Mars Restaurant & Bar

02/14/08

Perhaps the most overpriced and frustrating brunch ever!

by annefrances at Citysearch

My husband and I went to Mars upon reading a great review for their Sunday dim sum brunch. When we arrived we were the only people at the place, so you would expect very prompt and attentive service. That was not the case! We chose to sit outside, and I felt like during the entire meal we were looking around to see where our waitress was. There was an incredibly long wait for our food to arrive at the table, and when it did it was sub par at best! The noodle and tempura dishes were greasy, and the samosas were bland. The only shining light in the meal were the cocktails. Upon completing our meal, we had to wait for at least 15 minutes for anyone to notice and get us our check. At the point the outside patio had began to fill. I felt like the wait staff was all over the place, and not focused on great service. Once the bill did come, my husband and I both agreed that the meal was much overpriced based upon quality of food and lack of customer service. Even if the meal had been cheap, we still wouldn't return.

• Pros: beautiful decor and great drinks
• Cons: everything else you want in a restraurant

02/02/08

Great eclectic menu ---- think "Indochine".

by poupette at Citysearch

My friend and I went to Mars last night after hearing they had hired a new chef. We had a great time with prompt service and a nice Cabernet by the glass recommendation. I started with the tuna tataki appetizer which was very fresh and tasty. My friend had a rich, creamy hearts of palm soup that she really enjoyed. I ordered the rabbit special which I was very excited about since my French mother used to make it for me as a kid. I was very impressed with my dish. The braised rabbit was tender and served in a rich sauce with yummy root vegetables. My friend ordered the grouper special and it was cooked perfectly, served with roasted brussel sprouts that were delicious. Who gets excited about brussel sprouts? Well we did.

Overall we enjoyed ourselves and look forward to trying Mars again soon.

01/02/08

FOR BLAND FOOD LOVERS EVERYWHERE, MARS IS THE PLACE!

by spreadeagle17 at Citysearch

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

12/31/07

Adequate food, poor service

by jdefel at Citysearch

My wife and I visit Austin from New York every December, and we always set aside one evening for dinner with my sister and brother-in-law. They select the restaurant, always one of their favorites. They have frequently raved about Mars (in both locations), so we chose that for dinner on Dec 29. The evening began when two of us ordered martinis. The glasses were half-full (it was slightly more than a shot, really). We asked the waiter if this was the standard pour. He gave the glasses a perfunctory glance, and said that it was, and then added some confusing comment about total amount being affected by the way the ice is shaken. (When we walked past the bar at the end of the evening, all martinis were poured to the top of the glass). Then my wife then took a sip of her ginger ale, which was flat. We called the waiter over again. We tried to be light-hearted and self-deprecating, calling outselves the "table with bar troubles," but he responded with a curt, "It came from a can." He returned, and unceremoniously dropped a new ginger ale on the table (it was a bottle, not a can, and it was hot, which would certainly affect carbonation when poured over cold ice). As for the food, we had an excellent Thai Bouillabaisse, but all our appetizers were served on the cool side of room temperature, and the meats on our Tandoori mixed platter had no apparent spicing or characteristics one associates with Tandoor cooking. Overall, he food was acceptable, and we made the most of the evening (good company makes up for a lot), but the most distracting part of the evening was our waiter?s demeanor and attitude (after the first plates were dropped, he said ?I hope the food tastes good to you,? with a touch of weariness and condescension). Though he always had a smile fixed on his face, it was apparent he didn?t care about our comfort.

12/26/07

Great Happy Hour!

by cmlynn at Citysearch

Me and my Boyfriend stopped in there for the Happy Hour and ended up having a four appetizers and wine, I must say that I was quite impressed. The Spicy Ahi Tuna Tartare paired with crispy wontons was my favorite, I was finished wanting more, the seasonings all come together with such great textures and equal an amazing bite of goodness each time. The Scallops & Gyoza were very interesting yet very delectable. The scallops were seared perfectly and the carrot gyoza were very sweet adding a nice soft texture and flavor to the scallops. As for the Duck Confit Wonton Chips with cherry-pomegranate chutney and goat cheese creme fraiche... this dish is screaming savory flavor. I loved this dish and I'm very glad I ended up getting it. I will order it again and again. Again the wonton chips were served and accomodated the duck very well. The cherry-pomegranate chutney was done to perfection. And the ever-so popular potsticker dumplings are not be left out. These were also very delicious, the crispiness was perfect and could not be done better. So all in all, I may not have experienced the actual entrees, but everything was in up-most quality and taste.

• Pros: Amazing food, very romantic, gorgeous interior
• Cons: None

10/26/07

Not worth Price

by xtaraestrial at Citysearch

We celebrated a birthday there recently and the entire group was disappointed. Our group included a chef, service industry folks, and others and we were all very patient and open to try everything. We started with drinks, a bottle of champagne, and 2 bottles of wine. The presentation was good, but the cocktails were overdone with lots of "mix". The appetizers were decent, but it is really hard to screw up hummus and spring rolls. I had the pork tenderloin which was flavorful but dry in the middle, while my green beans looked withered and were bland. One of our friends had to send her seared tuna back because she could not cut it after repeated attempts. Others remarked that the curries were cold and bland. The ambiance is very nice, the colors beautiful, but it is hard to have a conversation as it is extremely loud. Our waiter was extremely attentive and was very obliging to what we needed. It is not the service which made for the poor dining experience, it was the food quality. We had 600 hundred dollar tab, and none of us was content were content with our meal.

• Pros: Nice interior, interesting menu
• Cons: Not worth the price you pay

This trendy, yet low-key Pan-Asian and eastern Mediterranean fusion restaurant on South Congress is bigger and better than the old location on the other side of town.

by Joshua Hinsdale at Citysearch

The Scene
Mars draws you in, sits you down and starts its relaxation technique. The deep-red interior, flecked with black and gold paint, hushes the harried spirit. Cozy banquettes line the windows and additional tables create romantic seating nooks throughout the interior. The space, though harmonious, is nearly always packed with first-daters, trendy scenesters and old timers reflecting about how the restaurant (and Austin) used to be. Service is affable, if sometimes slammed.

The Food
The chef draws from Indian, Thai, Mediterranean and Japanese cuisines, sometimes merging several into a single dish. Vegetarians are not forgotten, with at least 10 meatless items offered. The scallops and gyoza appetizer has buttery scallops that make you want to eat them in small bites. The tender rack of lamb has a mint demi glace and the tandoori mixed grill is the perfect way to sample the chicken, steak, pork and duck on a single plate.


Hits: The patio offers a relaxing spot to linger over a meal and watch the SoCo bustle.

Misses: Wait time during peak hours can exceed an hour and waiting areas are cramped, unless you luck into one of the outdoor bar tables.

08/24/07

Too pricey and over-seasoned entrees - Just average!

by austowngirl at Citysearch

A group of six eating there recently reports that the Satay is too spicey, the Salmon is not what you'd expect for the price and overall the food is not up to par, very average. Hopefully they will upgrade the food to match the price of the entrees, as this used to be a very good restaurant.

• Pros: Nice location - used to have a good reputation
• Cons: Food is just not up to par withe price - disappointing

08/11/07

Slow service, but food was really good

by heatherbeeme at Citysearch

Went here with a party of 8 based on a recommendation from a friend and the atmosphere is great. Very cool spot. However, it took about an hour to get our entrees once we were seated (and we had reservations). Food was great once it came out, but it kind of ruined the rest of our night out. I probably will come again.

• Pros: Food and good looking people watching
• Cons: Very Slow service

07/31/07

Terrible in every way

by empgb at Citysearch

I went to Mars on a weekday for lunch with some friend. I was hoping for a good experience from all the good reviews however our experience was terrible. First we went on our lunch break. It took over 45 minutes for the waitress to get our orders, and then it took nearly an hour for the food to come out. After we were done eating, it took a while for the bill to come. Not only that, the waitress mischarged the bill. Since we were a party of 5, some had cash, while others used their credit cards. She kept the cash as tip, then she over charged one credit card to compensate for her "tip". Overall, the waitress was either new or was not good at all. She was attentive at first, but after we got our food, we didn't see much of her. Now that was just the experience with the service. The food was also terrible.

First off, the waitress misinformed us of the Kobi burgers. She at first said the Kobi burgers was hand ground at the restaurant. Unsure of her answer, she came back and said it wasn't. Despite that, some of us ordered the burgers. They came out over cooked and underflavored. It looked like the Kobi burgers were frozen preformed patties. I substituted my fries for a salad that was wilted and old. I also ordered the coffee which was warm and not hot when I got it. The other people that ordered other items felt the food was so-so.

Over all, the bad service, bad food, and the time it took to for us to get in and get out (nearly 3 hours) gives this restaurant a not recommended rating. The only positive thing the restaurant has to offer is the ambiance. It gives off a trendy chic feel to it.