Located at 1043 Johnston St., Shane’s Loaded Mac Bar is an exclusive Lafayette restaurant that you will not find anywhere else. They specialize in baked potatoes, pastas and grilled cheeses, which are loaded with mac and cheese. Locals love this place for its authenticity and mouthwatering cheesy delightfulness.
Their menu offers a diverse selection of exclusive dishes. Customers can choose to build their own meal or select from the menu options. The ‘Build Your Cheesy Dream’ meal consists of five steps: choose your base (baked potato, pasta, etc.), select your sauce (house cheese sauce, Alfredo, etc.), pick your protein (chicken, bacon, etc.), pick your toppings (broccoli, mushrooms, etc.) and pick your finishers (ranch, moonshine BBQ, etc.).
The menu selections include several different renditions of pasta, grilled cheeses, and baked potatoes. Some of them are as follows: Hot Chick, Chicken Bacon Ranch, The Big Back and The Johnston St. All of these options are equally as delicious and satisfying to your taste buds.
Opening on June 12, 2025, this restaurant has gained popularity in just over two months. The owner, Shane Vallot, a former football player from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, brings valuable experience from his other restaurant in town, Shane’s Famous Quesadilla Burger. Having now reviewed both restaurants, I can personally say that they are both tasty and worth a visit.
The atmosphere of the restaurant felt inviting and comfortable from the moment I walked in. The staff greeted me promptly, and I appreciated the quick service. All the food options were displayed behind a glass counter, and I enjoyed watching them prepare my meal. The restaurant’s style was definitely casual, with wooden tables and metal chairs. The walls were covered in art that was mainly based on the theme of the restaurant, cheesy wonderland.
My colleague and I had the pleasure of visiting this establishment on Monday, Aug. 25. As we walked in, the workers behind the counter greeted us, as I mentioned earlier. We analyzed the menu and observed the delicious ingredients behind the counter to determine our choice. Having never visited a place like this, neither of us knew what to choose.
The menu included five types of pasta, three varieties of potatoes, two grilled cheese sandwiches and a build-your-own option. I ended up ordering the Chicken Bacon Ranch pasta, which contained house cheese sauce, grilled chicken, bacon, and ranch. My colleague opted for the ‘build your own’ option, creating a pasta with house cheese sauce, grilled chicken, shredded cheese, mushrooms, broccoli and topped with Moonshine BBQ.
After we ordered our meals, we watched as the magic began to happen behind the counter. The first step was to combine the pasta and cheese, mixing them thoroughly. Then, add all the proteins and toppings and place them in the oven for a few seconds. Finally, our meals were topped off by the employees with our preferred sauces.
We then sat down to eat our delicious food, which I had never tried before or rarely seen. I was hesitant at first, as it looked like a lot of greasy ingredients had been thrown into a bowl, but I overcame my fear and took the first bite.
I can already tell that this food is trouble. It was so tasty, flavorful, savory and I was nearly in a food coma after eating only half of it. My colleague had a similar experience with her pasta, which was clearly more visually appealing than mine. The chicken was well-seasoned and went nicely with the mac and cheese, as well as the toppings and sauces. Everything just blended perfectly.
After finishing our meals, I decided to interview two of the employees, Mackenzie Short and Madeline Arabie. “I am a team member for the front of the house and have been working here for a little bit more than two weeks. Saturdays are our busiest nights since we stay open very late. The atmosphere is great and talking to people is nice,” said Short.
Arabie stated, “I love my coworkers the most, they are all pretty cool, this is the second week I have been here…I got hired pretty quickly; the process was very simple.”
The culture of the place was evident throughout my entire stay. I can see why this place has gained so much popularity in under three months. Tasty food, a good atmosphere, and close to campus – what more could you want?
If you would like to visit Shane’s Loaded Mac Bar, they are open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
