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A ‘viral’ mac & cheese bar lands in Provo — but how does it taste?

Also in Utah Eats: A Sandy teen competes on Food Network; a Utah distillery’s gin wins a big prize.

This article is excerpted from the Utah Eats newsletter, written by Kolbie Peterson, The Salt Lake Tribune’s food and drink reporter. To get the full newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday, become a subscriber by going to sltrib.com/newsletters.

Hello, Eaters!

If you’re a mac & cheese fan, you may have already come across Roni’s Mac Bar’s viral videos on TikTok.

With some 834,700 followers and more than 37 million likes on the social media website, Roni’s Mac Bar bills itself as the “viral mac & cheese place,” known for videos overflowing with noodles and gooey cheese sauce. The restaurant chain is famous for its build-your-own mac & cheese bowls, as well as grilled cheese sandwiches, called cheese melts.

Originally from Texas, Roni’s Mac Bar recently opened its first location outside the Lone Star State in Provo, near the Brigham Young University campus, at 42 E. 1230 North between Rancherito’s Mexican Food and Einstein Bros. Bagels.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Roni's Mac Bar, a new macaroni restaurant in Provo on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024.

Wanting to taste this viral mac & cheese for myself, I went down to Roni’s Provo location in December.

Customers can place their orders at the counter, over the Roni’s app, or at kiosks placed in front of where employees put bowls and sandwiches together.

To order a bowl, you first choose your base of either regular or gluten-free noodles. Then you pick your cheese sauce (cheddar, pepper jack or alfredo), your meats (pulled pork, brisket, grilled chicken, bacon and ham), your toppings (pineapple, various veggies, Parmesan and bread crumbs are offered) and your “drizzles,” which is a sauce that’s drizzled in a spiral on top of the mac & cheese after it comes out of the oven. You can choose one or more sauces, from a list that includes barbecue sauce, garlic Parmesan, Buffalo sauce, pesto, ranch and hot honey.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Roni's Mac Bar, a new macaroni restaurant in Provo on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024.

You can read about my mac & cheese order in the “Dish of the Week” section of this newsletter.

More locations of Roni’s Mac Bar will soon be popping up in Utah, said Randy Kidman, who’s a co-owner of the Roni’s franchise in Provo.

Roni’s Mac Bar plans to open five locations total in Utah, Kidman said. St. George will be getting a location next, tentatively followed by Logan, and both are expected to open this year, he said.

Live deliciously,

Kolbie

Food News

(Rob Pryce | Food Network) Arielle Yang of Sandy, Utah, is one of the contestants on season 13 of Food Network's "Kids Baking Championship," which premiered Monday, Jan. 6, 2025.

• The newest season of “Kids Baking Championship” on Food Network — which premiered Monday — includes a baker from Utah among the 12 young competitors on the show. Arielle Yang is from Sandy, and she has her own baking business, according to Food Network. In season 13, Yang and the others will compete in animal-inspired challenges for the chance to win $25,000. She survived Monday’s first episode, so you can still see her compete next week. Watch “Kids Baking Championship” on Mondays, 9 p.m. Mountain time on Xfinity, 6 p.m. Mountain on DirecTV and Dish; streaming on Max the next day.

• Heber-based craft chocolate producer Ritual Chocolate has a brand-new flavor, the Cherry Vanilla Bar, according to a news release. The bar is made with sweet-tart Montmorency cherries from Payson Fruit Growers and 70% vanilla dark chocolate, “capturing the nostalgic taste of vanilla cherry sodas,” the release said. Ritual has also come out with its new Vanilla Chocolate Cherries, which are the same dried cherries used in the bar coated with vanilla dark chocolate.

Booze (and Drink!) News

Local distillery Spirits of the Wasatch was recently awarded the Double Gold medal at the America’s Best Spirits competition for its High Mountain Desert Gin, according to a press release. The gin, which was inspired by the scent of Utah high-mountain desert after rainfall, the release said, was also recognized as the best entry in the gin category, best in Utah, and the best in the Rockies region.

“Our goal has always been to create spirits that tell a story and connect people to the beauty and flavors of our region,” said Brent Pounds, owner and head distiller at Spirits of the Wasatch.

Dish of the Week

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Roni's Mac Bar, a new macaroni restaurant in Provo on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024.

When I visited Roni’s Mac Bar in Provo, I ordered a mac & cheese bowl ($10.98) with regular noodles, cheddar cheese sauce, brisket, broccoli and onions, with a drizzle of pesto on top.

I liked that the whole bowl goes through the oven after it’s put together, which melts the additional shredded cheese they sprinkle on top of everything, creating a nice bubbly, cheesy crust.

The addition of brisket, broccoli and onions brought some good flavors to my bowl, as did the pesto on top. I thought the pesto and cheddar sauce went together well, and the brisket was a nice meaty pop among the cheese and veggies.

My colleague who accompanied me, though, said his bowl was bland. He got his with cheddar sauce and brisket, with shredded cheese and Parmesan baked on top, and he said the flavor just wasn’t there for him. I think experiences at Roni’s really vary depending on the toppings you get