Great Mac & Cheese Can Be Found At These Places On The Jersey Shore

Great bowls of mac & cheese on the Jersey Shore aren’t as difficult to find as one might think.  If you’re offering me a list of options of places to grab a hearty dish of creamy mac & cheese, you have my undivided attention.

The very first thing on my long list of comfort foods is a big hot creamy bowl of cheesy gooey goodness, or as the rest of the world calls it, macaroni & cheese.

The last few generations grew up with that famous blue box that contained a package of orange powder shoved into the middle of the box that contained tiny little pasta. But as time went on, our palates matured and searched for variations of what was at one time considered a simple pleasure.

Macaroni and cheese lovers here in New Jersey have a list of their favorites. It may be their mom or grandma’s homemade version, their own homemade concoction, or a version created by one of the thousands of restaurants across the Garden State.

The mac & cheese we are most familiar with other than the blue box, contains cheddar cheese, milk or cream, and salt, pepper and maybe a few other spices such as garlic.

In the 21st century, it’s a whole different ballgame. Now we’re being offered mac & cheese with a whole bunch of different cheeses. I have a recipe that contains 8 different cheeses. It sounds ridiculous until you put that first forkful into your mouth.  If heaven had flavor, this recipe is it.

I’ve seen recipes that call for bleu cheese. I love bleu cheese but not in a dish of mac & cheese. I’ve used cheddar, Velveeta, parmesan, provolone, gruyere, Swiss, Muenster, Asiago, and mozzarella. Bleu cheese doesn’t belong in the mix.

I got hit with a host of favorites and I’m going to share my findings from the mac and cheese lovers across the great state of New Jersey, and they are listed in no particular order.

If you think Gabriella's cheesy garlic bread is good, wait until you try their mac & cheese. They have a creamy lobster mac & cheese, or you can order the divine truffle mac and cheese. Tough choice but I’ll bet they’ll make something other than those 2 choices if you ask nicely.

The Ark has been consistently rated #1 for mac & cheese. Most people I’ve heard from, say no other Jersey Shore eatery comes close. This isn’t some fancy place, it’s a bar that feels like home to anyone who has ever stepped foot in here. Plus, they have award winning burgers. It's time to grab a bowl of goodness and a nice juicy burger.

You may have heard me rave about the garlic parmesan wings and their perfectly seasoned fries. Now, it's time to shine the spotlight on their "Cheez It" crusted mac & cheese.  It's a creamy Blend of 4 Cheeses, fresh basil, and macaroni topped with Cheese Itz & baked till golden brown.

The also make short rib mac & cheese, BBQ pork mac & cheese, truffle mac & cheese, and a Buffalo chicken mac & cheese. At some point I will have to try them all.

The first place I ate mac & cheese other than my own after I moved to Jersey in the 90’s. Now to me, that’s home.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/jamesons-southern-cooking-neptune-city

It’s a grab and go joint  where you can grab a quick bite for breakfast, but macaroni & cheese is their main focus. They offer crazy cool combinations like  the “Shroom” –  Mac & Cheese mixed with a 5 mushroom blend, topped with a drizzle of truffle oil, garlic breadcrumbs and fresh green onions. All the combos are fun and inventive.

They have a grilled mac & cheese sandwich on the menu.  I’ll skip the bread and order a big bowl of their homemade creamy mac & cheese!  So comforting, it’s like eating at Grandma’s house.

This place has a 3 cheese blend mac & cheese topped with buttery panko bread crumbs. The only thing that may be able to top that is the Mac & Cheese Burger. It’s a mound of creamy mac & cheese on top of a burger, served on grilled sourdough. My ass is growing larger just writing about it.

Another place that has my heart when it comes to wings. The Mac & Cheese here is ridiculously good!

The Lobster Mac & Cheese is a comforting bowl of creamy goodness, topped with buttery lobster that melts in your mouth. Don’t forget about the Mac Daddy Burger- A killer cheeseburger topped with Applewood smoked bacon a generous helping of mac & cheese.

My friend Larry might get into an argument with a few people when it comes to the best lobster mac & cheese. He swears Rooney’s takes the crown. The menu describes it perfectly. It’s Lobster Mac-A-Rooney – Lobster Cream Sauce, Maine Lobster Meat, Parmesan & Mozzarella Cheeses.

Many folks had Local Smoke's mac & cheese near the top of their list, and I can’t disagree. The mac & cheese bites are a must order as well.

This place has come up a lot lately. Their menu varies with the seasons. They have a simple 3 cheese baked mac & cheese topped with panko breadcrumbs. You can add fried Buffalo chicken or BBQ brisket and make it a hearty meal. If you're looking for an entree, the skirt steak comes highly recommended.

This place serves some great American classics. The bacon wrapped meatloaf would not be complete without an order of the incredible Old Glory mac & cheese.

You can choose from the classic version which comes with a 3 cheese sauce covering every nook and cranny of  Cavatappi pasta. They can make it with the addition of short ribs, or you can opt for the jumbo lump crabmeat mac & cheese made with Old Bay seasoning and topped with breadcrumbs. All 3 versions are winners.