Tom + Chee – Knoxville

I recently took the dive and headed to Tom + Chee for dinner and must say that this restaurant does meet it’s high expectations set up by all the hype surrounding the franchise. The Tom + Chee in Knoxville is a relatively new establishment, so the restaurant is still relatively clean and shiney. When I came into the restaurant around 7:00pm it was not very busy so I was able to order right away and didn’t have to wait too long for food.
I tried the Flying Pig, which is a roasted turkey, bacon, pickle, and smoked Gouda sandwich. I also had the Crunchy Garlic Chicken which has Parmesean Garlic Chips, Chicken, Grilled Onion, Tomato, Sweet Hot Mustard, Garlic Seasoning, and Pepper Jack on Wheat bread.
Both were equally impressive and I would recommend both of these sandwiches, although the Crunchy is reserved for those that like sweet and hot in combination.
Best sandwhich I ever had? No. Does it come close? Yes. Would I go back? Sure, although there other equally tasty options for the price point of around $ 10 per sandwhich. If you haven’t tried this place out, you do certainly owe it to yourself to check it out.

Out of the heart of somebody that has the heart of a kid and the ideas of a mogul came Tom Cheese. I must stop myself from getting to. Cher everyday. They have a delicious grilled cheese and jelly that inhabits my dreams. What did we do before Tom-​Chee? Kid and adults will love it!

Wow, a good lunch for under $ 10. I did not order from the menu I just described my ideal grilled cheese sandwich when ordering (which happens to include tomatoes and bacon) and they produced a sandwich as good or maybe better than I could make at home. I rated only four stars because the tomato soup was good not fantastic.

Over-​priced plain grilled cheese sandwich. Tomato soup very bland, similar to canned tomato sauce with minimal herbs added. Might give them a second try, but first was not good by any means (especially cost for quality).

This review is going to be a tad different since I tried so many sandwiches.
Customer service: fabulous. You can customize anything. I loved their response to calories for the donut cheese sandwiches. He said not to worry about it because it goes out of the hole! Because the donut has a hole. HAHA.
THE TOM+CHEE: Tomatoes+Garlic Seasoning+Cheddar+Mozzarella+ Hardy White
— Original, this is great for the people who are not adventurous
PESTO+TURKEY: Roasted Turkey+Pesto+Mozz+Hardy White
— I ordered this without the turkey because I love pesto and it was okay. I would have been content without it
HIPPY+CHEE: Hummus+Cucumber+Mixed Greens+Tomato+Cheddar+Wheat Berry
— This is known to target the veggie heads but this wasn’t my favorite. This was actually the worse out of all the sandwiches I had. Why? The hummus needs to go. It makes the sandwich dry.
GRILLED MAC+CHEESE: Mac & Cheese+Cheddar+Hardy White
— Carby all the way. This is great for a one time try for the people who are watching the amount of carbs they can consume. It’s not dry, there’s a lot of cheese, and there’s not spark to it; it’s literally mac and cheese on bread.
SWISS+SHROOM: Grilled Mushrooms+Onion+Swiss+Pumpernickel Rye
— I was really excited for this sandwich because it had mushrooms but the amount of mushrooms they put in here was lacking. This sandwich was too thin to even taste the essence of mushrooms.
ARMAGOETTA: Goetta+Cherry Peppers+Fried Onions+Sweet Hot Mustard+Pepper Jack+Sourdough+Pumpernickel Rye
— Got this veggie friendly and I was hoping it would be spicer but I still enjoyed it. I’m pretty sure with the goetta, this sandwich would be amazing.
CRUNCHY GARLIC CHICKEN: Chicken+Grilled Onion+Tomato+Sweet Hot Mustard +Garlic Seasoning+Parmesan Garlic Chips+Pepper Jack+Wheat Berry
— Got this veggie friendly and this is my absolute favorite here. I love the crunch it brings with the mixture of sauces and flavor. You must order this. I could only imagine how much better it would taste with chicken, assuming they cook their chicken correctly (not dry). LOVED IT.
MINT SUMMER’S NIGHT Chocolate Mint Candy+Chocolate Mascarpone+Fresh Strawberries+Mozzarella+Donut
— My favorite donut option. The mint really gave it the kick and the strawberries gave it texture. The only con is the amount of strawberries they put. If you like mint and never tried it mixed with strawberries, you have to order this
BLUEBERRY BLUE Blueberry Compote+Blue Cheese+Lemon Mascarpone+Donut!
— On the sweeter side.
STRAWBERRY LEMONADE Fresh Strawberries+Lemon Mascarpone+Mozzarella+Donut!
— This was quite interesting. I enjoyed it a lot. This came second to Mint summers. Again, they should add more strawberries; I split this in half with another Unilocaler and all of my halves didn’t have strawberries.
SMORE Chocolate Pieces+Marshmallow Mascarpone+Graham Cracker+Donut!
— Ahh the classic smore. It’s so googy! Great for smore lovers.
Soup: classic tomato, chunky tomato, beer cheese soup
— I was never crazy about tomato soup. Their beer cheese soup was great though! It was creamy and cheesy; it seemed perfect as a dip!
Overall, they serve good grilled cheese sandwiches. I’ve definitely had worse to compare. All their sandwiches had a great, addicting texture: crispy, not dry, flavorful and a different take on the combination of ingredients.

The best beer cheese soup ever! Love this place!
The owners plus crew treat you right!

The owners are accommodating and hospitable to a fault. I loved the hippy-​chee! Try the king… It’s a grilled donut with peanut butter. OMG.

I was lucky enough to be chosen to attend a Unilocal event graciously hosted by Tom+Chee. I had not had an opportunity to try their food yet, so I jumped at the chance. OMG I am SO glad I did! It was a fantastic opportunity to try almost their entire menu! My favorite HAS to be the Beer Cheese Soup. I don’t think it’s a regular menu item but it absolutely SHOULD be! I could swim in a vat of it.
My favorite sandwich was probably the Flying Pig with roasted turkey, bacon, pickles, smoked Gouda and white cheeses. The Crunchy Garlic Chicken being a close second. I loved the crunchy of the chips and it brought me back to my childhood of shoving chips onto my ham and cheese sandwich. The Tom+Chee had excellent flavor for being a fairly basic grilled cheese sandwich. The garlic seasoning gave it a nice flavor along with the fresh tomatoes. If you love blue cheese, you definitely need to try the Bacon Blue!
I don’t even know where to start on their donuts. I tried the Blueberry Blue, Strawberry Lemonade, Smore’s, and Mint Summer’s Night. I thought the Strawberry Lemonade was my favorite until Mint Summer’s Night. Boom! Mic drop with that one! I definitely think they should come with a double shot of milk, though ;). Long review long, don’t hesitate to try this place. If there is nothing «premade» that tickles your fancy, you can totally build your own!

As a vegetarian, I’ve been waiting for a restaurant like this for a long time! I can proudly say that my expectations have been met completely! The menu has so much to offer if you are either looking for a quick snack or something hearty.
The basic Tom + Chee is anything but basic. The tomatoes are fresh. The bread is warm, slightly crunchy and buttery. The cheese is quality, a pleasant departure from the processed goo found at other restaurants. I also love the Hippy + Chee. Who would have thought hummus works so well with grilled cheese?
Any of their sandwiches are delicious dunked in one of their fine soups. The Chunky Tomato is a great everyday choice, but grab the Beer Cheese soup if you happen to be lucky enough to catch it on the «soup of the day.»
If sweet is more your style, they got ya covered too! The S’more on a donut is delicious and I’m not even normally a chocolate fan! I must say however, on the sweet side of the menu, the «King» has to be my favorite as PB and Banana and Mozzarella live in perfect harmony between a donut. Something for everyone can be found here at Tom + Chee.

Flying pig. With Chipotle soup. Great stuff highly recommended it for basic needs. Soup Lil spice to it. Good.

My wife and I were thrilled to hear about Tom+Chee when we saw their Shark Tank edition. The concept itself seemed basic yet creative. We haven’t had one open near our home town, so when we drove passed it, we had to go. The place itself was filled with color and posters, very clean location (just opened a few moths ago). We decided to order some basics to get a feel of the place; classic Tom and Chee and the doughnut grilled cheese. We didn’t wait much for our food. Customer service was very straight forward nothing personal like the guys who created the company.
First we bit into the doughnut grilled cheese. My wife immediately stopped eating after the first bite and didn’t find anything good about it. The idea of a doughnut and cheese didn’t appeal to her taste buds. I didn’t like the flavor, but thought maybe because it something different. I hate wasting food, so I ate it. Hours later my stomach didn’t agree with me. I’d skip it if I were you.
The classic grilled cheese was the star of the visit. Great idea adding tomatoes to the sandwich. probably, someday… might come back and order that one again.
Overall not what I thought it would be. Idea of the concept is great and creative with menu and presentation, but probably the most unhealthy meal I’ve had in a while. My opinion is my own, but I wish the best to Tom + Chee!

As a huge Shark Tank fan I had to go to Tom+Chee on opening night. It was quite crowded and there are definitely not enough seats BUT THE FOOD… omg it is FANTASTIC!!! I had the Barbara Blue — ham, brie and blueberry compote on a DONUT!!! WOW!
The next time I went I got «The Flying Pig». REAL (think total opposite of Subway) turkey, bacon, cheese and pickles. That’s been my sandwich ever since. It’s amazing.
I’ve only ordered the soup once, creamy tomato basil, and it was delicious but I’m really not a big soup person.
The reason I only gave this 4 stars is because of price. For 2 people to eat it’s over $ 20. I do recommend it though, even if you only go once. I mean come on, it was on Shark Tank!!! :)

My experience started when seeing this place on shark tank. It’s a story that is the epitome of the American Dream.
We came a few weeks after they opened on Sunday afternoon and the placed was packed. The line took us a good 20 minutes but the place had a good vibe and the menu were scattered everywhere to ensure you get it right when it’s your time to shine.
I couldn’t really fathom a donut with cheese so I opted for the spicy grilled cheese and for an extra 2.50 I opted to make it a double decker and was not disappointed. Chose a bowl of SOD which was buffalo chicken and it was great and my lady wanted to steal it. She opted to build her own sandwich with Brie, turkey, macaroni and pesto. Got to respect the customization that Tom & Chee offer.
23.00 and we both took half a sandwich home.
Being from Wisconsin I was excited to see some of the best cheese out there on the menu.
I would enjoy calling an order in and picking it up due to long lines at a «Togo» register. Hint…

Excellent toast on my bread. The ingredients within were a little dry and bland though, and my little dunker of soup was also bland. I didn’t finish my soup because it just seemed like watery canned tomatoes and was definitely lacking salt.
Everyone in my group said they expected more cheese although I had the Flying Pig and felt the cheese content was fine. We tried the original grilled cheese donut and loved it, and this is probably what I would go back for. But it needs to be shared.
Ambience is loud. We could barely place our order over the noise of a group of raucous girls in the corner. Luckily it wasn’t raining so we were able to eat outside and avoid the noise. The tables outside are way too close to each other, though, impossible to get in and out without disrupting the people behind you. Staff was nice and I noticed they made an effort to have a small conversation with each customer as they dropped off their food.
Overall it was good but could be better!

Going to Nomsville! So great! We were a little worried when we saw the reviews bashing this jount. Pssht that’s for the birds!
Got a bunch of selections to choose from! I want that donut number so bad… but I’ll hold off till I can find the inner courage to actually partake in the calories! Haha
I will say that I puffed up a little after eating my pig jam. Sodium is a beast of a jerk!
Salad and the dressing was super yum too!

I had been wanting to go to this restaurant since I saw it on Shark Tank. I have to say, it lived up to my expectations!
Everything on the menu is based off of the grilled cheese sandwich. They have several distinct choices, and I can’t wait to go back and try the other sandwiches! This time, I got a spicy sand which with jalapeños, pepperoni, and pepper jack cheese.
My wife is gluten-​intolerant, and Tom and Chee’s gluten free bread was some of the best she’s ever had! I am so happy they have the gluten free option!
Also, for the more glutenous, they have grilled cheese donuts. I must say, I am tempted.
I only have one small complaint. The place is way too small for how popular it is! Most of the time, there is a line out the door, and every table is full. Other than that, this is a wonderful restaurant!

Tom + Chee was A-​OK. Really 3.5 stars!
I got the Flying Pig, which was an interesting sandwich. Mostly tasty but a little too oily for my liking. It was a pretty big portion though. Definitely more than plenty for lunch and enough for dinner. Note that the capacity of my stomach is rather ridiculous and I have a large appetite.
My favorite part of the meal was my Blueberry Blue donut. I was a little weary about the combination of donuts and cheese but fear not, it was very delicious. Blueberry compote, blue cheese, lemon mascarpone layered between two donuts. We will be ignoring the calories contained in that donut itself. It was very good.
I will consider going back when I am in that part of town again but probably more for dessert although I will be open to trying other sandwiches on their menu. Nice addition to the Knoxville food scene!

Remember when you were a kid and everything was awesome? What was your favorite food? An ooey gooey grilled cheese sandwich, am I right people? I’m imagining you are nodding your head right now. So as you get older, you have a lot fewer grilled cheeses because your palate changes and you want other delicious things like bacon and potato chips and if your from Cincinnati (I am. Don’t judge), then you start liking this weird thing called goetta. Fast forward to now, where you’re an adult (at least physically), but every now and then you want a grilled cheese sandwich, but you want it fancy with all your new and crazy tastes in the mix. BOOM! That’s where Tom & Chee kicks in the door and smacks you with flavor and nostalgia!!! If only Mr. T could do their deliveries, I’d be the world’s happiest man-​boy! I PITY THE FOOL WHO DON’T BE LIKIN’ THESE SAMMICHES!!!
But seriously, Tom & Chee is killing it with their inventively weird combinations. It’s like food math, but in a good way. BBQ Chips + Bacon + Grilled Cheese Sammich = DELICIOUS!!! Goetta + Cherry Peppers + Fried Onion + Sweet Hot Mustard + Pepper Jack Cheese + Pumpernickle = OMG DELICIOUS!!! Pretty much every combo you can imagine on your own, or choose from their pre-​visualized morsels of taste equals happy happy mouths. Sure, it’s a little oily, but it’s grilled cheese. It’s why your taste buds grew up, but it’s also why you miss your childhood. So your fingers get oily. Yeah, it’s not good for you. Just don’t eat it every day, and maybe do a sit up or two on occasion, and you’ll be fine!
But it doesn’t stop at your sandwich. Save room for desert. They do the unimaginable, and cut a donut in half, and fill it with scrumptious decadence that will will blow your mind. Some quick examples, you ask? Blueberry with Lemon Marscapone, S’More, Strawberry Lemonade. Find something you like? There are more, but this is a good jump off.
Now… what do we do about getting Mr. T. on board with kicking in some doors, delivering sandwiches, and of course, pitying fools? Anybody know anybody That can make this happen?

Who doesn’t love a grilled cheese? That being said, Tom + Chee is over-​priced and un-​fulfilling.
They’ve only been open a short time, and I’ve been twice. After the first time, I told myself I would give it another shot. There is a steady flow of people and the line can get quite long. The dining area is small. It seems like a lot of people get their orders to go. The speed of service isn’t the fastest but not bad considering the amount of people.
Tom + Chee is one of those places where you think it’s cheap until you realize they charge you for everything you want on your sandwich. Which is totally fine if your base sandwich had at least some cheese on it. I got a few toppings, some soup, and a drink and spent ~$ 12. They advertise «gooey and melty» but that is pretty far from the truth.
Don’t go there expecting a «gooey» grilled cheese. The «build your own» lets you choose two different cheeses. Adding toppings like pepperoni, bacon, and veggies range from .50 to $ 1.50. First go around I added the spicy cherry peppers which added a nice kick to the sandwich. I was disappointed at the lack of cheese, so I knew the second trip would be to add extra cheese.
Second sandwich, I kept it simple– white bread, cheddar (x2) and pepper jack (x2). The pictures I posted show that result. If there were actually 4 pieces of cheese on that sandwich, I would be shocked. I think they’re trick is to hang a piece slightly over the side so it melts on the side of the bread to give you the illusion that it’s cheesy.
Tomato soup is ok. A little sweet for my taste. They at least toasted the bread properly.
I gave it 2 stars because it wasn’t like the food was bad. If I were you though– I’d stay at home and make your own.

I am a straight up sucker for a grilled cheese sandwich. It doesn’t even have to be great. For me, there is something magical about the ooey gooey cheese and the butter soaked bread, grilled to perfection.
Tom+Chee takes all of my hopes and dreams for a grilled cheese sandwich and knocks it out of the park! I was first exposed to this delightful chain in Cincinnati and when I heard they were moving into our neck out the woods, I worshipped the calendar until there was nothing standing in my way from tasting the heaven they put between bread.
I went at lunch time on opening day. I wouldn’t recommend doing that. Apparenly I’m not the only one in Knoxville that prays to the grilled cheese gods. I did call in my order ahead of time and was so thankful that I did. Due to the extensive line, they had temporarily stopped taking phone orders until they caught up, but they were kind enough to bend the rules and took my order anyway.
When I arrived, it was a complete mad house. The wait was somewhere around an hour to get your food. So thankful that I called ahead, the nice woman at the door ushered me to the kitchen to grab my to-​go order. From this vantage point I could see all of the million people hustling in the kitchen. It was like a fine oiled machine. I picked up my order and was out of there in 10 minutes. Granted, this was opening day and my expereince was unique, I am confident that if they can exceed expectations with that many orders, when the chaos dies down we can be assured that the good service will continue.
Now on to the food. There is not a single thing on the menu that is not delicious! If you’re feeling creative, you can make your own concoction. Or you can choose from several already tried and true favorites. I settled on the crunchy garlic chicken (Parm Garlic Chips+Chicken+Grilled Onion+Tomato+Sweet Hot Mustard+Garlic Seasoning
+Pepper Jack+Wheat) It was dripping with deliciousness! The other thing Tom+Chee is known for are their soups. I grabbed acup of creamy tomato basil (a weakness of mine) and was so glad that I did. I finished it all off with their Strawberry Lemonade (Fresh Strawberries+Lemon
Mascarpone+Mozzarella+Donut!). You’re gonna wanna go ahead and order one of these. Insanely good! I couldn’t eat another bite, but somehow mananged to finish this delecable morsel.
I have already been stalking the menu to plan out my next visit. I may have a problem, but I don’t want to stop!