Mara’s Homemade

Something tells me I’m not the only person that doesn’t miss Mara’s. At one time, Mara’s was synonymous with Cajun food in Manhattan, essentially the «It» restaurant for all things Louisiana. When they first came onto the scene, Cajun options throughout the city were sparse. And while things haven’t gotten much better, Mara’s departure to Long Island isn’t such a bad thing considering LI could use more Cajun, and NYC just needs everything but Mara’s.
Mara’s wasn’t all bad. They did have a wide array of Creole/​Cajun specialties, including crawfish during the season, and even offered seasonal Abita beer. However, throughout all of my visits, the food was never consistent — one day it would be solid and the most other days it was a bit on the bland side. And even though restaurants all have their up and down days, it seems the prices were always on their way up. Seafood entrees /​platters were all pricey, ranging from a $ 17 crawfish pot pie to a $ 29 lobster roll. Even a 3 Ib bucket of crawfish was $ 25, which for another $ 5 extra included a potato and a corn on the cob, but was doused in Tony Chachere seasoning. Side dishes were $ 7 (or $ 18 for 3) each, which resembled a steakhouse side. Things could get pricey here without you knowing it.
Inside the story was also a lackluster one. Gone was any festive NOLA décor and instead it was a lot of generic Louisiana stuff. They would have all sorts of fleur de les memorabilia, with a little homage to the Saints, but nothing for LSU. It was later revealed to us the management isn’t actually from Louisiana, but Texas. Many apologies to the unimpressed Louisianians I’ve taken here.
The ho hum service was also a bit of a deterrent. Perhaps years of dealing with tough New York customers jaded their ability to turn on the Southern charm; it was always a case of little smiles and tired faces. Or it could’ve simply been they just weren’t getting the kind of crowd they wanted. The «wild wild west of restaurants» that is the East Village, isn’t always kind to it’s inhabitants.
So with that I hope Mara’s does well east of the city. LI’ers would be excited to know they’ve gained another unique dining option, one that will hopefully keep its prices at a reasonable level while upping it’s culinary game.

I read about Maras in the openings/​closings section of a magazine a few months ago. NYC, your loss is Syosset’s gain. They opened here a few weeks ago and I have been there 3 times and will probably go this Monday for their advertised all you can eat crabs.
First things first. The place is new but this family owned and operated place is organized and service was good. It is still BYOB but there is a very well stocked liquor/​wine store next door. Mara will have your wine on ice in minutes.
The menu is large so I asked for a recommendation on my first visit. Black pepper shrimp. OMG! I can still taste it. The dish is a nice size portion of Louisiana shrimp, flown in fresh with the shell and head in tact in a warm bowl of garlic butter. The shrimp are served covered in a blanket of ground black pepper. It was buttery and sweet and garlicky and I’m getting hot just thinking about it!
On my other trips I tried the thick, rich chicken and sausage gumbo over rice, 3 pound steamed crawfish boil (went back 3 days later for another bucket), fried catfish and more.
I love the place. It is clear they have quite a following as many people came from NYC to Long Island as loyal customers. For newbies, they are in a small strip mall and easy to miss if driving on Jericho tnpk. Look for the Chase Bank sign on the south side of the street.

Hubby and I found this neighborhood gem too late! We went for dinner on Friday, May 13 and were told that they were closing their doors in the East Village on Saturday, May 14 and moving the operation to Syosset. From the moment we walked in and smelled the aromas, we knew we’d live to regret not finding Mara’s sooner. Then again, maybe it was a good thing that we found it just when we did… I’d probably weigh a whole lot more from going their at least 1−2x a week. The food was DELICIOUS! Perfectly seasoned and authentic recipes. I haven’t had Cajun/​creole food this good outside the NOLA area until now.
Beginning: Hush Puppies — a personal fave whenever they’re on a menu. These were golden brown, fluffy, and savory with an Herb Butter. Too many times they are too sweet for my taste… none of that here. Other popular faves seemed to be the crayfish boil and grilled oysters… every other table had an order of one or the other.
Middle: I had the crab cakes (no breading!!) and shrimp étouffée… OMG! That’s all I can say. Even after I was full, I kept eating because I just couldn’t stop. Hubs had a Cajun rib-​eye which made my mouth water even though I had no room for more than what was on my own plate.
End: As full as I was, the Bluegrass pie (chocolate pecan pie) was my undoing… perfection!
Drinks: a patron at the next table recommended the Hurricane… WHEW! It was the perfect strong elixir after my long crazy Friday the 13^th!
We waited a while (~30+ mins) for a table in this small space but it was well worth it and the staff were just the nicest ever. I hope they come back to NYC soon.

It’s crawfish season back home, and I’ve been craving those little buggers.
Shockingly, I find out there’s a spot 1 block from me that has crawfish! The sad part though, it wasn’t all that great and expensive.
Normally when you have crawfish, you expect to get corn and potatoes. Well on top of the already expensive prices for the crawfish, you have to pay an extra $ 5. The potatoes and corn seemed to have been cooked separately also from the crawfish, so it didn’t really soak up any of the spices.
As for the spices in the crawfish boil itself, they were slightly bland, and it looks like only Tony Chachere was used.
+1 star for having the seasonal Abita Strawberry. It’s hard enough to buy it back home, because it’s sells out so fast, so it was nice a nice surprise at Mara’s.
Good enough to fulfill a craving.

If there was a restaurant mafia, I would call my Tony Soprano and have this shit hole whacked by tonight!!!
Why isn’t it possible to give NEGATIVE stars on Unilocal?Restaurants like this one make me want to start a petition to start negative starred reviews! If you want to know the HORRIBLENESS of this place, just read Cenia W.‘s review that details our WORST RESTAURANT EXPERIENCE… EVER.
I’ve had bad experiences at dining places in my life, but this one definitely takes the number one spot. This was the first time that I ever walked out during a dinner service. It was THAT appalling. The waiter needs to be kicked in the balls exactly 983 times because that’s how many times he was rude to us.
I asked for a fork… got one 45 minutes later. BAKED HAIR IN OUR APPETIZER. Waited for main course for 90 minutes before giving up and walking out while other tables around us, including those who arrived 30 – 40 minutes after us were signing their bills. Oh the best part? Watching the waiter crazy flirt with the 3 chicks at the table next to us while completely ignoring that we still (after 50 minutes) didn’t have appetizers. Ummmm, 50 MINUTES FOR APPETIZERS!!! And when they arrive for one to have hair in it? That’s cute that Mara calls this a restaurant. What’s cuter is that they take «homemade» to a new level when they put their DNA (hair) in our food. We don’t need to be THAT homemade!!! Where some fucking hairnets!!!
I made a big fit as I walked out, I never let service this bad go, ever. We paid for our wine. But as he gave us our bill, he charged the entire meal (appetizers and main course) on the receipt! Oh how adorable! You want us to pay for a meal we didn’t even see let alone eat!!! Ha! Hilarious! Mara was there… THE OWNER WAS THERE AND WITNESSED EVERYTHING AND COULDN’T CARE LESS!!! Ok, in my opinion, if the owner of a restaurant doesn’t give 2 shits about the customers, I can only imagine how little she cares about the food! Who the hell knows what they put in it!
FYI, EVERYTHING IS FRIED IN CHEAP CORNMEAL!!! So don’t expect something crispy and amazing. Expect shitty service, horrible food (with complimentary hair strands), and a staff who doesn’t give a shit.

I wasn’t too crazy about the seafood, and the service is the rotten cherry on top. I walked in early and had a reservation for 2 ppl, restaurant was empty, owner asked if my party is arriving soon or not. I said yes, and THEN she led me to my table. Makes me wonder what would have happened if my answer was no… She would have me stand outside whilst hopping on one foot.
Crawfish– 3lbs worth. I like spicy food, but can’t really handle the heat. If you’re like me, don’t suck the crawfish– you will burn and cry like a baby. To me, I’ve had better spicy– spicy can be hot and tasty at the same time, but Mara’s crawfish was more like super salty and spicy. My tongue was done after the first lb.
Gator bites– very rough. balls of tasteless overcooked meat. Every bite was more like a snap– an attack on my mouth. Never fight your food.
We ordered 2 other dishes that I won’t bother mentioning.
Honestly, the only time the owner looked happy was when we were ordering all that food. Afterward, asking for water refills and napkins became a nasty chore for us, and she would quickly dash past our table on multiple occasions. She looked annoyed when I said no more food or drinks. Gosh, we were only a party of two!
Rumor has it, they’re closing down– I say GOOD RIDDANCE! Don’t bother coming here, save your buds for real Southern hospitality.

I should start by saying yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum! Okay. enough! I’m from South Louisiana and get excited by boiled and fried food which is no surprise as to why I am in love with this place. Have you ever eaten a fried pickle? You should. Mara uses cornmeal to fry those little pieces of heaven up and serves it with a tasty remoulade sauce that will make you crave more! Next up, boiled crawfish. Need I say more? The coolest part about this restaurant is that you can experience the wonderful food that the South has to offer without the expensive airfare. So go. GO! GO! GO! And make it quick because Mara just announced that they are closing at the end of April because of— you guessed it. the RENT IS TOO DAMN HIGH!
Oh. and don’t go here on a first date or in nice clothes that you don’t want to get remoulade or crawfish juice on. Get crazy. put on your comfy clothes, grab a ponytail, and enjoy the best southern food NYC has to offer! Y’all are gonna love it!

I just died and went to N’awlins. The food coma we were left with was well worth it. Then again, gator bires crusted with the perfect crumbly cornmeal, 3 lbs. of crawfish in a bucket, cornbread hushpuppies, fried okra and fresh strawberry almond pie with homemade whipped cream will do that to you!
The beignets need to be ordered before you start your meal, if that is how you wish to end it. The crawfish was PERFECTLY spiced– leaving our mouths tingling with flavor. It was a 2.15 hour meal and well worth it! Next time I have to try the crawfish stuffed bread and the Jack Daniels ice cream!
The rent is going up and I wish my protest rants would help them stay, but it has forced them to leave the area at the end of April. Catch them while you can… or at least until you have to trek out to LI for their delicious treats!

My big sis, Michelle W., heard Mara’s Homemade was closing so she immediately grabbed me and Cat C. for a night of southern cooking in the East Village. I have never heard of Mara’s before so I did a quick Unilocal check and was surprised by the three star rating. My hypothesis is that there are too many restaurants in NYC that have more than four stars to actually eat elsewhere. Not only until half way through the meal did I realize I was wrong, and my beloved Unilocal community, you are wrong on Mara’s.
Our trio made reservations for 6PM on Monday and by the time we all arrived (some later than others…), the place was still empty. So I really had no quells about seating or service. I started off with a Hurricane, while my friends got a Sweet tea and unsweetened Mint Tea. The Hurricane was good, but came off as a familiar fraternal jungle juice drink I use to make back in the day. On the other hand, the Sweet tea was just simply awesome, perfectly sweetened with an intriguing aftertaste that I couldn’t quite pinpoint.
The menu is extensive and it was so hard for us to really limit ourselves, so we didn’t. We ordered Char Grilled Oysters, Fried Pickles, Crawfish Cheesecake, Hushpuppies, 3lb Crawfish Boil and the Ultimate BBQ Platter. Think about the amount of food we just ordered for me and two petite girls. To say we practiced overindulged is an understatement.
My favorite dish of the night was the Char Grilled Oysters, which is aptly named, as it basically tasted like char-​grilled oysters. The Crawfish Cheesecake was also delicious albeit a little heavy, as it too was aptly named. The Fried Pickles and Hushpuppies were also worth a try. The 3lb Crawfish Boil was insanity, served in a metal bucket with heavy seasoning on top. It was really spicy, but one of those spicy dishes that makes you keep eating and eating and eating until the last shell is cracked. I would vote against upgrading to the Deluxe version for $ 5 as it’s only half a corn, two russet potatoes and a few pieces of mushroom.
Then out came the Ultimate BBQ Platter. Too bad I have nothing to say about this dish because we just decided to pack it up to go and it’s currently sitting in my fridge ready to be devoured.
All in all, Mara’s brings homemade New Orleans food to the table, even tohugh I have no experience with authentic Cajun food. I’m pretty sure this would be the standard and if it wasn’t, then it should be because I couldn’t imagine anything better. It’s sad to see that the owners are closing their East Village location but they did say they were moving to Rosalyn, Long Island, which I will DEFINITELY be visiting when they do.

The wait was 2.5 hours. Why I waited even after people who came after me were seated before me is a mystery. I guess after the 1.5 hour mark I just wanted to punish myself. Food was okay. I rather just go to Acme. Waiter was rude, rushed us out when tables around us were not rushed. They knew what they were doing because the 20% tip was included in our bill. I would not have tipped them 20%
I am never going back again. I suggest you don’t either. Take your hard earned money and go somewhere else.

Mara’s strength is its food which is uniformly good, sometimes very good. Its weakness is service; Mara was running the dining room on our first visit and she did not have her act together. Friendly but disorganized.
It is a small restaurant — seats twenty in the main room — six two-​tops and two four-​tops. Four two-​tops in the bar area. Zydeco music on the sound system plus two flat-​screens tuned to sports channels with the sound off.
We tried the pulled pork sandwich (very good), brisket sandwich (nice), gumbo (very good), Levis baked beans (OK), fried okra (good), Red Velvet cake (very good), and beignets (very nice), decent coffee. Three Abita beers on tap — which was served in plastic glasses, maybe a 6 – 8 ounce pour.
Not a cheap date once you start ordering sides and dessert. But I will go back to try more of the menu.

i never understood what the fuss is about jambalaya. I have never liked it until i tasted mara’s.
her jambalaya is «dry», meaning not drowning in sauce and has enough kick that keeps you wanting for more. it really is like jambalaya-​paella hybrid, minus the seafood and the paellera (the pan where they make it)
the mac and cheese was okay… until she told us to put some crystal hot sauce or some of that creole seasoning — and then the mac and cheese sang to high heavens. having Mara as your own personal food coach is good.
etoufee is another thing i didnt even want to eat — until i had it here. Im not a picky eater, but i really never dug creole and cajun until I tasted Mara’s Food.
Dining here is like being a voyeur to Mara’s Family life. The Dad takes care of the restaurant’s earnings, Mara (the mom) and the Daughter wait tables and the son, Josh, is like the bartender slash baker. I heard that Josh made that wonderful chocolate pecan cake and i professed my love to him in front of my husband. Yes it is that good.
They also had a special bread pudding that day… CHOCOLATE BANANA. you tell me chocolate banana, im there. i think chocolate banana is the best flavor combo in the dessert arena.
You get little snippets of their family life, and quite frankly, you want to be the cousin twice removed slash sibling adopted from another country.
The service is slow, but dont let that bother you because you see, this is a family operation. THE SERVICE IS PERSONAL. if you want your efficient and fast service, go somewhere else. this is a place to be relaxed, to not think about what you look like, what you do for a living and other issues. This is a place where you can be yourself and they will love you regardless.
It was so personal that when i told Mara how i never liked jambalaya until i tried hers (and frankly i wanted another round but my husband stopped me from ordering it) she gave me a hug and a kiss.
Between all of the family members, I think I want to be the Dad. Because
a. Mara and Husband are still sweet with each other
b. Daughter told off his dad as he was embracing the mom by saying «IM RIGHT HERE DAD. NOT IN FRONT OF ME.»
c. The dad is the gatekeeper of the restaurant
d. the dad got a chocolate soufflé that was ordered by mistake (a chocolate soufflé mistake? i’ll gladly eat it!!!)
also, we were seated at the «family table» and all the food that came out of the kitchen was introduced to us as if we were seated beside anna wintour during Fashion week. AAAAAH. food.
I do have a peeve of being relocated from one table to the next and they did relocate us but THEY DID IT VERY NICELY.
first off, WE HAVENT STARTED EATING YET, and when we got to our table our drinks was waiting for us already. Secondly, it was really a nice way of asking. Hey, i have no qualms about moving as long as i havent started eating. on top of which, i was carrying this humongous portfolio that was really cumbersome to move. i moved, without question and gladly.
Be nice, they will be nice to you. Just dont come when you are in a rush and you have somewhere else to go.
Good food comes to those who wait. I want to go back!!!

Tiny but cozy place. Gives you an at-​home kind of feeling since the tables are quite close together, don’t worry it’s nothing too personal tho. It definitely gave some Louisiana/​southern feel to the whole atmosphere, so laid back!
Crawfish Stuffed Bread — Crunchy and soft baguette filled with creamy crawfish stuffing. It tasted that great, with the right amount of spice and sauce… tho I would love it even more if there were more crawfish =D
Gator Bites — Alligator meat, awesome! My first timer and of course I was a bit hesitant. But it was actually really good! Little bites of fried gator meat with a pairing cajun sauce. My favorite appetizer so far!
Catfish Josh — A whole filet of catfish deep fried in a batter with a layer of crawfish cheese sauce and sauteed greens. I personally thought the sauce was overpowering and way too creamy, a bit too much I might add. I tried to separate the sauce from the fish towards the end… but the catfish was surely tender and soft, melts in your mouth!
Crawfish Mara — Spiral pasta with spicy crawfish cream sauce. This sure was spicy. I feel like the sauce was the same as Catfish Josh but with a bit of more spice. So, nothing too special about this.
Would I come back? Probably. Just because the Crawfish Stuffed Bread and Gator Bites were so damn amazing. Btw, it’s crawfish season… have you eaten your share yet?

Let’s start with the fact that I’m southern. So I guess my expectations are going to be at a certain level.
food — mediocre at best. It’s like they stopped caring in the kitchen long ago. The spice should be on the food, not in your waitresses attitude.
service — terrible. We would have ordered more of everything if a wink and smile would just come through more often. We rarely saw her and there were two tables of two people. I’ve killed myself and no one knew it for no less than six, five tops. Just me. BUT THEN…
We weren’t satiated with the half-​ass oysters and the sad shrimp, we wanted to dig a deeper ditch and get crabs. Well the waitress had to go ask «David» if that’s okay. What? Who is David and why does he get a say in what I eat for dinner?
She came back saying we weren’t allowed to order any more. Huh? Apparently we already had two main dishes (oysters and shrimp are main dishes?) and weren’t allowed to order more food as they would need the table for more guests. Um, that’s retarded. We would have ordered more beers, more shrimp, more and more trying to get our fill but you needed the table for someone who’d spend another $ 40? FAIL.
Never go. Never bother. Find your NOLA taste somewhere else.
Sorry Mara. Need to make some serious adjustments.

I had heard a lot of good things about Mara’s prior to going. My wife and I were very excited for the food. What we got was far from what we heard.
First, we get there, we are seated at a nice table. five minutes later, we are asked to move to a tiny table in the corner. «Mara» never even said thank you, nor did she even offer us a drink. Very rude.
We ordered the fried green tomatoes, which were okay, and we ordered three pounds of crawfish, NOT SPiCY.
After waiting a while the food came, needless to say the crawfish were extremely spicy. After trying to eat them, we called the waitress over and asked to send them back and for a menu. After we got a menu, and were picked new dishes «Mara» came over and told us that she was going to «wash our crawifsh off and bring them back to us. «Even though that’s not what we wanted, we went along with it.
While the crab that came back were less spicy, we had just had enough at that point. Since we were still hungry, we ordered the corn pudding. It was absolutey gross, it tasted old, and over seasoned with pepper, just horrible.
We paid the bill and got out of there… never to return. If you want cajun food. go to New Orleans. I am a big foodie, and had such high hopes for this joint, but frankly, after the attitude from Mara and the subpar food, I would never return.

I’ve been wanting to write a review for Mara’s since I joined Unilocal and finally I’ve gotten to it! I have always liked Mara’s not because I’m a Louisiana Cajun food junkie but because Mara’s serves two of my most favorite things at very reasonable, at might I say, downright cheap prices! They are, 50 cent oysters and crawfish by the bucket. Those are the two items that keep me coming back for more. If you do choose the crawfish, be sure you tell the waiter to adjust the heat/​spiciness to your taste. I had once ordered without telling them and my lips blew up to monster proportions. I grinned and beared it, but I never made the same mistake again!
Sure, Mara’s has other enticements such as daily combo specials, usually under $ 15, which I might add are pretty good. The owners here work hard at keeping that Lousiana feeling in their dining room. The only negative here is that the dining room is a bit small, but on the upside, I believe they take reservations. So for all of you seafood junkies, come on down!

For those who read my reviews, I am Chinese, but the catch is I have lived in Baton Rouge, Louisiana for 9 years, so I know Cajun food fairly well (hell, I grow up on it).
We went there on a Friday night, 9 people, and we made reservation beforehand. The people were friendly and they tried to add some southern character to themselves (this waitress kept on saying «ya’ll», which turned me off a little because she was not saying it right).
Here is the breakdown of what went down that night:
Appetizers:
Crawfish Cheese Cake was Good
Crawfis stuffed bread, please skip
Crab fingers were good
Entrees:
The crab were ok (could’ve been better if they used Old Bay seasoning — ya’ll know what i am talking about, my fellow Louisiana folks), baby back ribs are ok (a little on the dry side), briskets were good… Whatever you do, please do not order the Collard Greens, it is completely tasteless and a HUGE disappointment (yes, i loooooove collard greens). If you serve collard greens in Louisisna this way, you will be beaten with sticks!!!
Dessert:
The waitress will tell you what is special for the day. We order a whole bunch, but nothing worth metion of.
Overall, for Non-​southerner, this might be a good place. For us experienced cajuan guru, this is only an ok. Oh, all my fellow tiger, hollar back when you see this!!!
Tiger Love from NYC

We went here for someone’s birthday many moons ago and to my recollection it was a very homely restaurant with a gastronomic aftertaste. The gatorbites were ok as it just tasted like chicken. I’ve had gator before and it’s generally supposed to be tougher. The crawfish sandwich was superb as the cheesey toasted goodness still lingers.
My friend’s chicken fried steak was OK, but if you’re craving comfort seafood, that’s what you should go with. Staff has a very family oriented feel.

Is there a dainty way to eat crawfish? If there is, our group didn’t figure it out. It was a messy, dirty thing, and, as we worked our way through a 5 lb bucket, our fingers became covered with crawfish guts and the peppery spice rub made our lips burn and our fingertips sting. The nugget of flesh in each crawfish was tasty, sure, but we had to put in a lot of work for that little nugget.
For me, eating crawfish was a novelty and a fun group experience, but the crawfish itself is not something I will crave. What I may crave are the mac and cheese, the little nubbins of fried okra, the fried green tomatoes, and perhaps the meaty ribs, if eaten with a heavy dousing of barbecue sauce. Next time I’ll pass on the comparatively bland crab stuffed mushrooms, hush puppies, and collard greens.
Tip: — if you plan on eating the crawfish, don’t shower beforehand. I felt like I wanted to be hosed down on my way out of the restaurant. Even after multiple wetnaps, our hands still had a strong fishy smell until we were able to do a good scrubbing with strong soap. This probably isn’t your best bet for dinner before going to a swanky party or a packed bar.

Mara’s Homemade: When you absolutely, positively have to eat shit. But at least it’s overpriced.
I know it’s not nice to knock mom-​and-​pop restaurants, but the food sucks. I ordered from the place (on foot you can find it on East 6^th between 2^nd and 1^st) after a hard day’s work. I was expecting deliciously unhealthy cuisine. I was delivered shit.
The fried chicken was bony and lukewarm. The mac and cheese had somehow congealed into a mass of cheesed sponge. The mashed potatoes looked like someone had pooped in snow (look at the promo picture above), and tasted just a notch better. Geoff didn’t like his (mooched) collard greens, either.
What’s worse is the price. The meager chicken plate: $ 14.95. Greens: $ 4.50. Mac and Cheese: $ 4.50.
Never again.