Mac and cheese is easily one of the best comfort foods ever – who doesn’t love carbs and creamy, gooey cheese? Fortunately, New York City has some great mac and cheese spots: some simple, some over-the-top, and all completely delicious and worth indulging in!
Read more: Where to Eat in New York City
International Wings Factory
While International Wings Factory has some amazing chicken wings, their mac and cheese is unbelievably cheesy and a must-have. I’d recommend pairing it with their garlic Parmesan wings for a cheesy match made in heaven.
Jacob’s Pickles
Mac and cheese from Jacob’s Pickles is a big dill – it’s one of the greatest in Manhattan. You can get a classic one with just cheese or jazz it up with some buffalo chicken and a blue cheese drizzle. Their comfort food is so worth relishing.
Queen’s Comfort
[EDIT: Queen’s Comfort has sadly become a victim of COVID and has closed permanently. Support your local businesses to help keep them alive!]
Queen’s Comfort is an excellent comfort food restaurant in Astoria, Queens. Their menu is full of creative burgers and sandwiches, but their mac and cheese is the most delicious comfort food on the menu. The truffle mushroom mac and cheese is absolutely heavenly!
If you want mac and cheese with a kick, Queen’s Comfort has Atomic Fire Balls – deep fried mac and cheese balls served with Sriracha and ranch. They’re bites of fiery, cheesy goodness.
Root & Bone
Root & Bone may have some drool-worthy chicken and waffles, but their mac and cheese should also be on your table. It’s made with a cheddar mornay sauce and served with a crispy biscuit crust.
Cooper’s
If you think you can’t have mac and cheese for breakfast, you’re wrong. At Cooper’s, you can ask the staff to top your mac and cheese with a fried egg for the most important (and cheesy) meal of the day.
Even if you don’t top it with a fried egg, Cooper’s mac and cheese is super creamy and stretchy. They make it with American, cheddar, and Gruyere cheese – all mixed with stretchy cheese curds and topped with golden herb breadcrumbs. One look at this video and you’ll fall in love.
Shopsin’s
Shopsin’s delivers another twist on breakfast mac and cheese with their mac and cheese pancakes. You can get them plain or stuffed with everything from scrambled eggs to fried chicken and bacon. It’s a breakfast made in carb heaven.
Cafeteria Restaurant
Cafeteria is a great spot to satisfy your late night mac and cheese craving – they’re open 24 hours and have three different takes on your favorite comfort food: cheddar and fontina (our favorite), smoked Gouda and bacon, and truffle oil mac and cheese.
If their signature mac and cheeses are not enough for you, they also have mac and cheese spring rolls that come with a creamy smoked Gouda dipping sauce for some fork-free cheesy goodness – our preferred vehicle for their mac and cheese. Whether it’s 5PM or 5AM, Cafeteria’s mac and cheese is delicious all the time.
Cheese Grille
Photo: Alexandra Strimbu
If you want a great comfort food fix, Cheese Grille is the way to go. They’ve got grilled cheese sandwiches and mac and cheese galore. Their buffalo chicken mac and cheese is a best-seller, but their ham & cheese mac and cheese and garden mac and cheese dishes are great options too.
If you want some fork-free mac and cheese, definitely try their deep-fried mac and cheese, served with a side of their spicy tomato soup. Crispy on the outside, cheesy on the inside…pure bites of perfection.
Got your fill of macaroni and still craving cheese? Check out our guide on the best pizza in NYC.
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