Grater Grilled Cheese

We stumbled upon this place while visiting the sea lions on La Jolla cove. The staff were extremely friendly and very knowledgeable about every single item on the menu. We both ordered the Puerto Nuevo style Lobster with 5 cheese fries. Everything was amazing. The sandwiches were toasted to a crispy outside and chewy center with a delicious cheese and lobster filling. Even the décor was nice with hanging cheese graters which was very clever. I would definitely return.

Man this place is amazing! Love the look inside and the graffiti outside! I got the grilled cheese with the lobster and crab in it… delicious. Stop by and try it out!

Best grilled cheese I’ve ever had. We both had the lobster. Can’t go wrong. We were worried that it being behind Shakeaway would make it more challenging for people to notice or find. But happy to say, we were jogging by there today and they are moving into the space Shakeaway is at. Yay! Get your grilled cheese on!

AMAZING!!! Had the lobster grilled cheese and tomato soup about two weeks ago and I have not stopped thinking about it since. I will be going back this weekend for sure! Best grilled cheese in the world!

OMG! We are talking the ultimate in grilled cheese! Sandwiches are huge, I ate half & saved the other half! Funky little place that is hard to find & figure out where to order! Once you find it, you will never forget! Look for the colorful Muriel on side of bldg!

I’m not a bread eater, so getting the 5-​cheese quesadilla with grilled veggies was the best lunch. It was delicious and fresh. Kind of hard to find the little café, off an alley across the street and up a half block from Sammie’s Pizza. But it’s well worth the effort.

I found to this place because of Instagram advertisement and pictures; however, when I went there. The grilled sandwich takes longer time to be prepared, also, the chief over grilled the bread (Toast), which make it looks not good. So my experience was not that good. I might give a try a gain to see if there is any improvement.

There’s an incredible sense of comfort when you eat grilled cheese and tomato soup and this place is DYNAMITE! We enjoy both the Mission Valley and the La Jolla locations.
Their oooey goooey cheesy, buttery and toasty sandwiches are sure to please your palate! I ordered a basic and added tomato and perfectly crisp bacon! I’m confident in saying you can’t go wrong! You can try a basic, one of their creations or even customize your own grilled cheese! They’ll definitely have you coming back for more.
And the tomato bisque!!! Wow! Flavorful, delicious and the perfect match for their cheesy sandwiches! And their fries are delicious too!
The La Jolla location is recognizable by their vibrant wall art! The only downside of this location is it’s just an order window and a few bar stools outside.
Truly, if you love grilled cheese and tomato soup, THIS is the place for you! Tell them we sent you!
#sandiegofoodgirls

I typically wouldn’t eat a grilled cheese but I had to try this place. Their sandwiches are huge and overflowing with cheese! The bread is perfectly buttered and grilled for a nice crunch. I didn’t try one of their specialty sandwiches — just got the standard issue. If you are craving some guilty pleasure food in la Jolla this is a great option!

Best Grilled Cheese in SD!

I loved this place, and I am glad that I stopped by even though I am not from the area. A month ago I organized a Party for over 100 teens and I hired their food truck, the event was a success so I decided to visit this location.
I will definitely recommend Grater Cheese for kids and also if you are in the mood of enjoying cheese — only for those who are not keeping any strict diet at the moment.
I ordered the 5 cheese one, which I believe is the simplest one. However I asked it without cheddar cheese and without butter. I enjoyed it! It is very filling, perfect size (perhaps a bit big). I did not try the tomato soup although I heard that it is very tasty.
The price is fair because the size is very generous and you actually don’t need to spend in anything else. One grilled cheese is enough for you and believe me you won’t be hungry for at least 6 hours!
The worker told me they are about to open a new restaurant, one you would be able to sit down and the menu will include salads and other soups. I will definitely try it!

My wife and I were looking for a place to eat dinner while in our honey moon in San Diego. We saw this place come up on our phones but the address listed must have a been a food truck location. The menu looked delicious so we decided to take the 20 min. drive to La Jolla to eat here. The place was a bit tricky to find because it’s out of the back of another restaurant called «Shakedown». We got our food but the weather wasn’t great so we ate it in our rental car… It was all totally worth it. This may have been the most delicious grilled cheese I’ve ever had. My wife got a cup of soup with hers and it is amazing! Eat here! It’s so good!

Classic comfort food done right! I’m pretty surprised how under-​the-​radar this place is (as mentioned on their window) with the night scene, but I am so glad I found this place!
Not sure how often they have this discount, but:
gives you 25% off total order! The second option is a serving of tomato soup with any purchase.
I ordered:
–1 Puerto Nuevo Style Lobster /​/​«Must get» it says, and «must get» I say! This is literally the perfect grilled cheese. THE PERFECT CRISP. THE PERFECT CRUNCH. THE PERFECT CHEESE. Literally in tears when you take the first bite… the bread is amazing! And the cheese was an endless battle (that I don’t mind). A bit pricey for $ 11.5 but discount to $ 9.31 made it better! And if you like lobster, they give you a good amount too! I love how they also have a pickle on the side to balance the flavors.
Pros:
–Great service! Only two people at work, but they were super nice and super chill.
–BREAD + CHEESE = PERFECTION.
Cons:
–Simple menu. I mean, if you’re a cheese lover, the Basic 5 should be enough. But if you’re looking for a full-​on meal with this, I would say this is just an appetizer. BUT REGARDLESS. I can’t really ding them on that since this is more a grab and go type of place.
Tips/​Observations:
–They accept Square!
–Seating literally right outside the cashier! But most people take this as to-​go (and it comes in the cutest box).
–Kids will definitely LOVE IT!
How cool would it be if they made some fries?! And top it off with cheese?! It would be 6 stars for me at that point!

PUERTO NUEVO STYLE LOBSTER. The BEST invention ever. You really can’t get enough of their grilled cheese sandwiches as well as their tomato bisque. The customer service is always great. they’re quick and friendly. This is definitely a hidden gem and a hole in the wall.

We stopped at this Grater location since we were passing through PB. This location is slightly bigger than the La Jolla one in that it actually has an indoor area which you walk in to order. They also have a handful of stools where you can sit inside and a sink. Grater is right next to the Shakeaway in PB as well and it does have a parking lot. There is also a small table in front as well. The setup here is better than the La Jolla location, but I do like the food at the La Jolla one better. I got one of the specials here, the butternut squash grilled cheese which I did really enjoy. These sandwiches came with a pickle, which I was not used to since I always got potato salad with my sandwiches at the La Jolla location. This may have been a recent change though. I wish I had known because I would have asked for no pickles (the pickle juice soaked into my sandwich…).
Service was good; there was only one person working though so while he was cooking, no one was available to take orders. Wasn’t a problem for me since I was the only one in there when I ordered, but when others showed up afterwards, it took so long that one person left.
Overall, Grater is a solid choice for gourmet grilled cheese, but I prefer the La Jolla location over this one.

I came in for a mid afternoon lunch
and I wanted to try this PB location
after trying the La Jolla location in
comparison. I would have to say the
La Jolla won over the PB location.
I wanted to try the Puerto Nuevo
Style Lobster. The ‘Basic 5′ with
buttered fried lobster, snow crab
and their signature Sierra Nevada
pale ale, chipotle aioli.
The bread needed to be
a little bit crispier and the
reason why it wasn’t is
because the sandwich was
stuffed to the max with
lobster and crab but to me
it was a little too much.
I could also tell the lobster and
snow crab had fillers of half in
half along with the fresh meat.
The cheese was too stringy for
me and I would have liked a
pull from the cheese instead of
overly greasy cheese with little
shreds mixed in.
My sandwich was spicy maybe
a tad spicy but it did have good
flavors running throughout.
When I went to the La Jolla location
I was offered a serving
of a potato salad that came with it.
At the PB location I was
offered a pickle on the side instead.
Overall —
I did like the La Jolla location
better and will continue to go there.
The food is a little bit more fresh
and the spiciness needs a little
work but I did like the big chunks
of lobster and snow crabs. — 3.5 stars

I am a huge fan of grilled cheese sandwiches, and one with LOBSTER? I’m in! But!!! This was an experience from Bizzaro-​World.
Having already tried the La Jolla location, and also hearing from a Unilocal friend that the Grand Avenue location in Pacific Beach is better, I had to see for myself.
Sorry to review that the Pacific Beach location was a big disappointment. And especially after being harassed and spammed by Hilda, the manager, this company earned this one star review by default.
The Food Order:
2 — Puerto Nuevo-​Style Lobster and Crab Grilled Cheese sandwiches (which includes a pickle slice) @ $ 11.50/each for a grand total of $ 25.00, including tax…
(Note: The single-​serve potato salad that accompanied the sandwiches at the La Jolla location is no longer offered with the Puerto Nuevo sandwich, but yet the price remains the same. Not sure if that’s across the board for both locations), but it is in PB. If you’re changing your menu and offering less, at least reduce the already high price. Any new business should take into consideration that since an accompaniment has been withdrawn from the original menu, price should be changed accordingly.
A bit more training of employees would go a long way, too. The girl working, a sole employee, was a kid with no training.
I don’t mind paying $ 25 for two excellent lobster grilled cheese sandwiches, but only if they are excellent. Both sandwiches weren’t excellent. They both had extreme inconsistencies in their fillings. They were also soggy, and the paper they were wrapped in wasn’t cut through, so this made the sandwiches difficult to eat. A minor issue, that they fell apart since we had to tear the paper to get to them.
The paper showed it was a hot mess with cheese stuck all over the paper.
My sandwich was really greasy, lacking in the right amount of cheese, plus it had maybe two to three small pieces of lobster. The rest was crab, so along with the little cheese it had, it wasn’t very good. Thus shouldn’t happen, but one sandwich had a long hair embedded in the cheese. It was unsettling. The second even more greasy sandwich was filled with the right amount of cheese and ‘seafood’, but it also contained a fairly disgusting amount of shells! My companion was picking out shells as it was being eaten.
Customer Service:
Never got her name. She was aloof and unconcerned whether she had a customer or not. When I asked about if the sandwich came with potato salad, she stated they «no longer do that», with no explanation they changed out this item at all.
The girl did say I could add tomato soup, but didn’t offer the information that it was at an additional $ 2.00. I already knew it was additional, because I had been at the La Jolla location. I said, «No thank you, just the sandwiches.» She didn’t offer to tell me about the «day’s special», either.
I paid with a debit card, and she purposefully swung the keypad around harshly for me to add a tip. I declined to add a tip because of her unfriendly attitude. I signed the keypad, requesting a paper receipt. It automatically processed, but she failed to give me a receipt and walked away. :/​
I should have helped her out and said, «I got this». I had to ask again for a receipt.
I just had a bad feeling about this when I left… and I was right.
I won’t be back.

Gosh, I love a great grilled cheese sandwich, and I really love the way these make theirs. This time around, I ordered the Caprese which came with a small side of house creamy potato salad. All together, it cost $ 7.50.
The Caprese came on a amazing griddles sour dough bread. These guy know how to griddle the bread to a perfect crispy dark golden brown. The grilled cheese came with their famous five cheese blend, which melted perfectly and tasted great, freshly sliced tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, a balsamic vinegar glaze, and a pesto aioli all tightly wrapped in a white waxed paper.
All the ingredients combined made for a great elevated grilled cheese sandwich. I knew what to expect with the five cheese blend and it was great, but those refreshing tomato slices played well with the hot melted cheeses. The aromatic basil was great and the balsamic vinegar provided a slight sweetness and a bit of sourness too. The pesto aioli was good, but I would of liked to have seen its flavor more prominent throughout the sandwich. Like I said, the griddle sourdough bread was outstanding.
The potato salad was better for some reason than the one I experienced at the La Jolla location. It was better seasoned and the potatoes were done just right. That being said, it was a nice side to have with the grilled cheese.
Nice service by the way.

This place was pretty nice. We showed up at 12:01pm, the guy inside didn’t open the shop until 12:05pm. Still, not really gonna ding them for that :)
We ordered the Grater Grilled Carnivore style. It was huge. Glad we shared. It was also next door to the Shakeaway, who were kind enough to just come in and randomly give us milkshake samples while we were devouring our grilled cheese.
I dinged it a star because I asked for the burger medium, and it was cooked basically well done, but overall the grilled cheese was awesome.
The potato salad that comes with it isn’t really my favorite. I mean, it’s not bad, it’s just not my favorite potato salad. Little things.

We ordered the Grater Grilled Cheese «Carnivore» style, which comes with a grilled Angus beef patty cooked to order, with caramelized onions, bacon, red bell peppers, arugula, goat cheese, and smoked jalapeños. It comes with three spreads on Bread & Cie sourdough bread.
The sandwich was gigantic and is served with a side of potato salad, which was decent. The grilled cheese was decadent, rich and oh-​so-​comforting. The patty was thick and juicy, although it was more well done than I would’ve liked. The toppings and add-​ons in the Grater Grilled Cheese were all fresh and tasty, but it defeated the purpose of coming here for a classic oldie but goodie. That’s not a criticism of the shop, though, just my preference.
Next time I would go with the Basic 5 grilled cheese. Service was personable and fast. Place was clean although small.
Bonus was that we got free samples from Shakeaway, the milk shake store next door.

Über grilled cheese. Loved it! Weird, funky alley location but who cares you are eating a grilled cheese sandwich!

Hidden. Secret. Literally, a small window in the alley way behind a milkshake shop. Willie nelson grilled cheese quotes makes this place an automatic winner. It’s a «hipster» approving place sans skinny jeans, ironic Tshirts and the mustache. Definitely worth having the Puerto Nuevo here. I can’t believe it’s taken this long for a grilled cheese business to make a place for itself. The place is simple with only outside bar stool seating. You will love it. Hard to go wrong with cheese and carbs and they don’t disappoint.