My grandson Dayan made a surprise trip home from college this weekend. He spent a fun day with his happy mom and step-dad, Josh. And we all made plans to meet for dinner tonight. Dayan suggested a new restaurant in Joplin, MacCheesy.
I love experiencing new places in town! It took my grandson, who lives in Columbia, Missouri now, to bring my attention to this recently opened diner. I am so glad that he did!
MacCheesy, featuring gourmet mac & cheese, is located at 116 North Range Line Road, Suite 101, Joplin, across the street from the Northpark Mall. Restaurant hours are 11:00 – 9:00 Monday through Saturday. They are closed on Sundays.
Although this restaurant offers many variations on the quintessential comfort food, mac & cheese, as one who adheres to a plant based lifestyle, and avoids dairy products and gluten, I was prepared to sip on water and visit with family while they dined. However, before meeting at MacCheesy, I checked out the online menu on their website. I was encouraged to see a “build your own” option. Dinner was on!
Greg and I met Elissa, Josh and Dayan at the restaurant. MacCheesy offers a couple of traditional mac & cheese options, and gourmet choices such as lobster mac, BBQ chicken mac, pesto chicken mac and taco mac…17 delectable selections in all. Plus, there is the build your own option, allowing for endless possibilities. The mac & cheese is available in a regular and large size, both served in cast iron skillets, and combo meals include a dessert.
Chicken bacon ranch mac
Pizza mac
Dayan sampled the chicken bacon ranch mac, while Elissa and Josh tried the pizza mac. These arrived piping hot in their skillets. The appreciative murmurs, and the speed at which these mac & cheeses disappeared indicated how good they were! There were discussions about trying the other options…and stopping by after work for carry outs.
Greg and I opted to share one of the small build your own skillets. At this time, MacCheesy does not offer gluten free pasta, however, owner Sharif Magd assured me that will soon be an option. My skillet included regular pasta, marinara sauce, mushrooms, broccoli, green peppers and onions. I omitted cheese and meat and any additional sauces or toppings.
Build your own skillet, without meat or cheese.
Our skillet arrived…and it was so good! We didn’t miss the cheese or meat at all and didn’t feel like we missed out on the experience. Sharif stopped by our table, checking to see that we were happy with what we had ordered. He offered to make us something else if we didn’t like our meal. What a generous offer. We not only loved our dinner, we appreciated his concern and personal follow up. It was with great pleasure that I turned to give Sharif a thumbs up after my first bite!
I highly recommend MacCheesy. The restaurant is clean, has ample seating, and a friendly and helpful wait staff. They are a reflection of the excellent owner. The menu offers a lot of variety, for being built around mac & cheese! And with more vegan and gluten free options coming, even plant based eaters can enjoy this specialty restaurant. Prices are extremely reasonable and the portions are perfectly sized.
I am so glad Dayan suggested MacCheesy tonight. Now that my other hand isn’t clutching a fork, I give it two thumbs up!
