Someone told me that Charles Barkley said Merrick Inn had the BEST fried chicken. I had that dish as well. We had a great time at Merrick In. We had 3 appetizers and we also had Cheese. We were planning to go to Panda Cuisine after this, but we all got too full. Gonna try again soon. I also learned about eating the skin on a baked potato when I ate here. Never heard that you could do that before. But this news was welcome because it meant more potato to enjoy! Got some bread puddin to top it all off. There were a lot of jokes and stories told. My one friend loves telling the story of A&W from undergrad. When we went to Kroger and got lost with all our bags of food. Those plastic bags were snapping left and right. Everyone had a giggle at that one. Then we debated the best way to make banana puddin. One guy said something about putting creamed cheese in it. That was Cheese. He also uses Lorna Doone cookies in it. Huh? Our other friend ordered "stewed tomatoes." All in all, I would rate this experience relatively highly. Some people criticize me for "handing out" 5-star reviews on here, but it is not true. Check my profile. I'm hard to please. But Merrick in was my pleasure. I'd come here again and stuff. I guess you could say I gave this place one star for every guy in our party. We're all 5-star guys for the most part, but we'll donate those stars to Merick Inn, giving them my first 5-Star review since I don't know when! read more

Merrick Inn - Merrick Inn's Bread Pudding - New American Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

I can't believe I have never been here. I heard so many great things about this place. We booked a last minute reservation for 4 tonight. We arrived 30 minutes early and got seated immediately. Our group started with the Fried Green Tomatoes and they were fantastic. I had the Southern Fried Chicken with Southern Green Beans and Heirloom Carrots. My wife had the Beef Medallions with Asparagus, Stewed Tomatoes and Heirloom Carrots. Our friends had the Halibut Special with Stewed Tomatoes and the Iceberg Wedge with a loaded Baked Potato. For cocktails I had the New Old Fashioned. This place has a cool history and I am glad to have experience. Very eclectic decor and vibe. Next time, we would like to enjoy the outside bar/patio area. read more

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This place is so fun and cute on the inside! It's definitely unique and we really liked the wall paper. The service was great! Our server always made sure we were taken care of. We were in a large group and each one of us liked our food. Some people in our group said the fish they got here was some of the best cooked fish they ever had. The drinks were good and so were the lamb chops read more

Merrick Inn - Lamb Chops - New American Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

One of my favorite brunch spots and best happy hours in Lexington. They have a great patio for the summer with so many delicious cocktails and food options. I've never had a bad experience or meal here. Great servers and cute vibes. read more

The food was great, cocktails were great and the server dealt with 12 of us with patience and care. It was the perfect retro vibe for a birthday or anniversary meal, and is a great place to watch a horse race. read more

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Highly recommend and very disappointing! Staff was overwhelmed. Ran out of martini glasses, had to wait for drinks. No baked potatoes unless we waited half an hour. Dinner took 70 minutes to come out and all tables had baked potatoes but us. Some food prepared incorrectly and some came out late. Management laughed at us after they told us the one dinner would be taken off and then they said they couldn't do that! After 30 minutes of arguing they did finally take the one meal off. Fried chicken did not live up to expectation! read more

We had an amazing dinner. We were waited on by Casey and she was amazing. So attentive and helpful and constantly checked on us to make sure we were ok. The food was delicious, the service was stellar...pretty much exactly what you would want when looking for a good restaurant. If we are ever back in Lexington I will absolutely be back. read more

Not our first visit. My wife says the pork tenderloin is one of the best things she has eaten. Decided to try the "famous " fried chicken. It was quite a disappointment. Too much breading, too salty and once I finally found chicken it was all dried out and unappetizing. Best could be said is it was edible. Must have been an off night. If you are going to hype something on your menu, it should be more consistent. read more

Holy wow. This place was 1000000 better than I expected. We ordered the southern fried chicken and it was the most juicy, crispy, flavorful, and scrumptious chicken I have ever had in my life. And I'm no stranger. The sides were so tasty. Although the corn pudding was a bit off, but I'm a texture person. The wine, phenomenal, the old fashioned? Even better. Everything about this meal was great and just delicious. Didn't feel bloated after, very filling. And the fact that this is a historic property that was established before the Civil War was even cooler. Absolutely breathtaking 100% recommend. It is a bit on the pricier side so just be mindful of that but if you're willing to drop some money on good food, this is the place to do it. The service was wonderful and they were on top of everything. Checking in, making sure we had what we needed. Overall an exceptional dining experience. read more

Merrick Inn - Fried chicken.asparagus, wine and old fashioned. - New American Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

One of our favorite places in Lexington. The ham salad with the fried green tomatoes is so delicious. This visit we sat in the old bar area and Sandy was, as usual, a great server. She's a a delight. The prime rib on Friday and Saturday night is fantastic. read more

Usually I am not the biggest dan of Merrick Inn, but this recent visit was very good. I had the Mediterranean chicken, and the tomato caper salsa with balsamic was so delicious! The porch was lovely, as was our host. read more

My children hosted a surprise anniversary party in the private room for my wife and i. The environment was a place of elegance and amazing appeal for our 50 years of marriage. The service for 25 people was consistent, continuous, and above board! Oh, and the food... with a very varied menu, was exceptional. Over the years we have dined at Merrick from time to time and I must say, it never fails the palate. Kudos to Merrick Inn... it never fails! read more

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Great place to have dinner with friends. Food was so awesome Loved my Filet. Some had fish and a couple had lamb. All good. Will be back

Went for restaurant week. Ordered separate appetizer of fried banana peppers that I've always liked but seemed to have a different batter than I remember. For the restaurant week meal, Caprese appetizer was decent but not something I'd order again due to lack of flavor. The strip steak, however, was a large 14oz steak and was cooked very well and had a lot of flavor and the French fries with it were good because were house cut which are my fave. The chocolate bread pudding was outstanding. It would have been unbelievably good if it had a scoop of vanilla ice cream with it but overall a very good meal. Nothing beats the patio under the fans in the summer at Merrick which provides a great atmosphere. Service was good and very quick also read more

I can't say enough amazing things about Merrick Inn. Overall an incredible experience! The food was absolutely fantastic! The presentation was beautiful of the dishes, the whole place was absolutely beautiful. What an amazing place to dine for any occasion. The patio and bar area was so big and also beautiful! Our server was also amazing. I have never had such amazing service in my life. We were celebrating my mom's birthday and I am very glad we chose Merrick inn for her celebration! read more

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We were ordering course after course and Trevor held it down. Excellent service!!! We could've have foreseen such exceptional service. 11/10. read more

This place is such a gem. From the ambience to the service to the food to the drinks. Everything was amazing. The best calamari we've ever had. Best chicken parm. The sea bass was wonderful. We loved the hot brown. The fried chicken was great. Even the lemon basil salad was fantastic. Highly recommend. read more

Visited this place recently for the first time in about 10 years. The server was super friendly and gave us some great recommendations. The halibut was amazing and the carrot cake was excellent. read more

The best part: the service! Sandy was the sweetest waitress, so very personable and attentive. The restaurant is cute, the decor is interesting and includes lots of drinking monkeys. The restaurant and tables are clean! The parking lot was just about full when arriving on a weekday night with reservations. Not ideal, but oh well, we move on. Half of the table found their meal to be average. I ordered the Italian pasta, which had beautifully crusted and cooked chicken, but the overall dish was lacking to me. The champagne sauce needed something due to its almost tanginess, which the bruschetta helped with, but I didn't taste any balsamic or other complimentary flavor. I didn't enjoy the sweet potatoes and found the rolls to be okay. The asparagus was great, although I do prefer it charred. The carrots were my favorite dish! The peanut butter pie was good, nothing to rave about. And the blueberry bread pudding was great flavor-wise, but was terribly sweet. Overall, everything was good. But at the prices I'm looking for more than good. I won't return unless my company wants to. Not a place that feels very accommodating to young families and not an ideal place to breastfeed. read more

Merrick Inn - Sweet potato and asparagus - New American Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

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We had a party room with 20 people, and Trevor was our server. The food was excellent, and our service was even better. Trevor was very helpful with any request and took great care of our party. I can only hope that next time we are graced with Trevor's service again. He ensured our food was as excellent as his service. read more

Merrick Inn is the perfect spot if you're looking for a cozy yet elevated dinner spot. The service is attentive, the cocktails are creative, and the food is amazing! We loved the crab shrimp nachos!!! read more

This was my Dads favorite spot. We were in town for a wedding and dropped in for brunch on a beautiful Saturday morning. We shared the smoked maple bacon. We both had the Lansdowne breakfast with two eggs, choice of meat, English muffin and breakfast potatoes. The smoked bacon was really good with a little kick to it. We enjoyed remembering several fun family dinners here Many years ago. Food and service are still very good read more

A friend and I visited the patio at Merrick on July 23, 2025. Due to the extreme heat and early Happy Hour timing, only one table was occupied when we arrived. We chose to sit at the bar specifically because a fan was circulating the air there. After we settled in, a group of six arrived and requested the fan be turned toward their table. Without checking with us first, the waiter turned the fan away from us, which felt inconsiderate given the circumstances. On a positive note, the grouper fingers appetizer was delicious, as always, and the bartender provided excellent service once he arrived, although we did wait almost 10 minutes initially. read more

Elegant ambiance, genteel service, expertly crafted food (chef food, not cook food), moderately high prices, but worth it (a bit like Jack Fry's in Louisville). Hearty portions, generous pours, stylish presentation. Cannot recommend more highly. Don't come in a hurry, you'll want to relax and savor. Reservations recommended. Highlight, beautifully done grouper fingers appetizer (I had as meal with Green Goddess salad--impeccable!) read more

Food is great , Chase the manager is anything but.... Had a 20 person party that gets together annually for a Christmas gathering. Planned well in advance. Spent over a few thousand on our meal. Was only provided 1 server for the whole group. Had triple checked with the event manager that it was ok for drink and meal checks to be split between couples and had emails to confirm our conversations. We were then told there was an issue with that and made to feel as if it were our problem. It ended up taking over an hour to finally get all of our credit cards back. Not to mention during that hour the restaurant had already closed and we were the only guests left. Many of us had baby sitters therefore had to ask them to stay later due to the delay. We had to ask 3 times to speak to the Manager Chase before he showed his face. Were told he was upstairs counting money. Excuses were given about the miscommunication and they were "under new management". Not once did Chase come to address our entire party and offer an apology for the delay or acknowledge the inconvenience. As we waited for an hour or on our cards no one checked to see if we needed anything during the wait. Again making it out to feel as if we were an inconvenience on the staff. As great as the food is here, this left a horrible taste and definitely not how the Murrays would have run things. read more

Fried chicken was amazing great environment very relaxed. The golden hour cocktail was fantastic I highly recommend. Matthew at the bar did a great job, great service. read more

We went for Mother's Day brunch. I was very disappointed. The food was not great. Mediocre at best. Answer this question, why servers refuse to pre bus a table before you pay. And hey Chef, have you ever heard gluten free? Prices just keep going up, and quality goes the other way. Probably won't be back for brunch. It sort of felt like they didn't really want to do brunch at all. Too bad, great atmosphere. I suspect there is not great leadership in the kitchen. read more

Service is impeccable. Food and Drinks, excellent, portions are spot on. Highly recommend

Very poor dining experience from someone who has been to Merrick close to 50 times,,30 minutes to get waters , iced tea an 1 drink,, didn't make the food before walking out,, All while No One seemed to care with less than half tables on Patio were even being occupped. That should tell you something!! read more

Just amazing, as Always! The calamari is top notch, we had that with an app as well as the ribs. Our server told us the ribs are so popular, the employees can only order them on their day off. Not the best, but super sticky and tasty, Test of the crew had a flounder special, steak, fried chicken is always a favorite... corn pudding is amazing g, green beans are great, don't believe previous reviews. Seasonal cocktails were on point. Highly recommend read more

This was our first time here. First and foremost, Sandy is a national treasure. She truly made the difference between a good anniversary and a great and memorable anniversary. We were seated promptly in a location of our initial request however, a party of 12 was next to us and was very loud. We asked to be seated somewhere quieter and our request was completed immediately. The bar area was quiet, cozy, fun, and had a nice fire and perfect vibe. Our appetizers were the makers mark shrimp and calamari. Both were fresh, hot, balanced with fat, salt, acid, and textures. Portion sizes were larger than expected so we had half of each boxed up. Bread service was nice, the butter was actually soft and not crammed in a ramekin, the variety of bread types was nice and out of the norm. I ordered the fried chicken with asparagus and house salad with champagne vinaigrette. The fried chicken was incredibly tender, juicy, had the right amount of crisp in the breading and wasn't greasy or off putting in any way, I particularly enjoyed the crispy thigh skin, the portion was quite large. The roasted asparagus with hollandaise was perfect, I dislike hollandaise and it was to die for, truly a delicious paring. The house salad was good and the champagne vinaigrette was unique, acidic, herby, crisp, and delicious. I was very pleased it came with no cheese or arugula and had fresh red onions and cucumbers in it, somebody knows their salads. My wife got the hot brown with loaded baked potato and corn pudding. The baked potato looked perfect, she loved it, she never eats the skin and she enjoyed it due to its perfect crispiness and saltiness. The corn pudding was better than my grandmas and moms (of the 606), enough said. The hot brown: boy was it massive, basically twice the size of a normal one. The béchamel was top tier, better than the Brown Hotel and Galt House. It was not overly salty, cheesy, greasy or soggy. My wife thought it was too peppery, but once she paired her bites with the tomato's, their acidity helped make the dish less heavy and tamed the pepper, no complaints. For drinks we had the pear sage martini, the pecan pie old fashioned, the cider gin sour, and the cranberry spiced mule. The pear sage martini was the best, unique, and just overall pleasurable. All the drinks had a fun fall/winter vibe and were top notch. The desert was a blondie with caramel and vanilla ice cream. I haven't had a blondie brownie in years. It was far better than any chocolate, the caramel paired perfectly with it and the ice cream, which was perfect temp and consistency by the way. The ice cream would've been amazing on its own, the real vanilla beans shined through and was nice to see. This was our best anniversary yet and Sandy is what made that the final decision. Would I rank them over Jeff Ruby's? Absolutely. Tony's? No doubt. Malones? Yes. Coles 735? Yes. Carson's? All day any day. Eppings? Definitely. Tulip pub and bistro? Yup. I would say local feed is a close second, but the environment, service, and drinks beat them. read more

Hadn't been to Merrick since last fall but it certainly isn't the quality it once was when the Murray's ran it. Not busy but service was non existent and food quality was disgusting. 6 of us ordered an array of expensive ($15 to $25) appetizers. They were full of grease, small qualities,and the ones with seafood had no visible signs of shellfish. We cut our loses after this and left hungry. Sad as we visited this restaurant often over decades and it was always a treat! They should change the name as it's currently nothing like the Merrick Inn we all loved for so many years. read more

Merrick Inn - Seafood nachos no one would eat! - New American Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

Went here for a birthday dinner. The service was great; the food was about average, especially for the price point. I'm glad we tried it; the ambiance is nice for a family gathering. read more

Fantastic spot for celebrations. The interior creates a classy cozy and formal/upscale environment, with fantastic service throughout the experience. From the valet to the meal service, everybody is friendly and efficient. The food is packed with flavor in classical American dishes. Pricing is definitely on the higher end, but still fair given the experience. Would definitely recommend and would return for any future celebrations. read more

The old man at the host stand did not even greet us or smile when we walked up. Told us to go to the host at the Patio and just pointed the direction, as it was our first time and we didn't know where it was. He did not even bother to walk a few steps towards the door. The server was okay, not very attentive as she looked a bit overwhelmed, even though she didn't really have that many tables. Then the food. My husband's steak was so overcooked, even though he ordered medium. Unacceptable! There were two small steaks, 2 eggs, and a few pcs of roasted potatoes for $32. Then their supposedly "famous" fried chicken which was dry, bland and over-fried. Nothing spectacular. Chicken and waffles are just as ordinary. Grouper fingers, they give you like 8-9 small pcs and they charge for $16. Wow! I don't understand why people would go to this place, spend a good amount of money and leave dissatisfied. By the way, their floor is slick and slippery so be careful especially if you have heels on. I don't recommend this place at all!!! read more

It's a Lexington staple. Honestly It was just ok for me. Nothing amazing are that really blew my socks off. I went for my birthday and ordered the fried chicken (recommended) corn casserole and the asparagus. It was ok. The service was great though, our server was great and helpful, and funny. Also the setting is aged but I believe that's what makes the place their authentic self. Still a beautiful place to visit. Also they have a massive outside area too. One thing I will say is try the desert if you get a chance. We did and it was delicious! read more

Merrick Inn - New American Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

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Merrick Inn never disappoints. We have been dining here for more than 3 decades. Pecan crusted pork loin with apple bourbon chutney is my wife's favorite dish. I tried the seafood nachos with a couple of sides. The creamy cucumber dressing on the house salad is still the best dressing I've ever had anywhere. read more

Merrick Inn - Pecan crusted pork loin! - New American Near Me - Lexington, Kentucky

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Went to dinner with my father in law and some friends. Everybody loved their food. I ordered their specialty fried chicken. I don't think I've ever gone to a sit down nice restaurant and ordered fried chicken. Usually fried chicken is fast food. This chicken was the best fried chicken that I've ever eaten bar none. It had flavor possibly from being brined, was super juicy, and was incredibly crispy. The breading was absolutely filled with flavor as well. I look forward to going back on my next trip to have it again. The chicken is the benchmark for all fried chicken to me from that point on. Specialty rinks were excellent....and the waiter was excellent and attentive. Great place to eat. Atmosphere was like eating in someone's living room in an old house. read more

We tried the new brunch service at Merrick Inn. You can book a table on OpenTable - you can choose Bar or Patio. If you've only ever been in the house for dinner, the bar seating is fully inside, which can be seen from some rooms in the house. The patio is a covered patio with fans. There are 2 rear entrances if you pull around to the back with parking. The food was pretty good. I felt like with it being a new service there should've been some more information given by the servers about the menu. There wasn't any info about the menu or any cocktail/bar menu. After sitting for awhile, I noticed a special bar menu on a chalkboard by the hostess. I missed it and no one ever mentioned it. It had some interesting sounding mimosas and drinks, but again no one said anything. The dress code is very casual. I could see confusion (including by us) of some people dressed like dinner for in the house, but some were wearing basketball shorts, flip flops, etc. Next time we will happily dress more casual! Overall, I still give this 5 stars because this is new. The food was really good and our order came out correct. I hope they fine tune with some signature brunch drinks and a bar menu or more explanation from the servers. Also excited to see things like açaí bowl on the menu! read more

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Nothing went wrong always great food and service . my friend and I celebrate our birthdays so at least twice a year we go but really we need to go more and plan to. The free birthday dessert was appreciated. Always busy but does not affect the excellent service and food. read more