San Francisco has always been a hub for unique and trendy foods: avocado toast, liquid nitrogen ice cream, and, now, custom mac and cheese.
At MAC’D, customers are encouraged to get outside their comfort zone and experiment with the ever-versatile mac and cheese dish.
The MAC’D location in the San Francisco Marina boasts simple but stylish decorations, with a sign that says “Stay Cheesin’” welcoming customers in. The walls are covered in orange paint, seemingly oozing down like cheese.
The restaurant allows you to customize nearly every part of the mac and cheese.
First, customers choose a size, regular for $11 or mini for $7. My regular was more than enough and was even able to feed me the next day.
Next, customers can choose a sauce, type of pasta, any mix-ins, and toppings like Cheetos and breadcrumbs. Loaded fries and brussel sprouts are also available as sides.
I decided to come to MAC’D for lunch on a Saturday and to my surprise, the line was out the door. A worker came out to let everyone know that it would take about 40 minutes to get to the cashier and place our order.
As the line progressed, the people around me and I started to notice the inefficiency of the place. One person was taking orders, making drinks, putting away dishes, and taking out the trash. The 40 minute line could have easily taken 15 minutes.
After about 45 minutes, I placed my order, getting elbow pasta with the basic sauce, chicken, peas, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and Parmesan. Seating was easy to find since the bulk of the crowd was in line.
My mac and cheese came out quickly and steaming hot. I dug in and immediately tasted the warm comfort of a gooey mac and cheese. The sauce was flavorful and coated the noodles nicely while still having the melted-cheese feel. The peas were a great addition to the pasta, but the chicken didn’t taste great — I could have done without it.
My favorite part was the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos option. I thought the crushed snack was a great addition to my mac and cheese and added a good amount of spice.
Overall, while the mac and cheese I had was delicious and comforting, I didn’t feel that it was worth the wait I had to endure. I only really got a few toppings, so it wasn’t much different than other mac and cheese, with the exception of the Cheetos. Although much better than the typical Kraft macaroni and cheese, the food at MAC’D is only worth having at most once, just for the experience. Otherwise, just stick to mac and cheese at any other restaurant.
The wide array of toppings and a pleasing ambiance make the mac and cheese at MAC’D unique, but not worth the wait.
[star rating = 3.5]
