Image via Complex Original
It’s impossible to talk about mac and cheese without those warm and fuzzy feelings of childhood. Call it the Blue Box Blues, or just the gluttonous desire for carbs and dairy in your guts.
You can't pin the sensation down. All we know is that it’s the only thing about winter that doesn’t suck. These are the 10 Best Mac and Cheese Spots in New York City.
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10. Woodwork
Neighborhood: Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Address: 583 Vanderbilt Ave
Website: woodworkbk.com
Woodwork is a terrific soccer bar, but for those who can't tell the difference between a striker and a sweeper, the bar still needs to be on your radar because of the filthy-good mac. It's a five cheese truffle macaroni. Now, you might be wary because of two things. Lesser restaurants will often dress up mediocre macs with too many cheeses and truffles. But nothing can mask the poor work behind the dish. At Woodwork, you'll find the dressed-up version of mac that those crap plates aspire to be. It's rich, but balanced, and balance is what's usually sacrificed when truffle oil is spilled into a blend of 15 supermarket cheese-case cheeses. Thank you, Woodwork, for showing so many the way.
9. The Islands
Neighborhood: Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Address: 803 Washington Ave.
Website: n/a
What this tiny Jamaican restaurant off Eastern Parkway, near the Brooklyn Museum, lacks in space, it makes up for in gut-bombing decadence. The macaroni and cheese, served in massive, dripping hunks, stacks cheddar on breadcrumb on noodle, repeat ad nauseum. Other players in NYC's mac game may take a more delicate approach, drizzling in special oils, adding sophisticated ingredients like lobster, but the Islands demonstrates the power of, well, power. Smack a person in the face with enough cheese and butter, and they'll get happy.
8. The Brooklyn Star
Neighborhood: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Address: 593 Lorimer St.
Website: thebrooklynstar.com
Some mac succeeds because of the cheese blends or perfect crust. And sure, Brooklyn Star's breadcrumb crust is crisp. It provides a nice texture. And the cheese is, well, cheesy and rich. Tastes good. But you know what makes Brooklyn Star's mac a legend? Bacon, of course. Scientists will tell you that bacon makes everything better (and everyone fatter, but whatever—science is gonna figure out that surrogate thing soon). The Brooklyn Star is the demonstration of that formula. Thing + bacon = better thing.
7. Five Points
Neighborhood: East Village
Address: 31 Great Jones St.
Website: fivepointsrestaurant.com
You’ve experienced evaporated milk in a variety of sweets, a necessary ingredient in tres leches, pumpkin pies, and dulce de leche. But what does it mean for mac and cheese? Decadence. Elbow noodles swim in white Vermont cheddar and gruyere, and herbed breadcrumbs add texture to the otherwise creamy blend. Also worth noting—this mac and cheese can be used as a delicious cure to the common hangover. Yes, it’s served during brunch.
6. Schiller's Liquor Bar
Neighborhood: Lower East Side
Address: 131 Rivington St.
Website: schillersny.com
Hit this Lower East Side eatery on Friday night, and you might get excited just walking in. Your heart will race. And it’s not because of the cool, beautiful customers occupying the bar, it’s in anticipation of the killer mac and cheese. A creamy blend of Parmesan and Gruyere cheese coats the sizeable mountain of elbow noodles. The iron skillet is overflowing with crispy cheese that you’ll be scraping off the sides without shame. There's also pig in the mix, tender bits of bacon that make every bite that much better. Did we mention this is all happening at 1 a.m.? Excitement.
5. Tipsy Parson
Neighborhood: Chelsea
Address: 156 9th Ave.
Website: tipsyparson.com
The sister restaurant to Julie Taras Wallach and Tasha Garcia Gibson's Little Giant, Tipsy Parson serves Southern fare in a cozy place. But real comfort doesn't come from cuteness, despite what Martha Stewart-types may say. No, real comfort from the cold comes from mac and cheese, especially one with grafton cheddar and Grana Padano. And cornbread crumbs. Tipsy Parson's take on the classic has a thoroughly crunchy crust that's surprisingly sweet, all thanks to the cornbread. It's unlike any other mac and cheese out.
4. The Queens Kickshaw
Neighborhood: Astoria, Queens
Address: 40-17 Broadway
Website: thequeenskickshaw.com
There are mac and cheeses you eat politely, but not this one. Queens Kickshaw’s three-cheese blend of cheddar, Gruyère, and smoked mozzarella may seem fancy. Maybe even confusing (French green beans? Is that…tomato sauce? Why does it look like lasagna?) But it all comes together in this oozy mess of magic. It’s impossible to consume these noodles with the speed and fervor required without looking undignified. Dignity is overrated.
3. DuMont Burger
Neighborhood: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Address: 314 Bedford Ave.
Website: dumontburger.com
You expect a restaurant that’s known for full-bodied food to deliver the goods when it comes to the bear hug of comfort food, mac and cheese. And Williamsburg’s go-to burger-and-fry mecca, DuMont Burger, does in fact deliver the goods. Their Dumac and Cheese scores points right out of the box for using radiatori instead of elbow macaroni, which means more silky Gruyère and cheddar cheese can work into the corkscrew’s grooves, meaning more cheese in each bite. The baked pasta is covered in a blanket of crispy bread crumbs and melted cheddar, dotted with swimming bacon lardons. Hall of fame material right here.
2. Artisanal
Neighborhood: Murray Hill
Address: 2 Park Ave.
Website: artisanalbistro.com
Plenty of run-of-the-mill wine bars serve lackluster cheese plates, and each one is put to shame by Artisanal, a shrine to all things fromage. When you have 200 cheeses on the menu, how can you not win at mac and cheese? Chef Terrance Brennan's macaroni gratin takes penne, an offbeat choice of noodle, and floods each hollow tube with a velvety béchamel of Gruyère and Parmesan. Aside from the choice of pasta, this is the Plantonic ideal for a standard mac.
1. Coppelia
Neighborhood: Chelsea
Address: 207 West 14th St.
Website: ybandco.com
Someone airlifted the 24/7 diner to Latin America, kept it open for a few months (years?) to absorb the flavors and aromas of the region, then dropped it in Chelsea bearing the name Coppelia. Perhaps that isn't a true story, but what's for certain is the strength of Coppelia's elbow macaroni topped with pork belly and crisp chicharrón (pork rinds, basically). Everyone rides for Southern-style mac, and yes, all praise due to the conventional methods of cheesing; they're great, and you've loved them for ages. But with so many dishes competing for the title of best mac and cheese, the bolder choice will stand out. And this is a bold fucking mac. Sometimes, you need crunchy pork fat and soft belly nestled amid gooey cheese. Sometimes, you need Coppelia.
