In Arkansas, cheese dip is a fixture at all types of occasions, so it makes sense that restaurants find creative ways to work the dunkable cheese into their menus. At downtown Little Rock brew pub Lost Forty Brewing, cheese dip gets a serious umami upgrade. Each batch starts with a deeply browned roux, sautéed with a top-secret six-spice blend, poblano peppers, diced sweet onions, jalapenos and fresh tomatoes; it's combined with a three-cheese blend until melted and creamy. The creamy dip is baked and served in a skillet topped with local bacon, slow-roasted cherry tomatoes and fresh jalapenos, with tortilla chips for dunking. Pair it with craft suds like the Snake Party Double IPA or the classic Bare Bones Pilsner.

In Houston's Montrose neighborhood, an art deco building with an oversize neon sign spelling out "Tex Mex" can be seen for miles. It's a landmark for many locals; the building was formerly home to the Tower Theatre, but since 2011 it's been El Real, the place for classic Tex Mex cuisine. According to El Real co-owner Robb Walsh, who wrote The Tex Mex Cookbook, all Tex-Mex restaurants are rated first and foremost by their cheese enchiladas. Judging by their legions of fans, El Real's Cheese Enchiladas #7 are the gold standard. Three corn tortillas are stuffed with cheddar and Land O Lakes® Extra Melt® cheeses, then topped with a blend of yellow and white cheddars, along with chile con carne and chili gravy. In a throwback to the Tex-Mex tastes of the 1950s, the enchiladas are finished with a roux-based sauce studded with chili powder and spices. Craving more cheese? Order the Enchiladas #10, which features El Real's chili con queso.

One of New York City's most-beloved dining institutions is the bodega, a corner store that’s responsible for Big Apple classics like the chopped cheese: a cross between a Philly cheesesteak and a cheeseburger. For a gourmet take on the beloved chop cheese, as it's known locally, stop by White Gold Butchers. A custom poppy seed bun from Terranova Bakery stands in for the usual Kaiser roll. Both sides of the bun are slicked with mayo, then toasted on the plancha before being stuffed with the cheesy, meaty filling. It all starts with a patty made with beef from upstate farm At Ease Acres. A generous ladleful of beef tallow on the griddle adds extra flavor to the patty, which gets a hard sear on each side before it's chopped along with housemade pickles and jalapenos. Once the trio is combined, American cheese is melted on top and the whole lot is piled onto the bun. An ice-cold beer perfectly balances the sizzling combo of cheese and meat.

Ask any resident within a 20-mile radius of Raleigh about their favorite cheesy dish, and they’re likely to extol the virtues of the Macaroni Au Gratin from Poole’s Diner. As with the rest of Poole’s menu, Chef Ashley Christensen strikes the perfect balance between the familiar and the fresh to deliver a crave-worthy take on a comfort food classic. Each Macaroni Au Gratin is made to order and features slightly al dente elbow macaroni tossed in a silky sauce made from reduced cream, sea salt and a trio of cheeses: nutty-sweet Jarlsberg, Grana Padano and sharp white Vermont cheddar. The gooey mixture is heaped into an au gratin dish and topped with additional cheese, then broiled to create a crisp golden crust. It’s rare that a table doesn’t request it — the kitchen expects to serve 15,000 orders this year.