Bournemouth, Food & Drink | Posted on November 2nd, 2026 | return to news

Grate Expectations Mac & Cheese opens in Bournemouth

It was the grand launch of Bournemouth's latest independent restaurant Grate Expectations last weekend.

By Janine Pulford

Grate Expectations Mac & Cheese attracted a constant stream of customers at Rosie and Simon’s launch event on 1 November.

Their independent walk-in restaurant is located within the Helch Market Food Hall and Speakeasy Bar, and customers were eager for bowls of an old favourite served with a gourmet flourish.

Hearty bowls of creamy macaroni cheese to eat in, or take away, are available including up to three toppings. With 11 cold toppings, three oils and one hot topping to choose from, customers can personalise their Mac & Cheese as they wish.

On opening day, I opted for a vegan bowl of macaroni with vegan cheese flavoured sauce. As for toppings, a pineapple salsa, vegan bacon bits and sun-dried tomatoes were an excellent mix, all topped with chives. The pineapple salsa was my favourite. Huge yum. The portion size was satisfying and there was room to sit down and eat at a table.

It was Rosie’s idea to introduce toppings on Mac & Cheese. She said, “I’m a people pleaser, if people like my food, I’m happy. Our most popular topping is cheese crumble, followed by vegan bacon bits.” Once you’ve been to Grate Expectations, you’ll never look at macaroni cheese in the same way again.

To finish off, an indulgent homemade brownie did the trick and there are two flavours to choose from.

Visit Grate Expectations to discover this new Mac & Cheese experience. It’s open Wednesday-Sunday 12 midday-10pm. For opening times for Helch Market visit https://helch.uk/bournemouth/

Helch Market Food Hall contains four independent walk-in restaurants serving Sushi, Mexican, Caribbean and Mac & Cheese. The Speakeasy Bar is downstairs. All at 3 Gervis Place, Bournemouth.