Mr. Mac's (Manchester, NH)

Recently, comfort foods like grilled cheese and macaroni and cheese have become popular in restaurants. Mr. Mac's is a restaurant (almost) entirely built on making different varieties of macaroni and cheese. They have 14 different kinds of macaroni and cheese, and if you don't like any of those, you can make your own by choosing the types of cheese and add-ins.

One of our co-workers recommended Mr. Mac's, so we decided to go there for lunch. We ordered two different types of macaroni and cheese: "Cheese Please" and "Lobstah." If you eat inside Mr. Mac's (as opposed to ordering take-out), your macaroni and cheese will be cooked and presented to you in a cast iron pan, which is a nice touch.

The "Cheese Please" contains four different types of cheese, and was very creamy. It also had a crusty top due to the baking of the cheese on the top. We would recommend this version to someone who is interested in a classic macaroni and cheese, with no additional add-ins. The "Lobstah" is essentially the "cheese please" with a lobster add-in. The lobster pieces were ample - we would recommend this to any fish lover, but be aware that the lobster gives a distinctively fishy flavor to the macaroni and cheese that cannot be eliminated.

Be aware of how hungry you are when you place your order. The macaroni and cheese dishes come in three sizes (small, medium, and large). The small version may appear to be too small (more like a side dish size), but it would have been more than enough for one of us to eat on our own.  Unfortunately, we both ordered medium sizes, and we had half of each to take home. Macaroni and cheese is quite a heavy meal, and our stomachs felt like rocks until much later in the afternoon. Reheated, the macaroni and cheese also tastes fine, but just not as good as it is hot out of the oven. We would recommend that you order small sizes if you're not the type that loves eating leftover food the next day.

Something that is confusing to us is the pricing at Mr. Mac's. You can make your own macaroni and cheese - but shouldn't the price of the dish be the same as if you added the same toppings as one of their signature dishes? For example, the "Classic All-American" macaroni and cheese (the most basic mac and cheese) is $4.99 for a small size. However, if you want to make your own macaroni and cheese, the pricing starts at $7.99 for a small size. What is the difference between the "Classic All-American" and the make-your-own with no toppings that it justifies a $3 difference in price? In our eyes: nothing. However, this rule also goes the other way. The "Lobstah" mac and cheese is $9.99 for a small, however if you want to make your own mac and cheese, and just add lobster, a small size would cost you only $8.99. Our suggestion: do the math both ways, and see which way it is least expensive.

Other things to note:

• Mr. Mac's also sells make-your-own salads, but we didn't try them so we can't comment.
• Ambiance inside Mr. Mac's is nice - brighly lit and very clean. A mix of high and low tables, and even though you order at the counter, your meal is brought to your table, and you leave your plate on the table (they'll clean it up for you) when you leave.
• Bottled beverages (sodas, waters, etc.) are available for purchase - they don't have fountain soda, only bottled beverages.

Overall Rating (Mr. Mac's): 7 out of 10
Positive: Great-tasting macaroni and cheese. Good ambiance.
Negative: Pricing is different depending on whether you order a signature dish or make-your-own macaroni and cheese. The macaroni and cheese is heavy - something it will take us at least 6 months to recover from before returning.