Merchant

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Merchant

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Address:
121 S Pinckney St
Madison, WI 50703

Neighborhood:
Madison

Getting there ›
Cuisine:
Contemporary American

Price: $30 and under

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Merchant Details

Dining Style: Casual Dining
Website: http://www.merchantmadison.com
Email: info@merchantmadison.com
Phone: (608) 259-9799
Hours of Operation: Monday - Friday 11:00 AM - Bartime Saturday 2:00 PM - Bartime Sunday 5:00PM - Bartime Saturday Brunch (Outdoor Farmer's Market Season) 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Payment Options: AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, MasterCard, Visa
Cuisine: Contemporary American, Bar / Lounge / Bottle Service
Executive Chef: Jon Nodler
Dress Code: Casual Dress
Accepts Walk-Ins: Yes
Additional Details: Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Counter Seating, Entertainment, Farm to Table, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Late Night, Takeout, Weekend Brunch, Wine, Wine Bar
Catering: Please call if interested.
Private Party Facilities: We have limited private dining available. Please call (608) 259-9799 to speak to management.
Private Party Contact: Joshua Berkson (608) 259-9799
Entertainment: Madison"s finest DJs late night. Jazz and bluegrass performers brunch and weekdays. Please check the entertainment schedule at http://www.merchantmadison.com/entertainment/
Special Events & Promotions: Please call us to arrange a special event, happy hour, or party.

Getting there

Cross Street: E. Doty Street
Public Transit: Downtown bus lines are one block away.
Parking: Public Lot
Parking Details: Streetside and Parking ramp available across the street

A word from Merchant

Reservation policy. We accept reservations Sunday-Thursday at all hours of the day. We reserve only half the dining room Friday and Saturday until 7:30. Walk-in friendly always! As Merchants, we consider ourselves stewards of great ingredients. We source the freshest and finest local and… international products that we can get our hands on, and feature and sell these ingredients in our dining room in order to achieve complete transparency of our operations. It is our goal to bring you enjoyment through method-driven food, cocktails using only the best liquors and the freshest ingredients, and a place for you to blow off the rigors of a stressful day.Continued

Merchant

4.2

114 $30 and under restaurant

Awards voted by OpenTable diners

Diners' Choice WinnerHot Spot
Diners' Choice WinnerVibrant Bar Scene

Featured Reviews

More Reviews ›

Reviews from OpenTable Diners Learn More

86 Current Reviews

Summary of Diner Ratings & Reviews

Overall

(Outstanding) 4.2 / 5

Food

(Outstanding) 4.3 / 5

Service

(Outstanding) 4.1 / 5

Ambiance

(Very Good) 3.9 / 5

Noise Level

Energetic

86 Current Reviews

Summary of Diner Ratings & Reviews

Overall

(Outstanding) 4.2 / 5

Food

(Outstanding) 4.3 / 5

Service

(Outstanding) 4.1 / 5

Ambiance

(Very Good) 3.9 / 5

Noise Level

Energetic

Filter Reviews By:

Diners classify this restaurant as:

fit for foodies(60)
vibrant bar scene(48)
hot spot(35)

neighborhood gem(35)
special occasion(29)
late-night find(26)

Current OpenTable.com Diner Reviews (86)

Overall rating

(Very Good) 4 / 5

Good Group Outing

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 04/11/2012

2012

Dined on 04/11/2012

2012

Food

(Very Good) 4 / 5

Service

(Very Good) 4 / 5

Ambiance

(Very Good) 4 / 5

Noise Level

Moderate

"I went with a group of friends around 8:00. Everything we ordered was great. They have a very extensive drink menu, which is fun if you are going out for cocktails or wine. Our waitress was very polite and efficient. She gave us suggestions when we asked for them. Great place for a group."

Dined on 04/11/2012

2012

Special Features: good for groups, late-night find, notable wine list

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Overall rating

(Very Good) 4 / 5

Love the food and staff at

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 04/09/2012

2012

Dined on 04/09/2012

2012

Food

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Service

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Ambiance

(Very Good) 4 / 5

Noise Level

Energetic

"Love the food and staff at Merchant! The place is upbeat but comfortable, the food on trend but not snooty. The staff know their stuff about the food they serve and are attentive (but not cloying)."

Dined on 04/09/2012

2012

Special Features: fit for foodies

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Overall rating

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Great food, great drinks

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 04/01/2012

2012

Dined on 04/01/2012

2012

Food

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Service

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Ambiance

(Very Good) 4 / 5

Noise Level

Energetic

"Merchant serves some of the best, locally sourced food in town - just the right amount of adventurous in its preparation but with simple ingredients. Their cocktails are second to none, with mixologists always working to create something new and interesting as well. Good service, good atmosphere. Definitely gets louder after about 9pm, but before that a perfectly nice place to have a great meal and conversation."

Dined on 04/01/2012

2012

Special Features: vibrant bar scene, fit for foodies, good for groups, late-night find, special occasion

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Overall rating

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Great specials, we've done

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 04/01/2012

2010

Dined on 04/01/2012

2010

Food

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Service

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Ambiance

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Noise Level

Moderate

"Great specials, we've done the Sunday family dinner and the Tuesday date night and were pleased with both."

Dined on 04/01/2012

2010

Special Features: vibrant bar scene, fit for foodies, late-night find, neighborhood gem

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Overall rating

(Fair) 2 / 5

The $9 drink was good but

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 03/30/2012

2010

Dined on 03/30/2012

2010

Food

(Fair) 2 / 5

Service

(Good) 3 / 5

Ambiance

(Fair) 2 / 5

Noise Level

Energetic

"The $9 drink was good but did not warrtant the price. The noise level was much too loud for my liking for a dining experience. The trout dinner was good but I would give the burger a D minus. We will not choose this restaurant again but it was nice to give it a try."

Dined on 03/30/2012

2010

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Overall rating

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

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OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 03/24/2012

2012

Dined on 03/24/2012

2012

Food

(Very Good) 4 / 5

Service

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Ambiance

(Very Good) 4 / 5

Noise Level

Energetic

"We dined with a large group including children. The food was great, the drinks and celection was outstanding. We were celebrating my father's 70th birthday and he is very particular about his whiskey old fashions. He loved his at the Merchant which is a difficult task to accomplish. The music was a bit too loud but a good selection. Our server was fantastic and he and the hostess took some great pictures of our entire family. I would recommend this to anyone. Excellent experience, and we are so pleased and thankful to the staff.

PS--serving foods from local providers is wonderful and you gained extra points for that!"

Dined on 03/24/2012

2012

Special Features: vibrant bar scene, fit for foodies, good for groups, kid-friendly, neighborhood gem, notable wine list, romantic, special occasion, scenic view, hot spot

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Overall rating

(Good) 3 / 5

so loud and noisy that I had

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 03/16/2012

2010

Dined on 03/16/2012

2010

Food

(Fair) 2 / 5

Service

(Poor) 1 / 5

Ambiance

(Fair) 2 / 5

Noise Level

Energetic

"so loud and noisy that I had to yell for my boyfirend to hear me. The service was slow and disapointing. The food wassubpar. My pasta dish was so oily that i had to blt at it with a napkin. Will not go back."

Dined on 03/16/2012

2010

Special Features: vibrant bar scene

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Overall rating

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

I have been to Merchant 5

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 03/09/2012

2012

Dined on 03/09/2012

2012

Food

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Service

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Ambiance

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Noise Level

Energetic

"I have been to Merchant 5 times now and all I can say is that I love this place. Great vibe, fun atmosphere, and delicious food. The service has always been great. This last time I celebrated a birthday with my husband and friends. We all ordered cocktails (Merchant has the best cocktails in town. and shared all the dishes. Was a great time. Thanks Merchant!"

Dined on 03/09/2012

2012

Special Features: vibrant bar scene, fit for foodies, neighborhood gem, romantic, hot spot

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Overall rating

(Fair) 2 / 5

The service was abysmal -

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 03/11/2012

2008

Dined on 03/11/2012

2008

Food

(Good) 3 / 5

Service

(Poor) 1 / 5

Ambiance

(Fair) 2 / 5

Noise Level

Energetic

"The service was abysmal - we'd been sitting at our table an hour by the time dinner arrived and we'd barely seen our waitress. By the time she showed up for the first time to take our drink order we'd already been through the entire menu and decided what food we wanted, but she was gone before we could place an order. Fifteen minutes later we finally got our drinks and she took the food order. It wasn't particularly busy.

The food was decent, but not good enough to justify the wait or compensate for the service. There are many other places in the same niche that would be a better choice."

Dined on 03/11/2012

2008

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Overall rating

(Fair) 2 / 5

Thought the food was OK -

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 03/09/2012

2011

Dined on 03/09/2012

2011

Food

(Good) 3 / 5

Service

(Fair) 2 / 5

Ambiance

(Good) 3 / 5

Noise Level

Energetic

"Thought the food was OK - not "OMG - this is awesome!". The menu should have more of a variety - most everything has some sort of pork in it. More beef, chicken or veggie options would be nice. The menu does note that you can get some items as vegetarian, however when I asked our server about one of them, she didn't know anything about that option. The kitchen made a mistake on my entrée and had to send it back. The noise level was very loud and it wasn't all that busy. Had a very hard time having a conversation. Glad that we went, but won't be our first choice for future night outs."