The Merchant Tavern Review

Excellent service and always a great craft beer and wine selection!

Very nice atmosphere great service and very nice staff

I love this place! Great cocktails. Wonderful and interesting range of food options. Wish they were open just a little earlier to be available for late afternoon cocktails and snacks! Love the hush puppies!

Just stopped by for a beer, great selection of local craft choices. On past visits the food has been great - if you like Walleye it's excellent here.

Always great food and drinks. Wonderful atmosphere also!

Food and service were great. I highly recommend The Merchant

Best chicken Philly sandwich. The onions are caramelized perfectly and the garlic aioli is the best addition.

Food is awesome, atmosphere is amazing, and they have great drinks! The staff really make you feel like family! Love this place!

Great place, good food, great draft beer, and great drinks. Very attentive and friendly service.

So many great things to say about this place! As a first time visitor the atmosphere is so beautiful. I cant wait to visit in warmer weather to enjoy the beautiful patio area! I tried the Beyond Burger (Plant Based) and it was BEYOND delicious and priced perfectly! Highly recommend trying the seasonal cocktail called the Autumn Pear. One of the best cocktails I ever had. Our server was so welcoming and pleasant and offered great menu and drink recomendations to us as new visitors. Love this place and a must see if you are in the Akron Area! Keep up the great work!

The food is really good and the beer selection is pretty good. The atmosphere is laid back and on the casual side. My only real complaint is the parking lot leaves something to be desired, it's small and cramped.

First time visit and food and service was fantastic. Had Walleye special entree and it was terrific. My wife had shrimp & grits, be careful tends to be a bit spicy hot. Daughter had salmon burger with bacon and loved it. Wait staff was helpful, attentive, and fun - nice to see they were busy on a Saturday night during Covid. Plenty of masks, social distancing, and plex-glass dividers on the bar for those of you concerned about being out. We will return to check out the homemade meatloaf, steak, and salmon entrees. Prices comparable to other restaurants in this type of casual / bar / family restaurant. Entree portions are generous for the $$.

A great spot to dine in Akron. Great draft beer and bottle list. Great cocktails. Food is amazing. Meal options at several price points. I had the Asian lettuce wraps this time. Ambiance is perfect for lunch or romantic dinner spot. Staff was able to accommodate a larger party there without a problem with a little notice. Attentive and responsive.

As usual, food was great, crowd was pleasant drinks were flowing.
Best place in town.
JS

From the greeting to the farewell it was a wonderful experience. Ticket times were on point and service was beyond excellent... Thank you Danielle we started with the fried ravioli and let me just say yummmy cheesy. We had two burgers and I should have gotten my fries instead of the half salad only because the fries were sooo good. The buns were soft inside with a chewy crust. The burger itself was seasoned perfect on each. Really we couldn't ask for more. The Merchant is a gem in the Valley.

Our food was fantastic. Incredible selection of beer to choose from! There were so many starters we would have loved to have tried, but settled on the cheese curds which were delicious. I opted for the steak salad, and the steak itself was delicious. Not a cheap cut as some places will do on a salad. We can't wait to go back to try more options. Our server Abby was great, too!

Nice place, but the dining room was extremely loud. I couldn't hear the person I was with who was sitting across the table from me. The fish and chips was very good and well prepared. Prices are on the higher side of average, but justified by the quality of the food.

The food here is goo-ood. Nice draft beer selection. There's also a nice patio that opens when the weather allows. Parking is a bit of a hassle, especially if you are arriving right smack in the middle of dinner-time. But you can park across the street, just be REAL careful crossing--driver's are NOT looking out for pedestrians.

Excellent food and a great draft beer selection. My cocktail and wine friends also say those are great also. Its a little pricey but they have plenty of specials - pizza and burger nights - so check there social pages, website for those.

Poor waitstaff, rude managers. 0/5 sub par establishment.

The BBQ burger was surprisingly good. I was surprised that a cup of chicken noodle soup was 6 bucks.

Food was amazing as always. Bartender was a little off her game but no worries still very satisfied.

It been several years since we dined here so we thought we should make a visit. Nothing ever changes in this old Akron steak house. Made reservations and was very pleased that we were able to bring our own wine for a $10 corkage fee. good menu and we both ordered the basic strip.

Great cocktails, amazing home made pizza... Great place to go with friends or coworkers!

They have new menu items - like seafood - the food was much better this time around - last year when I went the food wasn't all that good

Great food, inexpensive and served quickly. Brody was our excellent waiter. Near Weathervane Playhouse. Will definitely come again when we are in the area.

Anytime I drive through the valley, this restaurant always catches my eye. So a week ago, my friend and I decided to check it out for a drink and an appetizer. Let me just tell you, this place does not disappoint. The atmosphere was great and it was decorated for Christmas, which made it that much more cozy!

I ordered a glass of the duckhorn Cabernet (one of my favorites) and it was perfect. We also each ordered their Bavarian pretzel with cheese and it was so good! I m not even kidding when I say it s the best cheese I ve had anywhere lately. I was so impressed and satisfied with my choices!

**Overall the server was wonderful, the food was outstanding and the drinks were just as great! The menu is pricey, but I d say it s definitely worth it! I will be back for sure!

Good service, nice atmosphere, and excellent food. The only downside is that it's a little pricey. First time in a long time that I've gone out for a steak and didn't have to send it back. As I said, excellent food. They don't have a kids menu but they actually accommodated my sons bu making an off-menu grilled cheese. Honestly, I stole a bite. Never had a better grilled cheese sandwich lol. Everything, from the appetizers to the main course, was cooked to perfection. Will definitely return.

Great food in our family the muscles as an appetizer is a favorite casual yet special friendly yeah during formative service it respectful this is a a go-to place for us

I didn't like my first time here at all !! The food is super expensive compared to what they offer; we ordered a nacho appetizer for $12 and it wasn't even nachos ! It was simple potato chips with a mediocre topping. Won't come here again!

Great place. Love going there. Although their definition of a ceased salad is odd

Lovely patio, pleasant staff, thai mussels are a MUST everytime we go!

Attentive staff, playful menu of food & cocktails, large seating areas both indoors and outside. Only down side is the bathroom is incredibly small.

Absolutely love The Merchant Tavern! This is one of the best restaurants in town. Anthony and his staff go above and beyond to create a great experience with incredible food! This is a must visit when in Akron!! We highly recommend!

Wonderful service from Tim behind the bar! They treat you like family!

One of my fav places food usually made to perfection which is the fish specials!! Their desserts are so so good and the drinks are spot on!
The salads especially anything they have with apple is fab! When the weather is nice outside is beautiful but the music selection is a bit odd and loud as heck. But overall come here keep this place busy and in business!!!

Best food I've ever had. Friendly staff, very attentive. Best cook in akron!

Great service, food and atmosphere... what more could you ask for!

Fantastic food, great atmosphere and service. The staff great!

Waitress was in a rush to have us leave... it was awkward.

Awsome food and great atmosphere. Good service as well

Excellent and friendly service. The mussels appetizer was well prepared as was steak salad. Nice atmosphere. $$!

Best burgers around! Friendly staff and atmosphere.

Went there a while ago. My food was good, but the people that joined me had pretty mediocre food, and then got into an argument with the waitress after she served her raw fish (not sushi was supposed to be cooked.) Main issue I have with the place is the parking lot is impossible to get in and out of. OK place but wouldn't recommend compared to the other restaurants in Akron.

Great bar and grill, great cocktails and a very interesting menu! Great place to meet up with friends and family!!
Love it!!!

5 stars for food and service but I felt like our party was finessed. I ask for a side of ranch for my fries and was charged $1. Wasn't told there would be a charge. Ok. But $1 for a small side of ranch? My uncle was also charged for his ranch with his wing appetizer. Who does that? Don't wings always come with ranch or blue cheese? The kicker was that my sister asked if she could get onion rings instead of fries and she was charged $5! I don't blame our server. She must not have been trained to inform her customers of these ridiculous up charges. We won't be back.

Rating 5 stars as history dates back to famous Akron landmark the Wine Merchant. Had a good selection of retail wines. Great selection of beer. Unbelievable walleye special. As good a walleye as I have ever had. Two other classic must haves are Mel s steak sandwich and the angel food cake. Just wish they had more seating.

I would like to leave a review, but the lack of parking prevented me from visiting this place.

I ordered the mussels appetizer. Wouldn't recommend it. They tasted old. I didn't finish it. I doubt if I'll go back

Food was very fresh, waiter was good. Overall good experience! !!!

Don't order a drink you're unsure of because if you don't like it they won't take it off your bill. The manager wouldn't even talk to us about it.

The food was pretty good but the prices are kind of crazy. Friendly staff, beautiful inside. It does get pretty crowded but overall decent experience.

Service was very good. Three of us had different kinds of burgers. They were all over cooked. I mean, not even close. My rare burger was nearly well done. Management did reduce the price of each burger which was a nice gesture and much appreciated. They offered to redo the meals, but we just didn't have time for that. They get 4 stars for that, but because of the kitchen ineptitude, have to give an overall 3. Would give then a second chance, though.

I love this place. Good service. Good drinks. Good food. I love the mussels. The patio is lovely in the evenings. Parking can be tough, there's a lot next door that opens up later.

Great dinner with the family. Go early if you have kids as the crowd gets older as early evening sets in. The poutine was a crowd favorite and warm pretzel rods ended up as a nice treat on a cold evening for the kids. Will definitely visit again. Good good, Merchant.

Food was excellent but service was not. So many different sandwich choices with many interesting tastes. Our waitress was awesome but she can refill our water glasses only so many times while waiting for our food to come. My sandwich was good and so was the conversation so I think this place is worth a second look. I'll redo my rating again after my next visit.

Incredible burger is incredible! Staff is friendly. Beers are cold.

Extensive beer, wine & cocktails list with great upscale tavern food. Excellent patio & fantastic waitstaff!

Impressive fare with amazing rustic-like atmosphere! Fancy bar menu. Food prices are fair for what it is.

Great beer selection and cool place to grab a drink. But I've eaten here a handful of times and the food has never been very good. Passable if you happen to be hungry while you're there, but not someplace I'd purposely go to for food.

Good place for a small group to hang out for an evening.

The chicken tenders were some of the best I've had anywhere in the area. They were juicy, meaty, crunchy and just plain delicious. My grandfather who ordered the Sinatra enjoyed it based on how he did very little talking and a whole lot of chowing down. Everyone in our group seemed to be happy with their food and no real issues. I would come back again.

Ordered from their special of the day menu. The Thai mussels were a novelty and delicious with cilantro and lime. The halibut was cooked perfectly and still very tender and moist. Waitress was very attentive and was knowledgable about the food and options. Nice covered patio (see photo). Went there on a Sunday around 5 and it was not crowded and the football games showing in the bar did not fill the place with noise. Will go back again after biking or hiking on the tow path.

Superb food, awesome beer and wine selection, covered outdoor patio, family friendly and they do a great job of seating families and non family groups into separate parts of the restaurant. pricey but definitely worth it.

Very respectable and laid back atmosphere the owner is a very friendly and so is his staff. If your looking for something other than the trash johnny j's type bar and not stuck up like bricco then this is it.

The Thai muscles are to die for. Their cocktails are pretty amazing as well

my boyfriend and i have been here for drinks before but never for food and man am i glad that we did. we went for happy hour so we got the duck wraps, which were delicious and awesome, you get 6 wraps for $5 which was a great size appetizer, we had 5 beers total (drafts were $1 off each) then we did the burger night. i build my own with fries and he got a speciality with fries- the fries were a huge portion and were delicious btw. and our bill was only $53. the food was delicious and we had great service at the bar. jeanette was so nice and helpful in terms of explaining things on the menu. we will definitely be back, i'm excited to try other menu items!

First visit 29NOV2019 someone pulled out as we pulled up no problem parking. Brody the server was attentive and busy took a little while for meals but it was very busy. Everyone raved about their meals. A friend had the truffle burger and loved it a few of us had the meatloaf (YUM)! It was a great time and so good.

2nd visit 21DEC2019 pulled right into a parking space no problem. A friend and I were both looking forward to ordering the same thing we had before. Thank heavens we were lucky enough to get Brody again (Yay!) Awesome service from Brody (Thank you). We ordered the same dinners truffle burger and meatloaf absolutely awesome again. We also had the Cranberry & White chocolate bread pudding which was phenomenal. Amazing food and awesome service from a cutie patootie what more can you ask for?

This is an excellent place for a great meal. The entrees run around $20, but they are well worth it. The beer and drink selections are both excellent. It does get rather loud in here and the atmosphere is fairly bar-like, but the food and the service are outstanding. I will definitely want to go back here the next time I'm in the area.

Burger Tuesdays means $5 off any burger on the menu. These are great and not just for the Tuesday price, except mine was well done instead of medium rare. The fries are great, the drinks and bar service also and the ambience too - loads of people at this watering hole unlike most places in Akron. Will repeat.

Fish and chips with the kale slaw is my favorite. I love almost everything there. Good service. Long wait time and low parking so be prepared or get a reservation and prepare to pay for valet.