We finally made it for dinner at Mertens Prime after visiting just their rooftop bar last summer. This spot feels hidden away from Grand Rapids (even though it's smack dab in the middle), like it's its own little dark and romantic universe. We had escargot (for the first time!) and were blown away! The little serving of pasta that came with was an added bonus (and cured my constant craving for buttery noodles!) For entrees, we had the butternut squash gnocchi with shrimp added, and the duck al orange. The gnocchi was the perfect amalgamation of flavors, with the sweet squash, tangy goat cheese, and salty shrimp. The duck was juicy and delicious, and Derek loved the broccolini that came with it as well! (Honestly, I don't know how they made a vegetable taste like that!) We were so bummed we didn't save room for dessert, because the whole dessert menu looked insane. I'm looking forward to coming back for some french onion soup, a little dessert or two, and maybe a drink on the roof of the weather ever warms up! Shoutout to our server, who was very helpful and communicative even when he was being pulled a million different ways! (Lots of table side service desserts were going out) read more

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MERTENS Prime really wants to feel like an upscale steakhouse, but the reality misses the mark. The entire place was dark, the seating was uncomfortable and cheap, and details like missing candles and worn walls made it feel neglected rather than intentionally "historic." Service hovered in a way that felt more judgmental than welcoming. On top of that, almost everything was $2 more than the menu price (my tiny side salad listed at $7/14 came to $9), and our bill shows a "seat count" of 10 even though we were seven -- probably why the automatic 18% gratuity hit. The food itself was mid at best; ironically, the highlight was a coffee mocktail. read more

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We had an amazing dinner at Mertens Prime this past Saturday and were honestly surprised by how calm it was when we arrived around 5:15 PM--only a few other tables were seated, which made the experience feel even more special. We ordered the Hand-Cut Filet for Two and it did not disappoint. The 20oz steak was sliced tableside and cooked perfectly--tender, flavorful, and exactly how a steak should be. We paired it with the red wine steak sauce, which took everything to the next level. For sides, we chose the garlic mashed potatoes (a must) and the glazed Brussels sprouts. Both were incredibly delicious and complemented the steak so well. I also started with an espresso martini, and wow--it was one of the best I've had in a long time. Smooth, well-balanced, and dangerously easy to drink. We were seated in one of their cozy half-circle booths, which made the evening feel intimate and comfortable. Our server was friendly, attentive, and paced the meal perfectly. Between the quality of the food, the drinks, and the overall atmosphere, this was a fantastic dining experience. I'll absolutely be back for another steak dinner--and that espresso martini! read more

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I had the longest New Year's Eve meal of my existence here--about 3 hours. I wish it was because we lingered over the food and the conversation, but when it takes nearly 30 minutes for a server to take your drink order, you know it could be bumpy night. The drinks were good, but nothing special. The food itself was quite good and the service was quite pleasant, if not timely. We enjoyed the beet salad and brussel sprouts as starters. Three of us got our entrees but one of us didn't see his meat until we were halfway through ours. To the restaurant's credit, they comped his entree, as well as one of our sides. My niece thoroughly enjoyed her bowl of mashed potatoes topped with French onion soup and beef tips. My filet mignon was cooked to order and tasted fine. But if steak is your calling card, it should be amazing for the price charged. The decor is pretty standard for a high-end meat place with dark, heavy wood furnishings and low lighting. It was nice that it was spacious so diners aren't crammed together and background noise was minimal. No pictures to share since I wasn't inspired to take any. read more

Came for a nice night out,sadly we did not get this at all. Poor service took 2hr 45 mins to get served appetizer and meal. Had to ask about our food twice and still an incredibly long wait. No apologies from management about the bad service and nothing offered to make our experience better. Food itself was below average for price poorly cooked. 2 steak dinners one rare one medium both were dry and overcooked. Salmon overcooked. Unless management will step up and fix their problems would suggest avoiding this restaurant at all costs. Responses from management to remedy our terrible experience welcome Aashdesh@gmail.com read more

Marvelous meal great server Kate. Perfect medium rare on my steak lovely brussels sprouts wonderful old-fashioned love ambience!!!!!! read more

Mertens Prime - French Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

Arrived at 6 on a Friday with reservations, place was virtually empty - we were sat immediately. The atmosphere is interesting, feels a bit run down but imagine that's part of the Parisian theme perhaps? Our table was rickety and uneven, I didn't complain so they didn't have a chance to solve. The hostess did notice however, no biggie. Greeted by a friendly server, quickly ordered entrees and drinks; she was sweet. Appetizer choice was apparently sold out - odd for an empty place. Cocktail was on the sweet side, I ordered an old fashioned, unremarkable. The place advertises prime beef. I ordered the steak frites. The sirloin was tough, thin and overcooked. It was heavily salted with a dressing of "garlic butter" that lacked garlic. Disappointing. Again, I didn't complain so there wasn't a chance to solve, I'm sure they would have made an attempt. I knew nothing was going to make the steak better, so I managed and cut my losses. In a city that appears to have a thriving restaurant atmosphere, I simply missed on this one. Service was perfectly acceptable but food and drink are a substantial miss. read more

Delightful atmosphere, delicious food, and courteous staff. Valentine's Day was busy but service was handled well. read more

Mertens Prime - French Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

Retired Chef here, found Christmas Day food , MEH Nothing bad but only thing exceptional was a drink of there's with a play on Grand Rapids in it name, sorry forgot Chairs are absolutely asking for a big lawsuit, I don't think one of them goes over 180-200# limit. In this day and age? Ha Ha read more

I tried Merten's Prime for the first time during Restaurant Week and I enjoyed my time here! Street parking for a Saturday night wasn't too bad. Regular seating was a long wait but I was able to be seated at the bar immediately. I ordered the escargot and the petite sirloin from the Restaurant Week menu. I was nervous about the escargot since I wasn't sure how it was going to be but it was delicious! The sirloin was just okay to me but the service made up for it. I'd definitely come back to try other items! read more

Mertens Prime - escargot - French Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

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They're clearly trying to figure service out. Not sure they are setting themselves up well with banquet style chairs, paper napkins and pizza hut style water pitchers. The filet for two was quite tasty though. read more

Great food and service. Restaurant week menu was fantastic. Food was nicely prepared and seasoned perfectly. Timely service and spacing was great. read more

Being generous giving 2 stars, only because the food was pretty decent. We came in as a group of six on a Sunday early evening, and the restaurant wasn't busy at all. It took about 15 minutes before a waiter came by to take our drink order. Drinks were hit or miss -- a few people enjoyed their seasonal cocktails, but the prosecco that I and another person ordered was completely flat and tasted like it had been open for weeks. We ordered three appetizers and six dinners. One appetizer arrived promptly, but the other two didn't come out until after we asked about them -- which was after four of us had already received our meals. Two people had to follow up about their entrées, which didn't arrive until about 20 minutes after everyone else had been served. One person ordered soup but didn't get a spoon (not a big deal on its own, but it added to the already frustrating experience). It took several minutes to find someone to ask to bring one over, and they seemed annoyed we'd even asked. Throughout the meal, our waitress was mostly absent -- we even had to go to the bar ourselves a couple of times just to order drinks. When we politely asked if the restaurant could comp an appetizer or a couple of drinks due to the long waits and poor service, they refused. Overall, the food itself was pretty good, but for the prices they charge, the service fell far short. read more

We came in with high hopes and it was mediocre. Ordered the filet for 2, it wasn't that tender or flavorful. The garlic potato purée was literally a mashed baked potato with no garlic. There was no butter on the buttered green bean with almonds. The atmosphere was nice as was our server but the food was pretty slow. We spent a decent amount of money for an ok experience. read more

We've previously enjoyed this restaurant, so we booked a NYE dinner reservation here and I'm sad to say that the quality of the food has gone down dramatically. Three people in our group ordered chicken Milanese and all three came out RAW - completely pink. The server was very apologetic and did everything she could, so brought out new entrees, properly cooked, shortly thereafter. The chicken came with a side Caesar salad that seemed to just be bagged salad dumped onto the plate with almost no dressing. Two others in our party ordered steaks and both were undercooked to what they had requested (which is just annoying, not dangerous as it is with chicken). We ordered escargot with a few others first courses and that didn't come out until well into the main course (other apps came out right away) even after we asked a few times. When the bill came they had offered us $5 off of each of the chicken dishes and we'd not seen a manager or anyone other than the server drop by the table, in fact, when we asked to talk to the manager we were told she was "too busy behind the bar." We understood that it was a holiday but frankly that weren't that busy - not sure that our reservation was even necessary - and after serving raw chicken to 3 guests I would expect to see a manager come over to smooth the situation over. Very poor customer service IMO. I believe Mertens recently changed ownership and that could be the reason for the decrease in quality but I'm sad to say we won't go back and would not recommend anymore. read more

We had a great time at Mertens Prime, the service was great and the history behind the restaurant is very cool. The French onion soup was incredible as were the potatoes. We do wish food had a bit more of a wow factor to be honest! But highly recommend checking it out. read more

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THE WORST DINING EXPERIENCE EVER! Please read on.. I was visiting my employees in our Grand Rapids office and invited them out for a nice dinner on a Thursday evening. It was strange when I noticed that were the only ones in the entire place at 7 pm. The waiter was not experienced, but nice enough. The appetizers came, pretty underwhelming, but not horrible. Then it got really bad... Our table of five ordered our meals and 45 minutes later, they came out, everything ice cold and dried out! Did I mention we were the only patrons in the restaurant throughout our entire meal? Of course, the salads came out with our steaks at the same time. We ordered caesar salads and they brought out garden salads with raspberry vinaigrette. The waiter sheepishly asked us if everything is ok and all of us in unison (as politely as possible) said NO! This couldn't be worse! As entrees were being sent back, and apologies from the staff began to mount, out comes the cook/chef and he starts arguing with us about the quality of the meals. "What do you expect for a table of five?". he says. Then he proceeds to pick up my salad, stick his nose into it and then says, "What do you mean? This is a caesar salad!" Remarkable! The manager starts in with offering a discount on the meals, free dessert, etc. In my attempt to be charitable, I insisted that I did not want anything off the bill, but just pleaded with them to be better moving forward or else everyone working there will be out of a job because Mertens is not long for this world if they don't turn things around, fast! (The place was empty so obviously word is out the locals this establishment is done for, it is so bad.) Now here's the kicker, I am reconciling my credit card a few days later and I see that I was charged $100 more than I had on the receipt I had kept for myself. (See the pics below). I called the restaurant and left my contact info for the management to respond to me and below was their response to me. (I inadvertently calculated an additional $100 to the final bill AND THEY REFUSED TO ISSUE A CREDIT TO MY CARD! THEY OFFERED ME A $100 VOUCHER FOR MY NEXT VISIT, HA! WILD! What if I inadvertently wrote down $1,659.78 on the bill? They would argue that would be the amount that I owe them, it appears! Desperate, stupid people, do desperate, stupid things! So sad really...but it does make a great story for those who read restaurant reviews. In summary, if you dine out Mertens Prime & Rooftop, double check your math when calculating the bill, take a long nap before you arrive, and do not order the caesar salad... read more

Mertens Prime - French Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

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Service: Great! We had a newer server when we came, but he was polite and very attentive. Restaurant Manager also stopped by every table to ask how everything was and spent a few minutes chatting with everyone. Drinks: Awesome. Their Old Fashioned was delicious, and the bartender made me a their version of a Hot Toddy, which soothed my sore throat and opened up my nasal cavities. Food: Not our favorite, but willing to try it again in the future. We went when they had just gotten their new machines in in the kitchen, and they hadn't quite figured out the broiler function correctly yet. As a result, one of our steaks came out well done instead of medium-rare. That steak ended up being quite dry, but the other one that we ordered was juicy and tender. The roasted bone marrow that we ordered was good, but we wish that they would have cut the bone long ways - it's always difficult to scoop marrow out when the bone is roasted vertically as opposed to horizontally. Salad and roasted mushrooms were good, and the Bananas Foster was delicious! All other apps were okay. Back to service being top notch - when our server came by the first time around to ask us how everything was, we let him know that one of our steaks was well done and no medium rare. He immediately got the Restaurant Manager, who came by and told us that they had just gotten new machinery installed and were still figuring out how to use it. We said we understood and didn't think it was a big deal. They ended up comping our steak, and they gave us the Bananas Foster dessert for free! What they lack in food/flavor, they make up for in Customer Service, which is why we are more than willing to give their food another shot. read more

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We should have known this wouldn't be the best when the hostess made us feel like we were imposing on her to seat us. The bright spot was our server she was very friendly and outgoing. Drinks took a good 15 minutes for the bartender to make. The food was not even close to worth the price. I had the scampi and somehow they managed to make this dish flavorless. My buddy had their special stroganoff but it was nothing to write home about. I've had better from a McCormick packet. All in all dinner for 2 was $140 and in my honest opinion it would have been overpriced at $70. Lots of potential but they aren't living up to it. And don't get me started on the awful decor again so much potential but not a cogent idea. read more

Slow service, an indifferent staff, high prices, very average entrees, good appetizers, good cocktails. It's too bad. What kind of a French restaurant uses provolone cheese on French Onion Soup? What reasonably expensive restaurant doesn't present the wine bottle to you at the table and open it table side???? Sorry Martens. read more

This is the first time I've been back to Mertens Prime since the name change and menu shift. I was very pleased to know that the cheese cart was still a key part of the meal because that was one of the reasons I wanted to go! I would definitely say that I enjoy Mertens Prime for the experience, learning a lot about the food that we were enjoying and even go to try a few of the post-dinner drinks from the manager. Everything we had there was delicious and well portioned, and on top of that, we could have a unique dinner experience in GR. I would say that if you want to have more of an experience with dinner, instead of just having it be "served" to you, you should give this a shot. Just keep in mind that the menu is very much steak heavy and I kind of miss the other French dishes that existed on the previous menu. If you're not a red meat lover, I would just stay away from this spot given your menu items may be a bit more limited than the others. However, for a special occasion, I would highly recommend! read more

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Came here for restaurant week and our food was delicious. I had the steak and my wife had the salmon they were both so flavorful melt in your mouth delicious. Cee our waitress was wondering. We will be back really soon and will be asking for Cee. read more

Service was outstanding!! Food was not good! Berry salad did not contain berries and the salad came with dinner instead of beforehand. Seafood ravioli had zero sauce...zero! $62 Filet Mignon was definitely not medium and was warm instead of hot. There was a whole two tables in the entire restaurant, why would the food be lukewarm! This is an expensive restaurant with mid grade food. read more

Date night dinner before a concert with my husband, and we had a great experience. Serve and host team were attentive and fun. Our server Layla was sweet and knowledgeable, but not overbearing. We enjoyed their bone marrow as an appetizer. The marrow was well prepared and accompanied with bacon jam and caramelized onions. I had the glazed pork belly and berry salad. The belly was melt in your mouth and the salad was perfectly dressed with goat cheese and balsamic glaze. My husband ordered a rare 10oz filet with mashed potatoes and glazed Brussels sprouts. The filet was butter soft and cooked perfectly, the sprouts were soft and fried crispy and the mashed were buttery and savory. read more

I don't blame the staff, this is a bigger issue that goes to those who run Mertens Prime. Had a reservation at 7:00 but wasn't seated until 7:40. This wasn't due to overcrowding, it was due to the fact that they had only two servers, a host, and a bartender with numerous tables piled with dirty plates. We ordered food at 8:00 and it came to the table at 8:50. The food itself was delicious. The steak prepared properly and the lamb was perfectly done. However the waiter only filled our water glasses (halfway) on our initial service and we had to ask for more water a half hour later. There seemed to be an overall frustration by the two servers who were trying to keep up with the customers. The couple next to us stood up and left due to waiting an hour and a half for food. I took a quick restroom break and counted twelve tables that were completely filled with dishes and needed to be bussed, but nobody was there to do this. Meanwhile other customers are waiting in frustration to be seated because of a lack of available tables. Again, the food itself was great, and Mertens has the potential to be something amazing, but with the lack of staff to be able to complete basic service functions such as brining a steak knife, the customers will no doubt continue to be disappointed. I just cannot see myself spending money here again. Leo's or Ruth's Chris will cost more, but they will provide much better service. I can only hope that the current issues are solved quickly for those who are working at Mertens. The ownership should be embarrassed and what they're allowing the brand to be. Never again. read more

How disappointing. Do not eat here! I don't usually leave reviews, but in this case - this place is an embarrassment to restaurants. As a former waitress, I'm usually pretty forgiving - things happen, places get busy and restaurants can be hard. That's not this situation. This place has been open since what, 2017? It's a slap in the face. They are blatantly ripping people off. The people need to know...and so, my review: Visited with a few of my gal pals to celebrate Galentine's Day. Leading up to it, we checked the menu and were so excited with the options. Because of the price point, we assumed whatever we would get would be exceptional and we were in to treat ourselves. We decided we'd get a few different dishes and share amongst ourselves. The ambiance was cool and our waitress was kind and attentive. Thats where the positive ends. The food was awful. Overpriced and flavorless. The Mushroom Stroganoff came out cold. Like....cold cold. Like they plated it, put it on the counter (not even a heated counter) and turned around to start cooking our steak. When I notified the waitress, she didn't even question us or act surprised - this was not the first time she was presented with this problem. She simply let us know that it would be 8-10 minutes for them to make a fresh dish, which we all said was perfectly fine. The new dish arrived within 5 minutes (microwave) and was hot, but flavorless. Boring. We all agreed - Olive Garden would have given us a better dish at $16, rather than the $31 we paid for nothing special. Next up: the two-person shared filet meal with side. I love a good melt-in-your-mouth filet. When I see a $59 filet on the menu, typically, the melt-in-your-mouth part is guaranteed. I was so looking forward to it. When my gals also wanted to partake, we decided to go for the two-person meal as we'd also get a side, all for $125. The side (potato puree) was alright. The steak was not a $125 steak...more like a $25 steak, and only because it was a fat hunk of meat. Hard to cut and just...meh. We had blue cheese crumbles and they also provide a garlic cream on the side - these are the only things that gave the meal flavor. I mixed them with the steak, stroganoff and potatoes just to actually get some taste. The dessert menu looked good, but after such a subpar, disappointing meal, we decided not to give them any more of our money and went elsewhere. Final assessment: we would have had a better meal at Applebee's or Olive Garden, and we wouldn't have spent an arm and a leg. Absolutely ridiculous. I hope our kind and attentive waitress finds a better place to work because even she doesn't deserve this. As cruel as it sounds, I honestly hope this place closes so they stop tricking people into thinking they are someplace that they are not. The fact that they charged so much for such a terrible meal is cruel. Based on the reviews we've read afterward - this is not a fluke, this is a bad restaurant with a terrible chef and a poorly managed kitchen. What a waste. We should have checked Yelp first. Never. Ever. Again. Save yourself: do not eat here. Let it close to make room for better restaurants. read more

Zero star. Order wrong . Didn't bring one of our group their meal. Bills were all wrong Drinks were wrong read more

I would have to give this restaurant an overall grade of B. I had a good ribeye steak, tender and flavor full. Wine by the glass is very reasonable and diverse in regions offered and price. I liked that. They also provide recommendations for pairing with what you have ordered from the menu. Nice touch. I had the meatball starter. Three good sized meatballs and the Dijon sauce was served in a nice cast iron skillet. The combination was delicious, however the meatballs alone were very dry. My expectations for a restaurant in this price range was much higher than the quality of the meatball served. For the steak I selected the béarnaise sauce to go with it. A classical French combination. When it arrived it was in the tiniest of restaurant sauce/gravy boats. It also looked a little odd. It was not a sauce but a buttery paste consistency lacking flavor. I asked the waiter if it was made in-house or from a jar. He replied that it was in-house. I pointed out that it was not anywhere near a traditional béarnaise and he stated that he thought it looked "off" when he brought it out. Okay.... He took it away and said he would get a proper replacement. A few minutes later he was back with what appeared to be the same béarnaise just heated up. Lacking flavor and quality, I just ignored the béarnaise. They did remove it from my bill. But it was horrible. I also tried the sautéed mushrooms and pearl onions. Again, lacking in flavor and seasoning, it was a disappointment. I didn't eat it. They however still charged me for it even when I explained to the waiter what was wrong with it. I decided to cut my losses for the evening and skip dessert. IDK.... If you want to be a French Bistro you have to hit on all cylinders. This one didn't. read more

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Tasty cocktails and fun dinner. Beet salad was tasty. Salmon with the dill sauce was winner. MUST TRY THE CHEESECAKE! read more

Mertens Prime - French Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

So we made a reservation and went on a busy night, but just as if we were in France, itself, we had an extremely laid-back, casual meal where we could go at a chosen pace. It was so nice to be able to go out and not feel like you are being rushed through your meal and back out the door just to get another table seated. We were there for about 2.5 hours and it seemed totally normal. They have a large list of cocktails (they have the ORIGINAL cocktail menu's from 1914!) I ordered a Poutine - initially I thought it was dry because they don't cover it in the gravy, they lay the gravy on the bottom of the bowl and then layer in the fries and the meat on top. So once you dig down a little bit, oh my gosh was it good! We ordered more drinks (I totally suggest getting the absinthe - it was such a fun little experience) and then we decided to get dessert. They had bakery items made in house - Canelés, Madelines, Financiers, etc. . The one thing that I really really wanted, they were out of - so we ordered 2 each of the little tiny cakes (they are just the size of a small cookie) which were good as well. The service was over the top exceptional, the inside of the restaurant was very cool, had a great atmosphere, good lighting, and has some cute half-moon booths for very small groups. read more

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Overall the experience was good. The number one thing to mention was the service was very slow. I do give a major pass because they were very friendly and even more importantly, very busy the night we came in. Our server, who was also the bartender, was also training a new staff member. Although we showed up in plenty of time, we did miss our show at Devos! We were ok with it:) My favorite part of the meal was the bone marrow course. It was charred perfectly and so rich! Next we had French onion soup. God, it was delicious, but scorching hot! I burned my tongue. Whoops. The fries on the steak frites were quite under seasoned and not very hot, the steak was a bit tough. But not terrible. Wishing someday the chef will change his mind about adding crème brûlée to the menu. Yes, it's basic, but we want it! Thank you for a nice experience. read more

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Bananas Foster is a real thing, and it's on the menu. And, if you'd told me before dinner at Mertens that $5 for a single slice of bacon was worth it, I'd have scoffed & eye-rolled. It is. Thick slices, but still $15 for 3 buttery smooth, faintly smoked slabs of heaven. Vichyssoise (vishy swah) is also a real thing, a hearty, warming soupish stew. It's a large & shareable. What the menu lacks in numbers it makes up for in imagination. The drinks menu is large, featuring old time drinks such as Gin Fizzes, Brandy Sours, Tom Collins, Side Cars; the stuff Clark Gable drank. Our engaging waitress told us the owners recreated the old time drink menu, and back in the day a Brandy Sour cost 35 cents. She also shared their struggle with Covid and the particular research and preservation of the building and Mertens' legacy menu. The Lamb Tagine should not work based on reading the ingredients, but its spicy sweetness makes it worth a gamble over the expected excellent steaks. More strange titles in the menu: Pasta Aux Jabon et Truffe; very rich, may want to split that one. This isn't the place if you are in a hurry; it's as much about experience as food. Most of the deserts are prepared table side at a rolling cart, as is the cheese board. Word to the wise: the Chocolate Pot de Cream is delicious but American Girl Doll sized. It's downtown parking, so plan ahead. They take reservations and the roomy dining room filled up quickly after opening. The coffee is black silk. Order one après le dîner. read more

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Menu options and food quality were sub par for the price. Miss the original Mertens. Wait staff were ok.

Unfortunately, we waited 2 hours and never received any food. Had to head to the bar to get additional drinks. Our server kept reporting back that the kitchen was backed up. Saw other tables leaving, sending food back, and very confused We were told the manager would be by to talk to us and never came. Paid for drinks an left. Hostess indicated that it was to be expected for a Saturday night. I think a 7:00 reservations and waiting until 9:10 is not to be expected. Disappointing read more

We waited two hours !!! Two hours for our appetizers. No explanation, no apologies. The place was ice cold- I asked one lady what was going on she left and never came back - other people at their tables also put their coats on. One table waited 45 minutes for their bill!! It was our anniversary celebration- We got sick and tired of waiting - our apps were under cooked and burned poutine was cold - marrow bones were burnt on the outside and raw inside - we paid for the apps and our drinks and left. People who were there before us were still waiting on bills or food or something- we just were done! Worst experience ever! Will never erase go back and will never recommend this place. read more

To be honest I've never reviewed a restaurant in my life but felt compelled to do so. Let me start with- in no circumstance should you go to this restaurant. The food sucks and is extremely overpriced. The only decent food item we ordered was the shrimp cocktail. The spinach artichoke dip is bland and tasteless. The chicken came cold and the steak resembled something you would order from a hospital cafeteria. It was cooked WELL done and appeared gray in color. I rarely would say that I would never go back to a restaurant but this is one of them. I felt bad for the staff, they are sweet and helpful. They even asked me "do you have any feedback for the kitchen?" and when I told them our steak was cooked well done instead of medium rare they looked unsurprised and defeated. BEWARE! read more

Truly a mid meal The food overall was very lackluster and lacking in taste and freshness. We ordered the meatball appetizer and it came out with a crust on top and semi-lukewarm, it was overall ok. The drinks though were quite good though. Me and my partner ordered the steak frites and cassoulet with duck confit. When we got our food she was served a filet mignon, that was poorly plated with nothing but a single piece of bacon and half a head of roasted garlic??? It took two clarifications from our waiter that he had put in the food order wrong and actually they were out of steak frites for that night. My meal was ok as the duck was nicely cooked but lacked in flavor and the cassoulet had a crust around it and the beans were still very firm. They did compensate us the price difference for the steak frites for the filet mignon but the lack of communication was frustrating. Overall the charging high entree meal prices doesn't match the expectations of what we thought would be a fine dining experience. read more

Mertens Prime - French Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

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Went to Merten's Prime for my husband's birthday dinner, indicated on the Open Table reservation the occasion was birthday. Got to the restaurant, the hostess was awkward and it took awhile to be sat even though the restaurant was empty. She asked if we were just out for date night, I guess the occasion from Open Table does not come through to the restaurant? It was pretty empty in there and we got sat next to a large table of 12. It was loud and slow service, not sure why we had to sit so close when there were plenty of open tables. I don't mind a slow meal but for the price I expected more attentive service. We waited way too long for drink refills (soda and water), I ended up filling my own water. The food was meh, very bland. They start with room temperature french bread and unsalted plain butter. We ordered a poutine starter that came tightly packed into a soup bowl, it was hard to eat and lacked flavor. For entree my husband ordered a steak and I got a pasta. He said the steak was well cooked but lacked flavor, he was salting each bite. It had a whole roasted garlic clove and sprig of rosemary on the plate but neither seemed to be used for seasoning. The garlic clove was dry, had it been oiled it would have been nice to add to the steak. My pasta was a truffle pasta and that was the only flavor, noodle and truffle, I was hoping for a deeper flavor profile since it also had cheese and ham. In the end, we will not return due to the lack of attentive service and bland food for for the cost. Would like to give the cafe a try when it re-opens, the space is so beautiful. read more

Mertens Prime - French Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

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I came here recently for a date night dinner. I had reserved a table for two in advance via Open Table for the regular dining area, however there is a rooftop portion that is available for walk in diners. When we arrived for our reservation, we still had to wait at the restaurant for about 20 minutes until getting seated, but they have a bar at the front that you can sit and have drinks if the restaurant is not too busy. The interior of the restaurant has a very cool speakeasy vibe within the historical first floor of the prior New Hotel Mertens. There were a lot of windows within the restaurant, and just part of the first floor was open for dining. They have a large menu of cocktails that were popular back when the hotel was in its prime. The staff were very friendly, and we were able to get a quick rundown of what dishes were not available for the night. It seems they change their menu every now and then, as the vegan poutine I was hoping for was no longer on the menu. The interior is moderately loud, and it's rather warm inside the restaurant, and was a bit smokey, which I'm assuming came from the kitchen. We were able to sit at a nice booth table. We ordered the Steamed Mussels, which came with french fries and a garlic aïoli type of sauce, Filet Medallions au Poivre, and sides of Brussels sprouts and Belgian Pomme Frites with magic dust. I loved how large and delicious the mussels were, they came with your basic french fries, with a tasty garlic aïoli sauce. My boyfriend enjoyed his seared tenderloin medallions, which was cooked at medium to medium rare, there was no option for how they would be cooked when we ordered. I was also very pleasantly surprised by the brussels sprouts side, which was flavorful, and sweet with the honey glaze. The Belgian pomme frites with the magic dust (additional $1) had a sweet/salty/spicy flavor combo which honestly made the other fries taste bland (even though they were also fine). The full service for dinner was just under 2 hours. Dinner for two with 2 entrees, 2 sides, 2 drinks came to about $115, which I thought was reasonable for the experience, food and ambience. They also will validate parking for 2 hours if you park at Cherry or Weston garages close by. read more

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They finally opened back up after Covid/Staffing issues and I am so glad they did! The inside of Mertens is beautiful! It brings you back to a time when men would only wear suits at a restaurant like this. Don't worry, casual attire is welcome here. It started as a hotel back in 1914 and a lot of character and charm still comes through! We have had a hankering for Shrimp Beignets for a while now. This is a MUST order item. (As long as you don't have a shellfish allergy. ) They are served warm and have a lovely flavor of fresh shrimp inside. They're coated with a "Powdered Sugar" dusting that is both sweet and spicy in one. Our bartender, Sam, makes delicious cocktails and is a pleasure to chat with. I highly recommend having a drink at the bar while getting to know some of the other patrons. One of my favorite things in life is a Philly Cheesesteak. I didn't see one on the menu, but they do have a Philly Poutine so I had to try it. The ribeye was flavored to perfection! The house whiz was rich and creamy and the fries were the perfect crispness! I could have made a meal out of this and want to ask them if they'll make a Cheesesteak for me next time. Finally, we shared a Beef Stroganoff that is escalated, as it's made with Filet Mignon. It was quite delicious. The only thing I would have done differently is put more sauce on it. I like my Stroganoff with a lot of mushroom cream sauce! The pasta is house made and you can really tell the difference from store bought pasta! Mertens was named one of the top restaurants in Grand Rapids in 2020 and I'd have to agree. Get yourself there soon for some amazing food and an elegant dining experience! read more

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