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Ultimate Mac and Cheese Showdown By Jamison Davis

If there's one thing you need to know about me, it's that I have a strange obsession with mac and cheese. It's one of my favorite foods, I crave it all the time, the whole nine yards. Since I've tried many different kinds of mac and cheese over the years, I decided to pit them all against each other and finally find "The Best Mac and Cheese Ever". How this is going to work is we're going to start from the bottom of the list and work to number one.

Number 4: Noodles and Company. I have not had Noodles and Company in months, so I was really excited to try it again for this Showdown, but I was a little disappointed. I mean, the noodles were good, so that part lived up to the name. However, it was thinner than I expected, and the only cheese was shredded cheese on top and a thin cheese sauce. It was a good effort, but there could definitely be improvements.

Number 3: City Barbeque. For this Showdown, I went with City Barbeque's "Jacked Mac" instead of their normal mac and cheese because it has multiple cheeses in it, and you can never have too much cheese, in my opinion. Sadly, it's only here for a limited time, so get it while you can. Now, I go to City Barbeque weekly, not exaggerating. They know my family by name, and I'm sure they have our order just about memorized. All this to say, I could tell that this wasn't their best batch. The cheese-to-noodles ratio was great, but the noodles were a little overdone, which dampened the experience.

The limited time "Jacked Mac"

Number 2: Hot Chicken Takeover. Okay, if you haven't been to HCT yet, I highly recommend you suggest it next time no one knows what they want for dinner. Their mac and cheese is so creamy and cheesy and just overall good. It has a slight tang to it, which adds some uniqueness to it as well. However, it's number two because since it is so creamy and cheesy and good, it gets pretty filling pretty fast. Overall, it's very good mac and cheese, but the filling factor bumps it down to two.

The Winner: Chick-Fil-A! I know, Chick-Fil-A is newer to the mac and cheese scene, but it's definitely good enough to make it all the way to number one. Similar to HCT, it's very cheesy, thick, creamy, and just tastes like someone's grandma made it in her tiny kitchen at home. Seriously. Chick-Fil-A is always at the top of their game, and this mac and cheese is no exception.

The Showdown Winner!

This Showdown was so much fun to do, especially since it starred the one food I will never pass up if offered to me. Want to try these places for yourself? Each of these restaurants (except HCT, unfortunately) has a rewards program that can get you discounts, birthday gifts, and free food! As a matter of fact, because of these programs, both City Barbeque and Chick-Fil-A's mac and cheeses were free! Come enjoy free mac and cheese with me and see for yourself!