Birmingham based entrepreneur, Anthony Duffy, is set to open his debut restaurant, Holy Moly Macaroni, in Birmingham Grand Central in June as part of his mission to ‘bring back proper mac’.

Located in the heart of Birmingham as part of the Bullring Estate, the Holy Moly restaurant will bring the authenticity of Harlem soul food to the Midlands.

Holy Moly Macaroni was founded in 2015 as a street food stall after Anthony visited Harlem and became inspired by hearty New York mac ‘n’ cheese after spending time with chefs of Harlem who shared their wholesome soul food recipes with him.

Having worked as a chef for a number of years, Anthony made the move to street food three years ago by featuring at the popular Digbeth Dining Club in his Mac Shack. Since then, Anthony has travelled the country with his 'Mac Shack' and trialled his dishes with the masses to develop the perfect, authentic macaroni cheese recipe.

Holy Moly Macaroni will sell more than its famous four cheese macaroni, with other dishes such as double dipped fried chicken in a ginger beer batter and baby back eight-hour smoked ribs to tantalise the taste buds. With lactose, gluten-free and vegan options, the restaurant will cater for anybody who likes to get stuck in to flavoursome food in an inviting setting.

And if you don’t fancy coming into the Birmingham city centre, Holy Moly Macaroni has partnered with Deliveroo where you can order online and have it delivered right to your door.

The 70-seat independent restaurant will create 30 local jobs and capture the community vibe of Harlem that Anthony fell in love with over seven years ago and bring a slice of New York to the local area that Anthony is so proud to come from.

Anthony comments:

“When I was visiting family in Harlem, I met this incredible woman called Judith. She had a real passion for cooking and I was incredibly lucky because she passed on her family mac ‘n’ cheese recipe to me, which is the basis of the Holy Moly recipe and it was this that inspired me to start my culinary journey.”

The 1,750 sq ft restaurant will include industrial elements and neon lights inspired by the streets of 80’s Harlem to give an authentic New York experience with an undercurrent of the soul movement.

Anthony continues:

“I am so excited for the opening of the restaurant! Good food is just so important, it can bring friends and family together in a unique, enjoyable experience, and that’s what Holy Moly is all about.

“It gives me such pride to open an independent restaurant in Birmingham that has it individuality and personality. It’s not a corporate and never will be.

“I want to openly invite everybody from Birmingham to come and try just how good mac ‘n’ cheese can be – you won’t regret it!”

Opening towards the end of June, Holy Moly Macaroni will be open every day from 11 am to 10 pm to satisfy customers craving a delicious and hearty meal.

Follow Holy Moly Macaroni on Facebook to find out more and stay up to date with the latest information at www.facebook.com/holymolymac.