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The Guide · Mac and Cheese in Clearwater, FL

Best Mac and Cheese in Clearwater, FL (2026)

Eight restaurants across Tampa. Compare neighborhoods, price tiers and what to order, then read the full reviews.

Jenna Kalouris
By Jenna Kalouris Staff Writer, Top of Tampa · Updated October 2026 · How the score is built
Best Mac and Cheese in Clearwater, FL (2026)
THE TAMPA DINING GUIDES 8 restaurants
Compare all 8 restaurantsNeighborhood · price · score · first order
In the same order as the guide. Scores are out of 10; dollar symbols show the listed price tier.
RestaurantNeighborhoodPriceScoreWhat to order
01 Badfins Food + BrewClearwater$$Street corn ribs
02 Clear Sky on ClevelandClearwater$$Burger
03 LOADEDClearwater$$Adult slushy
04 Bacon Street DinerClearwater$$9.9Pancakes
05 Frenchy's Original CafeClearwater$$Grouper sandwich
06 SandshakersClearwaterSpinach artichoke dip
07 Daily News Restaurant - BelleairClearwaterChicken piccata
08 Fresca Italian KitchenClearwaterChicken parmigiana

8 restaurants · In guide order

1 Badfins Food + Brew Yelp

Badfins Food + Brew

New American · Clearwater · $$

The street corn ribs get top billing, but this casual room built around beer and shareable plates is the kind of place where a side of mac and cheese disappears fast at a group table. The crab draws its own following, and the room stays loud and friendly rather than fussy. Good for a family stop or a night with friends who cannot agree on one thing to order.

What to orderStreet corn ribsCrabBurger Call Directions Scored from the full review record 215 S Gulfview Blvd, Clearwater, FL 33767 · (727) 474-5591
2 Clear Sky on Cleveland Yelp

Clear Sky on Cleveland

New American · Clearwater · $$

This wine-forward room pairs a diner sensibility with a serious by-the-glass list, and the roasted chicken and seasonal vegetable side show a kitchen comfortable with rich, classic comfort cooking. Wine Down Wednesday draws repeat visits. Parking is easier at this location than some of the sister spots, which matters on Cleveland Street. A solid pick for a group dinner that wants more polish than a sports bar.

What to orderBurgerRoasted chickenSeasonal vegetable side Call Directions Scored from the full review record 418 Cleveland St, Clearwater, FL 33755 · (727) 754-7244
3 LOADED Yelp

LOADED

American · Clearwater · $$

The name says it plainly: this is indulgent, hand-held comfort food, the kind of menu where cheese pulls and rich sauces are the point rather than a garnish. The adult slushy and pink drank get as much attention as the food itself. Staff are described as easygoing and quick, and the room works best for a casual stop rather than a sit-down meal.

What to orderAdult slushyPink drankComfort food Call Directions Scored from the full review record 1901 Drew St, Clearwater, FL 33765 · (727) 271-2200
4 Bacon Street Diner Yelp

Bacon Street Diner

Brunch · Clearwater · $$ · № 1 on the List
Insider Score9.9

A scratch kitchen breakfast spot at the Countryside Mall with an unusually deep gluten-free menu, this is the room for pancakes, eggs, and hash browns done at volume without cutting corners. Portions run generous. Parking is easy and service moves fast even when the dining room fills up, which makes it a dependable stop before a long day rather than a lingering brunch.

What to orderPancakesEggsHash browns Call Directions
Full review & visiting detailsRead the full review & visiting details

A Clearwater Breakfast Room That Covers Everyone

Pancakes

The pancake stack anchors the menu here, the kind of order that sets the pace for the whole table.

Eggs

Eggs come cooked to standard diner spec, the plain backbone that lets bacon and toast do their job around it.

Hash browns

Hash browns give the plate its crunch, the side that separates a real diner breakfast from a rushed one.

Bacon Street Diner runs on the fundamentals: pancakes, eggs, hash browns, done straight and served without pretense. That is the whole case for a breakfast room in Clearwater, a city thick with beach-strip options that skew tourist and captive-audience. This one reads as a neighborhood stop instead, the kind of place that fills with families and groups on a Saturday morning rather than a boardwalk crowd killing time before the beach. The pancake stack is the anchor order, and the fact that it comes up again and again as the thing to get says the kitchen has it dialed in: griddle work that holds up whether it lands in front of a table of four or a party of ten.

Eggs done to order and hash browns with real crisp on the edges round out the plate, the kind of breakfast that does not need dressing up to work. What sets the room apart from the standard diner script is the gluten-free option sitting on the menu without ceremony, a real accommodation rather than an afterthought, which matters for a family-friendly room where one person's dietary restriction usually means the whole group ends up somewhere else. Pricing lands in the moderate range, which puts it in direct competition with the diners and pancake houses scattered along the Pinellas breakfast corridor, and the room earns its place there by being useful rather than flashy. Group friendly and casual by design, it is built for the Saturday-morning table that includes a toddler, a grandparent, and someone who cannot eat gluten, and it serves all three without anyone having to compromise.

That is a narrower, more practical achievement than most breakfast spots manage, and it is the reason this one holds its own against the beach-strip competition instead of getting swallowed by it. For a straightforward hearty breakfast in Clearwater proper, away from the beach crowds, this is the room that keeps a family table happy without a fuss.

Map showing Bacon Street Diner© OpenStreetMap
HoursMon - Thu: 8:00 AM - 8:00 PMFri - Sat: 8:00 AM - 9:00 PMSun: 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Address27001 US Hwy 19 N
Ste 1065, Clearwater, FL 33761
Insider tip

Order the pancakes and ask about the gluten-free swap up front if anyone at the table needs it. Mornings draw families and larger groups, so arrive early on weekends if the table needs to seat more than four.

5 Frenchy's Original Cafe Yelp

Frenchy's Original Cafe

Seafood · Clearwater · $$

The original of the Frenchy's family sits just off the main strip on Clearwater Beach, smaller than its sister locations but the one locals point to first. The grouper sandwich is the reason to come, backed by fish and chips and shrimp, and outdoor seating puts diners close to the beach crowd without the wait some of the newer locations pull in.

What to orderGrouper sandwichFish and chipsShrimp Call Directions Scored from the full review record 41 Baymont St, Clearwater Beach, FL 33767 · (727) 446-3607
6 Sandshakers Yelp

Sandshakers

Salad · Clearwater

Housed in a bright orange building west of Alt 19 near Seminole Street, this strip-mall room trades on portion size and value more than atmosphere. The spinach artichoke dip and lobster bisque are the dishes people order twice, and the house salad rounds out a menu built for filling plates rather than small bites. Worth the drive if the area around it looks quiet.

What to orderSpinach artichoke dipLobster bisqueHouse salad Call Directions Scored from the full review record 700 Eldridge St, Clearwater, FL 33755 · (727) 286-8099
7 Daily News Restaurant - Belleair Yelp

Daily News Restaurant - Belleair

Modern European · Clearwater

Not to be confused with the Belcher Road location, this Belleair room runs on a fireplace, generous seating, and a menu heavy on European comfort classics like chicken piccata and duck breast with risotto. Service reads as warm rather than rushed. A change in ownership has shifted some recipes recently, so regulars should expect the menu to differ from what they remember.

What to orderChicken piccataDuck breastRisotto Call Directions Scored from the full review record 1575 S Ft Harrison Ave, Clearwater, FL 33756 · (727) 953-3738
8 Fresca Italian Kitchen Yelp

Fresca Italian Kitchen

Italian · Clearwater

The chicken parmigiana gets singled out as some of the best in the area, cheese-heavy and generously portioned, and the Italiano sandwich holds its own for a simpler order. The supreme pizza and pasta fagioli round out a menu built for reliable Italian comfort food rather than reinvention. A dependable choice for a family dinner without surprises.

What to orderChicken parmigianaItaliano sandwichSupreme pizza Call Directions Scored from the full review record 2570 Gulf To Bay Blvd, Clearwater, FL 33765 · (727) 250-1123
What to know before choosing a restaurant

Best Mac and Cheese in Clearwater, FL: 1. Badfins Food + Brew · 2. Clear Sky on Cleveland · 3. LOADED · 4. Bacon Street Diner · 5. Frenchy's Original Cafe. Addresses, prices and what to order.

Mac and cheese is not a headline dish for most of Clearwater's kitchens, but comfort food runs through this list whether it is a side, a starter, or the reason regulars keep coming back. This roundup leans on rooms across Clearwater where cheesy, indulgent cooking is part of the draw, from beachside seafood shacks to Belleair dining rooms.

Frequently asked

What is the best mac and cheese near me in Clearwater?
It depends on which part of Clearwater is near you. Beach visitors are closer to Frenchy's Original Cafe, while those inland near Countryside have easier access to Bacon Street Diner and Sandshakers. This list is ranked by Insider Score, which reflects the volume and consistency of real customer feedback, not by proximity to any one zip code.
Is mac and cheese usually a main dish or a side in these Clearwater restaurants?
Mostly a side or a shareable comfort item rather than a headline entree. Rooms like LOADED and Badfins Food + Brew build menus around indulgent, cheese-forward comfort food, while places like Fresca Italian Kitchen lean on other cheese-heavy classics like chicken parmigiana.
Are any of these restaurants paying to be featured on this list?
No. None of the restaurants on this list paid for placement. Ranking is based on the Insider Score, a measure built from the volume and consistency of genuine customer feedback over time.
Which of these Clearwater spots is best for a casual group dinner?
Badfins Food + Brew and LOADED both suit larger groups looking for a loud, casual room with shareable plates. Clear Sky on Cleveland works well for a group that wants wine with dinner, and Daily News Restaurant in Belleair suits a quieter group meal.
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The data first, then the verdict

We start with the review record, not a press release. Every room here is a real kitchen with a strong rating across a meaningful number of reviews, ranked on our 10-point Insider Score. We weight consistency over time and the rooms locals return to, not the ones tourists pass through once. The list updates as the data does. How we work →

About the writer
Jenna Kalouris
Staff Writer, Top of Tampa

Staff Writer. Grew up bussing tables near the sponge docks and keeps score across the bridges: a room has to beat what is already on her side of the water to earn the drive. Leads with the practical fact.

Five rooms, every Friday.

The new opening, the sleeper the score just flagged, and the one room worth booking this week. Free.

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