6 Great Grilled Cheese Sandwiches in Los Angeles

[Photographs: Farley Elliott]

Los Angeles melts cheese well. The city of Angels plays host to the annual Grilled Cheese Invitational, there are countless cheese shops that will happily griddle their finest products between a couple of slices of bread, and even high-end restaurants get into the game with upscale versions of the rainy day classic. Case in point: Campanile, once exalted as one of the city's shining beacons of culinary achievement, devoted every Thursday night for years to gooey grilled cheeses.

Trying to chronicle every amazing grilled cheese in Los Angeles would be a lesson in heart failure and palate fatigue. Instead, we've compiled six of our favorites, from high-end cheese markets in the San Fernando Valley to streetside food truck fare, with an award-winning rendition from chef Eric Greenspan thrown in for good measure.

Take a look through the slideshow for all of the cheesy contenders, or skip straight to each sandwich:

The Restaurants

• Blue, Fontina & White Cheddar Grilled Cheese at Olive & Thyme ($10)
• Cheddar Cheese, Tomato & Bacon Grilled Cheese at Artisan Cheese Gallery ($11)
• Cheesy Mac & Rib from The Grilled Cheese Truck ($6)
• Black Forest Bacon & English Costwalt at The Oaks Gourmet ($9)
• Eric Greenspan's The Champ at The Roof on Wilshire ($11)
• Fontina & Cheddar on Ciabatta at Semi Sweet Bakery ($10)

About the author: Farley Elliott is a writer and comedian living in Los Angeles. He writes about Mexican food for Serious Eats and strip mall food for LA Weekly.