Jack’s Cheesy Macaroni Bites
If you’re like me, you were probably excited and intrigued when you heard about Jack’s new menu item. The thought of deep fried macaroni and cheese is pretty darn cool. But unfortunately, not all ‘cool’ ideas result in great products. Such is the case with the Cheesy Macaroni Bites. My initial excitement has turned to overall disappointment.
Size-wise, they’re a little bit larger than a chicken nugget, but thinner. They look good enough. In fact, the coating is a thing of beauty, with just the right color and texture you would expect from a tasty deep fried snack. It’s crispy, golden brown, and breaks away with a satisfying crunch, revealing the soft noodles and cheese packed inside. The shell is nice, no doubt. The problem — crust to filling (flavor) ratio is way off.
You cannot taste enough Mac N Cheese! More specifically, cheese. The coating is simply overpowering. The end result is a snack that’s not very cheesy, doesn’t remind me of the traditional dish, and tastes pretty bland. I wanted to like these. I really did. Heck, I was ready to LOVE these. But I’m sorry, they’re not worthy of the love.
I’ve tried them 3 times, at 3 different locations. There were slight differences in how well-done each order was cooked, with some being darker brown and more crunchy than others, but the bottom line was always the same — crust steals the show.
The photo above was taken after slicing one in half with a knife. As you can see, the noodles are plentiful and everything appears in order, but looks can be deceiving. What you can’t detect from the picture is the lack of richness or strong flavor in the cheese sauce. And between the thick coating and the pasta, the cheese is muted and doesn’t stand a chance of making much of an impact on your taste buds.
I still believe in the basic idea. I’m sure there’s a way to make this work, but this is not the right balance. They need a thinner shell, and to increase the cheese content.
The Cheesy Macaroni Bites from Jack in the Box failed to deliver the beloved taste of the classic favorite I was hoping for. The flavor of macaroni and cheese is not strong enough, or satisfying enough for me to desire eating them again. They don’t taste bad, they’re OK, but the ‘average’ label is totally appropriate here. Nothing special.
Price: $2.99 (6 piece) / Website: JackInTheBox.com
Fast Food Critic Score: C
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Nutrition Facts - Jack in the Box, Cheesy Macaroni Bites (6 piece).
Calories - 440
Calories from Fat - 230
Total Fat - 25 grams
Carbs - 41 grams
Saturated Fat - 10 grams
Trans Fat - 4 grams
Cholesterol - 30 milligrams
Sodium - 1220 milligrams
Protein - 13 grams
My friends and I tried them friday night and everyone said the same thing. We expected macaroni and cheese but they tasted weak.
The recipe is screwed up or something. No way will I order them again. You realize $3 makes each bite cost 50 cents. That’s a ripoff.
You also end up with 10 grams satfat and 4 grams transfat for that $3. They should at least taste good with all that fat and salt….
When I saw the P.R. photo I was concerned they would be dry in real life and they do look rather dry to me, maybe if you ate them right after they got out of the fryer they would be better.
glad you’re back
Welcome back. It’s interesting to be able to scroll between the pr photo and your actual photo. Bit of a difference, eh?
It looks like they need to be about twice as thick. I guess they wouldn’t hold together through the deep fryer though.
Glad to see you writing reviews again!
I haven’t tried them but I’m with you- the breading should be an accent not the highlight.
I think Mr. Geezer has point: Physics may be preventing them from including more mac and cheese or a thinner coating.
Thanks for the real photos and nutrition info. 50% of daily saturated fat certainly makes this a “weekend item.” Though I was honestly expecting the figure to be higher.