The Cheese Pull Goes Global

Chili’s may not have invented the cheese pull—that social media catnip that shows the luxurious, unbroken rope of melty cheese stretching out as someone takes the first forkful or bite of a dish—but it’s certainly been dominating the trend. In August, the brand reported that its Triple Dipper (a build-your-own appetizer with options including jumbo-sized fried mozzarella sticks) accounted for 15 percent of total sales. Meanwhile TikTok posts about the app continue to flourish and Chili’s brought back its two-person MozzMates Halloween costume (complete with cheese pull). The costume sold out in 20 minutes last year.

While it’s impossible to replicate Chili’s cheese-pull glory, its continued appeal speaks to a broader trend. Many popular cheese-pull dishes, like pizza and grilled cheese, are solidly Americanized, but international staples with their own ooey-gooey appeal are stepping into the spotlight. Whether it’s adding new flavors and ingredients to familiar dishes or highlighting regional specialties that already have the “Wow!” factor, chefs and recipe developers are taking the trend global and ensnaring consumers with that irresistible pull that’s as visually stunning as it is craveable.

Inside a Viral Sensation

What is it that makes the cheese pull so irresistible? It’s hard to overstate the value of aesthetics in the age of social media, and the image of stretchy, melty cheese can be a visual cue for a multi-sensory experience.

“You feel the resistance of the cheese as you pull away with the fork; you see this unbelievable rope of cheese come from out of nowhere right before your eyes,” says Michael Matthews, front-of-house and social media director at Keipi, a Georgian restaurant in Greenville, S.C. “And at the same time, you’re inhaling those buttery aromas and your mouth is already watering from anticipating that savory goodness.”

Hanadi Asad, owner of Palestinian concept Asali Desserts & Cafe in Cary, N.C., says anticipation is key to the lure of a cheese pull. “It creates a slow-motion moment of indulgence that’s hypnotic––the pull hints at a perfect melt and cheese is at the ideal temperature and texture,” Asad says. “It’s fun to watch and share and finally your brain imagines the taste even before the bite.”

And there’s another important aspect to the cheese pull experience: Interactive food is just fun. “I think it’s part of human nature to enjoy playing with food,” says Matthews, “and cheesy dishes have the opportunity to be engaging and delicious at the same time.”

Stretching Across the Globe

Credit: Boba Sound KTown

Korean coin bread gets an American twist at Boba Sound KTown, with a quarter coin design and ingredient plus-ones like jalapeños, corn and even pizza sauce.

Khachapuri, a Georgian flatbread, lends itself well to the cheese-pull trend, from the initial mixing of egg and cheese to the dip-and-pull dining experience.American and Italian cuisines might get most of the cheese-pull glory, but there are plenty of other cuisines that have dishes ripe for social media stardom.

Some international cheesy dishes have already made their mark: Korean coin bread, also known as 10 won bread, is a crispy waffle printed with the number 10 and filled with melty mozzarella cheese for a perfect sweet-savory bite. The cheesy treat is already flooding TikTok and now starting to crop up on restaurant menus, especially in major cities. In New York, a handful of independent concepts are serving the original mozzarella while also offering less stretchy red bean paste and Nutella variations.

In Los Angeles, Boba Sound KTown takes visual inspiration from the U.S. quarter coin, featuring George Washington on one side and the California state design on the other. In terms of fillings, the flavor combinations include a cheese blend, cheese-and-corn, pizza, jalapeño with cheese and pizza. To the north, Bay Area café ChaChaCha combines mozzarella and bacon in one build while also serving less cheesy—but still creamy—sweet variations like taro and Biscoff cookie.

Also gaining traction is khachapuri, Georgia’s national dish consisting of a bread pocket filled with melted cheese and various toppings. A regional variation from the coastal region of Adjara that features a runny egg yolk to be mixed in with the cheese; it’s also the most popular item on the menu at Keipi. “The composition is symbolically tied to the identity of coastal life,” says Matthews says. “The bread represents a boat, the yolk is the sun and the cheese is the sea. You can rip off pieces of bread to dip into the center to pull out absurd amounts of cheese for the perfect bite.”

Khachapuri, a Georgian flatbread, lends itself well to the cheese-pull trend, from the initial mixing of egg and cheese to the dip-and-pull dining experience.

Other dishes with high cheese-pull potential are still flying under the radar. Smažený sýr, the Czech Republic’s answer to mozzarella sticks, can be found at old-school restaurants like Cafe Prague in Chicago. Depending on the selected cheese, Greek saganaki, an enflambé appetizer, can yield a luscious pull, with varieties such as halloumi and Gruyère-like graviera being popular choices. In New York, Baraki serves Mediterranean-inspired comfort foods, like the Saganaki Cigars, which are wrapped in phyllo dough and topped with spicy honey and fresh rosemary.

Familiar Carriers, Unfamiliar Flavors

Another option for developing a cheese-pull dish with international flair is to lean into fusion. On its catering menu, Asali serves traditional kenafa (also spelled kunafah), a beloved Middle Eastern dessert that tucks cheese and cream into shredded phyllo dough that’s soaked in honey and often finished with shaved pistachios. But on the brunch menu, the traditional dish is transformed into the Kenafa French Toast: two slices of rich brioche are battered and stuffed with sweet cheese, then crusted with golden-orange shredded phyllo dough and griddled so that the cheese achieves perfect pulling consistency. It’s topped with whipped cream and crushed pistachios and flower petals, and finally drizzled with a rosewater-orange blossom syrup. “Kenafa is the perfect balance of crispy, creamy, and sweet,” says Asad. “Our french toast is a creative fusion that brings a modern, indulgent spin to a classic favorite.”

Even American-as-grilled-cheese staples can serve as a cheese pull carrier for international ingredients. In Madison, N.J., Sunday Motor Co. layers toasted sourdough with housemade kimchi, roasted peanuts, miso butter and two kinds of cheese for a stretchy, flavorful bite. And Grilled Cheese Society, a California-based chain of ghost kitchens, offers a Mexican-inspired sandwich with chorizo, queso fresco, pepper Jack and a roasted pepper mix to cut the richness.

Whether highlighting a local specialty or incorporating unique ingredients into a familiar dish, figuring out how to make the cheese pull your own is part of the experiences for menu developers—and one that guests, eager for fresh twists, will savor. “We all think we know what cheese and bread tastes like, but what’s special is discovering the incredible ways cuisines around the world have managed to transform these ingredients in so many delicious ways,” he says.