Mars Restaurant & Bar

Mars… what are you doing? Are you fusion or you just confusion?
I swung by when I heard that you were closing, and now I know why. Your décor is nice, but the food was more misses than hits. I ordered 4 items off the Happy Hour menu to get a good sampling.
Lamb Satay: not memorable. It was 3 star worthy, but the chick pea pancake was totally burnt. I mean to a dark crisp. That’s 1 star for the pancake.
Spring roll: $ 3 for a spring roll? This wasn’t fusion. This roll was like every other spring roll I had, except much more expensive. Also, it was really thick which made it difficult to eat without everything falling out.
Baby Back ribs and mashed potatoes: This was the only tasty dish. Ribs were tender, not over-​sauced, and tasty. Ironically, this was the only «non-​fusion» dish.
Hummus and Babagough: This was a travesty. Both hummus and baba were tasteless. The naan was a joke. I’ve had plenty of naan in my day, and what was served with the dips was some sort of crêpe. That’s not naan, that’s a crêpe. An unappetizing crêpe at that. This dish deserves 1 star.
Overall, I felt this place was way overpriced, and the food was subpar. It seemed like a very expensive version of Kona grill, even at Happy Hour prices. Cheap and subpar is okay. Expensive and subpar is not okay. 2 stars, and that’s me being generous.

no!!! mars, i understand you can’t afford those south congress prices, but can’t you just move to another cute little house? maybe on the east side? thomas is a great chef, i like the creative menu, and i’ve had some stellar times with friends on the patio.
have you tried their happy hour? the baba ghanoush and hummous plate is a perfect starter and it’s only $ 3.50 during happy hour! totally filling. (although the naan was a bit chewy on our last visit). they even have happy hour on weekends from 3−6pm. my husband and i are on a tight budget, but we were able to go on a date during sunday happy hour and sit on the patio. probably the last time we’ll sit on that patio… good times. we stuffed ourselves with 3 starters and 2 glasses of wine each, all for around $ 40.
i was so sad to hear that mars is closing and was in denial for a few days. now that i know it’s true, i’m just bummed out. another long time local business run off by hi-​rise lofts and outrageous rent. (psst…the north east side is really craving a place like this… mueller is boring).

Picture me holding on to Mars’ leg as it drags me around the room…
«NOOOOO, don’t leave me! I love you! And yes I know I have, ahem, eaten elsewhere, but no other place moooves me like you! Your scallops are soo juicy sweet and so delicately flavored with salty goodness. I love to just roll them around on my tongue! And your escargot! The creamy garlicky sauce I would lick off the floor. In fact I would lick that off anything (hint, hint, sex shops! Screw that super artificially flavored strawberry massage oil! Bottle this shit and girlz WILL GO DOWN!)! And your martinis! Who knew you could mix Chai tea and vanilla vodka and make such a heavenly, spicy exotic concoction? That’s why I love you! You continue to surprise me and turn me on. You keep it fresh and exciting, and now you’re leaving???»
A warning to all you Unilocalers this little gem will be closing Dec 22! So if you want to have one last fling with Mars, I recommend visiting soon (really soon as they will not be restocking liquors, wine, etc.). Sadly, another Austin icon is leaving us:(

Love is a many feathered thing. Or so I now realize is the case with MARS.
Hot on the heels of my previous visit and five-​star review of MARS, I was anxious to bring a good friend here to enjoy the uniqueness of the place and the cuisine. And to impress her with the MARS experience, of course! She’s exactly the kind of person MARS has in mind – someone who likes high quality food, small portions, long on flavor – and priced accordingly to reinforce the exclusivity factor.
So, last Sunday afternoon, we wound up here after an art opening downtown. We asked to be seated inside to avoid aggravating our outdoor allergies and were presented our menus by the hostess.
Surprise! MARS has two heads, and the brunch head is not pretty at all. I’d refer to the menu as duck eggs, duck eggs, and more duck eggs. Or at least that’s the first thing she and I both saw over and over again as we went down the menu.
Were there other menu items? Sure, combined with duck eggs, duck eggs, and more duck eggs. After looking over the menu online, I think it’s all in the order of presentation, but that first impression is the killer.
Avant garde I can handle. This menu wasn’t brunch, it wasn’t Austin weird, it was just totally devoid of any semblance of sensibility. In one fell swoop, MARS lost my Sunday brunch business forever and probably another new patron for life because it grossed her out. Over duck eggs, duck eggs, and more duck eggs.
Silence was golden as we left the restaurant without eating and referring to the menu as the reason for our not eating on the way out. It was only when we got to the car when we both said almost in unison, «WTF? Duck eggs?»
Who won? Macaroni Grill, of all places. MARS hang your head in shame, over a large bowl of duck eggs.

Butternut squash gyoza in cream sauce: The cabbage in this creamy, mildly sweet dish was out of place, but it was almost perfect otherwise. I think they use the same dough for the ravioli-​like packets of squash purée as they use for the potstickers, and oddly it works better in this dish. The light flavor of the green onions complimented the sauce and the almost too light squash flavor well.
Blueberry cakey-​custardy ice-​cream-​topped dessert to share in honor of Kimberly K’s birthday: Delicious! That portion was enough for all nine or 10 of us to have a bite with some left over.
The bread served with hummus and baba ghanouj was oddly thick and a bit oily for my taste, but the baba was awesome.
The service was mostly great. Unilocalers are inordinately generous tippers (she got about a 50 percent tip on a party of 10) and she pretty much deserved it. Unfortunately we were wedged in a tight corner, resulting in some drink spillage and awkward dish passing, but the patio is pretty at night and it was easy to forget.
Once again it was a more expensive night than I’m accustomed to, but the company, atmosphere and food quality were worth it.

So I’ve got to start off by saying that Mars is something that is out of the norm for my places to eat at, but after last night, I’m now totally turned on to it. Last night, I joined 10 other fellow Unilocalers for Kimberly’s double whammy, ROTD & Bday dinner, and had a freakin hell of a time.
I showed up a couple minutes early, and decided to chill inside at the bar while waiting for others to show up. Upon sitting down, I was nicely greeted by the bartender, who provided me w/​the menu of drinks, and then another server quickly came with a glass of ice water as well. I decided to splurge and get the $ 9.00 Mars Mojito. I had two of these throughout the evening, and they were very tasteful and refreshing. After several minutes the clan began arriving, so we went ahead and got seated at our table outside on their spacious and amazing patio. Their patio just has some sort of hidden hypnotizing magical vibe that makes you feel totally at peace and forget that the rest of the world is out there.
Anyways, so Jovi, our wonderful waitress greeted our table, brought out waters, and made the customer-​to-​waitress experience seem nearly flawless, but I’ll get into more detail on that in a bit. First order of business was getting an order of Hummus & Baba Ganough for Jessica S. Her and Carla were conversing about it, and I mentioned that I had never had either of them, but was willing to try it. When it came out, I admit I was a bit hesitant, based on the appearance, but I swallowed my pride, followed by the hummas, and then my «O» face followed after that. Yea it was that good, at least for a first timer getting his Hummus & Baba Ganough cherry popped. After that, I couldn’t get enough of the stuff. It was like, Once I popped, I couldn’t stop. Now for my main dish, I ordered the Baby Back Ribs on recommendation from Chris. Excellent choice my friend. When the plate was layed before my eyes, I felt like I was looking at a piece of art rather than food. Two stacks of ribs on top of mashed potatoes w/​veggies on the side. It looked so good I took a picture of it and posted it. Anyways, normally when it comes to eating ribs, I dig in w/​my hands and get all sorts of dirty. But these were sooo tender, the meat literally fell off the bone. And when combined w/​the mashed potatoes, my «O» face came back out again.
Now moving on the the important part, the service from Jovi. There was one slight mishap towards the beginning of a spilt drink, but other than that, she was great. At first, they had put two 4top table together, but as more Unilocalers showed up, we took it upon ourselves to add a 3^rd table, and she put some extra chairs on the side in case our party of 11 grew larger. Now there were discussions between Michelle C., Jessica S., and Kimberly K., that they wanted to try and split 3 separate dishes. Well Jovi overheard this, and graciously informed the 3 ladies that it could be done, and with no trouble. Now the night was filled with many moments of laughter, as well as some silence as everyone listened to each other’s secret stories, but weaving in between all this, was Jovi making sure we were all satisfied with drinks & food, and not causing a disrupting moment throughout nearly 3 hours.
So overall, I can officially say I’ve been to Mars. Now even though I didn’t see any little green men running around mars in spaceships, I was 100% satisfied in all regards. From greetings, to service, to food preparation and tastes that brought out the «O» face, it was all well worth it, and thank the Unilocal Gods for giving Kimberly K. the ROTD resulting in a total memorable experience.

Because of last night, I am bumping up my review to 5 stars.
First of all, there were lots of us. We started as a table of «6 or 7 or so» and ended up with a table of 10. Jovi never batted an eye. All our meals came out correct. She even gladly took a bunch of credit cards and cash, all with a smile. She never seemed annoyed that we kept adding chairs. She even smiled as she came to our table, hearing our loud laughter and probably hearing some of our secret stories. She never interrupted, either.
The hummus/​baba ganoush app was delicious and the pitas with it were nice and warm. The gyozas were good, but the scallops weren’t perfect.
Three of us shared three different entrees, and our waitress was very accommodating. She even gave us 3 small soup bowls for the AMAZING butternut squash soup. The wasabi salmon was delicious, but the Thai green curry was the big winner.
While the weather’s still nice, go sit on the patio! Never been on a weekend, so I don’t know how busy it gets then, but the small crowd last night meant we got awesome service.

I went back to Mars for the first time in about a year this week. Nothing seems to have changed since the last time. I ordered the Lamb Pita. It came out looking all pretty on a nice rectangular plate, and it was ice cold. The pita even looked as if it had been toasted, but no, it was all deli sandwich cold. Ever eaten a cold gyro? Not pleasant, and neither was this. The lamb was sliced too thick and that made it chewy and hard to eat, and it tasted kind of gamy.
Our the service was nice, but inept. Our meals took a long time to arrive, and then we were given the wrong change.
I’m sad to have lost what used to be one of my favorite places, but Mars is pretty much off my list.

I wanted a cool place to take my mom for a weekday mother/​daughter lunch and, of all the places on my monster list, she chose Mars.
We opted for the beautiful patio because the weather was perfect. Drink-​wise, I had the Cucumber Sake Martini and my mom tried the Martian. Mine was the perfect summery treat and my mom’s was almost like a sippable adult raspberry sorbet. We shared an order of samosas, which were great because they were baked and full of flavor.
I had the Mars Pork Noodle Bowl which — despite the description — wasn’t spicy… but delicious nonetheless. Imagine an all-​grown-​up, gourmet version of Ramen Noodles. Huge mushrooms, hunks of pork, various greens and egg noodles all swimming in tasty broth. YUM. And only about $ 8. I’m looking forward to diving into my leftovers tomorrow. My mom had the fried chicken with greens and coconut mashed potatoes. She’s a coconut freak so she couldn’t resist, and told me that not only were the potatoes incredible, but also that this was probably the best fried chicken she’d ever had. Score.
I’m glad she opted for Mars, and I’m sure she was, too. It also seems like it would make a great date place; I can’t wait to take my boyfriend here! Sweet spot on SoCo fo sho.

I have officially found ‘my place’ in Austin.
This reminds me of a of place back home that my best friend and I would frequent so frequently that it closed right after I left Orlando. (coincidence? i think not)
Anyway, Mars.
I dig the atmosphere. It’s cool that you can sit inside or outside (live music outside), but right now I definitely am opting for inside.
The food is awesome. I can vouch for the south congress rickshaw (drink), beef tenderloin, the seared grouper, the appetizer for two, the negamaki (sp?), the anise doughnuts, the brownie cheesecake, the crème brûlée, and the chocolate cake. (i either ordered or tasted all of these in my two visits to Mars last week).
So in summary, I am officially no longer homesick.
I found my haunt.
I am a happy camper.

Mars is one of my favorite places to get a smashingly good glass of wine and a hundred different appetizers. Its really cool that you can sit either inside or outside, but the best part about inside is the bartenders. They are extremely attentive and funny as are most of the waitstaff, although I have had a sassy one before. This is very far from a hostile alien planet like the real mars, and the air is definitely breathable and not choked out by smoke. The hummus is pretty tasty and if anything you could get lost in that and a glass of wine. Definitely give it a try, and find your own favorites.

We office very close to Mars, and have a vested interest in the place.
Such a shame, therefore, that Mars is a constant disappointment.
It is clear to us that the original location (San Antonio St) was sold to a new owner, and that this new owner is far more concerned with the wrong things (looking cool) than what she needs to focus on — execution in the kitchen and consistent service.
Though the new lunch menu is an improvement over the previous menu, it still lacks the affordable, quality options it should. Most agree it is overpriced, and often over-​cooked. Want a banh mi Vietnamese po boy? Try Tam’s Deli — $ 3.50 versus Mars’ $ 11 over-​cooked and under-​flavored version. Want good hummus? Go to Phoenicia. Want good ribs? Go to Artz. Want bland food? Come to Mars.
The dinner menu is incredibly tired, inconsistent, overpriced, and unambitious (though it was extremely ambitious ten years ago).
The service (with the exception of one or two competent people) is almost always inattentive — they’ll greet you at the door as if your arrival is a hassle, they’ll interrupt your conversations to take your order, and then you’ll likely have to ask two or three times because they’ll forget to bring your item.
If your outside on the deck, be prepared for a long wait and empty glasses.
I can tell that a lot of other people agree with me, as lately the restaurant has been very sparsely populated. Of course on First Thursday it’s full, and they get a decent weekend dinner crowd — but for this stellar location, the business «was theirs to lose» — and they have done a nice job losing it.
We really need to see an experienced restauranteur come take over this space and provide us quality service, food, and execution. Mars is so far under par that my friends and colleagues and I literally aggressively dislike it.
They get 2 stars only because the overall experience is merely tolerable.

I love the happy hour specials, you can’t find a better value on good red wine and hummus.
The food is nice, the cocktails are lush, and the location can’t be beat.

«7:30 @ Mars, lovers!»
My friend Amanda had been gearing up for her birthday dinner here for weeks and it did not disappoint. There were seventeen of us, count ‘em 17!!! I figured we’d be getting dirty looks from the wait staff all night, but I was far from right. Our waiter was so gracious, offering menu suggestions whenever he came by. Even though it took us an hour to get through our catching up talks and food decisions, he was very cool and very efficient with taking orders. We were seated outside on the spacious deck that has a huge tree running through the center of it. Strung with red globe lanterns, it had a nice party feel to it and the people watching can’t be beat.
The food was awesome. My friend and I split the appetizer for two which came with Mars’ famous ribs (they were excellent and meaty), a spring roll, naan, hummus, some other stuff I can’ remember. We also had the Scallops with Gyoza, holy shiz, I totally reenacted THE «When Harry Met Sally» scene after tasting of those delectable morsels. My Martian cocktail, a nice take on a traditional bellini, was out of this world (cheesy pun intended). The waiter even brought out a complimentary dessert for our birthday girl. It was some kind of fudgy concoction plated very nicely but the one spoonful I had almost bordered on overkill. Still, a nice gesture on their part!
Usually I cringe when it comes to taking care of the bill, not the case here. Despite not being a ‘split the bill’ type of establishment, our waiter did not complain when he was handed 10 or so different credit cards. He ran them all quite speedily with no mistakes. This isn’t the type of place I’d just drop in on for a casual lunch, but it’s a nice treat yourself to somethin’ nice spot fo’ sho’.

As the last century was winding down and everyone was FREAKING OUT about Y2K and the end of the world, I was arduously searching for a home to buy in Austin. It had to be under 200 K, have SOME architecturally redeeming quality, great light, at least one large tree and a yard, walkable/​bikeable to Town Lake and at least one café, and IT HAD TO HAVE A VIEW. Oh, and east facing windows in the bedroom (s). My realtor had been working with me for 4 years on this little proyecto and thought I was very very picky and did not mince words with me. She thought that I should get a condo so I would not have to mow the lawn. She thought I should get a NEW place with NEW wiring, plumbing, and NO FOUNDATION ISSUES. She had been a realtor for 30 years and said I was her toughest client. She had a lot of opinions about where I should live and how I should live. SOME NERVE. One day she calls me and says there is a house on Kinney Avenue that fits most of my criteria. We go to the house and the owner shows it to us, which can be majorly AWKWARD but this woman was cool and she had a sweet dog. She offered us tea. Nice front porch. Lots of saturated colors on the interior. What the hell does all of this have to do with Mars? It was the owner’s house and this entire saga tumbled into my head last night as I grabbed a card and saw her name. Is she here?
My Sweetie and I sat out on the wood deck and people-​watched for about an hour. The Lone Star Rod and Custom Round Up was happening during our visit and South Congress was PUMPING last night. Pumping with pimped rides. People watching extraordinaire — just sit out on the deck, have a happy hour drink and the wild ones will COME TO YOU. You like Betty Page? There are about 15 Betty Pages walking around in pin-​up outfits just waiting to hear how much you LIKE Betty Page. Mars truly felt like Outer Space. BRING YOUR CAMERA!
HAPPY HOUR ROCKS AT MARS! M-​F 3 – 7 and Saturday and Sunday 3 – 5. Featured drinks are from mars (not of this world) and yes, THEY INCLUDE ALCOHOL! My Sweetie had some sipping Tequila and I had the Lemongrass Ginger Cosmo and it started the entire night off on the right foot. Then the left foot. Then I was walking. We shared the Hummus and Baba Ganough with fresh and warm naan AND the Tuna Tataki with ginger syrup and black sesame dust. The Tuna melted in my mouth and the faint sweetness of ginger syrup with the sesame dust was NOT ENOUGH. I could have ordered 5 more of that Tuna Tataki app. OUT OF THIS WORLD meltinyourmouthYUM. Happy Hour prices ranged from $ 1.50 to $ 9.00 for apps. Mars is the new black. Black and red that is… still the saturated colors but in an upscale way. And yes, Allison, I love the gold 1″ tile in the women’s room. Nice touch. (Good effin riddance to the old location I say. These SOCO SHENANIGANS would never be possible on that little side street.)
Lori, the owner, says she recognizes me and I tell her that I am a famous food critic for Saveur magazine and congratulate her on her first year in South Congress. Then I ask about her dog… and then her house on Kinney… and then she realizes why she recognizes me. Wasn’t your realtor your mom? She says she moved to a home off of Treadwell and I say one of my projects is being built on Treadwell, as a matter of fact, my client PHOTOGRAPHS food … maybe she would like to meet a famous food photographer for Saveur magazine? Oh, ye of the saturated color persuasion, we will all meet again!
My mom and I still laugh about how I ended up with the house that was not for sale on the hill that overlooks downtown Austin and, for a woman who often calls me by my sisters’s «K» names and who can sometimes be forgetful, she has NEVER LET ME FORGET ONE OF THOSE FRICKING HOUSES THAT WE VISITED IN THOSE 4 YEARS.
Seriously, if we are hanging out and we pass one of those (hundredsof) homes in Austin, she ALWAYS says,
«Remember that house had a hot tub in back and lots of foundation problems on the west side … wonder what they did with that?» Or,
«Remember how they renovated that house and created more flow problems than they started with and … the toilet, was. so. dirty.» Or,
«Remember that cute house on Kinney with the bright yellow paint in the kitchen and the masks everywhere… didn’t she own a restaurant downtown?»
HUGS TO MOM!

3 stars is misleading. Its really a rollercoaster of 5 and 1 star issues.
I stopped by early on a Sunday evening by myself and thought it’d be fun to try. The deck is huge, but it was over 90 outside still at about 6:00, so I went inside. I asked for a table for one and the hostess asked me whether I’d be staying for dinner or appetizers.
Well, I wanted to eat dinner, but dinner is sometimes a few appetizers and some wine/​drinks for me. Since appetizers are about $ 10 each here, I really didn’t see why that would be a problem. Nevertheless, she insisted I choose. I tried to argue, but no, rules were rules.
So, I had to ask for menu and had to try to decide what I wanted while standing at the hostess table. The restaurant, btw, was about 10% occupied. It was freakin’ empty. It was Sunday afternoon, fer chrissakes, yet here I was standing up in the entrance with my menu trying to decide whether I wanted to sit at a cocktail table with a appetizers and perhaps an entrée or sit at a grown-​up table, with silverware. Since the cocktail tables didn’t have silverware and I was afraid of having to eat my dinner with my fingers if I chose an entre or having plates falling off the table, I chose the grown-​up section.
I didn’t like the interior. I found it harsh. Its black and red. Very black and red and spare. No salt and pepper shakers. (big mistake). Its not at all warm or friendly. I started feeling prickly.
I ordered a pâté appetizer which was the highlight of the meal. Its house-​made pâté with fig preserves, a selection of cheeses, olives, and a dollop of chocolate, drizzled with balsamic with some slices of toasted bread with shaved garlic. This was fantastic — highlight of the meal. (I should have just gotten appetizers.)
Then I ordered the special, which was a grouper with mango sticky rice and bok choy and an avocado/​wasabi salsa. The fish was crusty and dry and smelled fishy. The mango sticky rice really wasn’t sticky rice but overcooked rice cooked in a mold. The flavor of the rice was yummy, but did not have the right sticky rice consistency. The avocado was good. IT had a circle of srichna sauce squirted around it. The dish really didn’t work for me. I was unhappy.
Service was slow and haughty. Not warm, at all. Not friendly. She was trying for curtly professional but instead, just made me feel unwelcome. My prickly side came out. I yearned to take out my little Unilocal notebook, purse my lips, and scribble.
I asked for a salt shaker, and it was brought, but no salt came out and she never came back and as hard as I tried, I couldn’t screw the top off. I noticed another table that had asked for a salt shaker and were busily salting everything on their plates. I think its funny when restaurants just want to assume that their dishes are perfect so don’t even put shakers on the table.
They comped my appetizerr because the fish dish was just bad. The restaurant never did get past about 15% occupancy and there was about one wait staff per table, so I don’t understand why service was so sloowwww. And I was still pissed about having to decide where to sit.
I didn’t feel welcome here. I did love the appetizer, though. I will not be back and I’m sure I won’t be missed.

Read enough and you discover that almost nothing’s for everyone: somewhere, someone’s got a differing take on that spot you found so wonderous and engaging. So I’m sure that Mars isn’t for everyone. Your grandmother, for instance, might not cotton to it.
That said, there’s lots and lots to love about the newest incarnation of Mars, evolving to South Congress and packed, natch, on a recent Sunday night. This spot is a great example of the best in Austin service: efficient but never stuffy, where upscale meets comfortable. Mars appears to have solved some of the early ‘bird issues’ that taxed patio-​goers and has settled back into their strong suit: the food. This night we sampled a mélange of delicacies, from Jasmine Tea Smoked Duck l’orange to some tasty chicken stir-​fry, and supported by the mahogany ambience, dinner could have easily lasted twice as long and felt twice as brief.
‘Cause time flies when your taste buds are dancing.

The Good:
: the location. it’s located on south congress so it’s very accessible
: the large outside patio area. great for getting drinks or dinner and people watching with abandon
: the spicy ahi tuna tartare. very refreshing with microgreens on top. and actually spicy, too!
: margueritas on the rocks. tasty with no overwhelming alcoholic aftertaste.
: waiter messed up our order (gave us hummus instead of the spicy tuna), and when informed he did, apologized and brought out the right stuff ASAP with no attitude and no fanfare
The Bad:
: the flies! not the establishment’s fault, i know, but it’s hard to enjoy yourself when you have to swat at flies every few seconds.
: the vibe of mars was lost in translation when they moved out of hyde park and onto south congress. i liked the original location better: the new location feels somewhat sterilized in comparison.
: the ribs were a little bit dry. however, i likened it to a moist beef jerky so it didn’t bother me. it still was very tasty!
The Ugly:
: none.
Would I go back? Sure. It’s a good spot for a happy hour outing, with good drinks and good appetizers, and it was really well priced. Just remember to bring a flyswatter or fly paper and you’ll fare well!
This place is IN.

I’ve been to the new Mars location on South Congress twice now. Once, I just went with some friends from out of town as we barhopped our way down South Congress. I got some rather effeminate drink which, sadly, was not as memorable as the other drinks I had that night. It could just be because this was the last place we hit before heading back to the apartment.
The second time I came here was tonight. I had low expectations, honestly. My roommate had said that this place’s food really wasn’t that great, and it was expensive (this part true). However, I don’t mind paying a decent price for a good meal, and thats exactly what my friend and I were served.
The menu is quite varied in offerings. There are several vegetarian options, with tofu appearing several times on the menu. They also have a Vegetarian Dish, which is what I got today. It was a pleasant varied sample of a tofu noodle bowl, potsticker, spring roll, and some fresh veggies.
My friend had the Orange Duck, and said it was amazing as well.
You could easily rack up a big bill here if you get some appetizers and drinks. We kept it to water and the entrée, and I ended up paying about $ 18 after tip. It was worth it, though, to have a perfectly seasoned meal and be able to sit out on the patio and watch passers-​by. It’d probably make for a better date place, but it hit the spot anyways.

It could be the copious amounts of «South Austin Rickshaw» that I consumed at the bar before the ladies showed up, but I loved my Mars experience. First off, the interior designer did a great job of capturing the interplanetary feel without letting it become campy. Black, red and dull gold were the order of the day!
Everyone, the staff included, seemed to be in a great mood and enjoyed the company of my fellow man at the bar whilst I munched on their hummus appetizer. (They give you flatbread refills! Yay!)
I had the Greek Pasta bowl for dinner — which was a little small for the price — but tasted wonderful.
As Allison said, we got the pimp booth in the back which is great for groups consisting of five to eight people.