Mars Restaurant & Bar
(512) 472-3901
1400 S Congress Ave
Austin,
TX
78704
30.2498
-97.7497
Neighborhoods: Greater South River City, South River City
Reviews & Ratings for Mars Restaurant & Bar
69 reviews
What users are saying:
Showing 1-10 of 69 reviews
FOR BLAND FOOD LOVERS EVERYWHERE, MARS IS THE PLACE!
by spreadeagle17
January 02, 2008
We decided to try Mars, which opened recently in our 'hood, after being downtown for many years. We ate there years ago and never went back, for no particular reason except that it wasn't memorable & we just forgot about it. But now that it's in our 'hood, we thought we'd give it another try.
First of all, definitely go for the happy hour. It's great. I had a wonderful raspberry bellini and my husband had a kind of vanilla manhattan he said was good. Good appetizers, especially the baby back ribs ($3.50) . They came with mashed potatoes & would make a fine dinner-with-salad for a low price. The baba ganoush/hummus with pita was a good deal, also, although the baba needed salt (we rarely salt our food in restaurants) & there wasn't any on the table.
Pause here to praise the waitress, one of the best we've ever had in any restaurant. She provided salt & something to fix our wobbly table in no time flat.
Dinner was something else. The website for Mars advertises lamb, but there was none to be had on the menu. So my hubby settled for Bouillabiasse. His dish had an odd flavor we couldn't pinpoint (we're both cooks) and one large scallop, a little salmon and some kind of fish and NO shrimp at all. Needless to say, he was disappointed. Is new chef Tommy lazy or what?
Since I make a killer red curry Hor Mok Talay, I ordered the red curry dish with "vietnamese prawns," which was basically 4 large-ish shrimp. The dish was so bland I had to - yes - salt it! So I saved half for home, to be doctored accordingly.
There were no dessert prices on the menu & the only one that looked even vaguely original was the "chocolate pate." It was also quite bland, with only a slight chocolate flavor, at a whopping 8 bucks (explaining the price omission)! And my husband's coffee was so lukewarm it didn't even warm his hand holding the cup, so had to be sent back.
So go for happy hour appetizers & drinks and skip the entrees we ordered!
- Pros: good waitress; good happy hour
- Cons: bland food, skimpy on the seafood entrees
dumb little place
by FandWatx
November 13, 2008
Ah mars..................looks good, doesn't it? well its kinda like that really hot chick at the bar who seems appetizing, but the second she opens her mouth you realize how horribly stupid and gross she really is, and you start wishing you went to mcdonalds instead of going out.
first: they are obviously going for fine dining THEN GET SOME WAITSTAFF THAT HAVE EXPERIENCE . foodies expect a certain level of service, and at mars' prices, they better get it. i got some girl that was shuffling round the restaurant mumbling and took my order like i was at dennys. HAD NO CLUE ABOUT THE WINE LIST. presented our mixed grill as "UH...ER...HERES YALLS STEAK AND DUCK, AND UM, PORK..STUTTER THANKS"
entrees were served at the table before first courses were even half way done. GET A CLUE we realize we are paying for the ambiance but get a clue.
and the food............it was good. scallops were great. but i see how on here the chef actually responded to the reviews????HA! what a tosser. mars better stop looking in the mirror loving it self for its cool little red orbs in the trees and start respecting the patrons, because, along with that hot chick at the bar, we can usually spot a fake
Great place to eat
by jenniferbelton
October 26, 2008
I enjoyed eating at Mars. The service was good and the food was wonderful. I had spring rolls, with a tangy but spicy sauce and stir fry. I will go back.
Jennifer McCoy
Belton, tx
Hands down, worst experience ever.
by saucyholli
October 13, 2008
I ate at Mars on one previous occasion in which I enjoyed it immensely. The food was excellent, the service was great, etc. Because I had such an amazing experience the first time, I dragged several friends there bragging about what a great place this is, how much they are going to love the food, ambience, etc. Upon arriving we were told that our reservation wasn't received, then we were later told that it was in fact received but ignored because a party of 10 had somehow doubled and we were simply no longer important. Crowded around a small table outside we ordered appetizers. The lamb skewers (among the dishes I had bragged about) bordered on gross, way overcooked. Other appetizers were also subpar. The waiter spilled sauce on my head and blouse and first acted as if nothing happened. When I reacted he looked up to the tree as if it was raining warm brown peanut sauce. The whole group was completely disappointed, and hungry. When we tried to explain our lousy experience to the manager, he walked away. HE WALKED AWAY. Its important to note that we weren't screaming, belittling, or being rude in any way as I have seen some very disgruntled patrons do once pressed too far. And this is just one more example of how service is changing in Austin. Some of the cool, hip, and trendy restaurants seem to have adopted the LA style of treating people.
- Pros: Food has ability to be excellent
- Cons: Inconsistent food, horrible service, a "you're lucky we serve you at all" attitude
Best Steak in Town!
by landtroop
September 03, 2008
Mars is simply outstanding! My girlfriend and I love to go there. I have never had anything less than an exceptional experience there, dating back to the old location by campus. Zen the bartender and Teddy the manager always go out of their way to ensure our needs are met. I like the mixed grill; the different meats (usually duck, beef, and pork, but last time I had the salmon) are always perfectly and exquisitely cooked. The beef tenderloin is my girlfriend's favorite, and we agree that it is the best steak available in town!
- Pros: Great food and service
Something different and a nice patio
by Lovedinnerout
August 09, 2008
Very nice place to sit outside and enjoy a good dinner
The steak dinners are particularly good
Service always good
- Pros: Great location and outside dining
- Cons: none
food was really bad and overpriced.
by micre
June 22, 2008
I had the veggie wrap and even the wrap bread around it was bad. Even the french fries were awful even when they renamed them pommes frites.
My friend had crab cakes and got sick an hour later. She told me she didn't know why she kept eating them when they tasted bad.
yuck. Do not be drawn in by the glossy good looks of this place.
Must try this place!
by bobkelso
June 19, 2008
I have been to Mars a few times and I am planning on going back next week. I absolutely love this place. The people that are on here leaving negative remarks must have larger issues in life, because this place is easily one of the top 5 restaurants in Austin. If you have not been here before, go you will not be disappointed.
If you will allow me to make a suggestion, for an appetizers, try the Malanga Napoleon. I hate to say something is the best ever, however at the current moment, I can not think of any appetizer I have ever eaten that I would choose over the Malanga Napoleon.
- Pros: Wine selection
- Cons: bit pricy, but very much worth it.
really???
by montag451
May 31, 2008
I am the chef at Mars Restaurant and I would like to point out that I indeed take pride in the food that myself and my cooks put out every day. Was the food too bland or too salty?? I am not from the Mid - Atlantic nor have i been raised on soft shell crab however I can assure you that the crab was alive before it went to the table. We do NOT marinate the lamb in beef broth but we do however serve it with lamb jus made from lamb bones. The ribs are braised for hours and are anything but dry . I would normally in this situation ask you to come back so that we could resolve any and all doubts you have in us, but instead I will ask that the next time you go out to eat anywhere that you start your dining experience with a better attitude.
Lazy service, bland food, and incompetent management
by nfaa
May 31, 2008
They sat us immediately and jokingly told us our server would be with us in "4-5 seconds". About 15 minutes later the manager finally came around and told us that the server asked her to take our drink order - there was no: hello, welcome to Mars, sorry you've been waiting. It was Friday night around 8:00pm or so and there were empty tables everywhere so they weren't overwhelmingly too busy to care for their guests. Eventually we get our drinks and when our waitress finally comes over to take our order , it's the same thing - no introduction, no how are you, no sorry to keep you waiting. When we started to ask her questions about the menu and the wine she responded to everything saying that it was "good". When the appetizer arrives it was dry, my soup was unbearably salty, and the beet salad actually tasted ok but the greens were wilted and it only had a few beets. Our entrees were no less lackluster: the ribs were smeared in a sticky sauce that tasted ok but the meat inside was dry and bland; the softshell crab was disgusting....watery, mushy and had flavor similar to a frozen product. (let me mention that I am from the Mid-Atlantic coast where I grew up eating softshell crab); the hearts of palm that came with the crab were raw and bland; and lamb tasted of nothing but salt, like they marinated it in beef broth. Whoever the head chef is should be ashamed of the food he/she is sending out to the guests. When we told the manager of our concerns about the food, she responded saying "let me get it out of your way so you don't have to deal with it anymore". They comped the food we sent back, but there was absolutely no apology or attempt to improve our experience in any way. My boyfriend and I both worked our way through college waiting tables in nice restaurants so we know what it takes to make a nice dining experience. It was obvious that the server, the chefs and the manangement at Mars simply have no pride in their product. I will never go back.
First time was very good
by locallocal
April 28, 2008
I went on a recent weekend for the first time. We were part of a large group, and I was happy to see that our table was waiting for us per our reservation. We started with drinks from the happy hour menu, and everyone was happy! My date and I shared the Tuna appetizer and the Spring Roll appetizer. For dinner, she had the Flounder and I had the Flank Steak; both were perfect. We also enjoyed several bottles of wine with our friends. The waiter did a good job with a large group: he was always there when I wanted something, at least.
It was a little on the loud side, but what can you expect with these crowded places? It was a very good first trip: I'll be back
