with locally made vegan cheeze and tomato jam that has a bit of a kick. - Tomato pesto soup - vegan without the parmesan, and truly delightful especially for dipping a vegan grilled cheese. - Seasoned fries (made in the air fryer!), served with house-made ketchup which hints of marinara and stole the show. Although I arrived near closing time the staff member taking my order was very patient and thoroughly answered every question I posed about the menu and ingredients. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The interior is cute - appropriate for a grilled cheese restaurant located in the lower level of a shopping mall.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Pricing is reasonable for the quality, however I did feel the size of my sandwich (even though delicious), was a bit small for the $13 price tag. With the variety of options and that ketchup, Gayle V's is 100% worth a visit. read more

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The best compared to what? Very high prices and a very small sandwich. The buffalo blue grilled cheese had only the barest hint of either. If I hadn't ordered it myself I probably wouldn't have even known it was supposed to have anything beyond the base cheese. I could see the chicken but barely tasted it. It surely wasn't worth a nearly $6 upcharge over a plain grilled cheese. Two stars because the staff was friendly and there was live music (although the singer was painfully flat). read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Would get more stars if they didn't use ugly ai art in their restaurant when they literally have REAL art already on the walls.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]It's very nice environment and the decor was already good.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] but this just sticks out like a sore thumb and is so counter intuitive to "supporting local farms and businesses" real sad to see. good food tho. read more

Gayle V's Best Ever Grilled Cheese - Ugly ai art. - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I was so excited about this spot but unfortunately it will be a hard pass next time. The bread is great, but the sandwich is very oily and not in a good way.. The sausage and cheese are underwhelming and overall felt like an overpriced sandwich with very little flavor. The staff is very kind and the food had a good reputation a few years ago, maybe I just didn't get the popular pick. read more

i love grilled ham and cheese sandwiches. [[HIGHLIGHT]]this place is great.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] it was fast in the east lower level. [[HIGHLIGHT]]They also had a Jazz Sax and trumpet players during lunch. really nice[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

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awesome banana bread brownie . pink lemonade tasted like pink lemonade. the grilled cheese is so overpriced, expected a bigger grilled cheese for $15 . [[HIGHLIGHT]]place did feel like a backrooms level but like chill.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] cashier was very nice awesome service read more

Wanted a quick bite and was so happy with this. [[HIGHLIGHT]]There was live music (a singer) and a variety of grilled cheese options.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We got Little Italy and WOW--it smelled AMAZING and was so delicious. Cheese was melted to perfection. Definitely a great quick bite to hold you over until a bigger meal. Staff were friendly. Would come back!! read more

This was such a pleasant surprise! It's located on the bottom floor, next to the cinema. Such great food! [[HIGHLIGHT]]And tons of seating and friendly customer service.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Everything was very fresh and tasted homemade. It seems they pride themselves on sourcing local ingredients. Would definitely go back! read more

I went here on lunch. Indidnt have many options because I didn't want to go far. I ordered the classic grill cheese with seasoned fries. The fries tasted dry and old. The grill cheese wasn't something I would come back for. The service was pleasant and [[HIGHLIGHT]]the sitting area was clean and welcoming.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

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we were excited to try this place and decided to split the "On the Lighter Side" which was listed to include a small grilled cheese, side of soup, and some chips. the order was missing chips and we were underwhelmed by the food we did get. it was $14 with the dollar tip i added, which is steep but understandable for a small business downtown. i wouldnt mind the price so much, but i was a little peeved after we didn't get one of the promised items. the sandwich was ok, the cheese wasn't super flavorful but it had a good stretch and the bread was nice and crispy. the soup just tasted like chicken stock and had a very strange, thick granular texture. i probably won't be back read more

Gayle V's Best Ever Grilled Cheese - On The Lighter Side - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This restaurant is a little hard to find as it is not visible from the main street, and it's part of a shopping center. We got inside through the Magnolia Bakery back exit which led us into the mall. [[HIGHLIGHT]]They have a large location with lots of seating; it was empty inside when we went.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] They have gluten-free options without cross-contamination which is very hard to find and both the non gluten-free grilled cheese and the gluten-free wrap were solid; would easily come back here again. read more

Stopped in last week for lunch and was a bit letdown! I also feel like what I ordered could've been the issue. With that said, I ordered the Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese and a cup of Tomato soup. The soup was bland and the sandwich is incredibly small for the price ($12). The chicken was pretty cold, and the cheese didn't feel like it was enough for the size of the bread. I was craving a grilled cheese, so this was disappointing! [[HIGHLIGHT]]I do think it's cool that it's in the pedway connecting the Red and Blue lines at Block 37, so location is solid, but it is a bit depressing and drab inside.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Either way, if you're looking for a really good grilled cheese, you could probably find a better one at any cafe. read more

I recently started taking the underground Pedway from the Metra train station and saw this place. I said one day I'm going to try them so on 2/26/24 I paid them a visit. There is an extensive menu with a variety of different grilled cheese to choose from. I decided to get the River Valley - Prairie Pure swiss cheese, smoked onion marmalade and River Valley mushrooms. That had to be the best grilled cheese I've ever had in my life! Definitely a gourmet sandwich with the best and freshest ingredients. I also ordered the seasoned fries which for some reason isn't listed on the menu on the website. They were good as well. I dined in and it was nice and quiet inside the establishment. I'm really looking forward to coming back and deciding which is going to be my next try. Big ups for the website menu having a description and color picture of each food offering. Staff is very friendly and helpful. The place is clean. Grilled Cheeses bring me especially back to my childhood with a nostalgic smile. Wonderful experience! See you soon! A++! read more

Gayle V's Best Ever Grilled Cheese - River Valley-Grilled Cheese with Prairie Pure Swiss Cheese, Smoked Onion Marmalade & River Valley Mushrooms with Seasoned Fries. DIVINE!! - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Pricey. Had a bowl of soup with a side of cut up grill cheese. The soup was ok nothing to write home about, the grill cheese did have a nice crispy texture but flavor was also lacking. read more

The Best Grilled Cheese as voted by The New York Post, 20 years in a row. I can see why. I happened upon this location located on the B1 level of the Pedway and mall in search of a quick but satisfying lunch spot. I was really surprised by the variety of choices on the menu. Think classic grilled cheese using butterkase cheese on fresh sourdough. (That was grilled to perfection). We also opted for the Classic Mac - it's their classic grilled cheese with a heaping portion of homemade Mac and Cheese. This is why you eat here ... most items were homemade, nothing out of a can as the employees told us. Which brings me to rave about their Loop Soup. It was a generous bowl of their tomato pesto soup paired with cut up pieces of the classic grilled cheese. Excellent separately but a match made in heaven when eaten together. My kids even took their sandwiches to dip into my soup. The soup was semi thick and robust in flavor. Yet not feeling too heavy after consuming. Pesto really makes it "wow". The other sandwich which deserves a mention, the Jake! It's Gouda, ham and apple butter. Man, I wish I thought of this. The apple butter's sweetness pairs so well with the ham. And Gouda makes everything good. Yum. So much food in Chicago but this is totally worth a try. Homemade and fresh are the key words here. read more

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Ordered online and got delivery, so was expecting it to be somewhat less quality but the tomato-basil soup was hot and really delicious. The grilled cheese was pretty standard but definitely nothing to scoff at, I'm sure their melts are delicious too. I wish the grilled cheese would have been more cooked, but the bread was still crispy despite being in aluminum foil for 30+ minutes. Will be returning! read more

Inside Block 37 where there is a residence, bouldering, AMC theater, food places like this Grilled cheese place and stores for clothing and a lot more. I love grilled cheese so I tried the $11 combo "on the lighter side" of tomato pesto soup, a small grilled cheese, and potato chips. It had 1 slice of cheese (butterkase) and it was good. I just wanted more greens and cheese Inside. I know it's a small grilled cheese version for the combo but it felt like it was not really a grilled cheese... more like what you can make at home. We also tried the Murphy $15 which is sold just for St Pattys day time and it was good with the 2 slices of Swiss cheese and corned beef which was not fatty but good meat and not salty... I also wished the cheese was more melted and came out hot and 1 more slice of cheese for that oozing taste. Good food but just not enough food for the price and the WiFi down here barely works. read more

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Ordered carryout from this restaurant. Really cool concept grilled cheese and tomato soup. I think the whole restaurant is based around the grilled cheese concept. Quick service good food read more

The location is great in the pedway between the Blue and Red lines so it's a convenient place to get a meal. They have a good variety of grilled cheeses, and I thought the sandwich I got was quality. It was a little pricey though for a grilled cheese which is the reason I took away one star. But it is definitely a delicious meal. read more

Ordered three of their classic grilled cheese sandwiches from their Farmers Market stand and was pleasantly surprised! The sandwiches are on the smaller size but were fairly reasonably priced in my opinion at $8 each. The classic 3 cheese blend was delicious and the sourdough bread complemented the cheeses well. The line at the Farmers Market moved very fast and even though there were 10 people in line in front of me, I got my sandwiches within 15 minutes. read more

After I managed to track this place down, it was so worth it! I have celiac and when I ordered gluten free bread, the woman working immediately went "celiac?" and I said yes and she said she'll take care of it! I got the Southport with a Little Dipper of tomato soup (totally worth it) and devoured it in record time. Grilled cheese was one of the things I missed most being gluten free and now I can get a fix! [[HIGHLIGHT]]I was sad to see so many open tables, but it was pretty cute, the staff was super nice, and I will be returning![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Well, friends... [[HIGHLIGHT]]the last time I visited Gayle V's in 2023 I had a great time. There was live music and the food was delicious![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Unfortunately, visiting a year later has been a major disappointment. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Walking in the restaurant was essentially empty.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]Bussing tubs filled with dirty dishes lined random counters.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We paid around $40 for two grilled cheeses, two sodas and one fry. The portions were incredibly tiny and the fries tasted like something you could get from the frozen section of the grocery store. Despite the poor quality of the food, the staff was lovely. I hope things get better for Gayle V's! read more

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Really overpriced it was blah. Staff was friendly and I won't go back just didn't wow . It's just a panini

This was in the mall so I loved that we didn't have to find parking again to stop by! We went for our son who loves grilled cheeses and we ended up helping him finish it! We just had the smaller original grilled cheese with the side of tomato soup and kettle chips! Man that grilled cheese was so good! The sourdough was the perfect flavor! And the tomato soup had a delicious taste with the added pesto! [[HIGHLIGHT]]I loved the layout and how big the restaurant was![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The staff were really sweet and I loved how they had pictures of all the sandwiches! Definitely would go back and try more! read more

Solid grilled cheese joint. Best ever? That might be a stretch... The space itself is somewhat bland and boring - it used to be an Au Bon Pain, I believe. Staff is super friendly and helpful, and while I was dining they had an acoustic guitarist which was kinda awesome (make sure to tip him if you agree) The sandwich itself didn't blow me away. It was decent but lacked butter and greasy crispness on the bread. The amount of cheese and bacon was also on the lighter side. Loved the homemade chips! Good portion and cooked perfectly. read more

Gayle V's Best Ever Grilled Cheese - Classic grilled cheese (add bacon) and chips. - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My Mom and I were shopping downtown recently and wanted to get something to tie us over until dinner. We took the escalator down from inside Macy's Department Store to "The Chicago Pedway" and immediately located Gayle's! I have always seen this establishment at The Lincoln Park Farmers Market with long lines of adults and children hankering for a grilled cheese Sammy! So I knew it must be good! We just ordered the "plain" grilled cheese. I want to go back and try other recipes which include specialty meats, cheeses and artisan mustards. Quick, easy service and they bring it to your table within minutes! Fantastic staff! read more

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Yummmm. I may be gross, but sometimes I like a grilled cheese and tomato soup for breakfast at 830am on a Friday. They also sell big bags of bread ends for around $3.00. Being that bread ends are my favorite parts of a loaf, this is pretty much pure heaven. Great service, great food. Highly recommend! read more

A little bit off the beaten track but their mac & cheese grilled cheese was seriously the best grilled cheese I've ever had; so much so that it went back in the morning for the bacon, egg and cheese grilled cheese, which was pretty good, but nothing beats the Mac & cheese or the original grilled cheese! read more

Gayle V's Best Ever Grilled Cheese - Mac N Cheese Grilled Cheese! - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I've been coming to Gayle V's to pick up one of the best ever grilled cheese sandwiches for a few years. Even if six months or a year passes by before having my next one the sandwiches always taste the same. This is a good quality to have for a food place because it means the customers can rely on getting a good sandwich any time of the year with the same great taste and flavor. So if dependability is on the list, we can check that off. Another great quality of Gayle V's grilled cheese sandwiches is the ingredients are fresh and suppliers are local. I had my first grilled cheese sandwich from Gayle V's at the Logan Square Farmer's Market and found her again later at the Streeterville Farmer's Market. But if you miss Gayle V's at both farmer's markets or other ones, you can buy a sandwich at her shop downtown in the Loop. The downtown location is super convenient, and especially convenient for me when I need to take the L Red Line to transfer to the Blue Line. When I transfer between the two lines I stop at Gayle's which is in the lower level shops next to the Starbucks. My go-to is the Classic which is sourdough bread and melted cheese or I get the Pulled Porker, which is slow cooked BBQ pork with a homemade slaw. It's really good--the flavors are mild and not overwhelming. After I eat the Pulled Porker I don't have to eat for several hours--it's a sandwich with staying power or how others say "it sticks to your ribs", which is perfect if you have a long drive ahead of you or a flight. read more

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Wonderful grilled cheese sandwiches. All kinds; some kind of act like a panini. Plus she recently added fries to go with. They used to only have chips. They have tomato soup too. The owner is always on site. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Sometimes they have live music.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]It's really nice.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Not the best grilled cheese ever...but decent! I like the variety and plethora of grilled cheese options. It's a bit expensive for what it is though. The sandwich alone (no sides or drink) with tax is almost $16. Not sure it's worth your $15-16 but again...not bad! read more

I was really excited to try this place out while in Chicago and while it was good, it wasn't anything amazing. The tomato pesto soup was pretty good and something new to try, but the grilled cheese was pretty much what I could've made at home. All in all, it's decent if you're craving comfort food, but didn't blow my socks off. read more

Gayle V's Best Ever Grilled Cheese - Tomato Pesto Soup and The Classic Sandwich - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Excellent place for something simple and tasty. Plenty sandwich selection to choose from. A delicious meal for lunch or dinner. Service was great as well. I'll certainly be back to experience more of their sandwich selections. read more

So I really liked Gayle V's... but I do think there are things that could be improved upon. The good! The concept is there. This is a high quality grilled cheese place that came from farmers markets and exudes quality and a pretty affordable price point. Everything is a little more than just grilled cheese but it makes it a bit more refined by adding spreads, switching up the types of cheeses, and even adding meats sometimes. The sandwich is very good as well as the service. What can be improved this is the amount of ingredients. The bread to cheese to other ingredient ratio is just not there. The other ingredients really do elevate the grilled cheese and there needs to be more of it, especially at this price point. I do wish this place well and hope they can improve! read more

Amazing assortment of grilled cheese sandwiches! All farm fresh ingredients. Employees are friendly and helpful.

This place is one of those hidden gems in the Loop that mostly only locals know about. The sandwiches are legitimately delicious and super affordable for downtown Chicago, with most offerings under $15. The sandwiches themselves are a good size, and very very tasty. Both the breakfast sandwiches and the regular menu sandwiches are delightful. [[HIGHLIGHT]]While finding the place can be tricky if you're not familiar with the area, the inside is bright and welcoming, and the owner is extremely friendly.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Definitely worth a visit if you're looking for a hearty breakfast or a robust but affordable lunch option. read more

I wanted something quick and decided to get an order of fries. When I tell you I paid over $4 for small order of soggy fries. I was so disappointed with what I received I will never eat there again. read more

Ambiance of the place was great! The staff was very friendly and there was even live music when I went. The grilled cheese however was not the best I've ever had. Grilled cheese was toasted to a crisp and there wasn't even enough cheese inside to give you that satisfying butter like bite that you would expect. read more

Gayle V's Best Ever Grilled Cheese - Traditional grilled cheese - Sandwiches Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place took 45 minutes to make my incredibly overpriced sandwich and the staff game me attitude. DO NOT GO HERE

Good grilled cheese, not sure it was worth the $13 bucks. Good mac and cheese, not worth the shot glass of mac and cheese for the price. Ate in, they forgot to bring me my drink. Ok place but not worth $22 lunch in my opinion. read more