The Merchant Tavern — Restaurant in St. John's

Really disappointed in the experience at merchant tavern. For paying almost $100 per person, I expected way more.

First of all, there was a terrible smell in the short walk between the front door and restaurant that was very off putting. They also have a big sign saying masks mandatory and then you walk in and none of the workers are wearing masks. (I realize the mask mandate is over...but then take down the sign).

Next, we were quickly seated upon arrival in a half full restaurant at 6pm and then not one server came to our table for 15 minutes. Finally someone came up and apologized as there was some confusion and asked for drink orders. Then two other servers did the exact same thing within minutes... So it seemed the confusion was still there.

Next, we went on a Sunday and weren't aware they had "theme nights". We were really looking forward to the oysters and full menu, however it was "steak night" and they only had three options for dinner. We were very dissappointed to learn this but figured we were already there so we would stay. We figured if they were only cooking steak, then it would have to all be really good steak.

Ordered a bottle of wine. Server comes with the bottle, tells us she's not good at opening bottles or pouring. Then proceeds to spill a bit of wine on the table while pouring, says oops , then doesn't clean it up.

Next we ordered the $100 ribeye to split between two of us. Server then says she has to go check if they have any left.....it's 6:30 and you have three things on your menu.....how could you have possibly run out at 6:30. They ended up having it so that was fine. She then told us she can't guarantee how well the steak would be cooked. So we are paying $100 for a steak and it could come out medium well?! She said because they cooked in butter that they can't control the temperature so medium rare might not be possible......we were baffled and reiterated that we wanted medium rare.

While getting up to go to the bathroom we noticed this silver kitchen tray of fully cooked steaks just sitting under the heat lamp and mentioned to eachother how scared we were that they were precooking the steaks and then serving them when people ordered.

Steak comes out quickly and it was large and fed the both of us with enough sides, however it was not hot and it was covered in chunks of garlic butter and was definitely more medium cooked. We both love steak, cook it all the time and were very dissappointed in the taste and texture for an $100 meal. We agreed the side of mushrooms were the best part of the meal. The temperature definitely felt like it had been sitting under a heat lamp for a while.

I reccomended merchant tavern to train your employees better for a higher end restaurant setting (they are using the wine glasses from Raymond's which we thought was strange as they are branded Raymond's) and to get rid of the theme nights and stick to...

Dined at the Merchant Tavern recently while on vacation from the US. It was a special milestone birthday, so my husband and I looked at reviews of restaurants and chose this one. The interior is lovely, very industrial chic with very high ceilings. It’s beautifully decorated. I kept ogling the paintings on the wall to the left as you walk in the front entrance. SO beautiful.

We were seated at a high top right up against very loud people at the bar, when we had requested a nice table for two. I’d say this was the least desirable table in the entire restaurant, but so be it. I ordered my standard vodka martini with a lemon twist, and when it arrived, I had to wonder if the server had consumed ¾ of it on the way to the table (see photo). It was an expensive drink too! I was not happy, but wasn’t sure if it was a Canadian thing with standard measures? In the states, martinis arrive filled to the brim. I did see other drinks going out in martini glasses that were a bit fuller, so I don’t know.

We chose to split the charcuterie board as our starter. This was the best part of the meal. Nice selection of meats and cheeses, though the price was pretty insane 45CAN (32USD). Still, everything tasted nice.

For our entrees, I ordered the duck breast with Brussels sprouts and cherries and my husband ordered their pasta special. My duck dish was really a disappointment. The duck was the toughest I’d ever had, very chewy—the kind of meat you chew and chew and the piece never gets smaller. The Brussels sprouts consisted of THREE single LEAVES of the sprouts. And add to that the dish was so overly salted it was almost inedible. I’m a home chef and like things well seasoned, but this was way over the top. Husband’s pasta was cooked perfectly, but again the dish was so over salted he didn’t finish it. We took the leftovers back to our AirBnB but threw them out.

Also, our server had no personality at all and wasn’t very attentive. C’est la vie.

Sadly, that was our last attempt at dining at an upscale restaurant while in the St. John’s area. We had great experiences at more casual places that served fish and chips and burgers. We are foodies and were so excited to experience some great restaurants while on holiday. The Merchant Tavern discouraged us from spending our tourist dollars on any other...

it was my last night in St. Johns and I wanted to experience luxury.

I was not disappointed

I bought a bottle of wine and the Chef's Tasting Menu and was pleased to learn that the Chef's skill had not been dulled by Covid-19 and mass closures of all restaurants.

The tasting menu featured four of my favorite meals: Tuna, Crab, Halibut and Beef, with a delicious dessert that was a homespun comfort executed with professional skill.

I ordered the tasting menu on an empty stomach. The tuna when presented shared a lot of similarities with modern tuna platings that i have seen at other local restaurants, but was far cry from the albacore tuna I have had on Raymond's tasting menus in the past. The thinly sliced tuna of the highest quality spread across the plate like bacon strips may be popular, but I will always be the man who prefers a mighy slab of a mighty fish seared to perfection and sliced into thick, satisfying "mini steaks."

The pasta was incredible. Made rough with love where the delicious filling of the angolotti reached the perfect temperature while the hand made pasta was still a perfect el dente. I could have eaten a thousand of them.

The halibut was delicious, and almost as good as I can cook for myself. The delicious crust and juicy flesh were a credit to this fabulous fish, and the cassoulet was modest while still being balanced and delicious.

The steak was a wonder, because it seemed to be a cheap cut of beef grilled with gourmet perfection. This is something I cannot do at home. The flavor was everything I wanted with a wave of smoke, and the additions complimented this raw flavor beautifully.

The dessert was incredible, with conscience technique applied to a rustic, rough recipe. The blueberry cake reminded me of my mother's Sunday dinners, and the application of the buttered blueberry sauce and fresh cream added the right amount of cool to the hot cake. It could have used a bit of sugar but thats just me.

The Merchant Tavern is among the most fittest restaurants in this city and deserves your patronage...