BOSReview
photo credit: Tina Picz
Mariel
Included In
If, like a lot of people, you check out a restaurant on social media before you eat there, then here’s a partial list of things you’ll see in pictures taken at Mariel: flaming cocktails, Patriots cheerleaders on a girls’ night out, wallpaper that depicts drunken monkeys, and people dressed in their underwear.
That’s not surprising once you learn that this downtown Cuban spot is from the same people behind Yvonne’s. You don’t really go to Yvonne’s for a great meal - you go to take selfies in a bathroom that was designed more for taking bathroom selfies than, you know, going to the bathroom. Mariel has a lot of that in its DNA, too. (Those drunken monkeys are in, you guessed it, the bathroom.) But once the flames on your rum cocktail die down, you’ll take a bite of the pan queso frito and face a confusing reality: the food at Mariel is actually good. Really good.
photo credit: Tina Picz
Almost everything is served small plate-style here, with the exception of a few Fred Flinstone-sized meat entrees and a selection of super thin crust “Cuban street pizzas”. Still though, you’ll want to spend more time with the small plates. Make this a place you come to drink, keep ordering various little balls of fried stuff until you’re full (like the excellent yuca cheese puffs or the only slightly less excellent chickpea fritters), and pretend you’re in a pre-revolutionary Havana nightclub with Fredo and Johnny Ola. And that bit about the drinking applies for lunch too, when they, admirably, have almost an entirely different menu. If you come in here at noon in between a couple of meetings and don’t drink something with egg whites and the Cuban flag printed on top, you’ll be the only one.
Not everything on the menu is a hit. We recommend staying away from anything goopy, like the crudo made with fish that’s completely drowned-out by watery avocado. But overall, you’re going to have a great time here. And who knows, you may even be tempted to post a picture of the crispy cod sandwich, available at lunch, which deserves way more love than the monkeys.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Tina Picz
Yuca Cheese Puffs
photo credit: Tina Picz
Pan Queso Frito
photo credit: Tina Picz
Avocado Con Mojo
photo credit: Mariel
Cubano Pizza
Havanese Lamb Belly
photo credit: Tina Picz
Crispy Fish Sandwich
photo credit: Tina Picz