Merk's Bar & Grill — Restaurant in New Smyrna Beach

First off, I would like to start by saying that my wife and I have heard nothing but rave reviews about Merk's. When we got there, parking was extremely limited, but they were busy... so, granted no big deal. My wife had her Service Dog with her, and sat her on her bed mat on the chair next to her. The dog alerts my wife if she is going to have an episode and needs to be near enough to her head/mouth to be able to smell the change in my wife's body chemistry. The waitress had no problem and we ordered a chicken breast for her off of their doggie menu. We ordered appetizers and 3 different types of wings for ourselves.

Well, they bought out the 3 different flavors of wings, and that's it. One of the sets of wings were wrong. We had to send it back, and also ask for the rest of our food. The woman that brought out our wings told my wife that the service dog had to be put on the floor. That it could not be on the chair. She was rather rude about how she spoke about it to us. You would have thought that if it was a thing, the waitress that first took our order, and we ordered food for the dog from, would have said something. But no, they waited until we ordered and the food was coming out. And before anyone says that they had a right, we have eaten at Outriggers, Goodriches, and the River Deck, and no one ever said anything... No issues EVER.

They then brought out the chicken breast for the dog on a paper fry basket. It was a whole piece, not large but not cut up or anything, and when I asked for silverware they said they didn't have any. The waitress came back a minute later with a plastic knife and fork. A lot of good that was.

After the wings were replaced they brought out our appetizers. So we got our main coarse first, and then the appetizers afterwards. Not how that was supposed to workout in all honesty. My wife had gotten fried pickles which had no real flavor to them, and I had gotten the nachos which I could not eat because there was no silverware! The wings, by the way, were nothing special. Everyone raves about them, but the dry rub on 2 of the sets of wings was really not what we had hoped for. For the lemon pepper wings, there was maybe a teaspoons worth accumulated on the platter under the wings. There was barely any on the wings themselves. Question: were we supposed to rub them on ourselves? The Old Bay wings were overkill. There was so much Old Bay that it ruined the taste all together. And the Frankenstein wings, well... they were a bit tough, and tasted like nothing more than just some wings dipped and fried in any ole sweet BBQ sauce.

At this point we were finished. We were fed up and done. My wife's emaculately clean Service Dog is now not able to do her task, and is laying on a dirty bar floor. We are having a hard time talking over all the noise and shouting from the other patrons. We are not enjoying any of the food, and this is the last night of our 2 week vacation and it has now ended on a very sour note. We will not be going back, and will not recommend this place to anyone. We just dropped $125 on food we did not enjoy and basically could not eat, in a place that made us feel very uncomfortable. We will be telling people to avoid this place, period! For the same price we just spent here we would have rather gone to Outrigger (literally across the street) where the food is always amazing, the drinks are top shelf, the service is spot on, there is live music, and the atmosphere and ambiance is...

Whoa! I literally just walked in as a black masculine presenting female and used the bathroom then sat down at the bar, and I was greeted by a white dude with dark hair at the bar. He said what's up? What can I get for you? Wearing a lynch/noose around his neck. I just looked down at it while hanging up my phone call in disbelief slowly. I don't know if that was some symbolic n-words aren't allowed or just some excuse to broadcast how racist he is, yeah... just maybe it was for Halloween. Smh. He then asked me did I want something to drink? I just got up out of my seat and walked out. My spirit doesn't lie. I'm pretty sure that gesture was blatant communication that I wasn't welcome there, Halloween or not it was completely disrespectful with a smirk on his face & not welcoming to a paying customer who drove 20 minutes as a referral from a client I cut earlier today. I was really looking forward to trying the "cheesesteak" with pickles and banana peppers. But, nah. I'll go to Jersey Mikes! Wow, I am sitting in my Corvette C7 in complete disgusted shock. Like, it's 2025!!! REPENT!! Because these kind of people will burn in hell for racism. Trust and believe your ancestors are already burning. What a shame. Have a blessed night. May God have mercy on your souls. Jokes on YOU! sir.

Now, ironically, this truck pulled up behind my Corvette C7, as I was on my way out, and they rolled the windows down, and to my surprise, I noticed it was other black people when the gentleman came out with the food I asked him, did he see someone behind the bar? Wearing a noose? He said, no. I asked again.. in disbelief you didn't see someone in there wearing a lynch rope around their neck? He said, no...not at all. & that he wasn't the only black guy in there. There was another one playing pool. I said, huh? Is that right? When I was in there, there wasn't anyone playing pool. There was my confirmation that he put that on "just for me".

Then a white dude comes out the door looks for me and whistles like he aint do nothing. I'm pretty sure that this was the guy who had that around his neck and he came back out here just now for the third time and he keeps looking out the window to see if I've left yet. Wow.. what a coward. Wow, do better, do...

I truly enjoyed myself at Merk's Bar & Grill! It was my first time there (Monday, June 5, 2023, and I've been back a few times thereafter for drinks). I was meeting a friend, but she had to cancel last minute. Now, that might have been an issue for me at any other place, but the atmosphere at Merk's was so welcoming and friendly, I decided to stay a while. I ordered an appetizer of Jalapeño Poppers which were delicious! Crispy, served with dipping sauces, and the portion is quite large. I had already been served a Corona, and of course, a shot of José Cuervo (generously poured) to achieve the ultimate combo, in my opinion. Since this was a weekday, and fairly early in the evening around 6:00 pm, there wasn't a "bumper-to-bumper" crowd, however, quite a few patrons nonetheless. The Staff/the Bartender/the Food Runner were very friendly, attentive, and service was excellent. The patrons are friendly too! I met a very nice couple sitting next to me at the bar. Her name is Jessie but I can't remember his name (my bad, no offense). After having good conversation, an order of super tasty Jalapeño Poppers, and one drink round, I hadn't spent no more than $25 (+ tips)! Overall, the prices are more than fair. The atmosphere at Merk's is casual, "beachy", an open floorplan, a large bar, ample seating, and free parking both in front and in back. There's also outdoor seating if you prefer. Inside, there are pool tables to one side and various games to play. You'll see lots of smiles and hear the laughter of happy people. Now that's my kind of therapy! Merk's is located near a marina which is just a few yards away, in back of the restaurant. You can walk off your meal a bit, de-stress, look at the boats, hear the seagulls squawking, and watch people fishing. I highly recommend Merk's Bar & Grill. You won't regret it ... Oh yeah, did I mention they have "Taco Tuesday"... !? Today is Tuesday! Guess where I'll be going tonight? Check out their website for more info. See you there ... -- Sandy N., Daytona...