bangin drink. bartenders dylan, jack, and lauren were remarkable. quick service, did everything we asked, best martini i've ever had! read more

Merchant Tavern - merchant egg nogg and copy cat... bangin. bartenders dylan, jack, and lauren were fantastic. - Gastropubs Near Me - Akron, Ohio

Great food, especially the bolognese. Only issue is the place can be very loud, making it difficult to hear conversation. Solution, sit outside when available read more

Wow, the food is great. For once if it is spicy hot, it is. No regrets ordering it. Hot chicken sandwich and Hell Fire burger. Creole bowl was delicious Emily was a great and fun server. Restaurant is connected with Tow Path distillery and interesting to see. The bar is nice. Going back to checkout the other menu items. read more

We made reservations for the Merchant Tavern for my wife's birthday. To start with the hostesses in the greeting area looked like they were in crisis mode the whole time and were aggravated that people were coming in to be seated. After a 5 minute wait we were seated in the outer covered porch area in between two door openings so our view of everything was completely blocked by a wall pillar. There should absolutely not be table situated there. Next...the food was definitely sub par. Ordered a burger cooked to medium and was served a burger that was barley even cooked to rare...all red, cold and mushy. My wife got the Salmon BLT and the Salmon was way too salty with whatever spice they loaded on to it. Very strong fishy taste to the Salmon also. Ordered two cocktails. Hers was good mine was not. Mine tasted like a horrid whiskey sour you would be served bar hopping in Akron at the Splash in the 80's. Our server was very prompt and polite. She did a great job and was the only positive part of our experience. Very loud inside but if you like that type of atmosphere it's OK I guess. Definitely won't be going back. read more

Went here for dinner and drinks. Good food and nice beer selection. Got the liquor sampler as well which was great. Good service even though it was busy. Very nice staff and interior. Will be back! read more

Great place to eat! Food is excellent! Service is fantastic! Our server Rachel was the best! She was so friendly and had excellent knowledge of the menu! Food was brought out hot and on time! If you are looking for good food, and a well run restaurant, come to the Merchant Tavern! read more

Great spot !! Good service and drinks are diverse as well as high level local drafts. The ambiance was welcoming and rustic. read more

Five stars based on quick service from bartender and the way she handles the bar. Also, the other guests at the bar who purchased food smelled really delicious. read more

So good. I had the Thai mussels and my friend had the shrimp and Gouda grits. Everything was delicious. Our server was attentive without being overbearing. For dessert we had the toasted angel food cake with their in house chocolate sauce. Original recipe from the wine merchant restaurant that we frequented years ago. All I can say is. BRAVO!! We will return. Do yourself a favor and go. Save room for the cake. read more

The pork chop and mashed potatoes were the best I have had in Akron. Fantastic! I would highly recommend. The service was excellent. The ambiance was nice and enjoyable. read more

Merchant Tavern - Pork Chop and mashed potatoes....so tasty! - Gastropubs Near Me - Akron, Ohio

Stellar Food, Stellar service, Very clean warm and comforting atmosphere, Stiff tasty drinks not sloppy. I would literally invite the Pope to have lunch or dinner here read more

Absolutely fantastic!!! There isn't a negative to this experience. Great atmosphere, fantastic food and outstanding staff! We did have to wait a bit to get seated but completely worth the short wait. The steak fondue appetizer was crazy good and from a salmon junkie, hands down best ever!! Can't wait to go back. read more

Merchant Tavern - Maple Bourbon Apple Baked Salmon - Gastropubs Near Me - Akron, Ohio

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Great food, the drinks are great and the staff is phenomenal!!!!! The manager actually comes to your table and checks on you, and each customer you will see smiling and having a great time!! read more

Have you ever went someplace, and even though you went into it knowing that the food was going to be good, there's just a dish, a special dish, that just transforms into something... transcendent? That's the way I felt about the Bavarian pretzel at the Merchant Tavern. Served with a whole grain mustard and fontina cheese sauce, this thing is epic! Light, crisp and yet doughy... salty, sweet... I can't say enough about the play of the vinegary tang you get from dipping into the mustard, the unctuous cheese sauce... the flaky salt, and the interaction between that and the soft, yeasty, chewy, tum that is the pretzel itself.... my mouth is watering just typing it up! They also have great burgers,(perfectly cooked btw) the Mel steak sandwich is delicious (ask for a side of the amazing, amazing garlic aioli, it truly makes the sandwich!), fresh cut but crispy fries... really nice cocktails and beer selection. Wow! What a great place! read more

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Always enjoy coming to the Merchant! They have a large cocktail menu, with really great drink options. Their food menu is great because it isn't just regular bar food. They have meals that are whole food options and cooked pretty well. Love the atmosphere there. They have a beautiful round bar top. Service is great. All around a nice spot! Highly recommend:) read more

Finally got to try this place out after years of driving by and wanting to go. It's so cute and casual inside and has a comfortable atmosphere. You can actually see the Towpath still through glass windows from inside the restaurant which is pretty cool. The staff is friendly and service was efficient. The drinks were great and decently priced. Between the four of us, we got a good assortment of food and drinks. Some of their bar pours were a little pricey depending on what you got. Food-wise, we got the nachos and poutine. Both were very good, not great, but very good. I loved that they made their own chips for the nachos. Our entrees were good- the shrimp and grits were overly seasoned with Cajun spice. The Mel's steak sandwich was good, but the ciabatta is a very poor choice for this type of sando. The hot chicken sandwich was good, but very over sauced. Food came out quick and all of it was pretty good. Overall, we had a lot of fun and enjoyed eating here. I'd definitely come again and try other things from the menu cause I wasn't in love with what I had. But it's a super cute place and I would recommend giving it a try. read more

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Atmosphere: The place looks very cozy and nice. Nice decor minus the "Steak and Lobster" sign which I saw neither of except for steak over fondue on the appetizer list. (Then again, we were ordering off the lunch menu so maybe they have it on the dinner menu)? The last two reviews I posted in the last week and half, I RAVED about the service and the food left something to be desired. This was the exact opposite. Our waiter, Dustin, left something to be desired. He was nice enough, sure. But he checked up on us to get our drinks (had to ask for straws), then to tell us we had to order in the next 3 minutes for it to be from the lunch menu (3:30) which would have been nice to know as we were seated at 3:10 because we typically like to enjoy our appetizers before ordering dinner. he asked us how our appetizers were in which we replied "well, the pretzel was good" indicating that the other appetizer was not but asked as he was walking by and just smiled and kept walking. And then after a runner took away our empty pretzel plate is when we just had to ask for the calamari to be taken away. Next time he checked up on us was when we were about done with our main meals and I had asked for boxes. He said he would get them shortly. About 20 minutes later while my fiancé while we were already done and waiting, he then asked us "ready for boxes?". ...um .... Yes. ‍‍ I think he was admittedly preoccupied with a big table of multiple children and adults (who by the way left their dog in their car while they went out to a restaurant). Which brings me to the... Food: for appetizers, we got the Bavarian pretzel and cheese. The pretzel was absolutely delicious. The cheese had good flavor but was a weird gritty texture. Still good enough to eat it all though. We also got the calamari. It was pretty horrible. They were just super pale and rubbery/chewy. As you could see above, we sent it back. When Dustin took our order, I was especially concerned because Kayla ordered the hell fire burger but had modified it somewhat and I did a build your own burger and he wasn't writing anything down. I was SURE he was going to bring us burgers that were not at all what we ordered or missing things. I should apparently have more faith because the burgers were absolutely perfection. Perfect medium, bacon nice and extra crispy (as we asked) and not missing a single thing. Kayla and I loved our burgers and still have half of them to enjoy tonight as a snack and still left full to the brim. We definitely had to change into pajama pants as soon as we arrived home and Kayla is in a food coma nap as we speak. Overall, great food but could have had a little better service. We will most definitely return. read more

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Food was below average as was service Wine was expensive small pour cheap wine Overcooked burger soggy fries won't be back Plus was told we needed to leave table after 1.5 hours. Only positive was you save money on the tip read more

Pork chop was great flavor, very juicy and nice char, it was very enjoyable! I would highly recommend this or the roasted half chicken. read more

Merchant Tavern - Pork Chop - Gastropubs Near Me - Akron, Ohio

Love this place! Great food. Great service. Extensive menu. And they were able to make me a tasty mocktail. Only about 10% of restaurants in the entire Midwest can make a decent mocktail. Kudos. read more

Used to love this place, food quality is good However since distillery put in and redesign you can't hear the person next to you Sat at table for 5 early on weeknight and it was so noisy it detracted from dinner. What a shame. Had party and they charge for cake plates for outside cake Service was ok read more

First time here-- the food was very basic. My partner and I were pretty disappointed. I ordered a burger and it did not have much flavor. My partner ordered the chicken Philly and the chicken was very dry and it was bland. We ordered nachos as our appetizer and they didn't come with tortilla chips but rather homemade potato chips which were very soggy after a few minutes of us eating them. We won't be returning. read more

Merchant Tavern - Truffle Burger - Gastropubs Near Me - Akron, Ohio

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For parties of 6 or more they want a $$ amount per person hold the reservation, even if the party includes children. Or a smart-alevk response like : you can stand in line and wait for a table. read more

Been eating at the Merchant for years and I ALWAYS recommend to friends as well as bring out of town guests, but the last few times it has been an overall unpleasant experience on many levels. Last night was the nail in the coffin for us, don't think I am willing to give them another chance. It was a packed Tuesday night, we brought our out of town guests (table of 5) for a relaxing dinner. Was told it would be a 10 minute wait, it turned out to be 40 minutes. The dining area where we were told we could wait was EXTREMELY loud, which would have been okay for 10 minutes but not 40. Took a long time to just get water once we were seated. My husband asked to substitute vegetables for the mashed potato on the pork chop dinner and was told there would be an added charge to do that, which in all the years we've been doing that simple exchange, we have never been charged extra. Our waitress looked at him like had made an outlandish request. Service was slow, our waitress was inexperienced and worst of all, the food was so over salted that it was either inedible or nearly so depending on the dish. I had added calamari to my salad and not only was it overly cooked and dry, it was literally the saltiest thing I have ever eaten. It tasted like the cook used salt instead of flour to bread it. It was so bad that I told the waitress it was inedible and I'd like it taken off my bill and without even apologizing she informed me that she'd have to talk to her manager about that. Very rude. Everyone at the table then told me that their food was over salted too. When you spend well over $200 on a dinner, you expect at last one aspect of your experience to be satisfactory. When you bring out of town guests to what you expect will be a dinner they will be impressed with and you also wait 40 minutes for that dinner, are served nearly inedible food by an indifferent, bordering on rude server and on top of it pay a hefty price for that experience, you tend to not come back. After years and years, this restaurant has sadly disappointed me one too many times recently, so I am done spending my hard earned money here. read more

Excellent place to go. Food is consistently delicious. Never had anything here that wasn't delicious. The salmon is amazing and I don't even like salmon. Steak is always cooked to perfection. Chicken tenders are the best everrrr. Not on menu so you have to ask for them. The drinks are good! They have the best "Old Fashioned" I've ever had. Service is always great. Atmosphere is inviting and nice with a mature and diverse crowd. Everyone will feel welcomed. There is just nothing bad I can say about this place. My favorite place to go. Definitely a gem in Akron. read more

Expected a pub style experience. They knocked it out of the park. Started with beet salads and Manhattan clam chowder a large selection of beers and wines to choose from. Our meals were catfish and chips, country fried pork tenderloin (that days special) another large bowl of Manhattan clam chowder. The fries that came with the meals were I am sure were cut and fried on premises. The chef and owner must be in complete agreement on what is served. There is love in this food. Servers were friendly, helpful and prompt. Looking forward to a return trip if I am am ever in that area again. read more

This was my first time at Merchant Tavern. They have a very nice inside and outdoor seating area. The menu has a rotating beer menu and they offer beer, wine, and cocktails. I'm not sure how often the food menu changes but they had some very nice options on the menu. We got the seafood hush puppies- it contained shrimp, lobster and another piece of fish. They large sized hush puppies but small pieces of fish. They were hot and tasted yummy. And it was $5 off your burger on a Tuesday so we got burgers and both were happy with them. They have some unique style burgers or create your own. Waitress was very nice and quick. Prices were average. Open lot parking. Near a cigar place and r.Shea brewing so some other places to stop in at if the night doesn't want to end with dinner. read more

Awful experience from start to finish, slow and unenthusiastic service, subpar food with insane prices, and despite our reservations we were given the worst table in the place on a much needed child free "date night" that we had planned for weeks. So disappointing. We asked to switch to a better table out of the main foot traffic area and were told that the other tables were reserved, which was hard to swallow because we too reserved a table in advance at an early time slot with our reservation but apparently that didn't matter. We were looking forward to trying someplace new and having a nice relaxing dinner for our Valentine's Day date night but it was anything but that. Pretty much a waste of time and money and we will never be back and will never recommend this place to anyone. read more

The quality of service is very lacking. Our dinner took over an hour to be served. This was between 7-8 pm on a Wednesday.

For the last few years of coming here, I can say that I've never been disappointed. The Merchant has some truly amazing dishes, that you would never expect given it's humble location (and prices). Seriously, their menu has some honestly inspired dishes that I would normally expect to pay double their price for in a more upscale restaurant. I love how the Merchant does this while maintaining it's down to earth "Gastro-pub" feel. This is definitely the place to go to experiment a bit and expand your palate in a safe environment. The specials are always well thought out, and the standard dishes manage to introduce you to new expressions of old favorites. I'm a particular fan of their take on a wedge salad, using romaine instead of iceburg, and creating a fabulous wedge salad-taco creation (you'll have to see it). The Salmon dinner is amazing, as are most of their dishes. Their appetizers are well made and unique, lending to a great tapas style experience. If you're more grounded, and just want something simple with your craft brews, then rest assured, because the merchant has plenty of options for sandwiches, burgers, and other pub fare, with or without the "chef-treatment" as your mood requires. Check it out, it will be a great evening! read more

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Update: The mule is $10 and it's a mini mule cup. Don't play with me like that! Give me a regular size mule glass! I'd pay an extra dollar or two for a normal size mule, but $10 is a fair price for a regular size mule at most venues. This mini mule should be more like $8. It tastes great though so no complaints in that department. Wow this place is amazing!!!! I went here for dinner with friends on a Saturday night and it was excellent. They have several craft beers on tap, an awesome and affordable food menu, happy hour specials, fancy fun and affordable cocktails, TV's to catch the latest game, and a billiard section of the establishment. Let's just talk about the nachos! I lost my mind over the nachos! They were, without a doubt, the best nachos I have EVER had in my life. They are made with a homemade potato chip base and smothered in a creamy Parmesan cheese sauce, scallions, and BACON!!!!! They were so delicious that I was tempted to lick the plate! I also had the honey glazed salmon BLT and it was cooked to perfection. To drink I ordered a terrific cherry sour beer called Chariot and a pumpkin flavored mix-drink (its name escapes me). The sour was the best cherry flavored beer I have ever tasted and the mix-drink had just the right amount of alcohol. Everyone at the Merchant Tavern was on their game. Great waitstaff, bartenders, and hats of to the cooks! If you are looking for an awesome sports bar with food that will blow your mind,the Merchant Tavern is 10/10! read more

Great service and excellent food! You will not be disappointed in this little gem. If the weather allows, sit on the patio in the evening. Great atmosphere . read more

While waiting for our reservation, two women walked in without a reservation. They were told their were seats at the bar at which time my son said" we don't have a problem sitting in the bar if you want our table. The OWNER went nuts'! Literally yelling that that's not acceptable because people make reservations for a reason. My son apologized and said he was just trying to be nice. He then asked us to leave. HORRIBLE BUSINESS MAN ! read more

Cool place! We ordered the Calamari for an appetizer , the breading didn't have much flavor to it but the sauce drizzled on top along with the Roasted Red Pepper & Olive Relish made it very good. I had the Garlic Truffle Burger and it was one of the best burgers I've had in awhile. The burger itself was very juicy and cooked just right with plenty of toppings! The fries were soggy and could have went without. Overall a very good meal. read more

Merchant Tavern - Garlic Truffle Burger - Gastropubs Near Me - Akron, Ohio

The parking here is terrible - cramped, not nearly enough to support the seating and they offer valet but that really shouldn't even be a thing I have to worry about when I'm going to a dive-y burger joint. The menu has a wide variety of American food with a surprising amount of seafood options. Went here for a gals night - 5 in our party and about 1/2 through dinner it was so loud I couldn't hear anyone at our table. Most of the group ordered burgers which came out mostly right, just a few missing/incorrect toppings. Pricing was very fair at $10 starting to BYO burger. The had a very large beverage selection - someone in the party ordered the "chai me to the moon" it was basically a Manhattan - no special spices or anything that we could figure out. She barely got through 1/2 of it. Service was ok, atmosphere was ok, food was ok. Unlikely to return as there are tons of great options in the area. read more

Oh my goodness what a delightful find! Food and cocktails are superb. Great value for the high quality. Opens at 4 most days and packed at 5. A new fav for sure. read more

This is a great place to gather for conversation, apps, drinks and a darn good dinner in a beautiful setting- Merriman Valley. Tuesday burger night is where it's at with build your own burger to adding a side of fries for $1..where can you do that at the dinner hour except the child's menu at Mickey D's!!! The Amish chicken with mashed on the side is a standard and always good, as well as the philly steak sammy. Great beer selection! Service prompt. For local food with a trendy but cozy vibe don't miss it! read more

Our favorite place in the valley. Great food and nice servers. Specials are good too. Love the patio!

So glad we found this place! We stopped in kind of late on a Saturday night after catching a show at the Blossom music venue. We weren't looking for anything too high energy; just wanted to relax with our friends, have some food and a drink or two. The Merchant fit the bill perfectly. I cannot say enough good things about the bar staff...friendly, informative, and efficient. It was the perfect atmosphere and excellent level of service that I would expect from a well-run establishment like this. I was drinking Jack on the rocks, as usual, and my wife just about freaked out when she saw they had a Rose' wine flight. All in all, a great experience. I will be back. read more

Merchant Tavern - Yum - Gastropubs Near Me - Akron, Ohio

I've been here several times and have really enjoyed everything about my experiences. You can expect friendly, knowledgeable service; crafted cocktails and an expansive draft beer list; and lately, my favorite place to get a gourmet burger in Akron. The fries and chips are excellent, as are all of the appetizers I've tried (the recent fried artichoke special was especially good). This has become a new favorite in the past year, and I look forward to more visits. read more