The Good Kind Grilled Cheese sandwich features a mixture of cheeses with tomato and pesto.

There are many reasons to frequent The Good Kind, a Southtown restaurant and bar that has occupied the former space of The Monterrey since 2019. It has a full bar loaded with beer and cocktails, a spacious outdoor seating area that's mostly shaded, chill music tunes that don't make you think you are at a rave and the space looks like it belongs in a botanical garden or high-end country club. The food menu developed by chef and owner Tim McDiarmid focuses on fresh ingredients, so relax, take a deep breath, and unwind here.

McDiarmid, who has been featured on Food Network's "Chopped" and is a James Beard Foundation fellow, is a serious player in the San Antonio area food scene. She had a location inside the Food Hall at the Pearl that focused on healthier food options made with fresh ingredients. A native of Canada, she uses as many locally-made ingredients she can get her hands on.

Come for a drink and a snack with options that include corn in a cup, Asian sticky wings or a nice charcuterie board for happy hour; but you also can fill that belly with bowls, tacos and, of course, sandwiches for this series.

The fresh hand-pulled mozzarella sandwich is served at The Good Kind in Southtown.

Every sandwich on the menu comes with house-cut fries that could be a bit more crisp, but they are salted and peppered to the point that you will walk away happy. You can substitute the house fries with a side salad, or go with a gluten-free bun for a $2 upcharge. 

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The Good Kind's BLTA includes layers of bacon and thinly sliced avocado. 

The outside dining area of The Good Kind is spacious and shaded.

The menu at The Good Kind features seven sandwiches, as well as snacks, tacos, bowls and salads.

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Best sandwich: I'm not sure if there is a more versatile and loved sandwich than the grilled cheese. Most of us have our first one once the teeth come in, and continue to enjoy them when the teeth come out. Whatever your age, you are unlikely to find a better one than the one they serve here ($14). Havarti, sharp cheddar and Parmesan cheese anchor the flavor, but the sandwich is balanced out with ripe tomatoes and grilled onions that apply a sweetened finish on grilled, locally-made bread that was as soft as a sponge.

Other sandwiches: Go ahead and keep it cheesy with the mozzarella panini ($14) that is like a mini taste of Italy topped with fresh pesto, basil and olive oil on crispy ciabatta bread. The tasty hand-pulled cheese is as thick as a burger patty, and the olive oil infused with the pesto sauce is a combination that I could eat with a spoon. 

The Good Kind's fried spicy chicken sandwich comes with pickled zucchini.

Spicy chicken sandwich ($14) enthusiasts also will like the Good Kind take, which comes topped with pickled zucchini and aioli. It has a kick of heat, but it won't burn off your tonsils, and the breaded white meat is covered like a blanket. With every bite, there is a distinguishable crunch.

The BLTA at The Good Kind comes with bacon and thinly sliced avocado.

I was not as much of a fan of the BLTA ($12), with an acronym that adds avocado to the classic combination of bacon, lettuce and tomato. The bacon layer of the formula was as thin as a few sheets of paper and doesn't hold up to other sandwiches in this series. The finely-sliced avocado was silky and had a nice touch, but overall, this is a sandwich that was lapped by the aforementioned sandwich options. 

The Good Kind is located in Southtown at 1127 S. St. Mary’s, the former home of The Monterrey.

Overall, Good Kind is a total package win, and you won't have a bad time here. It's friendly. It's fun. It's fast and easy; and if you are feeling cheesy, this is the place for you.

Location: 1127 S. St. Mary's, San Antonio

Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays

Contact: 210-801-5892, eatgoodkind.com

cblount@express-news.net | Twitter: @chuck_blount | Instagram: @bbqdiver    

Chuck Blount is an award-winning journalist with more than 20 years of experience at the San Antonio Express-News, and a tenure split between writing and editing about food, drinks, poker and sports, where he was part of the team that covered four of the five Spurs' NBA championships. He is a graduate of the University of Iowa.