Anyone who is into cocktail culture should plan a visit to Merchant. The talented bartenders put on an entertaining show as they concoct an amazing variety of specialty drinks. If you can, grab a seat at the bar and watch the magic happen. We stopped in for a nightcap and ordered a couple of glasses of fruity red wine and a slice of the decadent flourless chocolate cake. In the 45 minutes or so that we sipped our wine, I don't think I saw any of the four bartenders make the same drink twice. The made everything with a flourish and lots of crazy shaking, straining, stirring and twists. It seemed every specialty drink had its own unique glass and the guys wasted no time in their work. Come for a drink and be prepared to be entertained- these guys definitely know what they are doing. read more

Love this spot - as both a solo dinner and with a group! Nice atmosphere with great food and drinks.

Absolutely loved this place! Popped in on a Friday night and was able to get seated right away. We had multiple appetizers on the table...plates were clean within minutes. Our entrees didn't take long and we're all delicious. I had the steak frites.... YUM. Meat was cooked perfectly, melted in your mouth. Overall experience was wonderful! read more

Merchant - Steak Frites - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

It was all downhill after the cheese curds. Despite a wonderful atmosphere and attentive wait staff, the food was excessively pricey and lacking in flavor. This was a $20-a-plate place, not a $30-a-plate place. If you're contemplating merchant, do yourself and your wallet/purse a favor and head to one of the excellent king st dining establishments; settle down is literally right next door. read more

Best Friday night stop! We love the new autumnal cocktails. So awesome to have a roasted marshmallow as an adornment to my "campfire" cocktail. Love the food and the service. Attentive, welcoming...cool vibe read more

Fool me once... We used to love Merchant. Yea, we would always gripe about their 5 oz culinary cocktails costing more than $15 in many cases, but at least they were good. We would always go back for the one reliably good thing on the menu- the lamb sliders. About 18 months ago, we went, got our usual, and both promptly got food poisoning about an hour after we left the restaurant. They were great about it, aplogetic, and gave us a generous $100 gift voucher to make up for it. Fast forward to tonight and we finally got the stomach to go back and use our gift card. After all, they just recently reopened with a new menu and some pricey renovations so we had high hopes. It was an immense let down. Service was great, we had a polite waitress and two other male employees who were attentive to our drink and bussing needs. We both got the steak frites. My wife's was alright- edible, good taste, but a little rare for her liking (she usually orders medium rare to rare), and pretty chewy. Her review..."Alright, not the best. Not great." Mine however was completely inedible. I'm not trying to be hyperbolic when I say this...I chewed a single piece for over 4 minutes with no success. I had to spit it out in a napkin. On top of that, the steak arrived cold. Like room temperature cold. Which I didn't understand because to food came out rather quickly; the only explanation was that it must have already been cooked...stockpiled in back...allowing it to cool down. Which makes sense since the waitress asked, "is medium rare OK" when I ordered, as if anything else would have to be spun up special. I regretted not having gotten the burger the entire time, and walked out hungry and frustrated. We gave you guys another shot. We ended up disappointed. For us, the good times we once had at Merchant, and the thousands spent at the bar are a thing of the past. We won't be back. There's too many great restaurants within a stones throw of you guys to even consider spending our dough there again. Send like your one saving grace is stellar cocktails... But the cheese curds were good. Spicy honey was a nice touch, but the $34 piece of cow plastic kind of negated that. read more

Great meal and cocktails. The Friday fishfry was great and the beet salad a great change of pace.

Consistently disappointed with hostess encounter. This is the first contact point into the restaurant. On three different visits my first encounter with the hostess has been awkward and affected the entire experience. I don't blame the hostess -- they've been told or trained by a manager who has odd ideas about customer service for a higher end restaurant. Visit 1 (before remodel): Walk-in (no reservation) with partner around 5pm. Place is *maybe* 20% full. I ask for a table. I'm told they can seat us, but only if I agree to leave after an hour at most as they have reservations coming later -- we "agree" and are seated. Visit 2 (before remodel): Walk-in again. Just wanted to sit at the bar and told hostess that. I could see there were empty seats. She held up her hand and stopped us from proceeding and told me that she had to check and wouldn't let us walk to the bar until she inspected it. She then came back and told us it was ok to proceed. Visit 3 (after remodel): I had a reservation for two. Came in *7* minutes early. Place is maybe 25% full. Plenty of empty tables. We are told that we are early and will have to wait until our reservation time to be seated (is this a cafeteria hiding as a higher-end restaurant??). This tainted the entire experience. We are told we can sit at the bar and wait, which we did. Sure enough, exactly 7 minutes later, she comes and gets us. I'm told this level of table management is to avoid "rushes" on the kitchen. What's the deal Merchant managment? Why are customers at a higher-end restaurant with premium prices treated like burdens to be managed rather than guests? No other higher-end downtown restaurant does this. It's weird. Please stop with the hyper management around tables. If I'm a few minutes early or a walk-in or whatever, deal with it -- this happens in the restaurant business. btw, the drinks and food were good (some dishes and drinks were very good), but overall experience was negatively affected by that first encounter after walking through the door. read more

My husband and I love Lucille, so we figured we had to give Merchant (its' sister restaurant) a try. We had a great experience here! The interior is very aesthetic and modern. We stopped by for happy hour after work, and each got a few cocktails and some appetizers. The cheese curds were delicious! The cocktail menu is unique and reasonably-priced. The bartenders were very friendly, and took care of us well. We'll be back! read more

Was in here this weekend in need of some brunch and mimosa. I had friends from out of town with me. They had originally requested DLUX for the bottomless mimosas, but when we asked for a table they said it was a TWO HOUR WAIT. Nope. We walked down to Merchant and were seated immediately! I am SO GLAD we came here instead. I hadn't been to Merchant for brunch yet, but I have a feeling I will be back sooner than later! Our server was great! He was friendly and personable. I ordered the Eggs Benny for my meal. It was delicious. The Hollandaise sauce was honestly some of the best Hollandaise I think I have ever had. Really great flavor and it was the perfect texture. Creamy and light in color. So good. The ham was really good as well. The meal came with mixed greens which provided a nice light and fresh flavor that paired well with the richness of the Eggs Benny. Others at the table tried the breakfast burrito and the 2 eggs breakfast. Everyone in the group seemed to really enjoy their meals. 10/10 recommend! read more

Merchant - Eggs Benedict - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Merchant has been around for some time now. I've been multiple times, and have always had great dining and drink experiences. The food is consistently good, the atmosphere is great, and the drinks are good and appropriately priced. Recommend to anyone. read more

Great dinner. Waitress was very attentive. Good selection of cocktails and they were all well executed. Snails in bread was excellent. Fried cheese curds were better than the Old Fashioned's. The duck was flavorful. Nice laid back comfortable vibe. read more

A great place to enjoy the food, cocktail, and the atmosphere. The meat cuisines are so tender and flavorful. Plenty options of cocktails and they all taste pretty good. Desserts really good as well. read more

Merchant - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

We stopped in after their remodel and left disappointed. What was their strongest aspect-their cocktail program-appears to have been skinnied down and in my case, pretty barren. Twice, our server had to come back to inform me that they were out of my bourbon choice. Also confusing is their choice to use Tanqueray as their base gin in many of their cocktails. Way too juniper forward to be used in a Ramos Gin Fizz for example. The remodel opened up the space to allow for more seating. While expanding their tables, the menu has been whittled down a bit. The food was just ok. Underseasoning was the general theme for the night. While the herbed dumplings were flavorful, the portion size didn't warrant the $25 price point. Yes, understand that prices have increased but plenty of dishes in Madison that would rank above the dish at a similar price point. I was never a huge fan of the food at Merchant but with their cocktail list also not exciting, I don't see me visiting anytime soon. read more

Everything about this place feels designed to give you a unique experience. When you come here to eat, each step of the process delights your senses and excites your mind. The presentation of everything from the cocktail menus to the food is tasteful, unique, and unpretentious. Only quality fare is served here, and you known it before you've had your first bite. The cocktail menu offers an array of choices that is too wonderfully broad to experience in just one visit. My favorite, which I cannot remember the name of, has orange oil around the rim of theglass. To anyone going here, I highly recommend the Ploughman's board if you enjoy focusing on flavors, and the lamb sliders if they are in season. read more

I love Merchant's chicken sandwich more than anything on this planet. Like seriously. We had date night planned for two weeks and I couldn't stop thinking about how good it is. Also, merchant has really good fries to start with! I love it here and I definitely recommend this! read more

Merchant - Merchant Crispy Fried Chicken or Tofu Sandwich - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Final stop for Restaurant Week. We ended on a good note. Located right opposite the Pickney garage So it was very convenient to get to. Small outside area if you want to eat out. We were seated promptly. We were early and the first host said we had to wait as our table was occupied. A second hostess (more senior) said no we don't have to. She swapped tables and we got seated right away. That's efficiency! With the sun shinning in, the inside looks dark and so it gives you a feeling you are by yourself even though there is a table right next to you. Lots of choices on the RW menu. More than the others we were at early this week. Course 1 - I had the beef carpaccio and my partner had the housemade ricotta. My carpaccio had water cress which tasted super bitter to both of us. I like her ricotta dish better. Course 2 - I had the stuffed quail and she had the seated rockfish. Both were really good. My partner said this was the best of the 3 places we tried this week. The portion of the rock fish is small. Course 3 - I had the dark chocolate cherry custard and she had the berry panna cotta. The texture of the panna cotta is fantastic! So smooth. The custard was also good. Since i don't have a sweet tooth, I found these just right for me. The one thing I did not get here is their cocktails. Nothing on their menu grabs me like the other two places. read more

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So yummy! I wish the egg was more gummy but very good. I also got the death in the afternoon cocktail and if you're looking to blackout, this is perf! read more

Merchant - Avocado Toast - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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We were visiting Madison for the first time and found this place close to the capitol. Great atmosphere and unique food choices. The kitchen is open to main restaurant (behind large windows) so you see the food prep in action. The staff was very attentive and friendly. A great first taste of Madison. read more

This is definitely one of my favorite restaurants in downtown Madison. The inside decor is dark but very inviting. The wall behind the hostess table is flanked with bottles of wine and the bar sits along the back wall. All of the food is locally sourced and has a new American cuisine vibe - rustic with a lot of flavor. Having been here a number of times, I thought I'd share some of my favorite items. If you're in the mood for an appetizer, the cheese curds are really good. They are lightly breaded and seasoned perfectly. The steak frites are also good. Since their menu changes frequently, I'll usually order the special being offered or go with the tried and true roast chicken or a fresh ground burger. They have a great happy hour, which is the perfect time to get a drink and a bite without the rush of the dinner crowd. read more

Was terrified to fly to Madison Wisconsin because you know Coastal bias and fear of the unknown! This place definitely quieted my fears with their artisanal cocktails that I thought I could only get at speakeasies in my believed DC! They have the delectable menu explaining each cocktail and liquor history for those less in the know like myself. Try the chameleon witch if you're into creamy and melt in your mouth that sneak up on you because they're so good you forget you're drinking too notch booze. Try the cheese curds and the lamb sliders. And please come get me in Boston and take me with you next time you're headed to Madison! read more

Merchant - Flight Menu while at the Bar for happy hour!! Bartender recommended the Cheese Curds done Buffalo style and he was right! - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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I came here last year for a cocktail and really liked the atmosphere. I had heard mixed review about the food. we were looking for a spot to take a larger group (8 people), so we thought we would give it a try! it was great - perfect if you are looking for a menu that has something for everyone, a fun atmosphere and good for groups. we all enjoyed the cheese curds, brussel sprouts and fries. the parsnip soup was a-mazing! we also had the kale Caesar with salmon - this was great. the salmon was thin/ on the dry side, but that was our only complaint. they have an extended wine and craft cocktail list - service was great! read more

The food here is spot on. I'd always thought of this place as the spot you go to at the end of the night to dance your buzz off, but after going on a whim for Restaurant Week, I now know the truth: This place serves great effing food. Tuesdays are my favorite day to come. It's "Date Night," and for $40 you and a plus-one can enjoy two featured entrees, a bottle of wine, and dessert. You can't beat that deal with a stick. The fun part (unless you hate surprises) is the fact that the featured entree and dessert are the chefs' choice. They're trying out new dishes that haven't made it to the menu yet. Make no mistake -- this is no fly-by-night operation, and these dishes are damn good. Last time I went, we split an appetizer (elotes: Mexican street corn. Holy chit.) and enjoyed some pork belly entrees followed by Dark Chocolate and Cherry Custard. We were both VERY happy campers. And I scored major points with my hot date for the suggestion (it must've clinched the deal cuz we're still dating lol). Another standout thing about this place? The liquor menu. It is, quite literally, a book. I'm not a huge wine person, so I opted for the mystery drink option. Choose your spirit (I chose Irish whiskey), and for the base price of the spirit chosen +$4, the bartender will mix you up something lovely. Mine came back in a lovely tumbler-ful melding with Chartreuse, orange oil and some other citrusy/herbal bitters. It was heavenly. The wait staff are SUPER awesome. They're friendly, patient when explaining the meal, how stuff works, etc, and they're also the perfect balance of not-hovering-but-right-there-when-you-need-something. Kudos to the crew! And let's not forget the dinner and dessert chefs -- I dunno who they are, but I wanna shake their hands -- they do a beautiful job. A couple practical bits: 1. Bathroom: clean one-holers that are out-of-the-way and private. 2. Parking: park in the garage across the street (next to the Great Dane). There's also on-street parking all over, if you can snag a spot. read more

Merchant - Tuesday date night -- what a deal! - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Great cocktail list great bartenders Great vibe nice decor food looks great but was here for cocktails read more

I just don't understand... I've heard great things about this place and was very excited to try it out. My wife and I went on a Wednesday night at 7 with no reservations and were seating in the main (small) dining area. They really pack you in, but it was not uncomfortably close to other guests. The area is quite dark too, not like romantic dark... just dark. So dark the wife and I had a hard time reading the menus. It was so dark I couldn't take a good picture inside without blinding the resultant with a flash. When I do a restaurant review I let the waitstaff do their thing, I don't ask for anything that they don't offer and will only interact extra if there is a problem with my order. That being said... Our server was absolutely terrible. They stopped by our table 3 times... order, drop off food, drop off bill... but walked past us 30 times. They didn't ask wanted an appetizer, just asked if we wanted something from the bar and what we wanted to eat. Then they never asked if we wanted more drinks, if we needed anything once our food arrived, or to see how the whole experience was going. Other servers were much more attentive around us to their customers. I don't hold this against Merchant, just our crappy server. The drinks I thought were fairly priced (I got a Zombie -$11 wife got a Jungle Bird - $10) They came in really nice cups and tasted nice...however, they were PACKED with ice, so you got a few good drinks thought straw and you were at the bottom. We had water after we found this out. My wife got the steak frites $28, and I got the Pork Pappardelle $21. The food is 100% not worth the price they are charging. The Pork Pappardelle came with nothing but the bowl of noodles and it was a very small portion. No bread, salad, greens, or veggies are included or were offered. The taste of the pasta was very good, but in the end its a bowl of noodles and meat sauce... for $21 bucks. The streak frites came with Steak, garlic butter, fries, and a salad. The steak was mostly fat, but the meat had a nice taste to it. The fries were very good and the salad had a good Italian style dressing on it. Over all it was a fair meal, but again not worth the $28 bucks. End bill for 2 with 1 cocktail each, entrees, and no appetizer was $72 with tax and before tip... I was not impressed at all. After hearing so many great things about this supposedly cozy and delicious restaurant I was thoroughly let down. I have no plans to ever return to Merchant and I will advise my friends and family to go elsewhere unless they like a bit of a gamble on service and have some extra money to throw away due to the lack of value. read more

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After much research, my aunt decided that this was going to be our place! We had a reservation and were seated right away on a Sunday evening. When we first arrived, our server was very attentive and made sure that we had the drinks that we wanted. I ordered the bartender's choice and was given a bourbon drink. I am not a huge bourbon drinker but it was pretty delicious (and strong). The drink menu itself was very cool because all of the different drinks listed had a sort-of story behind them. This was fun to read at the table and look at all of the different names. We did not order any appetizers but I got some mixed greens with blue cheese to start. This was delicious but hard to screw up. It is easy to tell that all of their ingredients are farm fresh. I ordered the teriyaki salmon which came with rice and broccolini. I am a huge fan of all of these things but Merchant Mason just did not deliver. The broccolini was overcooked, burnt in some places. The salmon was very very dry, it would not even flake off. The rice was good but nothing outstanding. The saving grace of this dish was the butternut squash puree that was served with it. My cousin ordered a dumpling soup which had an Asian twist. It was delicious and I had major food envy. My mom ordered a burger which, in her opinion, was meh. My cousin and aunt ordered the quinoa bowl (our server said this was very popular) but they said it was way too salty. The restaurant itself is very cool. They have a little alcohol shop so you can purchase what was in your drink which I thought was a nice touch. The atmosphere is very trendy and I loved the space. The reason that it is only getting 3 stars is because of the food. For the price, the food did not meet our standards. Really cool restaurant and if I lived closer, I would give it another try. read more

Merchant - Beautiful presentation but VERY dry salmon! - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Great ambience was a super cute restaurant. Came for a date night and it was perfect. The cheese curds are to die for. Would come back. read more

Merchant - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Definitely a place we will visit again. Parking can be a pain but the food is worth it. Grilled Pork Chop - Was tender and juicy. I had no shame picking this up and eating it like a rib towards the end. Classic Burger - Very tasty. Cooked medium-rare and topped with a runny egg, just the way I requested it. Not to mention, the side of aioli which is AMAZING. One of the best aioli's I've tried. Cheese curds - These didn't last long enough to take a picture so you can tell they were good. read more

Merchant - Classic Burger - Runny egg and cooked medium rare - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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My boyfriend and I came for Sunday brunch on a day trip to Madison with our four-legged fur baby. The weather was perfect so we sat in their outside section. We were the only people with a pup there, but the staff was accommodating - they brought her a bowl of water and checked in on us (her), so I assume they're used to it. We ordered a couple of drinks to start - a rose for me, and my boyfriend had their bloody Mary. It was honestly one of the better bloody Marys I've had, even in a state that's well known for their over-the-top bloodys. They didn't go overboard with the garnishes, but there was a perfect balance of booze and spice and it wasn't too heavy. I would absolutely order that the next time we're in for brunch. For brunch, I had their french toast. It was absolutely enormous, covered in ricotta and berries and was delightful. I wish it came with some sort of a side to break up all the carbs, but man was it good. I'm not one to take pictures of my food, but I couldn't resist with this one. Merchant is pricey for Wisconsin, but right in line with more upscale dining in Madison. We each had a drink and an entree and got out of there for about $60 including tip. Fair warning: the outside area is small so if you're looking to seat a big party out there when the weather is nice, show up early and claim your spot! read more

Merchant - The biggest slice of French toast I've ever seen! - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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First time here. We had the steak frites, pork chops, and roast chicken. Food was great and enjoyed the patio seating.

Had better hopes for this place, it didn't deliver on my expectations. -Pizole lacked flavor, it was very bland and lacking. -I misread and got smoked salmon cake benedict, wasn't too good. It was a bit much being on top of another muffin. Felt like this didn't need to be a benedict. Overall this place wasn't for me, but it did seem pretty busy though. read more

Went to Merchant two nights in a row, first for restaurant week then for my best friend's birthday. The restaurant week menu was expansive compared to others participating in restaurant week. The place was poppin, and our drinks took a little while. Not to worry though, because our waitress treated us to some complementary cava! Exceptional service here. My friend and I shared everything we ordered, starting with the cheese curds and beef carpaccio. This was my first time having carpaccio, and if you don't now this already it's thin and rare. Barely warmed, but the sprouts pairing made a delish match. We really enjoyed it. We shared the Pork pappardelle and Salmon for our mains. Can't say enough about the pappardelle, homemade pasta topped with a generous amount of homemade ricotta and ragu sauce. Just sublime. And the portion was generous. The salmon fillet was a little small for the price of the meal, but the meld of crisp apple and maple brought the dish to a level of greatness. "Bring on the desserts" - said no stomach ever after two big courses at restaurant week. We ate it anyways. I got the lemon crema cake with fresh blueberries. Wasn't the highlight of the meal, but gave me an airy angel food-ish finish to the event. The SECOND night I went to Merchant, I just got cocktails. The bartenders are really mixologists and super talented. If you're overwhelmed by the cocktail selection, just tell them what type of liquor and flavors you like and they'll whip up something personalized. Reasons why I won't give this place 5 stars: not super gluten free friendly (at least the restaurant week menu wasn't), the bar is super narrow and on a busy Friday night gets a little awkwardly cramped. read more

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Happy our experience at Merchant was as wonderful as usual. We had friends from out of town visiting and wanted to show off Madison's food scene. Cocktails were top notch as was the wine I chose with my meal. I chose the squash risotto which was excellent, even better than expected. Our table of 8 enjoyed the cheese curds and everyone loved their entrees, including the whitefish, chorizo verde and fried chicken sandwich. The desserts were delicious and our gluten and dairy intolerant guest was thrilled with the chocolate brownie dessert, as was the rest of the table. A great success all around. read more

This was a great place to catch a drink. The menu was a bit small for our liking but it was a great atmosphere with a very attentive bartender. Would recommend to friends. read more

Merchant - Peach Sage Smash. - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I have been going to merchant for all years of my college experience! Dare I say the best charcuterie in madison! It is a must try!

The drinks here have really gone downhill and sadly the prices haven't. Came here with three others last night; staff was rude and aloof despite the fact it was dead and not one of us liked our drinks. I don't think I've ever had a worse dirty martini. It's a cute space but I'd go elsewhere for a craft cocktail. read more

First time here, and it was just okay... I was disappointed they only had the brunch menu available and it was almost mid afternoon, so I wasn't looking for what I ended up ordering. I had the breakfast burrito, and it was okay. It was more cheddar queso flavor and lacked the spiciness I hopped for. Service was decent overall. With that said, I'll consider trying here again at some point. read more

Merchant - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

We visited Merchant for dinner with out of state friends on Saturday, November 12. We found several things disappointing: service was very slow even though there appeared to be plenty of staff around, two people ordered Steak Frites and both found the steaks to be too tough to eat, the fries first served were cold (a fresh order was brought out), the music was very loud making it difficult to converse. Had we had a better experience we wouldn't have minded the price, but feel that it was not worth it that evening. We'd eaten at Merchant in past years and really liked it, but probably won't be returning. read more

Boring menu yet tries to pretend it's a hot. Everything is the same you can get anywhere.

Merchant is always great. Came here for a late brunch yesterday. My boyfriend and i shared the meat/cheese board small plate. This was great! He had the Merchant omelette with a bloody and I had the chicken fried sandwich. All were great, and recommendable. We asked the waitress at the end of our meal to box up the meat tray. She was fantastic and gave us extra mustard, jams, honey and Madison Sourdough bread slices! We re-created the board later at home :). read more

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