Why Come Here? You’ve got a hankering for a solid grilled cheese sandwich
The Dirty
Living in Chelsea, the options for good delivery/take out comfort food are limited and the Melt Shop has become one my staples. The space is best described as farmhouse meets old meets 1970s kitchen with one half wood-paneled and the other painted bright yellow with a blackboard on it. If you think about it hard enough, they both evoke cheese in their own way. Maybe. There are a few tables inside and a few more in an adjacent plaza outside, but for the most part this is a takeout / delivery operation.
Tired, sick, or hungover I’ve now made my way through most of the menu. And overall I have to say Melt Shop is a very good grilled cheese sandwich spot. All of the ingredients are high quality, especially the cheeses and the bread which is perfectly grilled without being burned. However most of their sandwiches are an element a way from being great. Some are a little skimpy on the fillings while others could use a sauce or vegetable to add some freshness or tanginess. Until then feel free to hit it up when you’re in the mood for some good comfort food, just don’t expect to have your mind blown. I have generally preferred the non-meat sandwiches over the meat ones and below are my top picks:
Smokehouse Turkey
The Dirty 
For the spicy lover, you get jalapenos and pepper jack cheese with the always appreciated addition of potato chips. Unfortunatley the pressing of the sandwiches takes some of the crunch out of the chips, but it’s kick makes it enjoyable nevertheless.
Truffle Melt I’m surprised they don’t call it the one-percenter, as the combo of arugula, truffle oil and havarti seems completely out of place on what is otherwise an everyman’s menu. It feels more like something you would eat on a flatbread than a grilled cheese sandwich, but that’s not an insult. It’s a good sandwich.
Wisconsin Classic You will never go wrong grilling a good sharp cheddar and bacon.
Smokehouse Turkey 
The combination of gruyere, smoked bacon, turkey and bbq sauce is an intriguing one. Yet while the gruyere and sweet/tangy bbq sauce were winners, there should be at least three times as much turkey on this thing.
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Melt Shop
55 West 26th Street (6th Ave & B’way)
New York, NY
Note: The Melt Shop also has locations at 135 West 50th Street and 601 Lexington Avenue with some variation in the menu. I have not been to either of these locations.
