Called the paté of the South, this creamy, rich concoction can be served simply or all dolled up. It tempts the palate and stirs up memories. It’s pimento cheese.
Pimento cheese can be made with three simple ingredients: cheese, a binder (like mayonnaise), and a vegetable (like chopped pimento). But what’s done beyond that is where chefs and home cooks alike put in their own twist, making it something uniquely theirs.
Two facts that foodies may find hard to believe: First, there is no known recorded history of pimento cheese before a recipe in a Good Housekeeping magazine from 1908 extolled its virtues. Second, pimento cheese has its roots in the American North — New York, to be precise.
The South, however, adopted it as its own, changing up a few ingredients, like adding shredded hoop cheese — later, cheddar — and substituting the original cream cheese binder for mayonnaise. Pimentos stayed in the mix.
For many, pimento cheese has been that one constant, sitting in the background patiently waiting as our appetites explored other delicacies.
But it’s there when a snack of it spread on saltines is called for, a lunch of it spread thick between two slices of white bread sounds good, or a pass-around of it, stuffed into sticks of celery, at funerals and family functions, is needed.
Yet it’s not relegated solely to Grandmother’s kitchen. Professional chefs have embraced it and put it on menus across the region and indeed across the South.
We have our own pimento cheese recipe that’s tried and true, and we’ll share it with you here. We also have favorites at area restaurants. Here are some that stand out.
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At Harper’s Table in Suffolk, the Picnic Plate is a starter that’s full-bore Southern: deviled egg, country ham, pickles and pimento cheese. (Patrick Evans-Hylton/For The Virginian-Pilot)
HARPER’S TABLE
Picnic Plate, $11
Tucked in a row of businesses along downtown Suffolk’s North Main Street is Harper’s Table, the restaurant of chef/owner Harper Bradshaw. An inviting bar dominates the shotgun dining room. The interior is cool, dark and inviting.
We’ve been a fan of Bradshaw’s for decades now, back to his time at Vintage Tavern in northern Suffolk. His tenure there is reflected in his gussied-up Southern menu at Harper’s Table.
That includes the Picnic Plate, a starter with a who’s who of Southern delicacies: deviled egg, country ham, pickles and pimento cheese, which Bradshaw dubs pimp cheese. Buttery, round crackers come along for the ride.
The pimento cheese is balanced and flavorful. There’s effective seasoning, but it’s simple and straightforward, and a real delight.
122 N. Main St., Suffolk. harperstable.com, 757-539-2000
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Sloane Solanto of Life Is Gouda in Virginia Beach makes Memaw’s Pimento Cheese, a small-batch cheese rich in flavor and texture. It’s what you think of when you think of pimento cheese. We use it to make our own Pimento Cheese Grits and Shrimp. (Patrick Evans-Hylton/ For The Virginian-Pilot)
LIFE IS GOUDA
Memaw’s Pimento Cheese, $7.25
More than a decade ago I sat in a cheese boot camp — yes, there is such a thing — at Murray’s Cheese in New York City and met Sloane Solanto, who was also from Virginia Beach. It was a chance encounter. A tasty chance encounter.
Solanto used her new fromage familiarity to open a cheese shop and a line of cheese spreads, including Memaw’s Pimento Cheese, a nod to her grandmother.
This small-batch cheese is sharp and well seasoned. It’s decadent, too, rich in both flavor and texture. It’s what you think of when you think of pimento cheese. There’s also a version spiked with habanero peppers. Both are available in tubs to grab and go.
We enjoy it a number of ways, including when we make our Pimento Cheese Grits and Shrimp, garnished with homemade chow chow. (It’s easy: Spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of prepared pimento cheese into 1 cup of prepared grits. Stir, seasoning with salt and pepper. Top with prepared steamed shrimp and a spoon of chow chow. If you’d like my recipe for chow chow, email me at patrickevanshylton@gmail.com with “chow chow recipe” as the subject.)
Inside All Good Craft Granola Bars, 513 N. Birdneck Road, Virginia Beach. lifeisgouda757.com, 757-647-2667
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SYD’S FISHPIG CAFE
Infamous Cheese Tray, market price
Sydney Meers is the undisputed godfather of cuisine in our region, a chef who for decades has delighted all senses at his groundbreaking, nationally noted restaurants, starting 30-something years ago with The Dumbwaiter in Norfolk.
His latest tour de force is Syd’s FishPig Cafe, tucked inside Selden Arcade in downtown Norfolk. Here, amid walls heavy with folk art from the chef himself, is a menu that honors Meers’ Deep South background upgraded into what he calls neo-Southern.
One constant on the bill of fare is his pimento cheese, a rendition so good it garnered accolades in 1997 from Southern Living magazine, which also reprinted it for folks to try at home.
But don’t make it yourself, not as long as Meers is at the helm working his magic into this elevated version that harkens back to Sunday suppers after church, at least if your avant-garde aunt added her own dash of zhuzh.
Sharp and extra sharp cheese, roasted green and red peppers, hot sauce, leeks, and a “skosh of sea salt and pepper to taste” make this something special.
Look for it on the cheese plate, which comes with lots of deliciousness, including chef’s house-made crackers, hamburger relish and Smoochie Bear ham.
I dream of this pimento cheese.
Selden Arcade, 210 E. Main St., Norfolk. fishpigcafe.com, 757-904-3680
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At gourmet grocer Taste, the Lynnhaven sandwich is ciabatta bread spread with house-made Sassy Southern pimento cheese and stuffed with heated, roasted chicken breast and hardwood smoked bacon. Baby spinach and sliced tomato are garnish. (Patrick Evans-Hylton/ For The Virginian-Pilot)
TASTE
The Lynnhaven, $12.50
From a single Virginia Beach location opened in 1973 by gourmand Peter Coe, Taste, now under the tutelage of the Pruden family, has developed into a powerhouse of specialty foods, trendsetting sandwiches, beer, wine and more.
The airy, bright and open stores have shelves for browsing and a menu of cafe fare to dine in or take away. It’s from this menu that Taste curated its well-deserved reputation of sandwich savoir-faire.
We gravitate to the Lynnhaven, a large offering of ciabatta bread spread with house-made Sassy Southern pimento cheese and stuffed with heated, roasted chicken breast and hardwood-smoked bacon. Baby spinach and sliced tomato garnish the dish. We order ours without the basil mayonnaise.
The pimento cheese here is more than a mere spread; it’s an integral part of the overall flavor and texture. It melts slightly from the heat of the chicken, enriching the sandwich with its creaminess. Well balanced, it complements the flavors rather than distracting. Virginia-made Route 11 potato chips were a perfect side.
You can grab tubs of pimento cheese from the cold case for home (small, $7; medium, $12).
Multiple locations, including in Chesapeake, Newport News, Norfolk, Suffolk and Virginia Beach. tasteunlimited.com
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At The Ten Top in Norfolk, the pimento cheese sandwich involves a slathering in a French baguette. Baby greens, sliced tomatoes and addictive house-made dill pickles add just the right elements. (Patrick Evans-Hylton/ For The Virginian-Pilot)
THE TEN TOP
Pimento cheese sandwich, $14
Since its start as a hole-in-the-wall gourmet takeout shop in 1994, The Ten Top has held true to its roots. We love the coziness of the place, a mix-match of tables amid wood paneled walls decorated with posters and other art. Ordering is at a counter, and drinks, including beer and wine, are in a cooler against one wall.
Its focus remains specialty sandwiches — almost 20 are on the menu — supplemented with a handful of appetizers, entrees and salads.
We ordered the pimento cheese, and it came with a huge, thick slathering between slices of French baguette. Baby greens, sliced tomatoes and addictive house-made dill pickles added just the right elements.
The spread was a perfect balance of textures — a bit chunky from the large amount of grated cheese, a little smooth from the binder. The seasoning accented without overpowering. Textbook Southern.
All sandwiches come with choice of pasta salad, potato salad, oranges, coleslaw or a bag of chips; I picked the potato salad, creamy and rich.
748 Shirley Ave., Norfolk. thetentop.com, 757-622-5422
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At Torch Bistro in Norfolk, the Sweepstakes is a large burger served on a sesame roll and topped with house-made pimento cheese, applewood bacon, lettuce and a fried egg, all pulled together with Torch Sauce. (Patrick Evans-Hylton/ For The Virginian-Pilot)
TORCH BISTRO
The Sweepstakes, $15
In a quiet corner of the western Norfolk district of Chelsea, quite the foodie outpost has set up: 508 Crafthouse, The Birch, Grandiflora Wine Garden, Orapax, Reverend Spirits, Vessel Craft Coffee and more. Including Torch Bistro.
Here a cheeseburger isn’t just a cheeseburger, it’s a pimento cheeseburger.
The Sweepstakes is a large burger of 80/20 Angus beef, served on a sesame roll and topped with all sorts of delicious things: house-made pimento cheese, applewood bacon, lettuce and a fried egg. All are pulled together with the lip-smacking Torch Sauce, which delivers heat and flavor without singeing off the taste buds.
It’s messy, there’s no denying that. The heat of the patty melts the pimento cheese, and it becomes ooey-gooey good. Within the first bite, the yolk from the egg starts to run. And then there’s the Torch Sauce. But it all comes together, and it’s worth every napkin you’ll use.
My burger was cooked perfectly medium-rare and the egg over easy; both were delicious. The bacon was fruity and smoky. The pimento cheese, piquant. The lettuce, crisp. The hot sauce, zesty. It was a real treat, as were the fries that came with it.
601 Orapax St., Norfolk. torchbistro.com. 757-416-6848
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Chef Paul Benton of Zoes Steak & Seafood, Virginia Beach, crafts Zoes Rockefeller: local Laughing King oysters topped with braised kale, pimento cheese, chicharrón and bacon. The oysters, nestled in their shell, are broiled till bubbling. (Patrick Evans-Hylton/ For The Virginian-Pilot)
ZOES STEAK AND SEAFOOD
Zoes Rockefeller, $21
Open since 2003, Zoes Steak & Seafood, at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, has had a strong steak program, with cuts including Certified Angus, USDA Prime and the highly sought after Miyazaki Wagyu.
But when executive chef Paul Benton took over the tall toque in 2022, he shined a spotlight on another cuisine: seafood. He extols the bounty of the Atlantic Ocean, Chesapeake Bay and surrounding tributaries through entrees — and appetizers.
One such appetizer is Zoes Rockefeller, a creative take on the classic baked oyster dish. Here Benton takes Laughing King oysters, a local oyster from Cape Charles on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, and tops them with braised kale, pimento cheese, chicharrón and bacon. Nestled in the shells, the dish is broiled until bubbling.
This is an artful adaptation of the favorite that’s been around since the late 19th century. The kale replaces spinach; the pimento cheese, gruyere. And the fried pork belly comes to the party with bacon.
The pimento cheese is a particularly clever move; it melts under the broiler, blending the other ingredients and creating a sauce that is simple yet sassy.
Get an order for yourself. You won’t want to share.
713 19th St., Virginia Beach. zoesvb.com, 757-437-3636
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PATRICK’S PIQUANT PIMENTO CHEESE
Pimento cheese is part of my DNA, a dish that has been in my culinary circle for 60 years now. Like every Southern cook, I’ve got my recipe that I’ve added to, subtracted from and otherwise tweaked over the years. I am proud to call it mine, and I’m happy to share it with you.
Ingredients
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup mild cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup quality jarred pimentos, drained
½ small sweet onion, such as Vidalia, finely chopped
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon celery seed
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Method
In a large bowl, combine the sharp cheddar, mild cheddar, pimentos and onion.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, celery seed, red and black peppers, and salt, then pour it over the cheese mixture. Mix well and taste, adjusting the mayonnaise and seasonings for texture and flavor.
Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving with desired accompaniments. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Yields 2½ cups
Patrick Evans-Hylton is a chef, food writer and food educator in Hampton Roads. patrickevanshylton@gmail.com
Originally Published: August 29, 2025 at 8:16 AM EDT
Dining and Cooking