Highly Opinionated: An Eater Editor’s Favorite Macaroni and Cheese in Houston
Where to find Houston’s cheesiest, most flavorful macaroni and cheese
Macaroni and cheese is undoubtedly one of the U.S.’s best-known dishes — the American sweetheart of cheese-encrusted comfort food. Although it’s typically deemed a “side,” most people in the South know that when it comes to a major holiday or dining event, such as Thanksgiving, the tray of macaroni and cheese is one of the most sought-after features of the night.
The dish has a storied and long-disputed history. Many accounts note that James Hemings, a man enslaved by U.S. President Thomas Jefferson, was the originator of macaroni and cheese as we know it. Jefferson enlisted Hemings to study culinary arts in France, then smuggled in a pasta machine from Italy so that Hemings could introduce macaroni and cheese to elite families in the American South. He did just that, offering one of the most foundational forms of the dish at the White House. Other accounts point to even earlier renditions, going as far back as 160 BCE during the Roman Republic, when pasta and fresh cheese were served together.
As a dish, macaroni and cheese has incredible range. It can be composed of different pasta noodles of all shapes and sizes, with extra thought put into which will serve as the best vessel for a creamy amalgam of cheeses. There are various forms — soupy, voluptuously creamy renditions; baked, breadcrumb-topped versions that must be cut into like a casserole; cheesy noodles shaped into balls and deep fried; and macaroni “pies” inflected with Afro-Caribbean flavor. And while plenty of restaurants pride themselves on using the best cheeses and ingredients, at-home renditions of no-frills mac and cheese abound (I’m looking at you, Kraft). These counterparts can be nostalgia-inducing at best, especially for those intimately familiar with the quick, powder-based versions that come from a box.
In Houston, restaurants and chefs have offered riffs and spins on this American classic, infusing them with Asian diasporic flavors, Southern spice, and seafood for a Gulf Coast spin. Here are some of the city’s best macaroni and cheese dishes.
The overall best: Baked mac ‘n cheese at Josephine’s
318 Gray Street, Midtown
Most people can agree that a restaurant dish should have different elements to make it a success, including added texture and spice if you’re from the South (a kick, if you will). This Midtown restaurant, which harnesses the flavors of the Gulf Coast and chef Lucas McKinney’s Mississippi roots, serves a baked macaroni and cheese that hits all the notes. Picture it: a dish comes out piping hot, packed to the brim with cheese-laden cavatappi noodles, topped with fried chicken cracklins, a drizzle of hot honey, and chives. It’s cheesy, creamy, a little spicy, and has a hint of crunch, making it the ultimate scene-stealing sidekick to practically any dish on Josephine’s menu. It’s more than enough for two to three people. But if you really love macaroni and cheese, don’t be afraid to keep it all to yourself. You can always order another to share or take home later.
Josephine’s
The steakhouse standout: Ricotta-stuffed macaroni and cheese at Prime 131
2505 West 11th Street, Suite 100, Heights
When it comes to steakhouses, macaroni and cheese has seemingly all but replaced the most standard side, which was once mashed potatoes. Nearly every Houston steakhouse has its own version, and while many are delicious, Prime 131’s entry to the category stands out among the rest. Prime 131’s macaroni and cheese takes notes from Italian stuffed shells. Silky boiled pasta shells are stuffed with ricotta, then plated in a miniature cast-iron skillet, covered in more melted cheeses, topped with breadcrumbs and parsley, and baked until its exterior gets a nice, blistered crust.
Brian Kennedy
Brian Kennedy
The best loaded macaroni and cheese: Brisket mac and cheese at Pizzitola’s BBQ
1703 Shepherd Drive, Heights
Open since 1937, this barbecue restaurant gives macaroni and cheese the main character treatment it deserves. Instead of banishing it to the side menu, this joint makes its mac an entire meal: Pizzitola’s loads up its four-cheese macaroni and cheese with hunks of peppery chopped brisket and diced green onion, which adds colorful, bright flavor that cuts through some of the richness.
Brittany Britto Garley
The wild card: Lobster miso macaroni and cheese at Kata Robata
3600 Kirby Drive, Suite H, Upper Kirby
Sure, it seems out of the box for a sushi restaurant to serve macaroni and cheese, but lobster miso mac has become one of the cult-favorites dishes at Kata Robata, and it turns out that there’s some noteworthy history behind it. Macaroni gratin, a French baked pasta dish typically topped with a creamy white sauce, has been a significant part of yōshoku, a Japanese term for the style of Western cooking introduced to Japan in the mid-to-late 1800s. Kata Robata chef-owner Manabu “Hori” Horiuchi adopted the recipe from his mother but focused in on the Southern comfort aspect by infusing the bechamel and miso-based sauce with Redneck Cheddar, Marieke Gouda, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. The result is a super silky pasta dish with chunks of lobster and an added boost of umami thanks to the miso. One dish can serve four to five people. Want to try your hand at making it at home? The Houston Chronicle published the recipe online.
Julie Soefer
Brittany Britto Garley
The mac we’ll miss forever: Tandoori mac and cheese at Amrina
3 Waterway Square Place, Unit 100, The Woodlands
This elegant yet eclectic restaurant in The Woodlands won Eater Houston’s heart in 2022, earning the Best New Restaurant Award for its ever-evolving menu, which offers an inventive showcase of Indian diasporic cuisine. Chef Jassi Bindra’s tandoori macaroni and cheese, a fiery orange serving of pasta loaded with spices and baked in what felt like a personal pot, is irresistible. A representative informed Eater Houston last year that Amrina discontinued the macaroni and cheese; of course, that doesn’t make me miss it any less.
