At Melt Bar & Grilled, grilled cheese was much more than a typical sandwich recipe that you can make at home. With multiple locations in Ohio, including Cleveland and Lakewood, the casual eatery delivered a unique twist to the comfort food classic. Although Melt Bar & Grilled went out of business, as Cleveland Magazine noted, it doesn’t change the fact that it was a beloved establishment that captured the attention of Guy Fieri’s hit Food Network show, “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives” back in 2021.
On the menu, Melt Bar & Grilled once offered more than 30 types of grilled cheese sandwiches, including ones stuffed with peanut butter and banana, blackened chicken, crab cakes, and even jalapeño poppers for those who love anything spicy. “I think we can stick anything inside of it and still consider it a grilled cheese sandwich,” Matt Fish, chef and owner, told Fieri at the time. Diners featured on the episode shared Fish’s enthusiasm. “The food’s really good and really awesome grilled cheese sandwiches,” was one customer’s deduction, while another said, “It’s the best in Cleveland. I’m a big fan.” Fieri’s own aunt, Polly Barrett, stopped by for a visit and commented, “The creativeness is just awesome.” Of the different grilled cheese offerings, one variation stood out from the rest: The Parmageddon, with potato pierogies, highlighted as one of the best potato dishes ever seen on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.”
The Parmageddon grilled cheese was a regional specialty
The meaning behind the “Parmageddon” at Melt Bar & Grilled stuck close to home. “The first suburb outside of Cleveland going south is Parma,” owner Matt Fish told Guy Fieri. “Parma is the Polish hotbed in Cleveland, and pierogies are a main staple.” To make the sandwich, Fish grilled two slices of bread, then added two large, fresh potato and cheddar pierogies to a sauté pan and browned each side. Sharp cheddar melted on both bread slices, while the pierogies cooked with grilled onions, cabbage, sauerkraut spices, vodka, and cider vinegar. After one bite, Fieri said he loved the pierogies, but the cabbage sautéed with vodka and cider vinegar took the sandwich next-level. “That is one of the best grilled cheeses I’ve ever had,” he proclaimed, though an inside-out grilled cheese in Utah was one of the craziest foods Fieri has ever eaten.
On Yelp, many of Melt Bar’s customers also professed their love for the sandwich. “Everything is great, but The Parmageddon is crazy good,” wrote one fan. Another comment read, “Order The Parmageddon, and you won’t be sorry … I mean, it’s a grilled cheese with pierogies on it for crying out loud!” Fans have to live without The Parmageddon for the moment, but maybe not forever. On January 1, 2026, the restaurant posted on Facebook: “One year ago today, we announced the closing of Melt Bar and Grilled. We miss you all very much. Being a small part of the Cleveland culinary landscape for 18 years was truly amazing. Not sure when or how … but we do plan to return at some point in the (near) future.”…