Merchants Restaurant

05/10/2008 Posted by paradoxzap

We have lived downtown for years and only recently gave Merchant's a try. It's a little pricey so we opted to order cheeseburgers. Wow! They were great! The buns were toasted, the patty big, thick and juicy. Fries aren't so great as they have some sort of seasoning liberally sprinkled on them. Service is typically good and we can usually get seated without a wait, even when other downtown establishments are packed. The booths offer a comfortable dining experience and the seats by the windows allow for people watching. I would suggest declining seating at the round tops on the first floor. It is very cramped and loud. We have been 4 or 5 times now and the cheeseburgers are consistently good. We have stuck with a good thing and haven't tried anything else at Merchants...for the price, we will continue to get our steaks at Flemings.

Pros: great cheeseburgers, nice ambience if you avoid the round tops

Cons: Many items on menu seem a bit over priced for the setting

04/27/2008 Posted by tyrsileen

We came here before a show at the Ryman, and we chose because it was the least bar-esq location that we saw on the block. The food was mediocore and incredibley over priced. I had the Chicken Pappardello for 19 dollars and my date the portobello sandwich for 9. As far as the food to price ratio goes, this restaurant failed to meet par. The service was fine, the food...not so much.

Pros: Nice atmosphere, good location, good service

Cons: Overpriced food.

04/17/2008 Posted by xtinameadows

I don't know much about the dining experience here (as I got take-out), but I do know about the food poisioning you might get. I have heard many wonderful things about Merchant's as I work just a block away and a few of my co-workers enjoy take out for lunch. I had a Rueben and fries with the 1000 island on the side (i'm not a huge fan of it)....pretty easy sandwich if you ask me. It tasted great going down. It did NOT taste good coming back up 7 hours later. I ate a normal breakfast (the same thing I had the day before) and no dinner considering how terrible I was feeling. I am 100% sure it was the Merchant's sandwich that did me in. I am not one to complain, but how can you mess up salted, cured meat and canned saurkraut? Unfortunately this incident has ruined my taste for Merchant's.

Pros: seems like a cool atmosphere, great location downtown

Cons: food made me sick

04/07/2008 Posted by jefftiffin83

We had a wonderful dinner at Merchant's. The food was outstanding as well as the service!! We will definitely eat here again when we come to Nashville. Our waitress Jo Jo was wonderful as well!!

Pros: food, service,. ambience, waitress

Cons: none

06/12/2007 Posted by leeintn

I have been to Merchant's on more than one occasion. I have been in the upstairs section, but prefer the bar and grille area. I was completely unprepared for how much they seemed to have fallen apart there. I can't decide if I am more angry about being charged 5.00 for valet parking ( on top of the tip), or maybe the overpriced watered down drinks, or was it the absolutely HORRIBLE service ( waiter could not even come back and get our dessert order for 35 minutes). To top it all off, we were seated on the patio and the plastic chairs at the table next to us and then at our table collapsed! Do you think I even got an apology?? Nope. I think the management at Merchant's really need to clean house and get back to the standards they used to have.

Pros: Great location for people watching

02/27/2007 Posted by drachele

This was one of the worst dining experience of my life...no joke. I entertained a party of 8 over the weekend and suggested we go to Merchants. The lack of service, attitude,managment and general deceny was AMAZING. I was completely dumbfounded on how bad a restaurant could be...........now i know. Plese save yourself the embarrassment that i expereinced by taking friends and family there. The location is great, the food is okay....................... but the service and management are so completely and utterly unacceptable that you could have a great evening many other places in nashville!!

Cons: SERVICE,SERVICE,SERVICE

02/07/2007 Posted by kahull

My husband and I are new to the area. We went here on a long overdue date. The crabcakes for apps were wonderful. I had the scallops which were amazing. My husband had the pork which he thought was all right. We enjoyed the unusual sides that came with the main course. We sat upstairs (same price) because of the piano man. Next time we will probably sit downstairs as the atmosphere still seems romantic but a little more fun. We will definately go back!

Pros: Romantic, Good food, Great building

Cons: A little high priced for no salad or bread, parking was bad

01/26/2006 Posted by kwalker77

We had our wedding reception upstairs in the pharmacy of Merchants. Everything was absolutely wonderful. The staff was incredibly helpful and friendly, the food was so good, and the restaurant itself is beautiful. I completely recommend this place to anyone looking for somewhere to have a group event!

Pros: Service, Food, Atmosphere

06/07/2005 Posted by a_r_b

This a great atmosphere if you want to impress the one you love. The service accommodated me and my now 'fiance'. We savoured every minute of our evening. The touch of the windows overlooking Broadway and the fireplace upstairs creates a very intimate feeling. I'll never forget Merchant's b/c it topped off my engagement proposal.

07/26/2004 Posted by tonya1

Was in town on a trip, was told to try Merchants and , boy they where right ,great food ,really!!! Will come back again. AA++ thanks for the great experience.

Pros: FOOD, SERVICE, VALET