Merchant

Name: Merchant
Address: 121 S Pinckney St, Madison, WI, United States, 53703
Telephone: (608) 259-9799
Price range: $31 to $50
Rating: 3.9

3.9 (1615)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

121 S Pinckney St, Madison, WI 53703

Make a reservation

2 people

Jun 30, 2025

8:30 PM

Booked 5 times today

Experiences are available.

About this restaurant

Great for creative cocktails
Lively
Great for happy hour

Merchant is Madison's energetic industrial-chic cafe, craft cocktail bar and late night destination specializing in no-nonsense, affordable fare and drink steeped in old school culture and soul.

Our menu features elevated American classics like shrimp cakes, steaks, burgers, and mac and cheese. As Madison’s first craft cocktail bar, our drink list includes twists on classic cocktails using fresh ingredients and heritage spirits, fresh innovative non-alcoholic drinks, and wines from boutique producers, fresh beers on tap, and heritage beers.

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Elegant
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
Contemporary American, Cajun, Cocktail Bar
Hours of operation
Brunch Sat, Sun 9:00 am–2:00 pm Happy Hour Tue–Fri 4:00 pm–6:00 pm Sat, Sun 2:00 pm–6:00 pm Dinner Tue–Thu, Sun 4:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 4:00 pm–10:00 pm Late Night Fri, Sat 10:00 pm–1:00 am
Phone number
(608) 259-9799
Website
http://www.merchantmadison.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Executive chef
Tony Hargrove
Private party facilities
We have semi-private dining available. Please call (608) 259-9799 to speak to management.
Delivery & takeout
Order direct

Location
121 S Pinckney St, Madison, WI 53703
Neighborhood
Madison
Cross street
E. Doty Street
Parking details
Streetside and Parking ramp available across the street
Public transit
Downtown bus lines are one block away.
Entertainment
We have Madison's finest DJs late night on Friday and Saturday nights and live bands on Thursdays at 9:30. Please check the entertainment schedule athttp://www.merchantmadison.com/entertainment/
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Delivery, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Kosher, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Vegan, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Featured in

45 Wisconsin Restaurants to Connect In For Mother's Day

Experiences

Date Night at Merchant! Prixe Fixe $60 for 2
$30.00 per person
Multiple dates available
Choice of any snack, starter, and any entree, and a bottle of wine to share. Starting at $60 for two guests!

Offers

Everyday Happy Hour!
Multiple dates available
Sun - 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM,Sat - 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
DRINKS: 50% off draft cocktails $3 Lawnmower Beers $6 Boilermakers BOGO House Wine $6 Gin and Tonics $7 Regrets FOOD: $4 Fries $6 Curds $5 Fondue $6 Olives
Friday Fish Fry
Multiple dates available
Fri - 4:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Wild-caught Lake Superior whitefish from Bodin Fisheries, Bayfield, WI, coleslaw, cornichon tartar sauce, rye bread, butter, warm potato salad w/mustard vinaigrette

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What 1,615 people are saying

Merchant reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

3.9

3.9 based on recent ratings

4.0Food
3.8Service
4.3Ambience
3.8Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

Madison
Great for brunch
Madison
Innovative
Madison
Lively

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Merchant offers "amazing food" paired with a "stylish decor" and an "intimate vibe," making it a standout dining experience. The cocktails are "spectacular" and the service is friendly. While some reviews mention occasional service delays and menu discrepancies, the overall atmosphere and cuisine are praised. A "great local place," it's perfect for brunch or a night out.

1,615 Reviews

C
Cassidy
Chicago / Illinois1 review
5.0
Dined 3 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The food was AMAZING and the outdoor seating was so nice
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S
Sonja
Wisconsin3 reviews
4.0
Dined on June 22, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 3
Menu is small, but the food was good! Forced me to order something I normally wouldn’t.
MerchantResponded on June 23, 2025
Thanks for visiting us, Sonja! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed our food! And thanks for your note on our menu offerings, we'll certainly keep that in mind as we move forward! We're always here to provide a good dining experience for our guests and hope to see you back at Merchant soon :)
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D
Deb
Wisconsin13 reviews
2.0
Dined on June 22, 2025
1. Overall 2
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 2
I’ve eaten at Merchant before and had a nice experience. Yesterday it took over 1/2 hour to get our food (we had simple breakfast food) and it was hot/stuffy in the restaurant (uncomfortably so-also booked an inside table knowing I didn’t want to outside in the extreme heat). The food was good and our server did the best he could with the circumstances.
Is this helpful?
K
Katherine
Wisconsin1 review
2.0
Dined on June 21, 2025
1. Overall 2
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 2
Air conditioning was broken and environment was not comfortable at all. Apparently it had been broken all day. It would have been helpful to get an advance heads-up from the restaurant as we would have just rescheduled.
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J
Jamie VIP
Chicago / Illinois3 reviews
2.0
Dined on June 21, 2025
1. Overall 2
2. Food 2
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 2
The air conditioning was barely working and the salads were not great
Is this helpful?
C
Courtney
Chicago / Illinois2 reviews
3.0
Dined on June 17, 2025
1. Overall 3
2. Food 2
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Service was wonderful, all around. Drinks were good, expensive but good. Our party both ordered steak and it was cooked fine, but the lowest quality of meat available. I don't mind paying for food and drinks, but when the bill is almost $200 for low grade meat, it's hard to justify a return.
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R
Raquel VIP
Las Vegas11 reviews
1.0
Dined on June 8, 2025
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 2
We had a very disappointing experience at this restaurant. I ordered a steak, which arrived overcooked. I sent it back and received another—also overcooked. After two failed attempts, I gave up and chose not to eat. Despite this, the restaurant still charged me for the steak, stating it was because it was an “expensive item,” even though I didn’t eat it. When I raised my concerns, the management showed no interest in making things right. They offered the excuse that the steak was overcooked due to the lighting in the kitchen, which made it hard for staff to tell if it was cooked properly—an odd and frankly unacceptable explanation. Overall, this was a poor experience in both food quality and customer service. I left hungry and frustrated. I won’t be returning, and I wouldn’t recommend this place to others.
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P
Paul
Philadelphia County1 review
3.0
Dined on June 7, 2025
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 3
Just eh. Slow waiter. Menu needs more creativity. Won’t return.
Is this helpful?
A
Alex
New York City1 review
5.0
Dined on June 7, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Lots of fun. Good food and the outside was a great setting.
MerchantResponded on June 11, 2025
Thank you so much for taking the time to review us, Alex! We're thrilled you had a great time while joining us and you enjoyed your food! We hope you'll join us again and hope it's very soon :) Cheers!
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M
Mary
Wisconsin14 reviews
5.0
Dined on May 31, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We had a larger group for dinner and sat inside. Our server was fairly attentive, although sort of became less so at the end (but likely more busy?). Food was generally good, although 3 of us with “medium” burgers had very well done ones (despite “medium” stated on the menu!). But overall the food was quite reasonable, and drinks were fairly good (although dry martini had way too much vermouth—-again, don’t advertise things on your menu I if you’re not going to prepare them that way, is all I ask.). We go to Merchant periodically and will continue to do so; they are fairly solid every time we go, but suffer from staffing issues like every other place.
MerchantResponded on June 2, 2025
Thanks for taking the time to review us, Mary! We're thrilled to hear that you and your group had a good dining experience with us. And thank you for your feedback on your burgers & martini so we can discuss with our Team and work toward improvements. But overall we're glad to know that you enjoyed our food and drinks :) Thanks again for the feedback and we're very much looking forward to your next visit!
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FAQs

Merchant offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (608) 259-9799.

Merchant is rated 3.9 stars by 1615 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

Jun 30, 2025

8:30 PM

Booked 5 times today

Experiences are available.

121 S Pinckney St, Madison, WI 53703

Additional information

Cross street
E. Doty Street
Neighborhood
Madison
Hours of operation
Brunch Sat, Sun 9:00 am–2:00 pm Happy Hour Tue–Fri 4:00 pm–6:00 pm Sat, Sun 2:00 pm–6:00 pm Dinner Tue–Thu, Sun 4:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 4:00 pm–10:00 pm Late Night Fri, Sat 10:00 pm–1:00 am
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
Contemporary American, Cajun, Cocktail Bar
Dining style
Casual Elegant
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Streetside and Parking ramp available across the street
Public transit
Downtown bus lines are one block away.
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Executive chef
Tony Hargrove
Entertainment
We have Madison's finest DJs late night on Friday and Saturday nights and live bands on Thursdays at 9:30. Please check the entertainment schedule athttp://www.merchantmadison.com/entertainment/
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Delivery, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Kosher, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Vegan, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine
Delivery & takeout
Order direct

Website
http://www.merchantmadison.com/
Phone number
(608) 259-9799
Private party facilities
We have semi-private dining available. Please call (608) 259-9799 to speak to management.

Featured in

45 Wisconsin Restaurants to Connect In For Mother's Day

Merchant

Make a reservation

About this restaurant

Additional information

Featured in

45 Wisconsin Restaurants to Connect In For Mother's Day

Experiences

Date Night at Merchant! Prixe Fixe $60 for 2

Offers

Everyday Happy Hour!

Friday Fish Fry

Ask Concierge
AI Beta

Menu

What 1,615 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

Review summary

FAQs

Does Merchant offer delivery through OpenTable or takeout?

How is Merchant restaurant rated?

Is Merchant currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Additional information

Featured in

45 Wisconsin Restaurants to Connect In For Mother's Day