Gayle V's Best Ever Grilled Cheese
108 N State St Level B1, Chicago
(312) 219-2359
Recent Reviews
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Maybe pre-covid this was a great place to have lunch. But I was unimpressed during my first visit. I'm a grilled cheese fanatic. But paying $13 for a rather small grilled cheese and a handful of recooked French fries isn't worth a revisit.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Classic Grilled Cheese
Was pleasantly surprised by how great the grilled cheese was and the music was such an added bonus. It isn't fancy but if you're in the area it's worth getting a nice lunch here. Then pop upstairs for dessert at Magnolia Bakery.
Kid-friendliness: Def kid friendly
Wheelchair accessibility: The elevator goes down to the restaurant level which is also the entrance to the train station and the pedway.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Classic Grilled Cheese
Gayle V’s is a hidden gem for grilled cheese lovers—this place really lives up to the name! I ordered the Classic Grilled Cheese with tomato soup and it was absolute comfort food perfection. The sourdough is fresh and perfectly crispy, and the cheese is gooey without being greasy. The soup was rich, well-seasoned, and perfect for dunking. Spent about $15 total and left super satisfied. The vibe is cozy, and if you’re lucky, you might catch some live music while you eat. Definitely one of the best spots in the city for a legit grilled cheese!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tomato Soup, Classic Grilled Cheese
The food was good, but the portions were tiny. You see that tomato soup cup on the side? I took vodka shots bigger than that. Appreciate the live music, I venmo the guy a few bucks.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
It was just ok. Nothing special. 4 sandwiches , 2 cups of soup, and 4 drinks cost $72. Everything needed salt, and the tomato soup was watery. It wasn't horrible, but we won't be back.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 5
the atmosphere was amazing and the food was even better
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: The Classic, Pulled Pork
I love the location and the staff is friendly, but the amount of food I got for $22 was kind of pathetic. And the grilled cheese I had was good, but it wasn't the "best grilled cheese I've ever had in my life". I do like how they have live music though. My main downside is just the portion size.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
The food here is simple, but great. Good sandwiches, and I'm told the soups are good too. The Mac and Cheese is also excellent. I would eat here more often if the prices were just a bit lower.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Granddaughter and I really enjoyed our not huge grilled cheese and tomato soup. Hard to find a restaurant that serves a comfortable sized meal! Food very good. Service very friendly.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
My son loves grilled cheese so we had to give this place a try. Their grilled cheese was a hit! I also enjoyed the tomato soup even tho it's not something I typically would choose. Great atmosphere and great service too!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: The Classic, Classic
Restaurantji Recommends
Such nice people, great grilled cheese and soups. Spacious with cool local goods for sale and plenty of room to sit and read or work
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
These are really good grilled cheese sandwiches. I ordered the pulled pork grilled cheese with their homemade chips and it was quite tasty.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Stopped by here for lunch and I was optimistic because they was someone playing the guitar near the door for the guests. Unfortunately I found the food and service quite disappointing.
Food: It is definitely overpriced as everyone else mentioned. The sandwiches look much smaller and less filled compared to the pictures on their site and menu. The worst part is paying $15 bucks for a sandwich that didn't taste that great. The Chicago Fire sandwich is supposedly loaded with cheese, sopressata, and jalapenos but somehow despite a combination that sounds good on paper it turned out quite lacking in flavor and spice. The tomato soup was pretty bland as well, and I could not tell if there was any pesto in it at all.
Service: The lady taking my order left in the middle of it to take answer a call on her cell phone. Highly unprofessional. And their guest WiFi does not work, which sucks because they are located underground where there is no mobile data connection.
Summary: Overpriced sandwiches. Bland soup. Meh service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 3
Gayle reminds me of the Jeni Britton Bauer (Jeni's Ice Creams) of the sandwich art. I watched both of them coming up, and they share the same genes. Gayle is always hustling, she invests herself in her business, and she's always inventing new and clever flavor combinations. Gayle V's is a hidden favorite in the Pedway that the locals know and love. I tried the lobster melt today - good LORD that's good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We waited so long for our food that my tomato soup was cold when it arrived. I wasn't crazy about the taste of it when eating it with a spoon, but it was acceptable for dipping my sandwich.
My sandwich tasted very good. The menu had stated that the size would be smaller, so I shouldn't gave been surprised when it was as small as it was. I was however, surprised at how small my husband's sandwich was. (I thought it was the same size as mine but he said his sandwich was a little larger than mine. A very little bit larger.) They also put the wrong meat on his sandwich, even though we paid for the more expensive meat option. He said the sandwich was good though.
For the money we spent we shouldn't have needed to stop elsewhere to get a little snack to feel full.
We were glad we tried the food but we won't be adding this place to our regular restaurant rotation.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
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