Mara & Co.

Mara & Co. is one of our favourite restaurants for many reasons: the first, it's situated on Avenida Epigmenio González, which is just in front of my university, the Monterrey Institute of Technology. Getting to Mara & Co. only takes us five minutes, as we only need to cross the pedestrian bridge before arriving at one of the coolest restaurants in the area. Avenida Epigmenio González itself has lots of food outlets and restaurants because Monterrey Tech has approximately 5000 students enrolled. On this street, you will find all types of restaurants to suit any budget: you could eat anything from street food to pizza, crepes, tacos and burgers. The options are literally endless, and the best thing about it is that all the restaurants are decently priced. However, despite all this choice, one of my favourites is Mara & Co. : I like going as often as I can because I always leave there happy, having a good time with the people I love, and it's one of those places where you meet new people and share in new experiences.

(Enjoying a lovely date after a night class. It's the best place to go on a Friday evening after classes; there's no better way to start the weekend. )

Why do we like Mara & Co.?

1. Because it's cultural.

Mara & Co. is always sponsoring cultural and artistic projects, most of which are with young people, so it will not seem strange to you that, within the restaurant, they promote the inauguration of some art or photography exhibitions, for example. If you are a painter, photographer, or artist in general, and you need a place to promote and advertise your work, don't hesitate in going to Mara & Co.

(Original invitations on the table for a painting exhibition in the historic city centre of Querétaro. )

2. Excellent selection of handcrafted beers.

(The variety of beers that they have are shown in the area where the menus are kept, which are quite original, it must be said. )

At Mara & Co., you won't find the typical Corona or Tecate beer, but rather another type of very high quality beer, which you are sure to enjoy if you are a fan of handcrafted beer. The variety is quite large and they usually put the bottles out on the table so that you see them and, from the selection, you order the one that you liked the look of the most before they bring a cold one to you. You can find the brand, Tempus, which has several varieties on offer, like cream stout, classic malt, golden, double malt, and special reserve. You will also be able to find Toro beer, a brewing company from Querétaro, which offers golden, hybrid nectar and supernova. You will also find beers like Witbier, IPA, Vanilla Stout, Imperial Black IPA, or Belgian Rye IPA. In short, there is an endless amount of choice when it comes to beer at Mara & Co., the difficult part is choosing which one to have.

A guy who studied Agriculture at my university decided to set up his own brewing company called "La 22", and Mara & Co. has started offering bottles of this beer on its drinks menu, which has been a complete success.

(One of Alejandro's favourite beers. )

3. Games and books available for you to use and have a good time with.

Going with friends is one of the best things that you can do when you go to Maya & Co., as they have a incredible variety of games to keep you and your friends entertained while you wait for your order to arrive. You will be able to find lots of games like dominoes, cards, chess, and one of our favourites: Marathon. It's almost routine now that, every Friday, my boyfriend and I go and eat dinner there with our friends just so that we can play a good board game.

(There's no better way to spend a Friday than by having a game of Marathon to test your knowledge. )

You don't need to go there accompanied to distract yourself for a bit, as you will also be able to grab one of the many books that they have to entertain yourself. As you would imagine, many of their books are based on art, photography, and, above all, design.

(If you are a fan of art and design, you could be there for hours leafing through the variety of books that they have. )

4. The variety of food.

On the menu, you will find around six different varieties of burgers: my favourite one is the Omar burger because it has goats' cheese, sun-dried tomato, and lettuce, and is accompanied by French fries, which aren't made with just salt, but also have a touch of lemon and pepper, giving them an unrivalled taste.

You can also order hot dogs, or, if you are watching your weight, you can order one of the many salads that they have on their menu. The baguettes that they make are absolutely huge; in theory, they would be better to share between two people.

If you go with all of your friends and they don't necessarily feel like eating a full meal, it won't be a problem, as they can order lots of table snacks, like: nachos with chilli con carne, cheese sticks, popcorn chicken, and nachos with meat, cheese, beans and chorizo. All of these are relatively filling, and the cost of them all would mean that you would approximately pay the price of one normal meal (taking into account a drink, a starter and main course), which is around $150 Mexican pesos and works out at $7. 76 more or less. That price is excellent when you factor in the atmosphere the restaurant has, the quality of the food and the service that they give you.

If you want something to drink, it doesn't necessarily have to be beer. You could order spring water, tea, espresso, a latte, hot chocolate, a Michelada (an alcoholic drink made with beer, lime juice and assorted sauces, spices, and peppers), or a handcrafted drink by the company, Búho, which I really like because they don't have any added sugar. These are just some examples, but their drinks menu is quite varied.

If you study in the vicinity, you can come and eat their daily menus, which include a starter and main course. They also have offers and promotions on different days of the week that sometimes give a discount price for a drink and appetiser combo, for example.

(Alejandro enjoying his BBQ burger and French fries, served in an original Mexican pot. )

5. It has an excellent atmosphere.

It's normal to see lots of students and foreigners doing an exchange semester at Mara & Co., given its close proximity to Monterrey Tech. The type of people that usually go to Mara & Co. are very relaxed and are enthusiastic to make new friends. The waiting staff are also some of the nicest people; almost all of them have a bit of a hippie aesthetic, but they are, at the same time, quite genuine people.

6. Its decor.

(The interior part of Mara & Co., in the background you will see the till and the fridge, where you can pick up the beer you have liked the most. )

There are two areas that you can sit in at Mara & Co., be that inside or outside. The outdoor seating is comprised of old wooden chairs, but there are also some quite high stools. There is are lots of floral decorations, and there is even a television if you don't want to miss a really important football match. I personally like sitting inside more because the decor is more cosy. The walls are made of bricks, there are armchairs and other chairs of both different sizes and designs; everything inside the restaurant is incredibly varied. The ceiling is not so high and the lamps give a very warm light to the room and, ultimately, a more homely and welcoming touch to the restaurant as a whole.

(One of the things that I like the most is the way that they advertise their drinks range, as it means that many of them end up being ordered simply out of curiosity. People see them on the table and start to read the bottle's label before they order one; it was in this same way that I discovered the handcrafted mango juice is currently my favourite. )

What times can we go to Mara & Co.?

You can enjoy their incredible service from Monday to Sunday, from 12pm to 12am. (The only thing that would improve it would be if they opened earlier and offered us some good breakfasts!)