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Merchant

  1. Madison
  2. Madison Cocktail Bars
  3. Madison Wine Bars
  4. Madison American (New)

Reviews, get directions and information for Merchant

Merchant
"Merchant started life in Madison in 2010 as an energetic industrial-chic cafe, craft cocktail bar and late night destination specializing in no-nonsense, seasonal fare and drink steeped in the classics. Now in 2022, we are rebuilding and reimagining Merchant for the new decade, taking with us our passion for cooking, service, and community and overlaying a state-of-the-art renovation featuring aviation-style windows, new finishes and wraparound seating. This will be an opportunity to rebuild not only with new decor and menu, but a culture that celebrates our hospitality group's mission to create a spaces for treating each other and ourselves well."
Address: 121 S Pinckney St , Madison 53703, WI, US
Phone: +1 608-259-9799
State: WI
City: Madison
Zip Code: 53703


Opening Hours

Tuesday: 17:00-22:00
Wednesday: 17:00-22:00
Thursday: 17:00-22:00
Friday: 17:00-22:00

Update Info

related searches: Lucille Madison, Heritage Tavern, Sardine Madison, Graze madison, Merchant madison Instagram, Merchant Madison Fish Fry, Canteen Madison, Graft Madison
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Reviews
We sat outside and the service was extremely slow on a Tuesday night. Appetizers came out before waters and drinks. Waitress forgot about us towards the end of the meal. That being said, the food was pretty solid. The cheese curds and crab fritters were very good. The steak frites had a lot of fat on it for what your paying for but did taste great.
After much debating, I have decided that Merchant deserves 2 stars. I visited twice post-renovation and was excited to see the new space. First, I went for dinner with a couple of friends and had a good time. The service was slow and food took a really long time to come out. We liked the cheese curds and the burger. Upon receiving our bill, we noticed that two cocktails were added to our bill that were not ordered by us. This was taken care of and we proceeded with the rest of our evening. Then we visited again for their brunch. The service was disappointing this time as our server did not seem like she wanted to be there and she acted robotic and unenthusiastic. The brunch was quite overpriced for the underwhelming food and portions. I ordered a side of fruit $6 and received a tiny cup of old pineapple, blueberries, and grapes with seeds that were hard to eat. When my main dish, the benedict, came out, I was also underwhelmed. Very little ham and the side salads came out without any sort of dressing and was disappointing. I would have loved a little something more with the salad. Another aspect of the meal that bothered us was the tap water that came out in the blue bottles. We were served an odd tasting water that was acidic and minerally and were later told that it was because the restaurant has a spout for sparkling water and tap water and that they mix, causing the metallic taste. It wasn't very cold and the water tasted like flat sparkling water and was not enjoyable. Lastly, once again our bill arrived and there were several things added to the check. It was again taken care of but we were disappointed in our experience because we really wanted to enjoy our time at Merchant. We understand that there are growing pains since the restaurant just reopened but we don't know if/when it would be appropriate to return.
Great seasonal cocktails. Crab fritters over-fried, aioli needed heat. Perfectly cooked salmon without brown butter or lemon to speak of, no seasoning and greens drenched in oil. Not worth the $200.00 for two price tag.
When I arrived, the music inside was a little on the loud side so we opted for eating outside. The waitress was attentive and personable, but I feel like the food missed the mark. I ordered the merchant burger, which was too greasy to finish and the fries were too salty to eat the entire serving.
I too have to say the post-renovation Merchant is a little disappointing. We used to love going here frequently for drinks and dinner on any night of the week. Now, I would say this place would just be somewhere good to grab a drink before or after dinner. It was $123 for 2 cocktails, a date night portion that wasn’t remotely filling okay a bottle of wine was included in that, but I’d rather be full than have had that, and a charcuterie board. Before, we would spend $120 easily and happily! here as well, but that came with 4 cocktails and we were stuffed leaving - big difference to now. I’ll start with the good: - great cocktail list - this is what made us fall in love with merchant in the first place - great location and atmosphere But the not so good: - Date night went up $10 and get way less food than before - it’s $60 for a bottle of wine, a light starter to share, and an entree to share. Before we had two separate entrees. Needless to say we were both still hungry afterwards - to end the dinner we did the charcuterie board bc we were still hungry, and boy $26 for a few small pieces of meat was super underwhelming compared to the giant charcuterie board they used to have. Not sure if there was a cheese option, we weren’t given one, but that would have been much preferred, and something you kind of expect with a charcuterie board. - date night menu still mentioned $50 and getting dessert, but it’s now $60 and you get a light starter. Would have much preferred the dessert than a few sprigs of sprouts and a few beats. Really missing the lamb sliders - those were so good, with a great sauce. You could order 3 of those and have leftovers. Now, it seems like all of the portions are really small. We want to see Merchant thrive! But unfortunately it is hard to justify the price value currently.
It seems like all places around the square aren’t what they used to be. This used to be a good spot on the weekends after 10. Post renovation this place leaves me nostalgic. New York sour at a place like this could have been served correctly but at least I got it this time instead of being denied by a bar back’s ability. As far as as weekend place after 10pm this place has seen better days. Totally not worth it considering the price :/
Fabulous experience at Merchant!! We went here on a Thursday night and the place was packed. Reservations ahead of time is highly recommended. They have both indoor and outdoor dining. The food was excellent and the staff was wonderful and super friendly. We started with the Virginia oysters and they were exceptional and so fresh. We would have ordered more if they hadn’t ran out of them for the night. In the apps we got the heirloom tomato and melon, fried cedar grove cheese curds, and local wax beans and shishito peppers. I can’t tell you how amazing each of them were. Abundance of flavor and beautifully presented. For our dinner we had the merchant crispy fried sandwich, braised lamb dumplings, and pan seared faron island salmon. Each dish was better than the other. So fresh and delicious. They have an extensive drinks menu as well. Check out Merchant in downtown Madison, you will not be disappointed.
Newly remodeled Merchant is shining bright. The atmosphere is hip and cool, few plants inside. The menu is extensive with verity of options feels like would satisfy most peoples cravings. Outdoor seating is available with plenty of space.
Best pork chop. Plates are not very big, but I go for flavor not size. The dumpling things were great too. Cab Franc wine was really good. But as good as the food was the smiles on the servers faces. They really made our group of 6 happy, especially the food runner guy. Also the expo manager when I poked my head into the kitchen trying to decide what to order. He was cool too.
Ended up here last minute because Graze restaurant couldn’t open tonight. Glad I ended up here. The cheese curds were good not the best I have had, a little to crunchy on the outside and very chewy on the inside. The main dish was the special - quail with tomatoes, onions and croutons. The quail was grilled perfectly, absolutely delicious. The croutons were rock hard and a strange addition to this dish. The main reason I give this place 5 stars was the goat cheese panna cotta. Wow!! I loved that, need to get that recipe. Seriously one of the best desserts ever! Service was nice and all the staff was wearing masks. Thank you!
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