No matter your age, when it comes to comfort food macaroni & cheese stands out as a favorite — the ooey-gooey cheese gets us every time! There are 12 different restaurants in Roseville who are serving macaroni & cheese on their menus, some with more than one. Many of the dishes have add-ins like bratwurst, lobster and BACON, making them truly unique. Instead of sampling all 12 of these cheesy macaroni and cheese dishes we decided to sample five (for now) to give you a sneak peek at what your next meal will look like in Roseville!
Applebee’s Bar & Grill
We didn’t sample the 4-Cheese Mac & Cheese with Honey Pepper Chicken Tenders at Applebee’s but if the name doesn’t grab your attention then maybe the description of this decadent dish will. Honey pepper balances the richness of this dish by giving a sweet and savory flavor to our breaded chicken tenders. They’re served atop a mound of our indulgent 4-Cheese Mac & Cheese loaded with Applewood smoked bacon. You can even order it to go!
Bakers Square
New to the Bakers Square menu is their Deluxe Chicken & Bacon Mac ‘n Cheese. Grilled chicken and hickory-smoked bacon over pasta shells in a homemade three-cheese sauce? We should have sampled this one! They sprinkle crushed up homemade croutons on top to give the dish a nice crunch.
Buffalo Wild Wings
Buffalo Wild Wings takes their boneless chicken wings and lays them generously on top of creamy, oven-baked macaroni and cheese — Buffalo Mac & Cheese. The best part? You get to choose the sauce for your chicken from their list of 21 signature sauces and dry seasonings. Lindsay went for the classic Honey BBQ sauce, one of her favorites. The chicken was good, the same as their boneless wings (only bite sized) and the macaroni and cheese underneath was amazing. It tasted just like homemade macaroni and cheese with the crunchy breadcrumbs on top and was super creamy — just like mom makes!
Granite City Food & Brewery
Granite City’s The Bennie Mac & Cheese features one of their in-house brews, The Bennie beer, which can be found in the sauce. On their menu it describes the dish as a chicken and penne pasta that is tossed in a cheese sauce, which rang true when we began eating. It was not very cheesy and the bacon was lacking other than what was sprinkled on top. If you’re looking for a unique penne pasta dish then this would be an ideal choice but it’s a little far from a macaroni and cheese in our eyes. Good attempt though!
Green Mill
One of the more decadent macaroni and cheese dishes out there is the Lobster Mac ‘n’ Cheese from Green Mill. You can probably see why with the amount of lobster topping the trottole pasta and mixed within the creamy cheese sauce within this fancy mac and cheese. The pasta held the cheese sauce well which complimented the lobster and gave it a “butteriness”. The bread dunked perfectly in the leftover cheese sauce on the bottom of the bowl… which I definitely ate up!
Grumpy’s Bar & Grill
We’ve had Grumpy’s Mac ‘n Cheese in the past so we didn’t need to sample their dish again (although, we should have!). You can get their mac ‘n cheese in a cup or in a bowl (it’s listed under soups). What makes their mac ‘n cheese special is the chunks of bratwurst mixed within! They offer another spin on mac ‘n cheese with their Mac ‘n Cheese Bites, found within their appetizers.
Joe Senser’s
When you name your macaroni and cheese after your restaurant, it’s bound to be good. The Senser’s Mac & Cheese at Joe Senser’s is a creamy blend of cheese with roasted garlic and cavatappi pasta. Add cajun grilled chicken and green onion or add buffalo spiced chicken and bleu cheese crumbles for a different spin on flavors (extra cost on add-ins).
Noodles & Company
At Noodles & Company you can craft your own dishes based on your specific tastes. You still have the freedom to get creative but you can also try their new adult mac’s that consist of Bacon Mac & Cheeseburger, Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese and BBQ Pork Mac & Cheese. Or go plain with their Wisconsin Mac & Cheese and add in your favorite meat or veggies to spice it up.
Old Chicago
Three mac n’ cheese dishes can be found on the menu at Old Chicago under their Taproom Mac N’ Cheese: Beer Brat Mac, Chicken Pesto Mac and Sicilian Pepperoni Roll Mac. Carrie & Shannon both tried one!
Carrie: Eating the Beer Brat Mac made me feel like an 8 year old again (though, minus the beer cheese sauce). The combination of the bratwurst, onions, peppers and mushrooms with the beer cheese sauce was outstanding. I was only going to eat half of it but I slowly kept eating the gooey goodness and ended up eating the whole thing; and needed a nap! It was one of the best macaroni and cheese dishes I’ve had in a long time (other than my mom’s).
Shannon: If you’re looking for cheese then you must try Old Chicago’s “cheesiest” mac n’ cheese ever. The Sicilian Pepperoni Roll Mac was definitely cheesy! There was a great kick of spice from the pepperoncini; I never thought of adding it to mac and cheese before. The servings are enough to make the biggest mac and cheese lover happy, happy, happy! (side note: Lindsay ate Shannon’s leftovers from the office fridge and was happy, happy, happy!).
Panera Bread
Tender shell pasta swimming in a rich Vermont white cheddar cheese sauce – YUM. At Panera Bread you can order their Mac & Cheese as your main meal or get it as a side with a sandwich or salad. This macaroni and cheese dish is comfort food at its best!
Pizza Lucé
Just because their name has pizza in it doesn’t mean they’re only cooking up pizzas. Pizza Lucé’s menu offers pizza, salads, hoagies, and pasta — where the macaroni & cheese lives! Lindsay ordered the Gouda Mac ‘n Cheese to go from their online ordering menu. You can pick up from their location or they will deliver to you with a minimum order of $10 (Gouda Mac ‘n Cheese is $9.99 so just add cheese to your bread!). The cavatappi noodles were fun to eat from the normal macaroni pasta and I loved the tomatoes and the big chunks of bacon gave it a rich, smoky flavor. I only wish it was a little more cheesy to dunk the bread!
Potbelly Sandwich Shop
New to the Potbelly Sandwich Shop menu is there Mac & Cheese where you can craft your own with any 2 premium toppings or try their new Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese (see how it’s made) which is already made for you, just add your favorite toppings. You can even turn the buffalo chicken into a sandwich (but without the noodles).
Happy, cheesy eating!
Smack Dab | Roseville, MN 