Great bar food with an extensive menu of appetizers, sandwiches, salads, and wings. The food was super fresh and definitely worth the bit of wait. Potato skins were incredibly crispy and topped with savory bits of bacon and melted cheese. Wings were sauced nicely and had a great crispy texture. Beef on weck came with a side of horseradish which added a nice punch of flavor. Service was friendly and responsive, very relaxed vibe with seating indoors and outside. read more

Merchants Grill - potato skins - American Near Me - Rochester, New York

See all

This is a chicken ceasar wrap apparently - not a drop of dressing and maybe a few strips of chicken but great if you love to eat like a rabbit just having lettuce. Also got a buff chicken wrap that had no hot sauce in it, asked for ranch on the side and got blue cheese What a waste of money read more

Merchants Grill - "Chicken Ceasar wrap" - American Near Me - Rochester, New York

Typical bar food but very reasonably priced and they do have specials from time to time. Been here a couple of times, got a table once, the girl we had was so slow, she had no expression, looked like she did not want to be there at all. After that time, we always went to the bar, we've seen 2-3 different bartenders now, super nice, friendly and good vibe. We go on Mondays and have had the meatloaf twice now. read more

It is what it is and isn't hiding from it. A fun bar with bar food. Decent service and friendly folks. I can see myself coming back to experience more. read more

Merchants Grill - BLT Sandwich - American Near Me - Rochester, New York

Amazing staff....amazing wings....great local bar and grill. Staff was courteous and quick. The food is amazing...some of the best bar food around. Best wings in Rochester. Carol is an amazing bartender. Would recommend for anyone that wants to have a good time. read more

Merchants Grill - American Near Me - Rochester, New York

Never disappointed after dinner at the Merchants Grill. Our server was on point and we got beers and food fast. It's a little dark in there but prices and food are excellent. Definitely going back. read more

We've driven by here sooooo many times and finally stopped in - so glad we did! Easy parking, no steps, lots of TVs, lots of tables, high tops or booths. Kathy greeted us at the bar and took excellent care of us. My Cosmo was excellent and she left me the shaker cup with the "extra" - yum! Hubby's drink was also good - a nice double. I had the pulled pork sandwich with broccoli as a side. The bun was toasted, the meat was fresh and the broccoli had lots of butter - so good. Hubby's burger was cooked as he ordered (medium-well) and came with great fries. Lots of locals and regulars - definitely the bar where everyone knows your name - and it was immediately comfortable. We will be back and hopefully become regulars! read more

Merchants Grill - Pulled pork sandwich with broccoli - bite the Cosmo with "extra" - American Near Me - Rochester, New York

See all

Just a great neighborhood pub!! Friendly and great food,prices are reasonable too!! Rbe burgers and wings and soups are very tasty! Beer specials and food is delicious! Great first date to eat read more

I had the wings which were actually really good. They were crispy and had good flavor. My son had the double bacon and cheese burger which looked really good but fell apart quickly. The fries were good too. The bartender was also the waitress and did a great job of tending to everyone at the bar and still not letting everyone else feel forgotten about. It is a dive bar but had the perfect atmosphere for that kind of bar. The tables were a little sticky but were wiped down so that's just how they felt. Overall, I'd go back because the food was good and the staff was great. read more

Merchants Grill - Double Bacon Cheese - American Near Me - Rochester, New York

A little scared to write this review, as I want this hidden brunch gem to stay hidden (HA - just kidding, friends), but I MUST write about the great brunch experience I had at Merchants Grill this past Sunday! We had a large group that called ahead, and we were seated out at the back patio by their alleyway. It was a very causal ambiance (kind of reminds me of the back patio at Tap & Mallet) with kickass service from Mary - our server for the afternoon. The inside is fairly dive-y, but really spacious with table, booth, and bar seating. My breakfast wrap was delicious - perfectly grilled and filled with perfect mix of egg to veggie to cheese ratio. I sampled a fellow diner's chicken and waffles and WOW. Might have to do a serious caloric splurge and grab that the next time we're there for brunch. This spot is walkable from my house and I cannot wait to make a return visit. I can't believe I hadn't been before, and look forward to sampling more of the menu. read more

See all

This is such a cute local spot. Definitely felt like the local place to hang out. The service was great and the food is really above average. The portions and size are generous. The fried chicken was really good, crispy and moist with a nice sauce. read more

Merchants Grill - Southern Style Fried Chicken Sandwich - American Near Me - Rochester, New York

So I have been told this is the one of the best wing places in Rochester. I am very picky about my wings. I decided to try this place on Super Bowl Sunday, This may have been a bad idea. The wings we got were so tiny the wings we got were so dry it out and quite frankly they weren't all that cracked up to be what I have heard. This could've been because the Super Bowl but I don't know so I'm gonna have to order them again but as it stands giving them the benefit of the doubt I will give them a three read more

Merchants Grill - chicken wings in a styrofoam container - American Near Me - Rochester, New York

How have I never gone to merchants grill?! It's like 5 minutes away from our house in Irondequoit and the food and service was great! Convenient and delicious! We went for lunch and the bartender/server was friendly and quick. The food was delicious - we recommend the wings, loaded fries, Buffalo chicken wrap and mac and cheese bites. I can definitely see why this restaurant has been around for years. We will definitely be returning! read more

I ordered take out for lunch and ordered a basket of tater tots which was 8 dollars, as you can see from the photo you get almost NOTHING for that amount of money. I will say they taste very good, however, if I'm spending 8 dollars for a BASKET of tater tots I definitely expected more than that. That was quite disappointing this is more of a side read more

Merchants Grill - "Basket" Basket of Tater Tots - American Near Me - Rochester, New York

Great bar! Great wings. Cold beer. A lot of dudes named "Bob." But, they were good guys. read more

Merchants Grill is one of the staples in the Laurelton neighborhood. It's a dive bar with good food and a very casual atmosphere. Since it is close to home I frequently order takeout online if its getting late and I don't feel like cooking. My go-to items are the Reuben (I think it's genetic) and the Cuban sandwich. Rather than the typical grilled lunch meat that most places serve, the Reuben at Merchants Grill is made with thick slices of corned beef that seem like they were taken from someone's corned beef and cabbage dinner and put on a sandwich. Unfortunately, this also means that there is more variability between orders with some sandwiches melting in your mouth, and others being on the tougher side. The Merchant Burger (grilled onions, mushrooms, bacon, jalapenos, meat hot sauce, and choice of cheese) is also a pretty good entree if you are craving a garbage plate and a sandwich (mac/potato salad not included). Their chicken wings are also pretty good if that's what you are craving. Nice and crispy with a good selection of sauces from sweet to spicy. Definitely try their house sauce, a mixture of buffalo and Country Sweet, if you haven't had it before. read more

Our family planned a Xmas celebration at Merchant's Grill on January 6 for 15 people. I had made reservations, but when we arrived somehow no one knew we were coming. There was only one bartender/server (Brandi?) who could have been a bit put out, but she was so gracious and made our get together a lot of fun. Plus the food was great. read more

We stopped into Merchant's Grill on a Sunday to check out the brunch. We were looking for a spot that would mix diner type breakfast food and mimosas and based on the online menu Merchant's seemed like it would fit the bill, we were totally right! We stopped in around 11:30 am and took a seat at the bar, shortly after the bar quickly filled with regulars. The bartender was great and super friendly, she seemed to know most of the customers and was right there when we needed a drink refill. I had mimosas and my date had bloody marys. Both were well made and tasty. I had the Jack Fire french toast with maple syrup and my date had the eggs, home fries and toast. The potatoes were flavorful and the toast was a standout. The Jack Fire French Toast tasted like the french toast my mom makes and didn't have an overly cinnamon flavor. Each meal came with a mimosa and we had a few drinks each and breakfast for less than $35. The food was no frills, but there were plenty of choices and we will absolutely be back for brunch again in the near future. read more

Merchants Grill - Brunch time! - American Near Me - Rochester, New York

This the only bar&grill in 2023 still operating on covid time. How the NBA finals on , baseball on and the damn kitchen closed at 9pm and the bar closing at 10pm. Just don't open at all read more

Last year we had to walk out do to poor service....TWICE. After some music at Johnny's we came in to take a chance. Decent service today. Good fish fry and really good clam chowder. Not great to make this a regular stop but a big improvement. read more

stopped here 12/3/22 at 11:15 looking to grab some drinks. Hours said open til 2am on yelp and 11:30 on google. People inside but front door was locked. Blonde behind the bar saw us but refused to open the door. Was very disappointed after a long day. Could have quick had a few drinks and been on our way. Been long term patrons but will think twice about going here for a while. read more

A solid option for beer and fried food. The wings are good and cheap, and the bartenders are the sweetest ladies, always finishing off their comments with "here you go, honey" or "you got it, honey." The bf and I stopped in for our first visit after doing a walk around the neighborhood. I suggested we have a beer on the patio and he suggested we get food too. Of course, that's a yes. The space inside is bigger than I imagined. We went for the appetizer sampler ($12) and added on an order of six wings for $3 extra (med. buffalo). That comes with mozz sticks, potato skins, and chicken fingers. Straight up fried bar food and just what we were in the mood for. Obviously there's nothing extraordinary about the fried stuff, but the wings were good! I'm assuming deep fried for that crispy skin and the wing sauce was well done too -- just enough heat. Beers weren't bad either -- about ~$5. I sipped on 3HB. They had the usual suspects on tap plus Southern Tier, Great Lakes, and Sierra Nevada. Half price apps 4-7pm Mon-Thurs (if you buy a drink -- I'll be back for that and I'm super pumped to try their patty melt next time I swing in. read more

See all

The battered fish fry is one of the best I have ever had anywhere. So many places get it wrong. Other places overcook it and it dries out or the batter is greasy or uncooked but here? Perfect. The waitress today was cool, calm, and professional. She doesn't waste time, she just takes care of everything you may need. I can't say enough good things about this place. I don't know why I don't come here more often, now I will. This place may not look like much from the outside but wow, do they know how to take care of people here. The ladies room is beautiful. read more

My daughter and I went here for dinner. Our first time there. Truth be told, we were intending to go to the Winfield grill but they were closed on Monday. Merchants grille was close by so we went. We walked in and the sign said wait to be seated. Nobody was coming over to help us until some guy, don't know who he was. Bartender, owner, manager, I don't know. He said to go ahead and seat ourselves. So we sat in a booth. About 5 minutes go by until some woman came over. Se was very low energy and not very enthusiastic to be waiting on us. We ordered potato skins with cheese and bacon and sour cream. Not very good for the price. Needed a lot more cheese and bacon. They weren't very hot either. My daughter ordered a patty melt and I ordered a double bacon cheeseburger. The patty melt was a burger with cheddar cheese and grilled onions, mushrooms and Russian dressing on rye. My burger had 2 patties and swiss cheese with 4 slices of bacon with lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles ,mayo on what looked like a potato roll. I'd have to say that that was one of the tastiest burgers I have ever eaten, The patties were cooked to my liking. The bacon was not cooked to the crispy stage but still limp with the fat still on it. If that was the intention by the cook, then bravo! I loved how it all came together and the potato roll held it all together. Nothing was falling out. My daughter never had a patty melt and is not to keen on rye bread but wanted to try it. She really liked it. Very juicy burger and cheddar was well melted over everything. She said it could have used a little more Russian dressing. Both burgers came with french fries. They looked like they still had the skins on them and were thick not the thin crispy kind that I am not fond of. I really liked these fries. The prices were reasonable for the food we had, I wouldn't recommend the potato skins. It was kind of dark in there and most of the people in there were a the bar drinking. I would probably not go there again to eat in but I would definitely order that burger for take out. Service was slow but adequate. They were not very busy and I would hate to see how long it would take for our food if they were busy. Not a very good waitress. read more

Merchants Grill - Double bacon cheeseburger - American Near Me - Rochester, New York

See all

My review solely focuses on their wings. WOW. SUPER crunchy, super flavorful, with a side of Ken's Blue Cheese Dressing. Mmmm only the best! I don't have much else to say. It's definitely a divey bar sort of setting. Not too busy though, nice private booths. Great service. The ice water was very ice watery. The rest of the menu items sounded very delicious and I have heard great things about the pizzas. Whatever you do, just order yourself some wings. As long as you love super crunchy wings, you will love wings at Merchant's. read more

Merchants has been my favorite bar for many years now for several reasons. 1st of all it's a place that draws in such a diverse local crowd. I know that whenever I go to Merchants I am guaranteed lots of fun and laughs with good people. The servers and bartenders are exceptionally attentive, cheerful, and welcoming. The food is always on point. They are known for their wings but they have a very extensive menu including burgers, pizza, wraps, salads, and other typical bar grub. But back to the wings my favorite are the honey Cajun. They are packed with delicious flavor! There are also daily drink specials. Several big screen TVs so you can always catch any game you're looking to watch. There's a private room upstairs that you can rent out for parties. There's a great patio outback for summer months. It gets packed on Sundays during football season. It is also consistently busy on Friday nights throughout the year. Overall, Merchants is a place I make sure to patronize whenever I'm in Rochester. I totally recommend it to anyone who it looking for reasonable drinks, tasty food, and a good time! read more

I love this place especially because my daughter run the place great food great drinks and come in & HI to Kate

It's a Wednesday evening around 10pm and I just walked into the door to Merchants, opened the Yelp app, and I'm checking in to defend my dukedom, only to see the mediocre goldenrod three stars of its Yelp rating staring me in the face. I say to myself, "someday, I'll sit down and write my review so Merchants can get the props it deserves." Today, my friends, is that day. First, what I love about Merchants is its specials. As a value-conscious (*cough* cheap) adult beverage consumer, I appreciate that I can go in just about any night, even a Friday or Saturday, and get a pitcher of some generic lager for $6.50. Do I prefer an IPA or Brown Ale? Heck yes... but sometimes I'm in the mood for the domestic swill. My favorite night, though, are the beloved White Trash Wednesdays/Lady's Night/Karaoke Night. Good music, a good crowd of fellow folks from the neighborhood and, oh yeah, cheap beer. Yes, I know there's a hip place on South Ave. that serves up $1 PBRs, but Merchants will also give you $1 pint cans of the hometown brew: Genesee. Or, for the light beer crowd, $4 pitchers of Genny Light. And, for the few months of the year that the Genny Goat graces himself with his presence: $1 Genny Bock. This past Wednesday, I went there with a group of four friends and offered to buy a round. At many bars, this could set you back a cool twenty, but Merchants on Wednesday? $4 plus tip. The best White Trash Wednesdays, though, are during the summer time, where you can get a massive quarter-pound hot dog for only $1. So, dinner and drinks for less than $5. And, it's a 3 block walk from my apartment, so I burn off all of those nitrates, right? Another good Merchants special is on Sundays in the fall where you can get a large pepperoni pizza (and their pizza is absolutely excellent, with just the right amount a grease and a slightly sweet, tangy sauce), along with wings (available in a variety of flavors, including medium Country Sweet), and a pitcher of beer for under $20. It's a great way to spend a Sunday. So, you can tell I like this place. Why no 5th star? Well, Merchants has me so spoiled with their great drink prices that when I start to get hungry while there and look at a menu, I'm a bit disappointed to see average pub prices. They do have Taco Tuesday, where you can get 3 beef tacos for $3, but I want more. A wing night, maybe? Selected half price apps? I know, I know, Greg Y., you could easily take the money you save on drinks and buy regular food. Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't say how great the people here are. Bartenders and waitstaff are always friendly and personable and I never wait more than a couple of minutes to get my drinks... try getting that at that $1 PBR place on South Ave. Also, of course, Merchants also brings in a great crowd of people. No matter if you're there to watch a game or just shoot the shit, there's always someone to talk to. And with all the booths and tables, along with the room in the back and the tropical-themed patio outside, there's always a place to sit and talk with your friends. In fact, all this talk about Merchants has made me a little thirsty... read more

FISH FRY FRIDAY NIGHT! LoL! I just had to put that in for my friend Katie! I will admit that I didn't even want to get the fish BUT I was so glad that I did. Went with a friend from work, the fries were hot, the breading was crunchy, and the fish seasoned just right. One downfall the wait, which was easily overlooked when I tasted the fish! They hit it out the park for me, word of caution though it was a busy night. However, we did get fast service and the staff was excellent. I got two dinners one for me and one for my son but he wanted dim sum so the extra dinner turned into breakfast! So good! Enjoy! read more

Another epic night @Merchants Bar & Grill. Merchants has become one of out go to places for events, family and friend get togethers! The food is good, the staff is awesome and the friends have a good time. We had a birthday happy hour last night and it was a true happy hour! Staff, bar, food and friends perfect combination. Kudos to the staff! @Bar Tender, you were awesome we hope you had as much fun with us as we did with you! @Rachel, you are the best, we will definitely be booking again! Ann thank you for everything with out you would not have happened. We highly recommend Merchants Bar & Grill to friends and family! See you again soon! read more

This place was cool for what it was. Bar was crowded. I was hungry. I was originally around the corner for breakfast but the place was closing so they sent me here. I got the fried dough with powder and cinnamon and it was great. Rochester is a great place for fried dough and I could snack on this stuff all day. It was very greasy though but I am not even complaining. Ordered the Philly cheesesteak and got full after one half. The portion was heavy and the fries were really good. For the most part, I enjoyed the food. It was early and the service was decent for the hour it was. read more

Food here was delicious! We ordered it to go and everything turned out great - it was simple to order by phone and was done in a timely manner. We ordered the Southwest Philly Wrap and the Honey BBQ Chicken Melt - highly recommend both! read more

A really amazing place to get high quality Wings, so we'll cooked , crisp, well sauced and just amazing to eat and enjoy. We had the Medium Sauce, and the House Sauce(country sweet & wing hot sauce). One of my favorite flavors to have any place. read more

Merchants Grill - House wings - American Near Me - Rochester, New York

See all

What a horrible experience. It started off from the moment we tried ordering over the phone that the woman was incompetent. She said it would be 20-25 minutes and when we got there we knew we were a little early and she said it would be 5 minutes which was just fine. Then we ordered a beer. Oh my God people! It tasted like they hadn't cleaned the lines since they opened the place. It tasted so moldy. Then finally after being there 25 minutes we asked where the food was and If she had put the order in and it was sitting right there in the kitchen bagged up waiting for her to bring it to us. Mind you there were hardly any people there and and only one was sitting at a table with no food in front of them so clearly the neglect fell on the incompetence of the woman behind the bar. Thank goodness the wings were good but by then they were cold so none of it was worth it. read more

Most of my visits are after 9:00 PM for a couple of beverages and maybe some take-out food. Service is outstanding - no waiting forever like some of the trendy establishments around here. It can sometimes take a while for food to arrive because the place sometimes gets hammered by customers calling to place orders by phone. But it's worth the wait. It's been a long time since I was here during the dinner hour, and I recall some nice surprises, like a perfect salmon dinner with vegetable & potatoes for an unbelievably reasonable price. Might've been under $12, if I recall. So, it's worth a try for dinner. The Friday fish fry is outstanding. The kitchen takes orders until 12:45 AM. Edited 8/6/18: I've gotten wings to go from this place 3 times in the past few weeks and they sucked. Not very meaty, too much fried coating or who-knows-what. Not only that, but a "dozen" now equals 10 wings and the price went up. Now I understand why my son and his crew go to Jeremiah's on Monroe when they want great wings. On a positive note, the burgers and wraps are great and the pizza is better than you'd expect in a bar where that's not their specialty. read more

Nice place, great food, lots of selection on menu and great prices! I had grilled chicken salad and it was awesome. Ribeye steak was great too! Thai shrimp appetizer was amazingly good! My favorite place now! Will be a regular since I get Delta Skydining miles there also! read more

We ordered some takeout today, the food was good but I want to talk about the onion rings. Probably the best bar/restaurant onion rings I have had in a long time. They coated large rings of onions with a tempura style batter. Perfectly fried with a hint of some spice in the batter. Sorry, no picture, we ate them too quickly. read more

House wings are the best wings. GET THE HOUSE SAUCE. (Sorry, just do it.) We're usually drinkers, not eaters here, but after discovering their wings.. that will change. Didn't even have to order them crispy-- they come that way. However, three pieces of celery is just stingy for a 16 piece order of wings. The drinks are cheap, the wings, the darts, and the non-pretentious North Winton Village crew. Yes. read more

Myself and a group of friends attempted to dine, drink, and hang at Merchants last night. We picked an empty table and waited for service, after about 10 mins, I went to the bar to see if we could get some help. I requested a TV channel change to a live sporting event, instead of watching NFL network reruns, and requested a server for our table. The bar tender notified me that a server would be over shortly to wait on us, and that she wasn't sure she could accommodate the TV request. So I returned to the table and notified the group, we waited for another 20 mins. My fiancé, growing impatient and irritated, talked to a separate bar tender and she asked if we needed menus - after submitting a menu request, she never returned. All in all, after about 45 mins in this bar, our group of 7 never had the opportunity to order a drink or food and did not feel welcome at all. We eventually left and won't be returning. read more

Today we ate and watched the Bills Game at Merchants Grill. We had a bit of a miscommunication about the room and buffet for the game. The owner John and our waitress Mary went out of their way to rectify the error and make sure we were well taken care of. The food was terrific and the service and kindness of the staff was something we have not experienced in a long time. We will be returning. read more