Dance Mac

CLOSED ???
Stopped by today, Monday August 18^th, for my angry bacon fix and it looks like they’re out of business. Cage was drawn against the opening and the kitchen seemed to be disassembled.
Bummed :(

Ever since BlogTO put out an article about the best mac and cheese places in Toronto, I started to get a huge craving for mac and cheese. I noticed however most of the places BlogTO suggested were bars, with a few exceptions, this being one of them.
Dance Mac is located inside a marketplace across from the CP24 building. In fact I saw news anchor Karman Wong ordering food there while I was inside. The problem is that the marketplace is willfully neglected. For a place with awesome places like this, you would think there would be a seating area… nope. Take out please. Well, unless you eat while standing.
I ordered the five cheese classic, small size. Their small was actually quite plentiful, and well worth the $ 9 after tax. They give you the choice between blue cheese and feta for the fifth cheese, and I chose blue cheese. Yummy. It was also baked and cooked on the spot, so do expect a 10 – 15 minute wait. Watch CP24 while you’re waiting! Regardless it’s excellent value for the price, and the mac and cheese is definitely one of the best I’ve had.
I would’ve given it 5 stars if the atmosphere was a little better though, but if you do take out atmosphere wouldn’t be as big of an issue for you.

Went to this place as a last resort and it was a pleasant surprise. Their menu is overwhelming with so many options and mixes you never thought you would eat with Mac and Cheese. We tried meat lovers and Mediterranean, Kudos for both! A lot of cheese everywhere, good portions, freshly made macaroni. Everything is fresh and prepared from scratch, in front of you. Check it out it’s really good! Service was warm.

The staff here is awesome — they’re friendly, engaging and perceptive to a fault.
I had the butter chicken, which was unbelievably filling. It’s a bit steep at $ 11 after tax, but it’s a huge portion. They take the time to bake cheese on top of every single order, which takes a while (my order took ten minutes), but is worth the wait.
These guys definitely need to get into the party-​sized packages; it’d be a thriving business.

I love me some mac and cheese and this place does not disappoint. The portion is huge, there’s a lot of selection, the price is cheap, the dude taking the order is cool… So what’s not to like about this place? Maybe just the fact they don’t give lids for takeout orders but that’s no biggie.
I suggest getting the hot sauce in whichever mac and cheese you choose.

Hands down the best mac & cheese joint in town. The place is unassuming. The mac & cheese is heavenly — something you could serve in like a Gaberdine kind-​of-​place.
Love love love and will be back since there are more combos to try. Also, the person manning dance mac was really cool!

Oh my cheesy goodness! We had Meat Lovers and Angry Bacon, and it so hit the spot. A small was more than enough for a lunch. Crispy cheese on top with the creamy cheese with the mac was a great, well balanced combination. There wasn’t a lot of meat, but it was enough to keep the meaty flavour throughout. Veggies and spices were also done in good balance, complementing the mac and cheese, not overpowering it.
The only down side was a lack of places to eat: there were a couple of stand up tables for the whole arcade.

long wait when there was no line (weekend).
Maybe I’m spoiled; LAKE EFFECT DINE (Buffalo, NY) has the best mac n cheese I’ve ever eaten. Dance Mac is not in that caliber. Owner is nice, the empty food court is depressing/​downer. That food court has always been an ‘odd’ spot; lots of failed mini-​restaurants/​spots. Angry Bacon, classics were fine/​good, that’s it.

Top notch! Great value, lots of customization options, and most important — delicious in every way. Worth stopping in if you’re on Queen Street (and everyone winds up on Queen Street eventually). I go here regularly. Love it.

Delicious. Should definitely get meat lover with the chili sauce! Excellent place and definitely worth trying

Fantastic!
I just went today with a friend.
The owner got my order wrong, he thought I wanted 4 Classics, but I wanted 4 Cheese classic.
Anyways, he ended up giving me one for free :)
Great service and food!
Def coming back: D

One of my favorite hidden gems in Toronto. This mac and cheese is the best ive ever had. It takes a few minutes to prepare, but its totally worth the wait. I recommend the Angry Bacon, its always awesome. The owner is a super friendly guy and is always willing to modify your order if you want to change up an ingredient. Be sure to get a stampcard so you can start earning a free mac and cheese!

I’m from San Francisco and I’m here in Toronto for the week. It’s my first time here and I was craving my favorite comfort food: Mac & Cheese. I googled a place and found Dance Mac’s Unilocal reviews and felt the need to come check it out.
It’s your classic greasy spoon take out spot — I am so happy I took the time to check it out. I walked up to the counter to read the menu — it’s your classic mac & cheese with additional variations of it, all of which were simply mouthwatering. The man at the counter greeted me with a friendly smile. While he was preparing the previous customer’s order, he took his time to explain the menu to me and explain how the food was cooked and what ingredients they used to bake their mac & cheese. I was thankful for this.
You can customize your dishes, which is great. I had a classic mac & cheese with chicken and spinach. The portions were great, considering I was pretty hungry. The meal itself was fantastic — the cheese was creamy and the noodles were soft.
I highly recommend this spot to anyone yearning for some comfort food. It’s definitely worth it!

I mean, there is no way that this place gets five stars unless you think 6 $ for a small mac and cheese at a takeout place is an alright amount to pay.
I’ve baked my own «gourmet» mac and cheese versions before and so it’s not like this is some wild delicacy for me. so I think it’s kind of steep for something that it pretty easy to do by yourself.
BUT I will admit the mac and cheese is good.
They have about 8 variations on the board but they will pretty much do anything you ask for in terms of custom orders
I like this place and I want it to survive in the little nothing-​market that seems to by dying slowly. It’s incredibly easy to miss.
They precook the macaroni– and they have all the fixins precut.
They mix whatever your choice is in a bowl with some creamy cheese.
Bake it. Then top it with more cheese and bake it again to get that nice cheese crust.
It’s good. but… it’s still just mac and cheese, people.
But try it out. because while I think it’s just ok, bc I make my own, many people, I’m sure are gonna be into it.

I think this place is great! If you like mac and cheese and want it with some veg, or meat, or whatever special toppings they have that day (butter chicken, anyone?), check it out! It’s very reasonably priced for the portions. Keep them in business and send your friends there too!

Huge Portions, tastes great, no seating boo, kind of a desolate area for now, but I really enjoyed it

Dance Mac has become a staple of any trip we take along Queen St W. They offer simple, but incredibly tasty comfort food in a variety of delicious casseroles. They offer a small size (which is not so small) for six bucks, which is good for one. A medium size for nine, which is perfect to split with someone. And a larger size which we haven’t ordered yet.
They offer plenty of meat heavy dishes (Angry Bacon, so good) and two veggie options as well. Everything is made to order and it comes incredibly fresh.
The folks that run the place are very nice as well, often explaining to new customers what exactly they’re serving, customizing orders, and frequently telling people not to worry about exact change. Really great service every time we’ve gone, which goes a long ways for making us repeat customers.
With all the generic franchise fast food locations in the area, you should try out Dance Mac for lunch one day. You won’t be disappointed.

I’ve been to Dance Mac several times since first stumbling across it not long after it opened, and have yet to have a meal that didn’t satisfy. You can’t really go wrong with comfort food like this. And this is good stuff.
For those who don’t know — and because the owner may not automatically mention it – the place is pronounced «DAHN-​chay» Mac. There’s a little noodle above the «c» on the sign. That’s the first name of the guy that runs the place, and he’s cool to chat with while he’s making the food. If you’re a first timer you might even get a demo of the process. Nice.
As for the food, man, I get the medium tray every time I’m there; huge, yet I always polish it off and don’t need another meal after that! Go hungry. There’s about seven or eight solid variations on the menu, and everything’s customizable. I favour the meat dishes, sometimes with hot sauce, sometimes without, and the chunks of ground beef, sausage and bacon are sizable. This place doesn’t skimp!
Other dishes feature chicken, or vegetarian, or possibly even seafood if I recall correctly. And he experiments with new dishes, so that’s something to keep an eye on.
The pasta’s pre-​cooked a bit, so when you order, a scoop of it is goes into a small boiler and gets finished off. Then they pour over a ladle of three-​cheese sauce, which starts to get nice and stringy as it’s mixed, then generous scoops of add-​ins are folded in. Once it’s in the tray, it’s topped off with MORE shredded cheese (possibly the same blend as the sauce; can’t recall) and dusted with fine bread crumbs, which make for an awesome golden crust when it comes out of the oven a few minutes later.
The location is nicely hidden at the moment, in the «market» building across the street from the CityTV building. This place used to be home to a bunch of little ethnic takeaway joints (and a Ben & Jerry’s), but eventually became something of a dump, so it was gutted and has been undergoing slow renovations for the last year or so. At the moment, there’s only Dance Mac and, I think, a Jerk Chicken place in there. Once it’s done, though, the foot traffic could pick up exponentially, at which point you might not enjoy the easy access and casual chit-​chat you’ll enjoy if you pop in now.
One thing they might consider: «hooky» names for the various dishes, to «brand» them in a sense. Considering gourmet takeaway mac & cheese has potential to catch on in a city like this — with every copycat and his sister opening cutesy little «Mac Stores» (gee, I ought a copyright that one!) in every chi-​chi hipster neighborhood the way they’ve glutted them with cupcake and yogurt shops in recent years — it wouldn’t hurt the guy who got on the scene first to ante up his marketing on this good thing so he can stay on top.
And by the way, to those who lament the lack of outdoor seating during the warmer weather, GO OUT THE FRIGGIN’ BACK DOOR. There’s a little parkette back there with benches. And Grange Park (behind the AGO) is only a minute away on foot. Mind you, these areas seem to attract the homeless the way the homeless attract flies, so there’s no guarantee that you’ll enjoy your meal unaccosted. Yay Toronto.
ADDENDUM FEB. 18, 2013: Tried the Butter Chicken Mac about a week ago. FANTASTIC IDEA! Hope they come up with more ideas like this!

My had walked by this place and told me about it knowing my love for mac and cheese. We met here a couple weeks ago for lunch.
Customer Service:
Looks like it’s just a guy and his daughter who run the show here. They were both really friendly and helpful.
Food:
The menu is pretty basic — mac and cheese — but there were so many options to choose from to add to your basic mac and cheese. I opted for the original with ground beef. I ordered a medium and ate about ¾ of it and I was stuffed. I saved the rest for later (it’s just as good the second time btw).
I love that the bake it to order and make it right in front of you. There’s a nice light breadcrumb crust on the top which is a must for mac and cheese in my opinion.
Price:
With a pop, I think the medium size was about $ 11. For the amount of food you get, it was pretty good.
Location and Seating:
It’s almost in a mini food court on Queen Street but the building is completely under construction. There’s only 1 or 2 other little stands in the building. There isn’t any seating, just a table you can stand at. And unfortunately since it’s right in the heart of a bunch of restaurants and stores, it’s hard to find a place to find outside to sit.
I really hope this place stays open. I feel like it’s so hidden that a lot of people might pass it by. Best of luck to them, and I will definitely be back!

For the first time ever, I am upgrading my review.
When I first encountered Dance Mac back in the fall, I thought the food was fantastic but the location left a lot to be desired. The location part is still true — six months later and it’s still just Dance Mac and the Jerk Joint holding down the fort — but, in a rarity for Toronto food joints, the food has actually gotten better and they keep innovating! Newest item on the list right now is beef brisket; served with a little sweet onion and some tomato, this thing tastes amazing.
The meat lover’s is my official go-​to. It’s basically flawless; think of the mac and cheese with little hot dog bits you probably had as a child and grow it up into gourmet territory. Real cheese, fabulous toppings, all baked to perfection in a multi-​step process.
Sure, as one review points out, it’s only mac and cheese, but the ingredients are solid and plentiful and the work that Dance and his team (not his kids!) do is excellent. The $ 6 small mac and cheese is enough to fill me up, and I’m a big guy with a stomach to match. The $ 9 medium gets me a little sleepy and the $ 11 large basically knocks me out — more than enough for two very solid meals. There’s definite value for money here and then some.
Hoping they’ll start catering or offering party trays soon!