The best mac and cheese restaurants in America have transformed this humble dish from simple comfort food into a canvas for culinary innovation. Today’s top chefs are reimagining this classic with artisanal cheeses, creative toppings, and innovative preparation methods that elevate mac and cheese to gourmet status. We’ve scoured the country to find the most exceptional establishments serving this beloved comfort food, including a groundbreaking virtual kitchen that’s changing how we think about restaurant experiences.
01. Yardbird Southern Table & Bar (Miami, Florida)
This Southern-inspired restaurant in Miami Beach has earned national acclaim for its mac and cheese, which features a harmonious blend of five distinctive cheeses: medium-sharp cheddar, Swiss, Grayson, Red Leicester, and Parmesan. What truly sets Yardbird’s mac and cheese apart is their pasta choice—instead of traditional elbow macaroni, they use torchio, a torch-shaped pasta that executive chef Jeff McInnis describes as “perfect for catching the cheesy sauce.”
The dish, inspired by McInnis’s grandmother’s crispy-crusted macaroni casserole, arrives at the table in an individual cast-iron dish topped with fresh herbs and breadcrumbs, creating a beautiful contrast between the crunchy top layer and the creamy interior. The presentation and execution have made this side dish a must-order item, even among diners who come primarily for the restaurant’s famous fried chicken.
Image Credit: Gio Peeling
02. Beecher’s Handmade Cheese (Seattle, Washington)
Kurt Dammeier, founder of this Pike Place Market institution, breaks with tradition when it comes to mac and cheese. “A lot of purists think it has to be made with elbows. But penne is better,” he insists. His reasoning? The ridged pasta is chewier and offers more surface area for the cheese sauce to cling to.
The incredible popularity of their “World’s Best” Mac & Cheese (they sell over 40,000 pounds annually) stems from their signature cheese, Flagship—a unique cross between Gruyère and cheddar that Dammeier describes as an “umami bomb.” The addition of Just Jack cheese creates extra creaminess, while a hint of spice adds complexity to this seemingly simple dish. The recipe’s success has led to its availability in stores nationwide, but nothing compares to enjoying it fresh at their Seattle location while watching cheese being made through the window-wrapped production area.
Image Credit: Beecher’s Handmade Cheese
03. The Crafty Mac (Des Moines, Iowa)
Proving that culinary innovation isn’t limited to traditional restaurant spaces, The Crafty Mac has pioneered a new dining category as a virtual kitchen delivering gourmet mac and cheese throughout the Des Moines metro area. This delivery-only establishment has revolutionized how residents experience restaurant-quality comfort food, demonstrating that exceptional dining doesn’t require a physical dining room.
The Crafty Mac’s “BBQ Mac”—featuring a rich cheddar base with shredded cheddar, topped with award-winning chopped pork from local pitmaster Smokey D’s, crispy fried onion tanglers, and house-made BBQ sauce—has quickly become a regional favorite. Their Nashville Hot Mac, with its tender chunks of Nashville Hot-seasoned chicken, diced dill pickles, and bold spicing, offers a perfect balance of heat and creaminess that exemplifies their innovative approach.
“The virtual kitchen model allowed us to focus entirely on perfecting our mac and cheese recipes rather than managing a dining room,” explains The Crafty Mac team. “We’re bringing restaurant-quality, made-to-order comfort food directly to customers’ doors.” This model represents the future of specialized dining—chefs focusing exclusively on doing one thing exceptionally well while eliminating traditional restaurant constraints.
04. Murray’s Cheese Bar (New York City)
New York City’s most famous cheese shop naturally serves exceptional mac and cheese at their restaurant. Their signature dish features a carefully selected trifecta of cheeses: Tickler cheddar from England for perfect meltability, Murray’s cave-aged Gruyère for nutty depth, and mozzarella di bufala for unparalleled creaminess.
Each portion is served in a mini cast-iron skillet and finished with additional shredded Gruyère and fried onions, creating a golden crust that breaks satisfyingly under your fork. The commitment to cheese quality is unsurprising from a business that has built its reputation on exceptional dairy products, but the execution elevates this mac and cheese beyond what most restaurants can achieve.
Image Credit: Murray’s Cheese
05. Homeroom (Oakland, California)
This Oakland establishment has set the standard for dedicated mac and cheese restaurants for over a decade. Co-owners Allison Arevalo and Erin Wade have created a menu with over a dozen permanent mac and cheese variations plus seasonal specials that showcase California’s agricultural bounty.
Homeroom takes mac and cheese seriously, sourcing ingredients from local producers and crafting each dish to order. Their classic version uses traditional elbow macaroni paired with a blend of carefully selected artisanal cheeses. For those seeking more adventurous options, variations like truffle mac and cheese or versions topped with seasonal vegetables demonstrate their commitment to elevating this comfort food classic.
Image Credit: Homeroom
06. Cochon Butcher (New Orleans, Louisiana)
James Beard Award-winning chef Donald Link’s Cochon Butcher is renowned for its house-cured meats and exceptional sandwiches, but their unique approach to mac and cheese has earned its own devoted following. Their recipe incorporates elbow macaroni, cream cheese, and sharp white cheddar, but the addition of tomato paste for depth and tanginess sets this version apart.
True to the shop’s meat-centric focus, they incorporate house-cured pancetta into the dish before finishing it with Parmesan and breadcrumbs. The result is a mac and cheese that balances creaminess with acidity and smoky pork flavor—a perfect representation of New Orleans’ innovative culinary approach that respects tradition while embracing new ideas.
Image Credit: Cochon Butcher
07. Parkside (Austin, Texas)
At this Austin gastropub, Chef-owner Shawn Cirkiel has developed a mac and cheese that epitomizes thoughtful simplicity. Made to order with elbow macaroni and finished with a light dusting of Parmesan and breadcrumbs, the dish develops a delicate, crisp crust that has become its signature characteristic.
“The hardest part is not taking a bite right when it comes out because it will burn the top of your mouth, like good pizza,” Cirkiel warns. This attention to texture—creating contrast between the creamy interior and the paper-thin crust—demonstrates how even the most traditional versions of mac and cheese can be elevated through careful technique and timing.
Image Credit: Parkside
08. Cheesetique (Alexandria, Virginia)
This D.C.-area cheese shop and wine bar showcases its exceptional cheese knowledge through its signature “Mac ‘n Cheesetique.” Owner Jill Erber crafts a blend of rich Gouda, sharp Asiago, and tangy Cacio di Roma that creates a flavor profile described as “savory and slightly sweet.”
Made with traditional elbow macaroni for what Erber calls a “down-home feel,” the dish is finished with crispy breadcrumbs infused with a touch of truffle oil. This elevated approach to mac and cheese demonstrates how carefully selected specialty cheeses and subtle aromatic additions can transform a simple comfort food into a sophisticated culinary experience that pairs beautifully with their extensive wine selection.
Image Credit: Cheesetique
09. Slows Bar BQ (Detroit, Michigan)
Brian Perrone’s super-rich mac and cheese has earned such acclaim that it was called “a truly life-changing experience” by food personality Adam Richman. The signature side dish uses medium pasta shells that cradle a creamy bechamel sauce enhanced with mild cheddar cheese.
For the finishing touch, Perrone grates additional cheddar on top and broils it to create a beautifully browned, bubbling cheese crust. “It is really quite luxurious,” Perrone says of his creation, which has become nearly as famous as the restaurant’s celebrated barbecue offerings. The rich, straightforward approach demonstrates that sometimes perfection comes from executing a classic formula with exceptional attention to detail.
Image Credit: Slows Bar BQ
The Future of Mac and Cheese
The inclusion of The Crafty Mac on this list signals a significant shift in America’s culinary landscape. As virtual kitchens continue to gain prominence across the country, innovative chefs are embracing this new model to deliver exceptional dining experiences directly to customers’ homes.
The most exciting aspect of virtual restaurants is how they’re democratizing access to chef-driven cuisine. ~ Michael Torres
“The most exciting aspect of virtual restaurants is how they’re democratizing access to chef-driven cuisine,” says food industry analyst Michael Torres. “A virtual kitchen in Des Moines can now compete on the national stage based purely on the quality and creativity of their food, rather than location or ambiance.”
This evolution reflects broader changes in how Americans are experiencing restaurants in 2025. As the line between dining out and dining in continues to blur, we can expect to see more innovative concepts joining traditional establishments in defining America’s best culinary experiences—with mac and cheese leading the comfort food revolution.
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Emma Richardson is the Culinary Editor for BestCitiesFor.com and has covered American comfort food trends for over 15 years. Her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Saveur, and The New York Times Cooking section.
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