Funky cajun joint specializes in crawfish.

by Josh Ozersky

Despite its East Village locale, Mara's homemade has an undeniable Arkansas/Louisiana authenticity. For some patrons, it may be too authentic, given how messy and anatomically challenging the crawfish dinners can be. But on the other hand, the jambalaya, fried green tomatoes, pepper cornbread and other southern specialties are well-made, cheap and arrive in copious portions. The room is as raucous and homey as a roadside joint on Highway 3, which makes it a favorite of the young crowd that lives and hangs out nearby.

08/24/09

Key Lime Goodness!

by nummytreat

It's hard to find good Key Lime Pie in the City. Too often, the taste is wrong, the texture is off or worse: it tastes pre-packaged. That's why it was a delight to discover the perfect Key Lime pie at Mara's Homemade!

The taste is sweet with the right balance of key lime. The texture is firm but creamy, complimented by a thin graham crust. Best of all, there's no whipped cream or other frippery to distract you from the subtle nuances of this rare treat. It succeeds on its own, as the best pies do.

If you're in the mood for a Southern delight done right, head over to Mara's and grab a slice of Key Lime Pie. You won't be disappointed!

• Pros: As good as Gramma's

05/24/09

Smells like a public TOILET!!!!!!!!!!!

by jstein6583

I can't believe this place is once again a top NYC BBQ spot. The restaurant smelled like an open sewer when my brother and I went last summer after it had just made the list. The food is horrible, the drinks weak, and the atmosphere like something out of a Third Avenue, frat-boy nightmare.

Anyone who thinks that this is good BBQ has never had it...and has no palate.

• Pros: The waitress burped when she gave us our food...it was filth
• Cons: oh wait...

02/12/09

Never AGAIN!!

by chellybean

I do not recommend this place to anyone. It was by far the most awkward dining experience of my life. First, they couldn?t seat us right away even though we made reservations (no biggie, pretty normal). But, literally 5 minutes after we were seated, both Mara and her husband came to our table yelling at us because we had not ordered yet. On top of that, it took 20 minutes for our drinks to come, not to mention, they were brought one by one in 5 minute increments. They then proceeded to tell us that we could not leave the table or go outside to make a phone call or have a cigarette and that the next person to leave would not only not be able to come back in, but would also have the cops called on them. We were then told that we could not use the bathroom because of a ?recent theft??I don?t even know what that means; I guess someone stole toilet paper? Mara and her husband both need a serious attitude adjustment. We are not guests in your home (thank God), we are paying customers, learn how to run a business. I don?t know if they treat all of their customers like this, or just parties of 12 spending over $700. Oh, and the food was just ok, nothing special at all.

• Pros: none

10/19/08

BEST PO BOYS IN THE TRISTATE AREA!

by alanmikael

Mara has inspired me to write my 1st review on CitySearch in 8 years of using the site. If you are looking for the best po boys short of going to the Washington metro area, RUN to Mara's. Being a New Orleans (N.O.) BK transplant, I have tried them at most other other New York area restaurants (Cooking with Jazz, Mardi Gras, Delta Grill, Stan's Place, Bayou, ect) and another that has since closed in Hell's Kitchen.

I'm so happy some else appreciates Gulf Coast seafood besides me (oysters from anywhere else taste totally different plus they have a bunch of green yucky stuff in them and if I get one more shrimp po boy made from breaded frozen shrimp, I'm going to beat them...then tar and feather them. That's a mortal sin in South Louisiana (LA). Mara's does it right with fresh seafood fried using corn meal/flour on a french baguette - the closest thing you can get to N.O. style french bread in NYC - at a great price especially when you consider that she imports seafood and has to have fresh bread available 7 days a week. The jambalaya wasn't bad either.

Just one more thing, her restaurant smells fine. Anyone who grew up in an area where you eat seafood frequently year round (South LA, Coastal Maine) knows you can't have fresh seafood with some odor. That's why grandma made paran clean the fresh catfish we used to catch in the backyard.

They are the most authentic Creole/Cajun restaurant, I have been to so far in the tri-state area, You will have to take a 2.5 hr flight to N.O. to get anything better.

PS - They have Abita Root Beer brewed in LA and sweetened with LA Sugar cane syrup not HFCS for all you Root Beer/Specialty Soda heads out there; it's sweet n smooth.

• Pros: Authenticity, Price, Family owned
• Cons: They don't deliver to BK

09/07/08

Best Etouffe, Hurricanes & Barbecue - Friedliness Abound

by AnnieCB

We love Mara's for the great New Orleans food & barbecue. We also enjoy being there because we are always welcomed by Mara & her husband David & usually served by daughter Hannah. What more can you ask for?! This cute little restaurant serves great food that ishard to find anywhere else in the city - like crawfish boil and crawfish etouffe. One bite and it takes you back to New Orleans - pre-Katrina! The barbecue is excellent also, but we usually go there for the hurricanes and Cajun/Creole cuisines. You will never be disappointed.

• Pros: Friendly with great food!
• Cons: Small restaurant, sometimes the tables are close to each other.

09/02/08

So Much for "Southern Hospitality"

by CPeaAskert

Upon arriving to this restaurant, we were rushed to sit down because another party was coming to take our place at 7pm...we arrived around 5:15pm. The woman seating and serving us was very nasty...whom we believed to be Mara herself. The food was authentic according to my good friend from New Orleans who was in our party, but extremely overpriced. Mara acted like it was a chore to wait on our party of 8 and tried to rush everything along. I did witness her abusing one of her employees by slamming the walk in freezer door in his face and yelling at him. This is definately a family-own/run business. When it came time for dessert Mara rushed us and said that we could not look at the menu but were welcome to take a whole Key Lime Pie home for $15. Every dessert someone in our party mentioned Mara replied with..."Yes, TO GO!" All in all it was a horrible experience and I don't care how authentic the food was, the awful service will keep me from going back to Mara's Homemade. Oh, one last note...we paid mostly in cash...our bill for 8 people came out to over $400 and we put in $333 cash and the rest on one person's credit card. Mara came back to the table with the receipt for the card to sign reflecting that only $313 in cash was given. The cash was counted a number of times and was definately $333, somehow $20 of our cash payment didn't make it from our table to the register. I don't understand how this place has so many great reviews...don't believe them! This is the truth!

• Pros: Authentic Southern Food that Tastes good
• Cons: Worst service I've ever had...turned all 8 of us off from ever returning. Very small, 1/2 of restaurant seemed to serve as the family's living area, very rushed service

08/25/08

Best Crab Fingers, Great Seafood and BBQ

by Medusa75

My husband and I have been coming to Mara's for years. As a native NYer, I've seen family owned and historic buisnesses get shut down and replaced by fashionable- yet terrible- overpriced establishments.

Mara's is the real deal, a great mom and pop restaurant with family recipies you will not find from any celebrity chef. You might have to wait a little longer (small family wait-staff), but it's well worth it. They work hard and take pride in getting the best seafood from Fulton market.

The only problem is that you will be tempted to fill up on the great assortment of appetizers before you even get to the entree, and then get so stuffed you can't move at the end of the meal.

Personal faves: Crab fingers (must dip bread in marinade), artichoke dip, pulled pork and the beignets.

Seasonal specialties: soft shell crabs, crawfish and steamers.

* I'd also like to comment on the bad reviews- this ISN't a Yuppie East Village restaurant with a professional kiss-your-tuchus wait staff and interior design- Mara and her family are nice, but if you're 20 minutes late for your reservation, they're not going to bend over backwords to seat you and delay the next party's reservation after you. The food isn't sitting around waiting to be microwaved for your order, so yeah, you might have to wait till it's cooked.

• Pros: Excellent food, family owned buisness.
• Cons: Drinks are a bit expensive.

08/01/08

Amazing BBQ in NYC

by MyCousinPooky

I'm a first time writer, but thoughtful and objective. The meal I had at Mara's Homemade was one of the top 10 best meals I've ever tasted. I'm not an expert on BBQ, but to the chagrin of my wife and doctor it is what I would choose to eat just about every night. Closer to the late Pies N' Thighs than Blue Smoke in atmosphere. I ordered the pulled pork platter - a delicious smoked meat plate with a well-crafted rub. Although it was equally scrumptious, I was able to use as little sauce as I wanted, as it came on the side - a big plus. The meat was so moist, it really didn't need sauce at all. The homemade sweet tea tasted more like candy than tea, and there was no weak link, with perfect corn pudding and potato salad. For dessert, I had Bluegrass Pie - a chocolate pecan bourbon masterpiece in a graham cracker crust.

The staff is a trip. I found them to be pretty New-York-straight-forward. Some people interpret this as "poor customer service," but I strongly disagree. Mara was a sweetheart who was short staffed the night we went, but the food came out promptly and her amazing deadpan humor kept us laughing. Strongly recommended if you like BBQ and characters.

• Pros: Mouth-altering succulence
• Cons: Friendly but slowish service

07/13/08

Average Ribs, Good Service

by lse1

I ordered the rib combo (half raack St. Louis, half raack baby back). They are served with the sauce on the side, which I fully endorse. Why drown the ribs with sauce? While the ribs have a somewhat smoky taste and are very tender, they are not very tasty. I'm not sure if it's the way they are seasoned. But with a dousing of BBQ sauce, they were somewhat better ... although I believe ribs should be tasty without the sauce. Comparing with other BBQ places in the city, this was quite avg/mediocre. Smoked corn on the cob and mashed potatoes were interesting.

The place is very small. The service was fine, they are very nice friendly people. On a warm summer night, the front door was open and that affected the A/C.

• Pros: Good Service
• Cons: Average Food