Mercer Social House — Restaurant in Newtown

Mercer Social House Review: A Promising New Addition

This Memorial Day weekend, my wife and I were among the eager locals to check out Mercer Social House, stepping into the space formerly known as Urban Grill. It's always bittersweet to see an old favorite go, but the buzz and the packed parking lot at Mercer hinted at exciting things to come.

The place was hopping right from the soft launch, a good sign for any new spot. A 30-minute wait gave us the perfect excuse to dive into their bar menu, which boasted an impressive selection of local beers, wines, and mixed drinks. I went for an Old Fashioned, and my wife chose a Cosmopolitan. Both were spot-on, setting a high bar for the evening.

The service was friendly and efficient, though understandably still ironing out some early operational creases. Once seated, I ordered a half rack of ribs with French onion soup, and my wife went for the BBJ Burger. The burger, described as a smash burger, turned out to be a medium patty instead but was tasty all the same, though the accompanying chips left us wishing for a bit more variety at a $17 price point.

My ribs, on the other hand, were a standout. Loaded with meat and seasoned with a delightful dry rub, they were paired with choices like mac n' cheese or salad; I chose the soup. At $22 for a half rack, the meal felt like a steal given the quality and portion size.

The atmosphere at Mercer Social House was lively and fun, decked out with plenty of TVs for the sports fans. The overall vibe was energetic, perfect for a casual dining experience.

While currently focused on bar food, the menu shows promise and I anticipate it will expand as the restaurant finds its footing. For those in the Newtown area of Cincinnati, Mercer Social House is a welcome addition that's well worth a visit. I’m excited to see how it evolves and adds to our community's vibrant dining scene. Highly recommended for a fun and...

I was super disappointed when Urban Grill on Main went out of business. For many years it was a staple of spring and fall soccer seasons, with its convenient location near one of the area's largest soccer parks. Fortunately, the space has recently reopened as Mercer Social House and many of the same things we love about the former restaurant continue to be true with the new ownership. We have already been a couple of times and have sampled the brunch and regular lunch/dinner menus.

An early favorite on the menu for me is the fried spicy chicken sandwich topped with sriracha aioli, cabbage slaw, and cherry pepper ($15.45). This is served with Saratoga chips or you can substitute fries for $1.25. The spicy on this sandwich is no joke and the cherry peppers really sealed the deal for me on this one, such a great flavor from those. The fries were alright, but next time I think I'll try the Saratoga chips.

On the brunch menu, I selected the Monte Cristo with French toasted brioche, tasso ham, Swiss cheese, provolone, and dijonnaise all deep-fried and served with raspberry compote ($19.95). This was a large and very filling sandwich. I must admit one of the best Monte Cristo's I think I've had. The outside was crispy fried, but the inside was soft and had a really nice combination of flavors. Overall the food has been good, the service great, and the atmosphere perfect. Spring soccer season is just around the corner so I'll soon be...

It took our server 7 minutes to even greet us after we sat down. They weren’t swamped and it was 12pm on a Saturday. Took her 6 minutes to bring our drinks which was a Coke and a water. I ordered the traditional smoked wings and my girlfriend ordered the pretzel bites. After ordering we didn’t see our server again for 20 minutes. Our food was dropped off by food runners and my wings were cold. The chicken was tough when I bit into them and 4/10 of my wings were still too pink/undercooked to eat them. So I assessed that they keep their “amazingly smoked wings” frozen until they smoke them and then roll the dice on if they’re fully cooked or not. My girlfriend, who NEVER complains about food anywhere due to problems with confrontation told me her pretzels were mushy like they had been microwaved and the beer cheese had absolutely no flavor either. I would’ve told my waitress (I believe her name was Maria, or maybe Mandy..only spoke to her twice so idk) to take them back but the next time I saw her I was asking for the check bc it had been almost 30 minutes. I was very let down with my experience and hope that it was just a one off situation bc no one deserves that kind of service when dining out. My check was $50 which to me is overpriced for appetizers worse than your regular farmhouse brand at Kroger. I left $60 and walked out disappointed to...