Columbia has fantastic mac ’n’ cheese dishes. Here's how we rate them

With so many Columbia restaurants offering mac ’n’ cheese on their menus, we dared ask, which one is the best?

Our answer: Eat them all.

In our latest Go Columbia food crawl, we set out to sample this staple comfort food, which in any variation is basically a bowl of smiles.

Admittedly, we didn’t try every mac ’n’ cheese offering in the city (because there are only so many cheesy carbs one can ingest in this deadline-driven world), but we put our best fork forward.

So leave your Kraft, Velveeta and Annie’s boxes on the shelf at home and go out and try these “cheese pasta” delicacies. Then let us know your favorites.

Jake’s Bar & Grill: Brisket mac ’n’ cheese egg rolls

Noodles and barbecue encased in a crunchy egg roll? Yes please. This app is so tasty you might not want to share. But do grab a few extra napkins.

Lizard’s Thicket: Side order of mac ’n’ cheese

Classic and simple. Made with traditional macaroni noodles and globs of chewy cheese, Lizard’s Thicket adheres to the “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” recipe.

Liberty: Baked mac ’n’ cheese

The cavatappi noodles are a welcome change of pace, and the panko bread crumbs give this dish just the right amount of crunch.

Cafe Strudel: Seafood mac ’n’ cheese

Made with goat cheese, bacon, scallions and shrimp, this is a loaded, casserole-y take on mac ’n’ cheese that has depth and heft. Cafe Strudel is famous for its “hangover hash browns,” but this is a solid post-night-out meal choice, too.

Goat’s: Lobster mac ’n’ cheese

This baked dish with rigatoni noodles is more saucy than cheesy. The lobster chunks give it a seafood finish, and the overall effect is rich and creamy.

Midwood Smokehouse: Side of mac ’n’ cheese

Much better than your average side dish. Midwood uses quality cheese and gets that nice crust on top.

True BBQ: Side of mac ’n’ cheese

Pretty basic, but this mac seems to know that its role is to be a mere sidekick to the True superhero: barbecue.

Rockaway: Mac ’n’ cheese bites

Smart move turning mac ’n’ cheese into finger food. Cheesy, chewy and surprisingly good with the ranch dipping sauce. These go quickly.

Bourbon: Pork belly mac ’n’ cheese

The large shells act as perfect containers for sauce, which has a mustard-based barbecue flavor. The crumbled crackers on top give it extra texture, and the chef is generous with the pork chunks.

This story was originally published February 1, 2017 at 7:09 AM with the headline "Columbia has fantastic mac ’n’ cheese dishes. Here's how we rate them."