“WHAT’S UP WITH THE NAME CHANGE?”

When we were hired to open and run Bar Mars last October, we both knew immediately that we clicked as a team and that this place was special. Over the next five months we worked hard to build it into a comfortable, inviting space… the type of bar where we wanted to drink. In early 2020 when the opportunity to become owners presented itself, it was an easy decision.

We picked up our shiny liquor license March 2 and enjoyed a solid 13 days of bar ownership until the coronavirus shut down the world. At this point, we were forced to re-evaluate how we were going to keep our dream going. 

Over the next two and a half months we swiveled our concept: we sold meals and food staples to go, developed a line of cocktail mixers (with much thanks to Mary and Swamp Rabbit Grocery), and hosted a series of pop-up events with some of our friends in the local culinary community (shout-outs to Resident Dogs, Naked Pasta & Takam). In this time we discovered that we had become more than just a neighborhood drinking spot. We had evolved into the neighborhood diner, bakery & market.

Once restaurants were able to “re-open,” we had a decision to make. Were we the same ol’ Bar Mars that we were in October or had we morphed into something different? And if we were something different, could we still be the same? Did we want to be the same? We ARE still the place for tasty cocktails and our Damn Good Burger, but now we will also be the local spot to stop in for lunch and the neighborhood bodega to pick up a bottle of wine or a fresh loaf of bread on your way home.

Starting Tuesday, June 16...

Our market will be open from 10am-6pm Tuesday through Saturday. We will feature house-made staples, like our breads and pastries, ice creams and sorbets, mixers, as well as products from our neighbors in the Village and a concise selection of wines and beers. Market items will expand with the needs of the Village.

Lunch Service will run Tuesday through Friday from 11am-2pm, with counter service for to-go and in-house dining in our dining room. The menu will remain similar to our current one: a selection of sandwiches on our house-made breads, seasonal salads from local produce, and other quick-service features.

Saturdays we will offer brunch favorites from 10am-2pm in addition to our regular daily menu.

Dinner and cocktails will be a full-service affair Tuesday through Saturday starting at 5pm. Dinner will differ from our lunch fare, focusing on unique, tasty bites to pair with our unique, tasty cocktails (of course you can still get a Damn Good Burger and fries)! I hope that clears things up. We are excited to again be hosting our friends (old and new) and hope you all enjoy these new changes.

Cheers,

Chris & Sarah

PS: Oh yeah, about the name change… Mars was the previous owner’s dog. Alex is no longer part of this venture, so Mars did not hold the same relevance that it once did. After some serious deliberation (and more than a few really bad new name ideas), we decided to stick with the theme of the original name. So please, say hello to Sarah’s Great Dane... Margaret!