Mr. Mac’s Macaroni and Cheese — Restaurant in Manchester

Why are there only four locations!!!!

I was off on a Sunday drive with my wife and three youngest children when someone spotted a roadside restaurant sign on I93 just north of Manchester New Hampshire. A Mac & Cheese only restaurant? Could it be? My eight- and thirteen-year old’s thought they must have died and gone to heaven and immediately started bouncing up and down in their seats. With that level of excitement, how could I say no, besides, I had to see how a restaurant could focus on pasta and cheese sauce. I am soo glad we stopped.

Warning, this place should have a disclaimer and require a signed waiver for anyone with a heart condition, cholesterol issues, or adult-onset diabetes. The menu is a good-sized selection of various mac & cheese offerings. If you want a side salad, they also have a half a dozen cold Mac & Cheese macaroni salad offering. If you are feeling guilty there are a few salad choices that involve vegetables, cowards! Lest I forget they have a few draft beers and hard cider to wash it all down.

Service: A++ If you have read any of my reviews you know I am big on service. First, where did they find the young people, teens, and early twenties, working here? I didn’t think that level of politeness existed anymore outside of “Chick fil a”. Service with a smile, extraordinary patience with our menu indecision, helpful suggestions without sarcasm. I know I was speechless also. AND THEY CAN COUNT CHANGE! This place is an order at the counter and we will bring your food to you, kind of spot. In any other place that’s the last, you would see of anyone in a corporate ball cap and apron. Not here, the shift manager, a nice young guy in his early twenties actually came to our table to see how we were enjoying our first experience, told us about the small chain's history, and asked if we needed “anything at all”.

Food: Yes, I know it is almost humanly impossible to screw up mac and cheese but making it delicious while combining it with everything from lobster to tacos is apparently an evolving art form. The dishes are in three sharable sizes and delivered to your table in hot cast iron skillets. I pity the dishwasher. I ordered one of the limited-time specials, get ready, Shepherd’s pie mac and cheese. It was just what it sounds like, a mild mac and cheese topped with tasty shepherd’s pie. Comfort food on steroids. My wife had Buffalo chicken mac & cheese which could have been a bit spicier, even for my sensitive tastebuds. Son number 1 had Chicken Bacon Ranch, Son Number two split a medium-sized Mozzarella stick mac and cheese with his sister. We were stuffed AND there were leftovers. My wife asked me if franchise owners made good money, Lol.

I have been privileged to have experienced a lot of culinary adventures during my life, from Michelin Star restaurants to mom and pop diners. In that mix are the “chain restaurants”. With many of the chain/franchise places you often wonder how they became so successful. Often it was the service and quality food they launched with before they got greedy and more concerned about their stock prices than their customers. Mr. Mac’s Macaroni and Cheese DON’T...

I would never in a million years spend a dollar ever again here. I used to come here quite frequently. Until I had an incident happen out front of the store which left me no choice but to park here! I got two blown out tires from the negligence of the city. Everyone at mr macs was SUPER COOL. Helped me out. Then there came this one manager who's undies were so uptight that day! I wish I remembered his name, but I do remember that snippy voice! I was having a hard time getting new wheels and tires for my car. I said I would've been there wed last week... I worked later than normal and was out of the question to get new rims and tires mounted. Same thing Thursday.. which I called and made sure it was okay.. show up there friday to get my car and its gone after them religiously telling me they wouldn't tow it and they arent like that. So thanks to the miserable dude that costed me another 275$ to get my car back because " you have a business to run". I have never once seen mr macs parking lot full. You aren't a five star restaurant, and rarely get people in there. Should've told me from the beginning it wasnt cool and I'd have tried to figure something else out. Instead of being a nasty human and costing me more money on something that already wasn't even my fault to begin with. Long story short. City is incompetent and leaves huge pot holes. I hit said pothole with zero money in my pocket, because the society we live in is already so expensive. ( mind you I was doing uber to make extra cash.) and that one dude who was having a bad day decided to call the tow company to get my car towed instead of just being half a decent human being. Needless to say that whole next paycheck went straight to my car and took food out of my daughters mouth. You better hope the same thing never...

HOLY-OH!-MAC-N-CHEESE!!! Mr. Mac's Macaroni And Cheese was suggested to me by our friend, Deirdre C., while I was staying in Manchester recently. What a great tip! When I walked in, I was a little surprised, but not at all put off by, what I'd call the "fast-casual' dining feel of the place. The place isn't huge, and is very busy. It has the look and feel of a fast food joint, but serves food that far exceeds fast food quality. There are over 20 basic menu options in three size categories, and with a mix of any of the ingredients they offer, the possibilities are almost limitless. We stepped up to the counter, and placed our orders with a polite, friendly young woman who asked if we were dining in, or having our orders to go. We replied that we'd be eating in, so she said that because there was a short wait for a table, she wouldn't put the order in until we were seated. Nice! She produced a number on a disk stuck to a small pole that we put on the table that opened up a few minutes later. Shortly thereafter, our extremely hot, cast iron skillets filled with, for me, a medium size order of lobster macaroni and cheese (can I get an Hallelujah!), and a small cheeseburger mac 'n' cheese for my sister arrived. They were brought with sturdy plastic forks and knives that fit with the fast-casual vibe of the place. The wonderful, cheesy, concoction in the skillet had an adequate amount of large pieces of very flavorful lobster. The cheese was clearly quality, as were all the ingredients. I tasted my sister's cheeseburger mac 'n' cheese, and that also was delicious! Overall, a very cool little place offering quality food at reasonable prices. They also recently opened a second store on Rt1 (Lafayette Road) in Portsmouth. "SAY...