You shouldn’t have to choose between going somewhere where you can have a great meal and a place where you can party all night long. This is where the name clubstaurant enters the conversation. In fact, Open Table recently highlighted 12 restaraunts across the country where you can also party the night away, and a Boston restaurant made the list.
“Dinner and clubbing don’t have to be mutually exclusive,” Open Table states. Their list of these mash-up places includes spots in many in major cities across the country. In Boston however, you get mix of culture, great food, and dancing.
MARIEL
Located in the heart of Post Office Square, Mariel is the fourth place mentioned on Open Table’s list of 12. While it won’t stay open all night for you, it does stay open until 2 am. Mariel will provide guests with the combination of unique cuisine and great music. It’s a Cuban establishment that has a brunch, lunch, and dinner menu. Mariel is operated by COJE Management which is a well-established entity in the region for both restaurants and nightclubs.
Open Table describes the atmosphere by stating, “Begin your evening upstairs with Cuban tapas including pork empanadas, crab arepitas, and sticky ribs glazed in guava. Then drop down to the basement club for a round of mojitos and dance the night away.”
Menu
A typical dinner at Mariel includes guests sharing small plates like Avocado Con Mojo or Blackened Shrimp. Another fan-favorite at Mariel is their Pizza Cubano (otherwise known as Street Pizza). Cooked in a pan with queso Havana, this pizza style can come loaded with roast pork, sweet ham, pickles, gruyere, scallion, and cilantro.
For drinks, a full menu of mojitos and 13 pages worth of wine options has you covered.
What About The Dancing?
Mariel in Boston wouldn’t have made Open Table’s select group without it being a restaurant where you can also party the night away. The high ceilings contain walls that are decorated to showcase Cuban culture. The artwork is engaging and gives a nightclub feel where you easily forget you are actually in Boston. The venue often has live music or a DJ to keep the party going.
Mariel encourages you to make a reservation online. Furthermore, they can accommodate groups of up to 12 guests.
Massachusetts: Margarita Brand Has Become One of the Northeast's Most Popular
Weymouth, Massachusetts, approximately 15 miles from Boston, is the home to one of New England’s most popular Margarita brands. In fact, each bottle is still hand-crafted there. Rustic Spirits has become a well-known Margarita drink thanks to the hard work and dedication of founder, Vytas Makstutis.
“I still remember squeezing the limes into the bucket for that first small batch that I made in my basement,” he states. Makstutis came to America from Lithuania and dedicated his life to making the perfect Margarita in 2006. They key has always been that all the ingredients are fresh. Pouring his life savings into establishing a business, Makstutis would frequently travel to Mexico to pick agave plants to distill the tequila.
“After making it all in my basement for six years, delivering to all neighborhoods on the south shore and other parts of the state, I realized I could not keep up with the demand. I decided to move my basement operation to a bigger place. It was a warehouse where I also lived and slept for five years,” Makstutis tells me in an interview.
“I used to take a shower at a fitness club across the street and go back to work to build the business. I gave up all I had to keep it all going to eventually deliver the product to the stores. There’s self-made wooden cabin off the back of my building where I still sleep every night.”
Makstutis was frequently told his concept would never work, and that he should give up. That made him work harder. He believed in his process, his product, and himself. Now, Rustic Spirits has become a household name when it comes to recognizable Margarita options in New England.
Just Pour
The Rustic Spirts slogan of “Just Pour” references the fact that no other ingredients are needed to enjoy the drink. Everything is prepared and mixed correctly in the bottle. So all you have to do is pour the the margarita over some ice in a glass and enjoy.
“Now, in many liquor stores, we outsell larger companies like Cuervo, Skinny Girl, etc,” Makstutis concludes.
Cinco de Mayo is just days away. It’s the perfect time to learn more about how this Massachusetts Margarita brand has become one of the most popular on the east coast.
Try Rustic Spirts and find a store near you at RusticSpirits.com.
