The Old Couch Café in Waterford

I had been looking forward to dining at Mara for the longest time - and it did not disappoint. From start to finish, the experience was absolutely top class. Luis and his team are nothing short of phenomenal. Their attention to detail, warm hospitality, and passion for what they do shine through in every aspect of the evening. The highlight? The Basque cheesecake. It was out of this world - easily one of the best desserts I’ve ever had. Everything about the meal was memorable, from the beautifully crafted dishes to the relaxed, welcoming atmosphere. We will definitely be returning. If you're in Waterford, Mara is an absolute must-visit. You won’t regret it.

Fabulous Dining experience , we had the taster menu and wines to match. It was an outstanding night. the attention to detail and the engagement from the owner and chef was amazing .... would highly recommend.

We had a truly wonderful a la carte meal at Mara. Delicious food with very attentive service in a relaxing setting. Can’t wait to return.

Cosy, intimate atmospheric restaurant,l with very friendly staff. We had the tasting menu at 100 euros a head. The food is an innovative take on classic dishes with a Spanish twist. To our personal tastes the innovation didn't always enhance the dish it was as based on but fair play to the chef trying something different - the white asparagus ice cream with chocolate and a cep powder was interesting! Th chef came out to chat to us after. We really enjoyed the experience and it was great to find a gourmet experience in a culinary desert!

Unique dining experience! Professional in every aspect. It shows that the owner puts all his wisdom and talent into every meal! Perfect wine pairing for the courses! I recommend this place with all my heart! 💖

One of the best meals I've ever eaten in the world, let alone Ireland. Luis and his colleagues demonstrate a genuine love for food and simply good quality genuine ingredients, and will inspire the same love for all his guests. I cannot state how out of all the dining experiences in Ireland, this humble restaurant in Waterford is the one and only that you MUST try.

Simply the best food experience in Waterford. Impeccable food and service.

Small but mighty. Not for an empty wallet but if going out to experience something new and try new stuff it's great. Staff friendly but unobtrusive. Food fantastic and stuff you definitely aren't making at home as it's much work to make that art. Saving up for the next round

Flawless tasting menu with the perfect pairing of wine. A must try! We ended the dinner feeling happy, satisfied and not overly full, which is always a risk with this type of food experience. We found the pace to be perfect. We never had a dull moment. There was a perfect cadence of: bring the wine, explain the wine, allow a few minutes to enjoy it, bring the new course, explain the course, taste the course, clean, bring the new glass & restart. Toward the end of the dinner we started noticing how they adapted seamlessly to the pace of every table so that it felt they always left exactly the same time in between stages while they clearly weren't. Very smooth. Luis has great storytelling and a very good sense of humor that brought lightheartedness to the dinner, something that we always like and made us feel super comfortable. In fact, while it's clear there a lot of work went into preparing the dinner and then in serving it, I would never call this a "fancy dinner". It just didn't feel so, which means bonus points for me. All the 7 wines served were very interesting and tasty. Some were even surprising (like the first, which was a sweet wine!). All the courses were an explosion of flavour, often presented in surprising ways and the base ingredients were clearly very good. If I have to call out one single area of improvement, I think the finale could be improved. I found the mini madeleine of the petit-fours underwhelming. I then lacked a strong taste to end, something like coffee as they don't have decaf (they said they are getting a new machine) or a spirit (I think they only have wine & dessert wine)

I have visited this place recently and was really impressed by nice environment and perfect service. All meals were very delicious and with affordable prices.