To many, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are the best thing since sliced bread. A lunchbox staple for generations, the iconic sandwich is tasty straight-up and can also be dressed up by adding a banana, chocolate chips or honey... but that's only the beginning as evidenced by restaurants across the country who are transforming the humble sandwich in new and unique ways. 

Photo: rlorenzo, Creative Commons 2.0 on Flickr

One of the first places to offer gourmet takes on the classic sandwich is Peanut Butter & Co. in Manhattan's Greenwich Village. The sandwich shop opened in 1998 and offers everything from classic peanut butter sandwiches to more inventive options like "The Heat is On," a 'which made with spicy peanut butter, chilled grilled chicken and pineapple jam, which supposedly tastes like a Thai satay. There are 20 options in all, including sweet options like the "Cookie Dough Surprise," which is made with peanut butter, vanilla cream cheese, and chocolate chips -- and supposedly tastes just like cookie dough.

At Peanut Butter & Co, you can also pick up a jar of peanut butter, available in 10 different flavors, including Dark Chocolate Dreams, Mighty Maple, or The Bee's Knees (smooth PB blended with honey). This option may be your best bet, considering a whole jar of PB costs about the same as a sandwich.

Peanut Butter & Co. may have started the gourmet peanut butter sandwich trend, but they're not the only game in town. Here are some of the tasty peanut butter sandwich creations you can find across the country.

Photo: The Oregonian sandwich from PBJ's

Portland, Oregon is home to PBJ's, a peanut butter sandwich shop with 13 inspired sweet and savory sandwiches like the Spicy Thai, made with PBJ's peanut butter, fresh basil, curry, orange marmalade and a touch of sriracha. Another popular option is the Oregonian, with marion berry jam, Rogue Creamery blue cheese and Oregon hazelnut butter on toasted challah bread. Judging by the photo above, it looks like a tasty hybrid of a grilled cheese and pb&j. Yum!

The Commonwealth Sandwich Bar in Columbus, Ohio features two Elvis inspired peanut butter sandwiches: the "Young Elvis," with  spicy coconut-spiked peanut butter, sweet cream cheese and bananas, and the "Old Elvis," which adds strips of house-cured bacon.

At the Detroit airport, you can design your own pb&j sandwich in the Concourse A food court at PB&J. You choose the type of peanut butter (smooth, chunky, or cashew) and bread (cinnamon swirl, sourdough, and 8 grain), and have the option to add additional toppings like banana, raspberry jam, honey, chocolate, marshmallow fluff and bacon. At $4-$5 per sandwich, the price is fairly reasonable, especially considering the airport location.

At Doughboys in Los Angeles, try a messy and delicious peanut butter take on french toast: the PBC&B. The decadent breakfast dish features chunky peanut butter, bittersweet chocolate, and banana sandwiched between two slices of bread battered and grilled bread.

Photo: PB, bacon, cheddar and pickle sandwich from PBandU

PB&U, a sandwich shop in Wayne, PA serves up all sorts of peanut butter creations, including peanut butter fondue, peanut butter smoothies, and peanut butter sandwiches. You can build your own creation for $3.50 (including your choice of peanut butter and two toppings) or leave the flavor engineering to the experts, and pick a pre-designed sandwich, like the PB, bacon, cheddar and pickle sandwich -- PB&U's signature offering (pictured above).

OPB&J in Colorado Springs has a similar concept, but everything is organic. Sandwiches can be custom-designed with your chice of bread, peanut butter, and jelly. What sets this eatery apart from most are the unique peanut butter and jelly choices, like cherry vanilla and thai ginger peanut butter, and rhubarb, peach jalapeno, and apple pie jelly. Signature, pre-designed sandwiches are also available, and any sandwich can be toasted.

If you like making your own sandwich, check out the goods at Spread, a vegan restaurant in San Diego that also sells a variety of inspired nut spreads in flavors like Dark Chocolate Curry Peanut, Cinnamon Raisin Peanut, and Mexican Chocolate Almond (to name a few). You can order individual tubs online for about $9-$12, plus shipping.

Have you tried a peanut butter sandwich at any of these eateries, or come up with your own signature creation at home? Let us know in the comments section!