Mara’s Cafe & Bakery

Great breakfast. What kind service. All staff is always smiling and helpful. Food was tasteful and presented well. Large space and clean to perfection. One comment however, as with many eating establishments, walls near tables can get worn. Some minor repair and painting touch ups should be done. This is my wife’s and mine third time eating at Mara’s and we will be back again.

What. A. Party!
A few months ago, my wife and I were freaking out about where to have our daughter’s first birthday party. Place after place we checked was either crazy expensive or not «fun.» Where could we find a place that was reasonable, delicious, accommodating, (BYOB) and fun all in one? Ironically, we only had to look a few miles down the road.
In comes Paul and Mara’s Café to save the day! We frequent Mara’s for their desserts (which we’ve always enjoyed), we like their space/​layout and figured we’d give them a try. We spoke with Paul and gave him our numbers of about 60 kids and adults. «Not a problem, we can work with you.» He basically provided EVERYTHING we could possibly ask for! Pasta salad, garden salad, sandwiches, hit and cold paninis and wraps, chicken nuggets, Mac and cheese, cupcakes, birthday cakes, cookies, gelato for the kids, AND we could bring our own beer and wine? AND we would have the whole place to ourselves for 3 hours (plus an hour to decorate)? SOLD!
Now, it would be one thing if Mara’s provided all of this and it was just adequate quality, but it was also DELICIOUS! The sandwiches were solid, the hot wraps and paninis were a MOSTER hit (esp. the cheesesteak wrap), and kids and adults were crushing the nuggets and Mac and cheese. The birthday cakes were super delicious too; so good that I’ve now found my go-​to bakery for all my future cake needs!
The Mara’s crew took care of clean-​up, a PA system, even hooked us up with Mad Hatter balloons for some of the most outrageous balloon creations you’ll ever see. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience.
Thank you Paul and the Mara’s staff!

Wow, the wifi has definitely improved. Consistent speeds in the 75−100mbps range from multiple locations, including outside. Bravo and thank you!

I want to like this place, it’s a nice location and new building but i keep taking heat from my family when I say let’s get from Mara’s. Tonight I had the Cali BLT and I’m pretty sure there was no avocado on it and I guess I paid for it. I’m not really a big eater especially at night but there must be a potato shortage cause the portion size of french fries is kinda weak not that I want soggy stuck together french fries. Maybe the deserts are better but my family isn’t so excited about this place. I don’t like trashing the place but they need to pick up their game before it’s too late. I just don’t see myself getting anything there anymore.

I love this place, their desserts are amazing and their sandwiches are pretty good too. It’s a nice place with a good atmosphere.

I really don’t know what people’s issue is with this place. It’s clean. Cute décor. The desserts are decent and if you are looking for a quick meal or just a nice place to chat over coffee and dessert it’s a great option. I actually wish they would stay open later. They also need to change some of the evening younger staff that tends to give an attitude of «I don’t care». But morning and afternoon people very nice.

This place is nice if you don’t expect too much. We go for dessert and they have great desserts in a coffee shop atmosphere. I’ve had their food a couple of times and wasn’t that impressed but I don’t expect much for coffee shop food. So yeah if you’re expecting to be blown away by a panini, this isn’t going to work for you. If you stop by for a piece of pie, gelato, and a cupcake for the kid, it’s really nice. Sometimes they have a balloon guy and a few times they’ve had live music. The employees have always been very nice and generous with the pie size.

I had brunch here on a Saturday and it was my first time after passing here everyday. I was pleasantly surprised at the menu and variety of desserts. The atmosphere is cozy and laid back and the staff is friendly. I ordered the fiesta omelette which was a little bland but still tasty I’m not sure but the eggs may have been carton poured as opposed to fresh which I didn’t care for but otherwise the meal was ok. I also tried the Vanilla Chai Latte and it was great! I really can’t wait to go back and try their desserts. I love supporting local small businesses.

It is a great space — clean, wide-​open. Nice place to sit for a small meal. However, it is a bit expensive for what is offered — the food is typical, okay, but other than the space — and just being able to find a seat with no problem, it isn’t anything spectacular. I come prepare to spend more than I’d want for basic options.

I’ve had very good experiences with their breakfast omelettes, as well as sandwiches and salads. Not particularly crowded and a weekend favorite. Good for ordering by phone for pickups.

I keep wanting to like this place– but I cannot. Been here four times for meal– every time part of my group was not served with the others. This made the polite people forced to eat cold food.
Tonight I am enjoying gelato …, but half the portion for more than I spend at the Chocolate Bar in Westfield. As much as I want to support local– I am done with Mara’s.

Excellent local bakery. Stopped in after dinner recently at another local restaurant. The staff was very nice. The cookies were fresh, the lava cake yummy and the coffee was excellent. It is nice having such a clean, friendly place in the neighborhood. Such a nice location as well.

I really want to love this place since I take the train from Fanwood a few times a week but it just falls short. The coffee which they claim is the «best in NJ» only has the price tag of one. It’s definitely nothing special. I have an enormous sweet tooth and even though they have a variety of baked goods, none of them stand out. I’ve tried cupcakes, cookies, brownies, and cake and they are lacking that homemade and fresh taste. The service is just okay. Some staff are more welcoming than others but you won’t always get service with a smile. If you do come here, I’d recommend the quiche. That was pretty good.

Iced coffee was flavorless. Service was extremely slow with no one in the dining area with 8+ staff members standing around. The staff was more concerned about drinking and feeding each other while standing behind the counters than helping customers or completing their orders in a timely manner.

I would say I like this place only because it is convenient and has ample space to meet up with friends. The food, baked goods, and drinks are all severely overpriced. Also, the portions served do not match the prices charged.
The service was average and I personally have not had issues with a long waiting time. Until a new café in the Fanwood area opens up, Mara’s will continue to be the only choice.

I waited 30 min for a wrap to go. It wasn’t very good either. And they had maybe 5 tables with people eating lunch. I haven’t been here in a while. When it’s good it’s very good. Otherwise it’s meh.

Remove that «Voted best coffee in NJ» from your window. I literally stopped as I was driving by with my wife. She had a caramel latte with 2 shots of espresso and I had a double espresso. My wife tells me her latte tastes like steamed milk. The espresso tasted bitter and burnt as if the beans which were used were roasted for too long. The only positive was the oatmeal raisin cookie.

Ummm do not know what to
SAY! Umm try to help me by following me and answering a question below my name and try to Earn badges i only got a rookie by checking in !

A relative told us about the chocolate mousse cake that they served here, and that we should try it since she liked it. That’s the only reason why we stopped here.
We walked inside from the side entrance. Everything here looked nice and clean, with «coffee-​shop» music playing in the background. A reasonable amount of tables and chairs were scattered about throughout the place. Some of them had numbers on them, which was probably only for those who ordered hot paninis and sandwiches. I was pleased with what I saw.
We made our way to the ordering area to see what was available. We saw a display case of the prepared bakery items that were available for immediate ordering. We also saw the gelato area too. They all looked good.
As we looked for the item that we wanted, we were greeted by someone at the register who saw us. We told him that we were still looking for what we wanted, and he said, «cool, take your time». After two more minutes, we placed our order and paid. They packed up our item for us to go. Our experience with customer service here was quite positive.
We had the chocolate mousse cake at home. The mousse part of the cake was creamy with rich flavor. The crust was flavorful too. We paid around $ 5 for it. Was the price worth it? We weren’t so sure based on the size, but admittedly we felt that the flavor was SPOT-​ON.
I take away one star because of the prices. Everything, including the coffee drinks, were priced a little high. We didn’t try the coffee drinks here. But maybe next time, ONLY when I’m hanging out with a good friend or Unilocaler and decide to come here, we’ll probably grab some and relax in the nice seating area.

The Morning Riser Quesadilla was bland.
On another note, co-​worker said Monte Cristo was good!
Good portions, decent prices.