Project photography by David Joseph
Branding photography by Frances Janisch

Macbar does not serve your average macaroni and cheese nor does it dish out cheesy design—well, maybe it does. For this quickservice eatery in New York’s Soho neighborhood, co-owner Mark Thomas Amadei and local design firm NEMAWORKSHOP created a space that is bold, offers gourmet comfort food, and speaks macaroni. "Macbar kind of came out of having Cafeteria [restaurant in New York] for 11 years and having really great mac ‘n’cheese there," says Amadei. "We wanted to do something that was a casual, an artisanal take on mac ‘n’ cheese. In these uncertain, economic times, it is the ultimate comfort food."

The restaurant, only 300 square feet, might have seemed like a challenge at first, but soon turned into an opportunity for Amadei and the designers. "Since the space is so small we had to come up with a strong and bold move to capture the essence of what a Macbar is," says Orit Kaufman, principal of NEMAWORKSHOP. Accidentally (and aptly), the space takes the shape of the food it serves—a macaroni noodle—due to a staircase that makes the space curve in an L-shape. With that in their favor, "We wanted to create a space that actually felt like you were inside of a noodle," says Amadei. Several elements help bring that idea to life—the flooring is a brown epoxy terrazzo; the ceiling is painted with chocolate brown (the brown hues echo the slightly burnt crust of the cheese when it comes fresh out of the oven); and the millwork is a custom glossy yellow lacquer, which took 25 different colors to get it just right. "Yellow is typically a challenging color to work with," says Kaufman. The end result: a familiar New York taxicab yellow.

Macbar’s branding and packaging are also a strong part of the interiors—a must for Amadei (he brought in brand consultants Marque Creative for graphics and Ran Lerner for packaging to help). There are interlocking forks and knifes; a branded energy drink dubbed Quench and bottled water; noodle containers for food that are made from recycled plastic (guests who bring the containers back on their next visit receive 10 percent off their purchase); and a touch-screen menu near the order counter that showcases the 12 flavors of macaroni and cheese, all with their own logo—Mac Lobsta’ has a claw clinching a macaroni noodle and Mac Quack has a little rubber ducky saying "quack."

And the Macbar staff is even decked out with macaroni-inspired style—Vans teamed up with the restaurant to create custom Yellow Patent Leather Authentics with brown piping, a first for the sneaker brand in customizing footwear for a hospitality venue.

Macbar, New York City

Owner: Mark Thomas Amadei/Delicatessen Group
Interior Design Project team: Anurag Nema and Orit Kaufman (NEMAWORKSHOP, New York) and Mark Thomas Amadei
Lighting: Designlight Inc
Engineering: TSF Engineering PC
Graphics: Marque Creative
Stools and Tables: JC Furniture
Custom Millwork and Storefront: DEFINEUSA Construction
Epoxy Terrazzo Flooring: Kris Stone
Packaging: Ran Lerner