One of the newest restaurants in town is also one of the cheesiest.
Central Melt is nearly two months old and offers creative grilled cheese sandwiches in the Central Arts district of downtown St. Petersburg.
Ed Allen, the owner and chef at Central Melt, works the restaurant by himself.
Central Melt’s atmosphere is cozy and welcoming. Allen stands directly behind the counter, up-close and personal. His grill behind him, visitors can watch as he makes their order.
The walls of Central Melt are almost completely covered in different styles of graffiti. Allen says this was intentional.
““The look I was going for was for layered walls and the vibe of 20 different artists in 20 years painting different work,” said Allen.
Allen notes that the grungy art style might lead his customers to believe that it’s a community canvas.
Allen notes that it may appear to be a community canvas, but he doesn’t want anyone adding to the walls. The grungy paintings gives credit to a street-art aesthetic, and in the bathrooms chalk has been set out to encourage guest to express themselves.
“I wanted to be able to interact with the guests. With the graffiti, I figured people would get the urge to tag it up, so I added that wall in the bathroom for them to write on instead.”
The bar seating, graffiti artwork and the hip-hop playlists give Central Melt a unique, big-city feel.
Allen says that he doesn’t plan to offer student discounts because he already worked them into the menu.
“I ended up going as low as I could with the prices so that everyone could take advantage,” he said.
Prices range from $5 for a classic grilled cheese sandwich to $8 for one infused with roast beef and a mixture of two cheeses. They also have vegetarian options.
The restaurant also features a 3-6 p.m. happy hour special Tuesday through Friday. During that time, customers can pick their own ingredients for $6.
For less than $10, you get a delicious, well-crafted sandwich. For example, “The Notorious P.I.G.” is a $7 offering topped with barbeque pork, bacon jam, white cheddar cheese, and homemade red onion.
Other menu item include the “Sloppy Yo!” and “Roast Beef on Fleek,” which are just as playfully named.
In addition to sandwiches, Central Melt also offers several side items such as fries, fries topped with cheese and sloppy joe, tomato soup and deep fried grilled cheese roll-ups.
Previously, Allen worked as a manager at Bodega, another restaurant on Central Avenue, and says that the community reaction to Central Melt has been great.
“It’s been amazing,” said Allen. “It’s something that’s been in the works for a very long time and St. Pete has been very supportive.”
Allen has his eyes set on expansion for Central Melt. He says that he would like to increase seating space throughout the restaurant and add more grilled cheese variations to the menu in the coming months.
Grilled cheese is a staple in the college student diet, but Central Melt gives it a dignified twist.
