Jason Suss spent 15 years in tech before leaving the corporate world to pursue his passion for cocktails. For the past 12 years, he has worked on both sides of the bar at local restaurants. He now lives in Lowry Hill and owns @AProperPour.
There’s a new kid on the block. Does it have the right stuff?
Like a small plant pushing up through a crack in a rock, Mari’s has opened and shows signs of life in a tough environment.
Located at Lagoon and Fremont and sharing a wall with the cute and very popular The Breakfast Club — with the same owners — Mari’s is unmistakably in Uptown.
The space was formerly home to Hammer & Sickle, known for its vodka and pierogies. Hanging on can be tough, with all the construction and other challenges in the area. The opening of a new place like Mari’s feels like a good sign that, step by step, the area might find its way back to what it once was.
It’s fair to say it has been a wild ride in Uptown for the past five or so years. A lot of people, young and old, seem to be craving nostalgia. Gen Z-ers are using Walkmans, wide-leg jeans are back, claw clips have returned, retro gaming consoles are everywhere, and movie reboots keep rolling out.
Mari’s fits that mood. It’s a great spot for people looking for the vibe of what Uptown used to be — the people who miss Chino Latino, Figlio and Uptown Tavern.
Simply put, it’s a bar. No gimmicks. It’s not chasing a TikTok trend or angling to be the new Instagrammable hot spot. It has booths, high-tops, at least 15 TVs, bar food and bar drinks — burgers, sandwiches, wings (the big, full one-piece kind) and an assortment of shareable apps. Everything on the menu is under $20, which is refreshing.
There’s a full lineup of domestic, imported and local beers. The cocktail list sticks to the basics, with an equal number of mocktails. The wine list is short, but yes, there’s a New Zealand sauv blanc for that friend we all have.
Prices are comparable to other nearby places, maybe even a touch lower, especially considering the daily specials.
Their intention is clear: Come here, eat, drink, watch the game, bring a group, celebrate a birthday, have fun. That’s it.
After I graduated from college, I lived with two other guys. At least once a week one of them would call out, “Hey, you want to go to the bar?”
We lived in the heart of a big city. There were bars everywhere, but we always knew exactly which one he meant. I think Mari’s could be that bar for a lot of people in the neighborhood.
Let’s talk about the specials, because there are a lot. Everyone likes a deal, especially these days when a 12-pack of Coca-Cola and a bag of Doritos can run $15.
I sat at the bar and ordered the Mari’s Minneapolis Chicken Sandwich — fried chicken, pepper jack, pineapple salsa, jerk sauce and Cajun mayo, served with chips.
The sandwich was hot, fresh and juicy, exactly as anyone would hope. I paired it with a cold tall can of local beer, and it hit the spot. It was happy hour, but one beer was enough, so I passed my free second beer along to someone else. The bartender was as friendly as could be, and she already knew several regulars by name.
Mari’s opened quietly. No big PR push, no celebrity chef. You’ve probably already driven past it at least once without noticing. So why not stop in and check it out? Odds are good it will be happy hour when you do.
