When you think comfort food, mac and cheese comes up tops. There’s just something about the creamy, dreamy combination of macaroni and all kinds of cheese that can cheer up even the worst of days. We may not be as obsessed with it as our American friends, but we definitely appreciate a hearty serving of the wholesome (and indulgent) dish.
Just picture yourself clutching a warm bowl of carb-rich goodness dripping with gooey cheese and covered by a blanket of breadcrumbs – it’s basically impossible not to think happy thoughts when you’re inhaling this stuff.
Besides the two main ingredients stirred with milk and butter, mac and cheese comes in many variations that include different types of pastas, spices, herbs, meats and veggies, just to ensure you never get sick of it. While it’s not the healthiest, the humble dish is easily available via ready-to-make boxes, or it can take on an elevated form (with a corresponding price tag) by adding ingredients like lobster and truffle.
Regardless of how you prefer your mac and cheese, here are the best restaurants in Singapore to get your dose whenever the cravings come calling.
Ah Bong’s Italian
Known and loved for its comfort Italian food, its no-frills casual setting and an ever-rotating menu, Ah Bong’s always comes to mind when we’re dreaming about pasta. The eatery is best visited during lunch, when it offers a rather value-for-money menu of $12 pasta sets that come with a drink and a dessert.
Among the other at-times unconventional offerings, the truffle mac and cheese sprinkled with black pig bacon and shiitake isn’t too overwhelming with its light but rich cheese sauce coating each perfectly cooked piece of penne.
#01-02, 103 Beach Rd, 9650-6194. Mon-Fri noon-2pm, 6pm-9pm; Sat-Sun noon-9pm.
Bedrock Bar & Grill
To supplement your juicy slabs of grilled Australian grass-fed, dry aged or grain-fed beef steaks, you’ll need an order of the restaurant’s highly raved about mac and cheese ($20).
Just think about the crispy cheese crust atop a bed of creamy penne pasta drenched liberally with truffle oil. ‘Nuff said.
#01-05 Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Orchard, 6238-0054. Daily noon-3pm, 6pm-8pm, 8:30pm-11pm.
Bird Bird
When we want our fried chicken cravings seriously satisfied, this is without a doubt our go-to spot. But in between stuffing our faces with crispy fried bird, cornbread waffles and curly fries, we’re all about the mac and cheese – of which the eatery has four variations ($10-$12).
If our stomachs didn’t have a say, we’d get ‘em all. But alas, you’ll just have to make the tough choice between crawfish with smoked bacon, braised duck with kale, black truffle with roasted mushroom, or three-cheese with garlic crumbs. (Alternatively, you could always return for multiple visits.)
97 Frankel Ave, 6694-8270. Tues-Sun 11am-11pm.
Chir Chir
Fried chicken may be the star of this Korean chain – and indeed, it excels in garlic roasted, spicy BBQ and original crispy renditions – but it sure knows how to warm our bellies with a pan of cheddar cheese and cream sauce covered macaroni ($9.90-$16.90).
Don’t expect a mind-blowing experience though – this dish tastes more like a nostalgic nod to cheap versions of the comfort food from our school days.
Five outlets, including #B3-04/05/06 313 @ Somerset. Sun-Thurs 11am-10pm, Fri-Sat 11am-11pm.
Fry Rooftop Bistro & Bar
The Club Street bistro loves its mac and cheese, judging by its four different types on the menu – complete with additional ingredients that you can toss into the mix. There’s the good old regular homemade creation ($18), the one with a blend of tomato concasse and cream sauce ($18), the one with chunks of chilli crab meat ($20), and the all-indulgent one with kimchi pork belly and a sunny side up ($24).
Granted, you’ll have to wait about half an hour for your order to arrive, but you can always console yourself by adding shiitake mushrooms ($2), ham ($3), Cajun chicken ($3) or truffle oil ($4) to your dish.
96B Club St, 8418-5995. Mon-Wed 5:30pm-1am. Thurs-Sat 5:30pm-3am.
Latteria Mozzarella Bar
Located across the street from buzzy Mexican joint Lucha Loco, this Italian restaurant is relatively quiet in comparison.
And in a place that specializes in pastas and all things Italian, you won’t regret ordering a portion of Latteria’s mac and cheese ($28), which features mini fusilli drenched in a mix of buffalo mozzarella, smoked mozzarella and parmesan served in a pumpkin shell.
40 Duxton Hill, 6866-1988. Sun-Fri noon-2:30pm, Mon-Sun 6pm-10:30pm.
Little Diner
The diner hangout spot in Bukit Timah wastes no time bragging about its “Best Macaroni & Cheese!!!” (complete with three exclamation marks), so we’d suggest you bring a couple of hungry friends to share the three renditions among you.
The old school baked dish ($16.50) is simply slathered in triple cheese sauce and covered with crispy breadcrumbs, while Smokey’s version ($19.50) includes sautéed chorizo slices, and the Royale one ($20.50) adds truffle oil and wild mushrooms into the mix.
789 Bukit Timah Rd, 6466-4088. Tues-Fri 11:30am-3:30pm, Sat-Sun 11am-6pm, Tues-Thurs & Sun 6pm-10pm, Fri-Sat 6pm-10:30pm.
Luke’s Oyster Bar & Chop House
Hidden among the oysters, meats and seafood offerings on the menu is Luke’s lobster mac and cheese ($26), which blends parmesan and cream cheese with elbow macaroni, and comes sprinkled with Ritz cracker pieces for added crunch.
Two outlets, including 22 Gemmill Ln, 6221-4468. Mon-Sat noon-midnight.
Meatsmith
Smoked meats go together with mac and cheese like bread and butter, that’s pretty clear. So chow down on pork ribs, beef brisket and wagyu ribeye with a carb-y side of pasta shell mac and cheese ($10) for maximum happiness.
167/169 Telok Ayer St, 6221-2262. Daily 11:30am-late.
Montana
Fancy a bite of mac and cheese in waffle form? Get it at this café ($13.80), which stuffs gloriously gooey mac and cheese with jalapeno and truffle oil into an actual waffle, so it looks all innocent and plain on the outside but packs a light and fluffy punch once you sink your teeth into it.
Plus, once you start feeling a tad gelat, the side serving of curried tomato relish helps cut through the creaminess of it all.
#02-25 PoMo, 1 Selegie Rd, 6334-3137. Mon-Fri 11am-10pm, Sat 9am-11pm, Sun 9am-9:30pm.
Overeasy
Known for its calorie-laden diner classics, spiked milkshakes and cool parties, Overeasy isn’t one to shy away from indulgent American comfort foods. Amidst the fried chicken and waffles, lobster tater tots and hunky burgers, you’ll find a good ol’ fashioned mac and cheese ($14) on the menu, which you can upgrade with truffle and mushrooms for an extra $4.
But if you’re feeling particularly generous, splurge on the truffled mac and cheese ($48) that comes with half a Maine lobster.
Two outlets, including #01-06 One Fullerton, 6684-1453. Tues-Fri 11:30am-2:30pm, Mon-Thurs 5pm-1am, Fri-Sat 5pm-3am, Sun 2pm-11pm.
Pacamara Boutique Coffee Roasters
If you love cheese, this oven baked gometi pasta ($17.50) drenched in parmesan, mozzarella and mild cheddar will be like paradise on a plate for you.
Mixed with chicken chunks, wild mushrooms and feta crumbs, the pasta arrived swimming in a rich cheese sauce with an almost soup-like consistency that you can shamelessly mop up with a couple of leftover fries.
185 Upper Thomson Rd. Daily 9am-10pm.
Park
Truffle oil – you either love it or you think it’s totally overrated and pointless.
If you fall into the former camp, Park’s got servings of truffle fries and truffle mac and cheese ($12.80) with parmesan, emmental and blue cheese for you to get intoxicated by the aromatic scent.
#01-01, 281 Holland Ave, 9721-3815. Tues-Thurs 11am-midnight, Fri 11am-2am, Sat 10am-2am, Sun 10am-midnight.
Pince & Pints
Of course the mac and cheese ($29) at this lobster-obsessed eatery has chunks of lobster mixed in with elbow pasta and mozzarella. Grab an order to go along with your lobster roll, lobster burger, or grilled whole lobster.
Two outlets, including 32/33 Duxton Rd, 6225-7558.
Ruth’s Chris Steak House
A meal at this Louisiana chain restaurant is, of course, all about the steak (oh c’mon, look at the name). For something to complement your medium rare hunk of beef, you can’t go wrong with a rich serving of macaroni with cheddar, blue cheese, parmesan and pecorino ($20).
Come to think of it, it’ll pair well with pretty much anything else on the menu – at least in our eyes.
Level 4, Marina Mandarin Hotel, 6336-9093. Mon-Sun 11:30am-3pm, 5:30pm-11pm.
Spruce
Nestled at the former Bukit Timah Fire Station amongst lush greenery, Spruce is the kind of place you head to for a laidback brunch or a chill evening with friends.
Its three-cheese macaroni ($20), which comes studded with bacon bits, makes for a great side to accompany your burger, pasta or steak.
#01-01, 260 Upper Bukit Timah Rd, 6466-5582. Mon-Wed 5:30pm-1am, Thurs-Fri 11:30am-1am, Sat-Sun 9am-1am.
The Beast
Regular old mac and cheese not good enough for you? Treat yo’self to the hulking creation that is the mac and cheese burger ($22) — a gut-busting concept that scoffs at bread and smashes its bacon jam and BBQ sauce-slathered beef patty in between two divine fried mac and cheese “buns”. Served with a side of nicely crisped sweet potato fries, this is one glorious item you won’t regret ordering.
But if you’re a traditionalist, The Beast has got you covered with its good old standard baked version ($12) — a mix of shell pasta, creamy béchamel, cheddar and mozzarella.
17 Jalan Klapa, 6295-0017. Mon-Wed 5pm-midnight, Thurs-Fri 5pm-1am, Sat-Sun 11am-midnight.
The Big Cheese
A café that only serves up mac and cheese? Hell yeah, that’s what we’re talking about. Unleash your mac and cheese obsession here with easy-on-the-wallet variations (from $5.50) that come with everything from chicken ham and beef bacon to truffled mushroom and a sunny side up egg.
Even picky eaters can find something they like with the build-your-own option (from $6) that lets you choose your pastas, cheese bases, meats, greens, and toppings.
#01-59 Sunshine Plaza, 8147-0485. Tues-Sun noon-9pm.
The Bird Southern Table and Bar
The newest kid on the MBS block brings classic Southern fare to our shores, so you can get a taste of fried chicken with waffles (and watermelon), buttermilk biscuits, shrimp and grits, deviled eggs and, of course, mac and cheese ($14).
The Bird’s creation tosses torchio pasta with five types of artisanal cheese and sprinkles crispy herb crust on top of it all.
#B1-07, Galleria Level, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, 6688-9959. Mon-Fri 11am-2am, Sat-Sun 8am-2am.
The Providore
Seems like lobster’s quite the favorite topping when it comes to mac and cheese.
The Providore’s version ($25.50) arrives on your table sprinkled with shaved fennel and fresh dill in a cast iron pan, and it’s available at all four outlets in the CBD and Orchard area (in case you need a pick-me-up after all that retail therapy or hours in the office).
Four outlets, including 7 Raffles Place, 6533-1352. Mon-Sat 8am-10:30pm, Sun 9am-6pm.
The White Rabbit
Gorgeously housed in an elegant restored 1930s chapel, The White Rabbit is one of those restaurants that’s always hosting celebrations and special occasions. Dishes on the menu may not be too easy on your wallet, but they’re well worth splurging on.
And should you feel like a side of truffled mac and cheese with mushrooms covered by a layer of crunchy breadcrumbs ($14) to go with your pumpkin tarte, grilled Iberian pork chop or Aussie wagyu steak, well, just do it.
39C Harding Rd, 6473-9965. Tues-Thurs & Sun 6pm-11:30pm, Fri-Sat 6pm-12:30am.
Wildseed Café & Bar
The casual café, which offers indoor and al fresco seating, is perennially packed on weekends and public holidays, so come prepared to wait in line.
On its Asian-inspired menu, you’ll find the shiitake mac and cheese ($9) dish that comes with nori seaweed and yuzu kosho – for an extra $3.50, they’ll heap on a poached egg for extra creaminess.
3 Park Ln, 6262-1063. Daily 9am-5pm.
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