Mars Restaurant & Bar

04/28/08

Great deck, food, service, but can the smokers just go away?

by austexan at Citysearch

My girlfriend and I love Mars. We go at least 2-3 times a month, if not more. We love to sit outside (if it's not too hot or it's not packed with smokers; it only takes a few to ruin the smell of food). The Beef Tenderloin is not to be missed; also the Pork Tenderloin, the Wasabi Salmon, the Scallops, the Ricepaper Prawns and the Chocolate Pate. They also have a nice selection of wines by the glass (we usually don't get bottles). The servers are nice and attentive. Overall, this place is in our top 5 in Austin.

• Pros: Food, ambience, wine

04/28/08

Extremely slow service

by Taralara at Citysearch

This has got to be the slowest service in Austin, or anywhere and I come from Europe so I'm used to slow service!! Myself and my husband decided to give Mars a try for happy hour last week. We decided to enjoy the patio. However, after waiting for 10 minutes to be served with out drinks the waitress disppeared - even though we said we wanted to order food and we didn't see her again for about 20 minutes.

I am from Europe so I am used to slower service, but this was ridiculous - I don't think I'll try it again - which is a pity as it has such a nice patio and bar!

• Pros: Nice patio and nice bar inside
• Cons: Extremely slow service

04/26/08

Great food & attentive staff

by Birdle at Citysearch

I wasn't planning on leaving a review, but then read the one below and had to point out the coincidence that I was there last Sunday, sitting next to the large, disruptive table of obnoxious drunks to which the reviewer below presumably belonged to. They made a spectacle of themselves, before getting into a belligerant argument with the manager, yelling inapropriate things and stumbling out. Other than that disruption, me and my husband had a wonderful time. I was infact getting on this site to find Mars' number so that I could make a reservation to celebrate my birthday there. Fantastic food, great atmosphere, very amicable and professional staff. Highly Recommend it!

04/21/08

Worst experience ever! Rude management

by pcakesatx at Citysearch

Ate, or at least tried to eat there on a Sunday night with about ten people and had one of the worst experiences ever! We had a nice waitress who seemed overwhelmed with the size of our party but she kept our drinks full and was always visible. The problem was that we waited for over and hour for our entrees! Then when we inquired about them with a manager we were greeted by a rather rude expediter who immediately went on the defensive saying the order was put it at this time and we were wrong. When we were finally able to speak with a manager he gave us a round about excuse and then became sarcastic and just down right rude and arrogant, explaining that we were drinking and had no concept of how much time passed. We will never, ever go back to Mars! None of us have ever received such horrible service and have been treated in such a horrible way. To add insult to injury we never received our entrees, we all paid for what we had and left after waiting for nearly and hour and fifteen minutes for our entrees. This was one of the worst places to dine and I would avoid this place at all cost, not worth it at all!

• Pros: Nothing
• Cons: Arrognat and rude management, excessively long wait for food that we never got

03/19/08

Great food, great choices, great place to go with your family

by Guy12 at Citysearch

I have been to Mars several times with my family and I LOVED IT! The food is great, the service is spectacular, and every time I finish dinner I am always disappointed because i don't want it to end. I loved the restaurant in the old location and i love it in the new one. The owner, Lori Simon, really knows how to run a great restaurant and take care of you when you need it. I don't live in Austin, but whenever i visit there i HAVE TO go to Mars, it is like a priority when i am visiting. It is a great restaurant with great food at an affordable price. The only negative thing that i have to say is when it is busy, the place can get really really loud and its a little annoying, but it is worth it when you try some of the food. People who have never been there before, listen to me.... GO THERE! You will love it!

• Pros: Food, Service
• Cons: noise level

03/01/08

Great Atmosphere

by DanCam at Citysearch

I have been to Mars many times and I am always amazed at how consistently great the food and service is. The atmosphere is unbelievable, both inside and out. However, my friends and I always love sitting on the patio.

02/23/08

great evening

by EddyJoe at Citysearch

After several excellant dinners at Mars in the last few months I began to wonder if I was becoming jaded by the cool atmosphere or the friendly wait staff. So on a recent weekend I decided to take some out of town guess, all admitted food-o-files, and without exception everyone was blown away.On a busy Saturday night our waiter could not have been more helpful and made us feel like we were the only people in the place. The kitchen's timing was spot on and the entrees from the thai bouilliasse, the seared flounder and the flank steak from the Tandoori oven were all big hits. My friends were also impressed by the innovative drink menu, they loved the wasabi martini. The Mars staff sure made me look good. I'll be back and so will my friends whenever they are in town.

02/23/08

Where's the best beef tenderloin? It's at Mars!

by Jetsetter666 at Citysearch

A large group of us went to Mars 2 weeks ago for my nephew's 21st and we had a great experience. Even though we had 13 folks in our party, we were seated promptly at the time we made our reservation in a very full restaurant. Appetizer samplers for the entire table really set the mood. The tender baby back ribs and delicious potstickers were right on the mark and there was much more to pick from off the sampler platter that was equally good. Plenty of food for everyone just to whet their appetite before the entrees started to arrive. I can't speak for everyone else at the table, but I will tell you things got very quiet w/ the exception of alot of oohs and aahs when the main dishes arrived due to the fact that the party goers were all consumed w/ what was in front of them. I had the beef tenderloin, which I have to say was some of the most flavorful melt in your mouth meat I have had in a long time. Simply delicious and cooked perfectly. I did get to try a bit of my wife's salmon and it also was delicious. No wonder all I got was one small bite. Dessert was right on the mark also. We all shared creme brullee that was super creamy but not too sweet and these little donuts and some home made ice cream that really finished off a perfect celebration. Even though we had a very large party our server was totally on top of things and I thought did a great job on keeping everyone happy and satisfied at the table.

• Pros: Great service, outstanding food
• Cons: Can be a little loud

02/23/08

wonderful night at mars

by mishastavis at Citysearch

went to mars the other night for the first time since their move to congress ave- loved the decor- absolutely loved the patio-sat outside while we waited for a table inside being that the night was getting colder ,but in the nicer weather would have loved to stay out- beautiful trees sitting right on congress. appetizers were great- the tuna tataki and the rice paper prawns were excellent- the place was loud but it was pretty crowded. great wine list and the server helped us along with our choice. service was good and attentive- waiter was quite humorous and fun at the table. had the tenderloin (an old favorite) and it is literally the best beef tenderloin i have ever had- my date had the venison- also excellent- dessert- chocolate pate-delicious!!!!

all in all it was a wonderful experience- can't wait till it is warm so we can check out the outdoor seating.

• Pros: ambience, good attentive service, great food
• Cons: a little on the loud side

02/16/08

Good atmosphere, bad value

by austinaggie17 at Citysearch

This was one of the worst eating experiences I've had in the 22 years I have lived in Austin. I went for my sister's birthday, and they charged me for the birthday cake (that took them 15 minutes to bring). My waiter gave bad recommendations and when I asked for limes, or clean silverware, I did not get them. The waiter also came and tried to take my plate while half my meal was still on it. These are things that would make me not go back for a while, but the portion size was the deal breaker. The $28 flounder, with the green beans that were served with it, wouldn't have even filled up a 2nd grader. I would guess that the entire meal was less than 2 cups in volume. Comparing that portion to somewhere like South Congress Cafe (just down the street) would be about 1/3 of the food at a higher cost. Also, they stuff people in the front so people walking by on south congress with think that they place is really busy, while the back of the restaurant is next to empty. I will never go back to eat again, maybe to use the restroom (they were clean)!

• Pros: good food and clean
• Cons: TINY portions, poor service, and overpriced