(212) 358-7912

345 E 12th St (Cross Streets First Avenue)
New York, NY 10003 40.7306 -73.9848

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Neighborhoods: East Village, Downtown

SMACNYC.COM

Hours:

Sun-Thu: 11:00am-11:00pm Fri-Sat: 11:00am-1:00am

Price:

$

Last updated 10.17.11

Category:

Restaurants, Catering

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, Discover, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Local Favorite, Family-Friendly Dining, Lunch Spot, Food Delivery, Cheap Eats

Cuisine:

Southern, Traditional American

What People Are Saying About S'mac

Featured Review

Kathleen Squires

Contributor

The Scene – If memories of mom's mac and cheese don't brighten your day, the surroundings here certainly will, with a cheerful yellow and orange color scheme and a sunny, glass-paned facade. Fast-food-style service makes the spot especially user-friendly for parents with kids, students and other comfort-seeking habitues. – – The Food – The macaroni and cheese comes sizzling by the skillet in three sizes: nosh (substantial); major munch (will fill you up for the day); and mongo (definitely meant to be shared). Choose from the menu (with or without breadcrumbs) or build…

Editor's Tips

What to Drink:
Try the creatively-flavored sodas, like bubble gum, from Jones Soda Co.
The Extras:
S'mac gift cards are available, and a portion of the proceeds benefits nearby Theater for the New City.
Know Before You Go:
There is a $15 minimum for credit card purchases.
ambiance
50.0% positive
  1. If I paid five bucks for my meal it would still bother me to eat in such an atmosphere, but since I paid fifteen (including $1.75 for a can of soda) AND the food was mediocre, it was totally frustrating.
  2. Sarita's food is good (if the decor is overly loud) but it's not outrageously good (i.e., it doesn't merit the abuse.)
drinks
0.0% positive
  1. The regular American was not extremely flavorful and sadly just a cut above the kind youd find behind the hot counter at a deli or salad bar with a powdery texture in the sauce.
food quality
79.31000232696533% positive
  1. Add in the ample portions to the revamped food and this is instantly one of my favorite macaroni and cheese spots in the city.
  2. mine with figs, brie and rosemary was a great twist an otherwise quite banal dish.
  3. Crispy breadcrumb topping, four cheese, ground beef, sprinkled with Louisiana hot sauce is absolutely delightful and can drive one to do the happy food dance, discreetly.
  4. The gruyere was delicious - the bacon gives the nutty cheese a nice balance, and the breadcrumbs contribute a nice crunch.
  5. Too scared to try anything else, once had a bf who tried buffalo chicken and I didn't like.
  6. Very high quality, amazing "cheesiness" and great flavor to all of the dishes I tried again (Gruyere, All American and Cajun).
  7. Talk about a great idea - comfort food with some awesome variations.
  8. expected the crispy bacon but it was the dry lumps of bacon that I don't particularly like.
  9. love, love, loved the food!
  10. My favorite part was how the top layer of the cheese was crispy; a nice contrast to the creaminess in the rest of the dish.
  11. was expecting a twist on the traditional mac and cheese, especially since I ordered the fresh mozzerella, tomatoes, garlic and basil one.
  12. Sarita's food is good (if the decor is overly loud) but it's not outrageously good (i.e., it doesn't merit the abuse.)
  13. This inability to deliver food on time or at all is appalling and unacceptable in New York or anywhere.
  14. The breadcrumbs did not dry it out and it was very cheesy, greasy, and delicious - everything you expect from true mac and cheese!
  15. The food was fabulous!
  16. As someone who is scared of getting illness from dirty food, I was extremely disappointed.
  17. Awesome food, staff can be a little rude
  18. If I paid five bucks for my meal it would still bother me to eat in such an atmosphere, but since I paid fifteen (including $1.75 for a can of soda) AND the food was mediocre, it was totally frustrating.
  19. had hoped s'mac would become a weekly ritual since it is around the corner from my laundromat, and who doesn't love an excuse to have tasty mac 'n cheese (fresh ingredients, skillet) on a weekly basis.
  20. The food here is sooooo delicious!
  21. The mac & cheese overall was pretty good, not as cheesy or tasty as I would have liked but I had to try it at least once.
  22. The regular American was not extremely flavorful and sadly just a cut above the kind youd find behind the hot counter at a deli or salad bar with a powdery texture in the sauce.
  23. SO yummy!
  24. The mac and cheese is delicious, I highly recommend the cheeseburger and the mac and cheese with hot dogs.
  25. Gruyere and mozzarella were about the same and the gruyere should have been sharper like a good Swiss gruyere is, while the mozzarella should have been more garlicky and cheesy stringy like a good lasagna or nice pizza.
  26. read about S'MAC in Time Out New York and decided to take my friend whose fave food is mac 'n cheese here.
  27. The food was delicious and I can't wait to go back to try the brie mac with figs and shiitake mushrooms and the goat cheese mac.
  28. My favorite was the gruyere with bacon.
  29. And, no matter how tasty the food, no one wants to "enjoy" comfort food while reeling from the aggression of the owner.
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. SMAC has a great variety of mac n cheese and the prices are reasonable for the nice portions they serve.
  2. This place has a great variety on its menu and also gives the option of creating your own.
overall
100.0% positive
  1. SMAC is a great idea a place where you can just get a good plate of mac n cheese.
  2. I'm not the biggest mac & cheese fan, but I tried S'Mac anyway since it's pretty popular and I thought it'd be a good place to try mac & cheese again.
return potential
100.0% positive
  1. The food was delicious and I can't wait to go back to try the brie mac with figs and shiitake mushrooms and the goat cheese mac.
  2. would definitely go back and recommend this place to all you cheese fans!
service
12.5% positive
  1. the only drawback is that they don't deliver to our place because it's ONE street outside of their "delivery area" and the staff can sometimes be rude.
  2. However, I complained about very slow service, and long story short was told (inside the restaurant) that I was out of line and (outside on the sidewalk) never to "set foot in my restaurant again, b
  3. Awesome food, staff can be a little rude
  4. Appalling service!
value
85.71000099182129% positive
  1. SMAC has a great variety of mac n cheese and the prices are reasonable for the nice portions they serve.
  2. If I paid five bucks for my meal it would still bother me to eat in such an atmosphere, but since I paid fifteen (including $1.75 for a can of soda) AND the food was mediocre, it was totally frustrating.
  3. won't bother with this again; there are too many other fabulous cheap eats in that area.
  4. As a huge Mac and Cheese fan, I had about 5 different friends tell me about this place when it opened.
  5. Add in the ample portions to the revamped food and this is instantly one of my favorite macaroni and cheese spots in the city.
  6. Good portion at a good price with GREAT flavor!
  7. live in the neighborhood and went by this place a few times just to find it without a huge line - what was everybody waiting for?
wait time
0.0% positive
  1. However, I complained about very slow service, and long story short was told (inside the restaurant) that I was out of line and (outside on the sidewalk) never to "set foot in my restaurant again, b
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

09/13/11

Smac is sooooo good!

by FryeGurl at Citysearch

The things I absolutely love about this place:

1. They can make your Mac and Cheese with gluten free pasta

2. The sampler platter is perfect when you can't decide what you want (no gluten free option though)

3. There's a bunch of different sizes in case you're not that hungry or you're eating with someone who is.

1 Star Rating: Poor

07/15/11

WORST MEAL EVER!!

by KellieBofNJ at Citysearch

My daughter & I saw this place on a food show, she was excited to try it out. On a recent visit to NY we decided to check it & were HIGHLY DISAPPOINTED!! This place is deep in the East Village, and seems to be more of a local hang out then a place to be suggested via TV food show invites. We (3 of us) all had various mac & cheese dishes and they were BLAND & OILY!! I will give the placeSMALL credit for a clean restroom & decent portions. Beverages were WAY OVER PRICED (i.e. cans/bottles of soda). The space is too small! Also what we didn't finished leaked through the containers & bag we had, leaving us to trash it on the way home. Lesson learned, everything you see on TV is NOT always good!! DO NOT PLAN to RETURN!!

4 Star Rating: Recommended

02/21/11

Lives Up To The Rep

by Food Mission at Citysearch

Really good. Portions are enormous! I have a really big appetite and the small was just right. The sizes look so much smaller than they actually are. I was with a twenty-something guy who couldn't finish the medium.

4 Star Rating: Recommended

02/07/11

SOLID Mac & Cheese

by TheTripChick at Citysearch

SOLID mac & cheese.

I have bowed to the altar of mac & cheese since I was a wee one toddling all about. In the years that followed, I developed a love for mac & cheese that has not yet been eclipsed by anything else in this world (don't tell my hubs). Homemade, especially with upstate New York white Cheddar, captured my heart early-on but I also found joy in a blue box of Kraft mac & cheese (both the goopy cheese-like substance packet kind and the powder kind) and Velveeta packaged mac & cheese as well. I am known to stock Stouffer's mac & cheese in the freezer like it is going out of style. I've tried it organic and day-glo orange; powdered, gooped, crisped and lowfat/fat-free (yuck). I've tried it with everything but the kitchen sink thrown in but overall I remain a mac & cheese purist, not even allowing a bread crumb to detract from the full hit of cheesy goodness that the first bite always brings. That said, my venture to S'MAC held a level of anticipation not often experienced in someone of my, ah, years.

Of course, the desire hit on a Saturday. In the early afternoon (aka prime lunch time). On a cold, crisp day (when one wants to positively climb into the mac & cheese). I saw the line about out the door and mentally sighed, but realized that I was made of strong stuff and would stick it out for my pilgrimage. Once I made it to the counter, I placed my order. I went with the classic All-American, which is a blend of American and Cheddar cheeses. In reading prior reviews the jury was out on whether the smallest size (Nosh) or the medium size (Major Munch) might be the better portion so I went big and ordered the Major Munch. I surprised myself when the woman at the counter asked if I wanted breadcrumbs and I said yes. So much for the purist...

After finding and sharing a table with a lovely stranger from Chicago (folks were practically eating their own young to find a place to sit in there), the mac & cheese arrived still bubbling and smelling like heaven. Once it was right in front of me, it looked like a lot of food but seeing the stranger's smaller Nosh portion made me happy I 'd gone big. I dipped my spoon in for the first bite and was enthralled by the small bit of give from the crisped bread crumbs - it was somewhat like cracking the caramelized sugar crust on a creme brulee. The mac & cheese itself was perfectly gooey (I don't tolerate dry mac & cheese well), steaming, and even though it was hot it was GOOOOOOOOOOOD. Totally worth burning my tongue a little.

I ended up finishing a good two-thirds of the medium size and since I might have been crying had I ordered smaller and run out of gooey cheesiness, I am glad I ordered the medium size. They have to-go containers there, but since our room wasn't equipped with a microwave that wasn't an option for me.

I highly recommend S'MAC for a great mac & cheese fix if you're in the area.

4 Star Rating: Recommended

11/02/10

Great idea

by 388munson at Citysearch

Only in NYC can you get a place that just does Mac and Cheese. I know it's not good for me, but WOW what a way to go.

I had the regular one, and just want to give them a big thumbs up

The Details on S'mac

Place Categories:

  • pretty good mac
  • pretty good mac n cheese
  • sooooo delicious comfort food
  • recommend place
  • rude awesome food
  • good price
  • unacceptable inability
  • nice portion
  • trendy dumont
  • rude staff
  • great variety
  • favorite macaroni
  • great flavor
  • very slow service
  • good serving
  • fresh mozzerella
  • huge cheese fan
  • like seems
  • favorite buffalo wings
  • good plate
  • nice crunch
  • like kids
  • fresh ingredients
  • favorite swiss gruyere
  • huge line

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