Only 3 Fast Food Chains Have A Grilled Cheese And Tomato Soup Combo On The Menu

The pairing of grilled cheese sandwiches with savory tomato soup is one for the ages. What gained popularity during the Great Depression as a yummy but filling struggle meal has gathered steam over the 20th century, becoming a delicious and accessible part of the culinary zeitgeist. Hey, we've even hacked grilled cheese into an umami French toast by creating a tomato soup custard for it! Where can you get grilled cheese and tomato soup outside of your own kitchen, or perhaps your favorite local diner? Well, it turns out that a trio of fast food chains feature both grilled cheese and tomato soup on their menus, and you might just have one near you.

Soup chain Panera naturally offers grilled cheese on its sandwich menu and creamy tomato soup as part of its extensive list of soups. Currently, you can order these items à la carte or as part of the You Pick Two combo meal, which comes with bread, chips, or an apple. Panera's soups aren't made fresh, but many consumers enjoy them nonetheless. 

Fellow sandwich shop Jason's Deli serves a grilled cheese and tomato basil soup combo starring multigrain wheat bread and Muenster cheese. Meanwhile, an unlikely source for the meal is Culver's, home of the ButterBurger (made with three distinct beef cuts). This chain also offers grilled cheese as part of its regular menu, and select locations offer a Tomato Florentine soup that can be bought on the side. Many people will have at least one of these restaurants near them, and they just might be a great way to obtain your favorite lunch in a speedy fashion.

The "right" grilled cheese and tomato soup meal is a subjective matter. No restaurant, no matter how humble or elevated, has a patent on a perfect soup-sandwich combo, and many people have opposing opinions. With that said, there's definitely a case to be made for Panera having the definitive fast food version of the famous lunch — the Platonic ideal of a drive-thru specimen, if you will. Culver's offers a pretty solid grilled cheese made with white bread, which is the default version, but its Tomato Florentine soup is loaded in noodles and veggies, which may be a turn-off for those who prefer no fillings in their soup. (On the other hand, if you like a heartier soup, this might actually be a plus!) Jason's Deli, for its part, offers a classic tomato basil but veers away from the norm with a thick plank of a grilled cheese made with a very substantial grainy bread. Sure, it makes the sandwich more of a meal, but is it a traditional grilled cheese?

Panera, on the other hand, offers the most recognizable take on grilled cheese and tomato soup. Its soup is creamy, its sandwich is classic and unpretentious, and you even get a side dish, to boot. We feel like you can't really go wrong with any permutation of soup and sammie, but if you're a purist, Panera's combo might just offer the noontime meal for you. Plus, with 2,200 locations in 48 U.S. states, it's highly likely that a Panera might just be a short trip away ... meaning that your next tomato soup fix with some classic grilled cheese is close at hand.