During my summer vacation in Iowa City, I came across a noodle cafe called Z’mariks. Z’mariks is a modern restaurant a block away from the campus of the University of Iowa, or through a nice alley of shops, from one of the many campus hotels, Graduate hotel. Z’mariks is all about noodles. They have every kind of noodle dish you can think of from all around the world. It is exactly like Noodles and Company in many ways (that I will address later). Z’mariks has plenty of vegan options for my fellow vegans out there.

Z’mariks‘ mac n’ cheese is good and filling for only a medium serving size. They serve it in a white ceramic bowl with cheese sprinkled on top of the pre-melted cheddar jack cheese, that you must mix into the soft Cavatappi noodles. The cheese was so melty, stringy, and gooey that it made the cheese rich. The cheese was so rich and thick that I felt like I needed water to swallow. The cheese tasted a little like Kraft but was cheesier with no soupiness or oiliness. Sadly, I made it quickly to the bottom of the bowl, but fear not, there is no oil-soup at the bottom of the bowl, just the soft, gooey, cheddar cheese.

Overall, the mac n’ cheese was good, heavy, filling, and perfect for a chilly Iowa day. I just so happened to go to this place on a Monday when they have their Every Monday $4 Mac n’ Cheese Special. Their mac n’ cheese is normally $5.79 or $6 to $8 for their three other types of mac n’ cheeses as seen in the menu below. Z’mariks mac n’ cheese makes for a good filling lunch for a college student that comes in for a quick, inexpensive lunch that is served in less than 5-10 minutes.

When you enter the door you walk to the counter, place your order, grab your number, and wait to be served. They cook your food made-to-order. Z’mariks mac n’ cheese and restaurant couldn’t be any more like Noodles & Company with their displays and mac presentation, but does that matter? Z’mariks loves their mac n’ cheese so much they even have T-Shirts that say “mmm… Mac n’ Cheese” and is more like a better Noodles & Company for the Mid-west.

Check out their menu: http://www.zmariks.com/en/menu/ | Locations: http://www.zmariks.com/en/locations/