Café Mars

Review summary

1. C

   Camille

   Nashville

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Incredible! One of the best restaurants I’ve been to.
   

   Is this helpful?

2. B

   BENJAMIN

   Chicago

   3 reviews

   5.0

   3 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Café Mars is my favorite restaurant. We came for the Global Italian: Chicago event thinking "This could be fun." We left having had the best meal we've had in recent memory. Every dish was interesting and drop-everything delicious. The cocktails were terrific, complex, and very silly. Service was friendly, fun, and responsive. And little touches galore (a welcome taste of wine/kombucha, multicolored glassware, etc.) that make this place stand out. Overall, these folks are having fun with a restaurant in a way that is really, deeply admirable. There's a thoughtfulness and sense of play here that is so rare and special. Everyone owes it to themselves to have a meal or three here. It truly bears repeating: Café Mars is my favorite restaurant.
   

   Is this helpful?

3. K

   Kyle

   San Diego

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   What a fantastic spot this. So inventive without being pretentious. Warm and inviting. Reminded me of what hospitality is all about. I really hope Cafe Mars thrives. I'm planning to be there regularly :)
   

   Is this helpful?

4. G

   George

   VIP

   New York City

   45 reviews

   5.0

   45 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Amazing creative and tasty food. Great service. Can’t wait to come back and try some other dishes. The lemony pasta really stood out to us as well as the little friend fish. We found the gello olives to be interesting but a little too bitter for us. The smoked scallops were very very good. The crude was also very very good. Overall the place to improve I think is the cocktails as they are perhaps a little too creative and didn’t match our taste.
   

   Is this helpful?

5. J

   Josh

   New York City

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 5 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Incredible food, fantastic service, and just a really wonderful experience. From the fun ambience to the personal connections the servers made, to the quality of food, to the extra beverages and treats, this was one of the best dining experiences I've had in a long time. We will absolutely be back for upcoming special events.
   

   Is this helpful?

6. J

   Jenny

   London

   3 reviews

   2.0

   3 reviews

   Dined on January 19, 2025

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   A bit disappointing - there is a lot of creativity here and when the dish is delicious it works - but for a few dishes (ex: Pork Steak) the idea didn’t translate into a good dish. It was salty and the parts didn’t come together on the plate. The meat was also not great quality.
   

   Is this helpful?

7. P

   Petter

   VIP

   San Francisco

   32 reviews

   4.0

   32 reviews

   Dined on January 18, 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 3

   Professional and friendly service. Bit of a retro room. Food good but not great-high marks for creativity. Monkey bread and pastas highlights. Chowda low light. Service a little slow and at 100$ per Pearson with tip (one drink a piece) not great value for money for what it is.
   

   Is this helpful?

8. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   New York City

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on January 18, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Very unique dishes, each lovely and delicious!
   

   Is this helpful?

9. R

   Rick

   VIP

   New York City

   6 reviews

   5.0

   6 reviews

   Dined on January 17, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   I took two colleagues to Café Mars for a business dinner. The comfortable booth salons with the sensitive and attentive service allowed us to talk freely. The drinks and food were off-the-charts fabulous. They made the business discussions that much more fun and productive. We started with 3 “snacks” … pizza slice anchovies, antipasto bomb and inside-out Chicago beef. All three were flavorful, amazingly creative and wonderfully presented. These bites complimented the cocktails, including the deeply flavored Giardiniera martini. Indeed, since the Giardiniera is a key ingredient in the Chicago beef snack, the match was downright perfect! The chefs and bartenders sure work well together. Our three pastas were equally inspired, including the lemony curls, the Genoa tuna waves, and the more traditional Brooklyn Sunday gravy … but with triangle-shaped penne and meat cubes, instead of balls! A modern pivot! We finished with the deconstructed Philly pork sandwich. The flavors were right out of the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, but the careful execution and beautiful presentation made them pop! It couldn’t have been a better dinner! Thank you, Café Mars!
   

   • 

   Is this helpful?

10. T

    Tim

    VIP

    New York City

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on January 12, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5

    Outstanding Italian spot with inventive and delicious food.
    

    Is this helpful?