First, it appeared in my inbox in a Thrillist newsletter, then in my Twitter feed being hyped by Nylon, then Zagat posted about it (with an opening sentence I wish I wrote). So what is “it?” A new grilled cheese restaurant called Little Muenster. That got me to thinking, I eat my fair share of this comfort food – at least once a week I seek out a grilled cheese or make my own with Kraft singles, and it was one of the few things I would even consider eating in the dining halls Freshman year. I’d like to think with all the grilled cheese I consume I’ve become a bit of an expert New York City:

Little Muenster, 100 Stanton St., nr. Ludlow St. – The restaurant formally opens tomorrow but there was a special tweet early in the weekend informing followers they would be open for dinner this weekend. I tried the asiago, parmesan, and muenster with butternut squash and sage brown butter  on peasant bread. In the words of Rachel Zoe, “I die.” Totally understand the hype surrounding the restaurants opening now, get your butt there sometime this week.

Beecher’s Handmade Cheese, 900 Broadway: Since they opened earlier this year I’ve made it a point to grab their Fig & Cheese sandwich for lunch once a week. It’s like cheese and wine but in sandwich form and an upgrade from my grilled cheese & grape jelly (I’m not alone in doing this right guys?).

Melt Shop, 601 Lexington Avenue: Easily confused with San Francisco’s VC funded beautifully branded The Melt that’s set to expand soon, but Melt Shop came first. For $6.95 you can have maple glazed bacon atop melted aged cheddar on sourdough bread. For those that aren’t fans of the sweet grilled cheese and want something a bit spicier they make a grilled jalepeno jack cheese with buttermilk-fried chicken ($8.95).

Murray’s Cheese, 254 Bleecker Street: So many cheese to pick from, so little time. You already know how NYU Local feels about their breakfast sandwiches. We feel the same about their lunch Melt.

Westville, West Village 210 W 10th St, East Village 173 Ave A, & Chelsea 246 W 18th: An interesting twist on bread – the cheddar & gouda is melted on a portuguese muffin. What is a portuguese muffin you ask? It’s like an english muffin but without the nooks and crannies.

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Curly’s Vegetarian Lunch 328 E 14th St: The extremely customizable grilled cheese. You pick the cheese and bread, with either tomato, onion, arugula, roast red peppers, tofu bacon, sham or grilled portobello. And it’s served with curly fries.

Bubby’s, 120 Hudson Street or 1 Main Street in DUMBO: The combo of a grilled sharp white cheddar cheese on 7 grain bread with alphabet soup is the perfect combination of comfort food on a rainy day. Who doesn’t love dipping the crust of a sandwich in the soup?

reBar, 147 Front Street in DUMBO: This grilled cheese comes and goes as the seasons change and must be consumed on location as the atmosphere here is amazing. Also located here is reRun Gastropub Theater, a movie theater that serves a unique snack called Saddle Bags, stuffed baked focaccia with your choice of filling – not quite a a grilled cheese but almost.

Gorilla Cheese NYC, Various Locations (Twitter), usually on West 4th outside Stern on Tuesday’s for dinner: Best on-the-go simple grilled cheese while on campus. Plus, they have tater tots!