A great place for sea food, especially local Chesapeake Bay oysters. They serve tasting platters so you can sample different varieties. The location and water views can't be beat. The restaurant is cozy and it also has outdoor seating right on the bay. Some photos here - http://robertiulo.com/2017/02/merrior-rappahannock-oyster-co/ read more

Merroir - A tasting platter at Merrior - Seafood Near Me - Topping, Virginia

My husband and I had dinner here. Great family owned little place, very accommodating and very friendly service. The roasted oysters were great, even for someone like me who does not like raw oysters. I had the rockfish which was meaty and good, husband had the seasoned shrimp, also good. I can see this place being packed during peak season, we were there on off peak, had the place to ourselves. read more

Great views. When we went it was very busy and we had a long wait. Food came out slowly. The oysters & crab cakes were outstanding. Beer & wine available. Parking lot is gravel, dress casual. Disappointing, they don't serve coffee read more

The oysters are outstanding. I ordered a dozen then had another dozen for dessert. The rock fish was the catch of the day and was very fresh. Broccoli came out cold which is the only reason I didn't give it 5 stars. If you love great fresh oysters this is the place read more

Merroir is a very pleasant place to spend an afternoon by the water. Unfortunately, on my first visit the oysters I ordered arrived shrunken and dry, only moderately good. The price for added bread was high, but tasted better than the oysters. My second visit I ordered the fish tacos which were good. read more

This was our 2nd visit here and enjoyable each time. The staff each time was super friendly and knowledgeable.The view is so relaxing I could sit for hours and drink. They have an excellent beer and wine menu. Their food menu is small with small portions but everything we ordered was delish! We had raw oysters both visits and sampled all 3 varieties. The first visit we had stuffin muffin and fish tacos. The 2nd visit we both had flounder with pesto. I was full after each meal but the average person I dont feel the portion would fill them up. I think it's more for the relaxing ambience and great quality food. read more

We went here for my birthday on a friend's recommendation. The oysters were great, and our meal was delicious. Winter salad, shrimp & grits, and black seabass, plus two beverages. It was just perfect. The bartender was attentive but also knew when to keep his distance. Great experience all around. read more

It's called a tasting room - not a restaurant - but it is basically a tapas restaurant with great oysters. The crab cakes were very good, too. Cool outdoor dining on picnic tables with a great view of the river. We were staying at the Tides Inn and saw quite a few other quests. read more

Merroir - View of the river in the parking lot near the outdoor seating - Seafood Near Me - Topping, Virginia

Perfect place to sit outdoors, enjoy the views, drink beers and eat oysters. Oysters are great, I recommend stingrays and olde salt. The rest of the menu is a bit expensive for small plates. ($14 for 1 crab cake). Good beer and wine menu. If you bring your kids just know they don't have a kids menu. read more

Merroir - Seafood Near Me - Topping, Virginia

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Visited Merroir a couple years back when they still had the grills outdoors in an intimate area and you could chat with the cooks making your Angels on Horseback appetizers. Business has been good. The serving area has easily quadrupled in size, though this particular evening, they hadn't the waitstaff to adequately cover. The menu has some nice additions, though my Grilled Romaine Caesar salad had barely seen the grill and had a meager drizzle of Caesar. Hubby had the Stuffin Muffin and pronounced that oyster infused stuffing grilled "pancake" with a celery based gravy smeared atop, delicious! Made him ready for Thanksgiving leftovers, as we now know what to do with them. All in all, the view and ambience was spectacular, Rappahonock and Old Salts -fresh and reasonably priced, the small plates-passable and the drink selection-quite good. $$-$$$ read more

Amazing place. Friendly, great vibe and oysters are absolutely top... I eat all kinds and can crush dozens at a sitting, the oyster lovers will put this on one of their top lists. Awesome local craft beer and wine and even Kobe hot dogs for those not into seafare.. Will be going often! read more

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Food was amazing & not over priced. Our table ordered lots of food! The cheese plate, shrimp, BBQ oysters, crab cake, scallops & the Angels on horseback which is ham on top of oysters and amazing. The tuna poke was wonderful. They close at 9pm, which seems early, especially on a Saturday & a holiday weekend. We weren't asked if we wanted to order dessert & when we attempted we were told that the kitchen had closed. No big deal. We asked to split the check & were advised that it was too late and we should have told her earlier. In this day and age, I feel like this shouldn't be a problem. We handled it ourselves but didn't really appreciate the slight tude. There were two other table still at the restaurant as we were paying. The busboy was clearing our table and it felt very rushed. Bottom line...food is banging, just make sure you get there early & don't expect to be blown away by the service. read more

On a cool and gloomy Sunday. Merroir is the place to come. Quiet, authentic, gentle, reflective, quality food and service....a place to refresh your soul and spirit. So proud to have this restaurant in rural Virginia! read more

We drove to Merrior with anticipation, having heard positive reviews. However we were also aware of folks recently having negative experiences but we wanted to like it so much. We were pleasantly surprised when the hour plus wait for a table turned into 10 minutes. The boat bar was a great way to wait for our table and the bartender was very charismatic. People walking around drinking alcohol in the parking lot was a little sketchy though. We started by asking for glasses of water and were told we would have to wait for the dishwasher to finish. You would think they would have planned ahead for a crowd on the weekend after a holiday. We started with BBQ chipotle oysters which were small, overpriced, luke warm and worst of all- greasy. We ordered our food opting for items that we felt would fill us up as this is the type of place you can spend a lot of money and still leave hungry. As the wait was very long we ordered bread and were told it would take a while. The bread and pesto was the best part of the meal, very good bread. The scallops with cous cous came out without cous cous. We were not told why until we inquired and were informed that the kitchen ran out.... at 7:30pm..... when we asked for something more substantial than lettuce we were told we would receive a discount on the dish, but would have to order more food. The wait tress began ignoring us at this point in the meal, aside for the fact that she kept apologizing; clearly recognizing something was not right. The tomato soup was good but honestly tasted like the sauce in a can of spaghettios. The stuffin muffin which is made of oyster stuffing was good but had no hint of oysters. Also our request for dipping butter and sauce for the steamed clams went unfulfilled. The clams were also cold. The trailer of restrooms was filthy and you had to climb over a rope to get to them which was inappropriate for a nice restaurant. Finally, it was loud and crowded with people crammed together. Some music would have added to the ambiance. We weren't the only customers dissatisfied with the service, someone else got up and sought out a waitress to order food. We paid too much for sad food and lousy service. read more

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Nice casual restaurant with a pretty view. Seafood was very fresh. Service was excellent.

Delicious delicious delicious. What else can I say? The outdoor boat/bar is a great idea but the beer was luke warm. And you really need some air in the bathrooms... read more

If you love oysters this Usa must see place. We go every time we can, the view is awesome, all the seafood is fresh and wonderful! They have a great selection of craft beers and Kobe beef hotdogs for the kids. A good day trip from Richmond read more

Great view and simple selection of seafood, wine and beer. Crab cakes and Angels on horseback (oysters and ham) were a big hit for our party. Friendly and knowledge staff gives great service. Off the beaten track, but we'll worth it for local seafood and beautiful views. read more

Merroir - Seafood Near Me - Topping, Virginia

Delicious small plates and great atmosphere! Staff was very attentive. Homemade desserts very tasty. Nice ambiance and view.

Food is not as good anymore, location is very nice, but everything overpriced. Waiting staff excellent. We ordered what we always eat, but quality has gone down. Their famous grilled Cesar's Salad had barely touched the flames, had to look for the dressing and it was bland. The oyster stuffed muffin was good. Clams salty and boring. Not worth the drive there anymore. Guess interest goes down when a place is running well, what a shame. read more

I'm giving this four stars only because of the manager/hostess. Horrible attitude. Needs to go to a Disney Hospitality Class. We came by boat on Easter Saturday. Excellent new floating docks with ample slips for a busy summer day, although empty when we visited. Service was awesome (except for the note above), and the food/wine/beer selection perfect for any occasion. Indoor, porch and outdoor (open air) seating. Can't wait to come back in the summer for a lazy afternoon of oyster slurping. Does Uber drive boats??? read more

Such a long time coming and so many expectations....literally for over a year have been excited to get here, given that I absolutely love oysters and the concept as presented on website was so appealing. Server was the antithesis of the ideal. Stone faced. Cold. Apathetic. Sullen. Unhelpful. Rude. Perhaps a bad day for some reason, but the level of bad was astounding. Beer, warm. Raw oysters, warm. Not much left on which to miss the mark. Glad to have it off the list, as no need to keep as a must return. read more

This was such a great experience! I came here with a big group for dinner. The oysters were so fresh, the bread was delicious and the shrimp and grits amazing. The service was top notch. The chef even thanked us for coming in on a cold rainy Tuesday. Not to mention the beautiful water views. I will be back. read more

Second visit from about 3 years ago Great scenery. Same Menu -confusing at best- no help from disinterested summer waitstaff. Plates seem even smaller than a few years ago. No kids items. I feel the food was well above average- however Oysters require no particular skill in preparation. Salad item was great, bread was good, shrimp was good as well. I really liked the stuffin muffin also. Anyone with a correspondence course in hospitality could turn this into a wonderful place. I'm sure the service varies greatly on the night/server but our experience was underwhelming. read more

There is no complaint with the food or the atmosphere. Wonderful seafood right by the water. The service can be slow at certain times of the day. (Our lunch took 3 hours for a 4 top table) **BEWARE their "IT system" is not set up properly per the manager Teri, and the past 3 times we have been to Merrior they put other tables bills on our tab. CHECK YOUR RECEIPT!!!!! Teri, the manager, ended up compensating our meal, but the waiting staff did not handle the situation properly. This is a small town restaurant, with small town brains running the waiting staff. I guess it is difficult to find an educated staff in this area of the state. If you don't have the time or patience to deal with stupidity, I would pass on this restaurant. read more

Flight of beers. Briny local oysters, rare tuna, crabbbbbbbcake with remoulade on toast, sliders with tuna, sausage and burger. Outstanding. read more

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The setting is beautiful first off. Nice outdoor seating area and a small indoor porch area. I got the crab cake and it was probably the best I have had. The steamed shrimp was also some of the best I have ever had. Great beer selection as well. I highly recommend this place if you are in the area. read more

Quite the overpriced tourist trap. A PO boy with four oyster on a hotdog bun for $13? $30 bottle of screw cap wine? Not going to do that again read more

What a glorious day. Came here to celebrate a friend's birthday and the food was amazing! If they have muscles in the menu you have to get them. The blue crab vegetable soup is outstanding and they had a fish called Corvina which is yummy. Crystal our server did a great job, you should ask for her. What a great day outside enjoying some good food with an awesome company. read more

Solid place with great wine , crab cakes and baked oysters. We enjoyed it tremendously and the service was great too!

Superb fresh seafood in a rustic bayside setting. If you love oysters try the Old Salt variety. Everything is fresh and perfectly prepared. You must experience the food and setting to fully appreciate it read more

Wow! Craft beer, raw oysters, scallops, and a crab cake full of crab. If you are in the area do not miss this place. The service was fantastic and the atmosphere is laid back. By far one of the best lunches I've ever had in my life. read more

Dinner was fine, crab cake was okay, scenery was top notch. We had ordered a cheese plate, and the cheese was plentiful. the app was served with pita points, and we did not have enough to finish the various cheeses. I asked if we could have some more I received a look of consternation as though that may be a problem. I said if I needed to pay I would. When I received the check the fine folks at Merroir were nice enough to charge me four dollars for a piece of Pita bread cut into eight sections. I will never be back. Thanks for the gouging. read more

I came with a large group and dined here over the weekend. Between the nine of us we managed to order most things on the menu, including four dozen oysters (two roasted, two raw). Everyone was pleased with the dishes, the meaty crab cakes and the hearty shrimp and grits especially so, but the standout dish was undeniably the "stuffin' muffin". The "muffin" is really more of a mound of stuffing you might find in a thanksgiving turkey, but "stuffed" full of oysters and doused in gravy. We gobbled down two orders in a flash and debated ordering another round but thought it unseemly to stuff ourselves like turkeys! read more

When visiting my relatives in my native NNK last month (and staying in my aunt's lovely condo in Urbanna), our first stop was to meet my parents at nearby Merroir. To be fair, I should disclose that my family has been in the seafood business for over 25 years, primarily in oysters. One of their clients is Rappahannock River Oysters, the owners of Merroir, and some of their product may be used in the restaurant. While my review is as impartial as possible, some of the excellent service we received may have been due to my family's business relationship with owners. To call the atmosphere casual is a gross understatement ... this is an oyster house converted into a resta ... tasting room. (Unable to obtain certain site permits, Merroir is legally-obligated to call themselves a tasting room). Most of the seating is picnic tables outside, with limited bar seating inside. My in-laws and I arrived about 15 minutes before my parents, and sat outside. We were quickly greeted by an enthusiastic server who was happy to explain aspects of the food menu and provide some insight and suggestions from the beer menu, and took our order using their iPhone-based ordering system. Unfortunately, the "Hell or High Watermelon" on tap that was recommended was universally panned by the group, but they do have a nice beer selection. There are only 4 craft brews on tap, however, and none of them really struck my fancy, but their limited but strong craft beer selection in bottles made up for it. The Flying Dog IPA was enjoyed by my father-in-law, and the Allagash White was enjoyed by my dad. I wish they had New Belgium's Fat Tire on tap rather than 1554. (Please note that I do not mention wine only because I have no interest or knowledge of wines. It seems like a good selection, but I really know almost NOTHING about wine.) My family arrived and we moved to the interior. Despite the wonderful view of the Rappahannock, the heat and the stiff breeze can make eating and drinking outside a challenge. Interior seating is first come first serve bar seating, and no reservations are taken ... but because of our relationship with the owners, we had a few seats inside held for us. Once inside, we started to order food. Since this is a tasting room and not a restaurants, all dishes are served in small "tasting" portions with no sides. Food is ordered casually, as you want it, and is brought out as it is ready. This is how a tasting room operates ... if you are looking for a traditional sit-down restaurant experience, this is not your place to go. I found all of the portion sizes to be rather generous ... in most cases you're paying a little more than you would for an appetizer, and getting an entree-sized portion with no sides. A steak was their most expensive item at $18 (with no sides). The food was, overall, excellent. We started with steamed oysters and mussels. Both were high quality, and the butter-based dipping sauce that came with the oysters was an unique treat. My wife and mother both ordered scallops with cheese grits - the scallops were big and flavorful and perfectly cooked. The cheese grits were good, but a little clumpy. My mother-in-law and I ordered a stew with lamb, sausage, and clams. It was more of a cioppino than a traditional stew, with clams still in the shell. Very good, but my largest complaint of the meal was here - the lamb seemed almost non-existent. My father-in-law ordered a crab cake, and as many have stated, it was excellent. One of the best I have ever had, a sentiment echoed by many who go there. But the signature item IMO is their "Stuffin Muffin" - which is an oyster stuffing covered in a delectable creamy bacon scallion sauce. It came highly recommended and did not disappoint. Despite a few minor imperfections, the food and beverage would qualify this as 5 stars. But I can only rate 4 stars for a few reasons. First, while the atmosphere is quaint and intended, at the end of the day it's a few picnic tables at an old oyster house. And while the servers and staff. were all nice and eager to help, it did seem that they got overwhelmed when really busy. I believe much of this also has to do with their structure - because of limited space and using grills as the primary cooking device, the kitchen simply cannot run like a normal kitchen would. And that causes slow service times, orders arriving in a staggered manner, and some general confusion. Plus I think their i-Phone based ordering system is a bit too ambitious for the location. It's a great concept, but twice (once on a beer order, once on a food order) our order did not go through to the bartender or kitchen from the server. Sometimes it's a chore just to get a dial tone on the NNK, so I'm not so sure that having a iPhone-based POS system is such a good idea. Overall, Merroir is an excellent place for a causal experience featuring superbly-cooked high quality seafood and a great beverage selection. They're worth a visit. read more

Talk about a hole-in-the-wall/mom and pop establishment! What a fantastic little find! These are hands down the BEST crab cakes anywhere. The oyster chowder was a spicy, tomato base that was a real home run. Chef Pete grills his shellfish outdoor on a propane grill. This is a no-frills place with amazingly fresh LOCAL seafood (pretty sure it's pulled from the boat 50 feet from their door!). They offer upscale six-packs of beer and a nice little selection of wine. The menu is mostly seafood and does not offer many sides (which was ok by us). You'll be seated at the counter, the porch (has heat lamps for cooler days) or on the lawn--choice is yours. This is obviously a place the locals patronize . . . not a tourist destination. There weren't instructions on how to order or anything, so be ready to step up to the counter, place your order, grab your brew and find a seat. You pay afterward and they do accept MC/VS. My only suggestion would be to add fries to the menu--or something similar. Expect a bill of $40-$50 for two, including beer or wine. read more

Service was S-L-O-W. The grilled oysters were a bit salty and not my favorite. The raw oysters were better. I was surprised when I ordered the $14 scallops and only 3 came on the plate. I would expect this serving size to be closer to $10. They were large and cooked well, but SUPER SALTY. The amount of salt absolutely ruined them in my opinion. It's advertised as served with a slaw, but it's really just small bite under each scallop. Overall, I was disappointed and I honestly can't believe there are so many excellent reviews for this place. I guess if you really love raw oysters then you'll really love this place. But I didn't think my "tasting" was a good value or good experience. I have no plans to go back. read more

Really neat place with great fresh seafood. Eat all the oysters- any dish with oysters is great. Big crab cake but a touch too much mayo for me- but lots of crab. Causal and laid back but the servers are on point and good beer and wine choices- limited choices but good. Worth a trip! read more

Merroir - Seafood Near Me - Topping, Virginia

We have been going to Merroir since the very beginning and it is one of my favorite places to eat anywhere. The quality of the food, the location on the water, and the great staff make it a pleasure to visit time and time again! The best restaurant anywhere in the Middlesex County/Northern Neck area. Where ever you are coming from, it is worth the trip!!! read more

Oysters were very good. Service is consistently awful! They don't care that you are are there. Our glasses were empty most he time. . They don't check on you for for drinks or how you are doing. They whole staff strikes me as lazy. Very disappointing. And they don't take a gift card from rappahannock oyster company gift card. Always disappointed! Has so much potential . read more