Mara

Most disappointing 3 course meal our group had in memory. (a mix of ok - what happened here? plates). What was unforgivable was no seasoning, raw rice, an unseasoned tin of beans with parsley, incinerated dry pork belly and a dry slab of baclava that tasted of fish. We informed the waitress of the issues each time which received a feined "I'll tell the chef" (3 times). However she was running the entire front of house and only spent a maximum of 10 seconds at each table. Given the reviews I was expecting something similar to the standard of the previous restaurant but this wasn't even close. *Whoever made the cheesecake, you earned a star.

Unique dining experience! Professional in every aspect. It shows that the owner puts all his wisdom and talent into every meal! Perfect wine pairing for the courses! I recommend this place with all my heart! 💖

Flawless tasting menu with the perfect pairing of wine. A must try! We ended the dinner feeling happy, satisfied and not overly full, which is always a risk with this type of food experience. We found the pace to be perfect. We never had a dull moment. There was a perfect cadence of: bring the wine, explain the wine, allow a few minutes to enjoy it, bring the new course, explain the course, taste the course, clean, bring the new glass & restart. Toward the end of the dinner we started noticing how they adapted seamlessly to the pace of every table so that it felt they always left exactly the same time in between stages while they clearly weren't. Very smooth. Luis has great storytelling and a very good sense of humor that brought lightheartedness to the dinner, something that we always like and made us feel super comfortable. In fact, while it's clear there a lot of work went into preparing the dinner and then in serving it, I would never call this a "fancy dinner". It just didn't feel so, which means bonus points for me. All the 7 wines served were very interesting and tasty. Some were even surprising (like the first, which was a sweet wine!). All the courses were an explosion of flavour, often presented in surprising ways and the base ingredients were clearly very good. If I have to call out one single area of improvement, I think the finale could be improved. I found the mini madeleine of the petit-fours underwhelming. I then lacked a strong taste to end, something like coffee as they don't have decaf (they said they are getting a new machine) or a spirit (I think they only have wine & dessert wine)

I had been looking forward to dining at Mara for the longest time - and it did not disappoint. From start to finish, the experience was absolutely top class. Luis and his team are nothing short of phenomenal. Their attention to detail, warm hospitality, and passion for what they do shine through in every aspect of the evening. The highlight? The Basque cheesecake. It was out of this world - easily one of the best desserts I’ve ever had. Everything about the meal was memorable, from the beautifully crafted dishes to the relaxed, welcoming atmosphere. We will definitely be returning. If you're in Waterford, Mara is an absolute must-visit. You won’t regret it.

Small but mighty. Not for an empty wallet but if going out to experience something new and try new stuff it's great. Staff friendly but unobtrusive. Food fantastic and stuff you definitely aren't making at home as it's much work to make that art. Saving up for the next round

Had been hoping to try Mara for a while now and went for their Harvest Festival tapas menu last night - it did not disappoint! The atmosphere of the restaurant feels really special, the service was great and the food was unique and delicious. Special mention for the burnt basque cheesecake which was amazing! Looking forward to visiting again soon.

Great experience at Mara - we went for the 10-course tasting menu to celebrate a special occasion and can't speak highly enough of the food, venue and especially the service...the waitress was incredibly attentive and obliging considering she was largely on the floor by herself, playing a blinder on introducing all the dishes with enthusiasm and very knowledgeable when follow up questions asked. Food was fantastic, all dishes tasted amazing with genuinely great value for money as some would be considered mains-sized portions in other venues! Something that can't be said for some other tasting menus I've had at times but you really will be full afterwards, we were rolling home afterwards 😄 Venue is very nice as well, like other reviews, have to acknowledge the small but cosy space created by the team - can't help but think they could fit a few more seats/tables in if they wanted but not complaining as it feels spacious but still welcoming for patrons presently. 5 star experience and we will be back 👍

Excellent service, tasty and creative food. Definitely worth the visit. It's also very reasonably priced for the amount of food you get. My favourite must have been scallops and various breads at the start. I think venison I got was a bit overcooked and the same for pork, but that could just be my personal preference. The wine pairings we got were excellent and I can't wait to come again.