Bar Mar

Bar Mar reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Review summary

1. N

   Nancy

   Chicago1 review

   3.0

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 4

   Seemed to be understaffed. Had to wait 40 minutes for our table. A main entree and a dessert were sold out.
   

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2. M

   Maria

   Chicago42 reviews

   3.0

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 4

   We were a group of four and had an early dinner here after the matinee at the opera. I had the spicy shizo margarita while the others had white wine. I liked my marg so it started off well. The manager started getting our orders for starters because the staff was swamped with the opera crowd and many walk-ins around the same time. We made clear that we wanted to have two separate bills. For our starters, 2 had lobster bisque, octopus a la gallega, and I had hamachi cone. The hamachi cone was one tiny cone with the hamachi and sauce. It was good but not memorable. The guys who lobster bisque and the octopus said they were very good. The bisque was heaping serving in a bowl and the octopus was also a very nice serving that can be shared by 2. With our starters finished, we waited for a bit to have our waiter get our orders for our mains. I guess he was really swamped. While waiting one server came to give us the order for another table, oh boy! Anyway our mains arrived with the side dishes except for one. We had 2 orders of the potato puree and only one arrived and it took awhile before that was corrected. For the mains, we ordered 2 of the scallops, the salmon and I had the sea bass. The sea bass cooked perfectly. The toasted garlic chips and donostiarra sauce were icing on the cake. The potato puree was heavenly! Perfect pairing with the fish. My companions said the scallops were perfect too and not rubbery. The flavor was great also. I believe the salmon was also very good! On to dessert. We ordered key lime pie, sticky toffee pudding and flan. All were very good, but I do prefer the flan more than the other 2. We also ordered coffee which took longer to get to us than the dessert and no teaspoon came with it. :( In summary, the food is good, it the service needs to be improved. Oh, the ambiance was very nice in the spacious room with high ceilings and glass windows all around (aquarium feeling with the octopus hanging over the bar!) . We all loved the decor!
   

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3. J

   Jen

   Chicago27 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We are semi regulars at Bar Mar and love sitting at the bar when seating is available. Bartenders are great, ambience lively, lighting warm, and food good. We chose small plates like salmon crudo and the lobster roll for perfect bites post opera.
   

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4. M

   Maryellen

   Phoenix1 review

   5.0

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Our waiter Bradley is a GEM! So knowledgeable, attentive, and listens. He steered us towards delicious wines and food choices. Assistant manager Gabe is ALSO incredible! What a generous, kind, and thoughtful manager. They both made our experience dining at Bar Mar unforgettable! Thank you so much for a lovely experience.
   

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5. P

   Paige

   Chicago2 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   The food was absolutely amazing!! Sever was attentive and the ambience was impeccable 😊
   

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6. G

   Gilda VIP

   Greater Boston6 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Amazing food. We had the shrimp cocktail and the oysters and two of the hot appetizers- sloppy Joe’s and crab cakes. The dessert was the best sticky toffee pudding ever! Staff was great. It was a slower service than other places but I loved it because I hate been rushed. It made the evening a relaxing one. Will recommend.
   

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7. M

   Mia VIP

   Atlanta220 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 3

   Gorgeous restaurant with phenomenal service. They make everyone feel like a VIP. It’s definitely an occasion place and I’d love to help them revamp their wine list
   

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8. L

   Lauren

   Columbus8 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   I celebrated my birthday here with friends and we had a wonderful time. The server was attentive and friendly. Everything was delicious. One of the waiters sang opera to us for my birthday, which was lovely. It’s a great place for a celebration.
   

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9. J

   James VIP

   Chicago13 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We enjoyed our night at Bar Mar. We especially Loved the drama of the Floral Cloud cocktail (so did our neighbors at the adjacent tables), the octopus, sea bass and scallops. The hamachi cones were delicious, but so tiny! Service was pleasant and helpful, not overbearing. The atmosphere is lively (place was full), but we really appreciated that it wasn’t so loud we had to yell to be heard. We’ll be back!
   

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10. K

    Kris

    Indiana3 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5

    The food was outstanding- especially the oysters. We expected good seafood but even the desserts were awesome.
    

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