The Merchant

This place is very very close to my office. It is across the street actually.
I reserved this place for my husband’s birthday for around 15 people.
When we arrived, they had a big mirror with the birthday greeting written for my husband which was quite impressive.
It is like any other normal bar though. The food menu is very general and nothing great or out of the box
The servers were very nice and helpful and friendly which I apprecitated since we had people continuosly coming and leaving and
they were quick in settling bills.
Also we were switching seats a lot which they did not mind like some places where they tell you strictly to stick to your seat.
Overall good epxerience but nothing that sets this as special or makes me wanna go there again.

I needed a quick bite and glass of wine. I’m in Toronto for business. I had the Poutine– tender short ribs, cheese curds, merlot Demi. I’m from DC and I think the U.S. Needs to get it together and put cheese curds on everything. Ryan was my bartender and was friendly and attentive. Great food and great service!

Surprisingly decent food — not your typical pub food. The service is chill but attentive. The burger, calamari (with a delicious slaw), wings, and apps were all really good.

It’s quite a neighbourhood pub although in a busy financial district corner. The recent changed ownership makes it worthwhile to check this place out again. The waitress who was serving our table was efficient and attentive.
For a Friday night, it’s not as busy seated inside. But the patio was full outside.
Nachos was good and you can’t go wrong with calamari. Good array of beer in bottle and tap. Cocktails are mediocre… Drink pricing is affordable and certainly not too expensive.

Gord and I had supper at the Merchant last night.
It was such a nice afternoon and we sat on the patio.
Until March, it was a Fionn McCool’s. It still has the same owner and staff. They have totally renovated the restaurant.
Gord ordered the Canadian Cod Sandwich special with a salad, which he said was really good. He’d get it again.
I had Chicken Curry Jalfrezi and it was just okay. It was kind of cold and there wasn’t a lot of chicken. I didn’t think it was worth $ 18 and I wouldn’t get it again.
Service was a bit sketchy at first but then Ricardo and Ciaran took excellent care of us.

I was invited to join a group of work friends to this restaurant, which they hadn’t been to since it had been converted from a typical pub. The lack of traditional pub food was disappointing to most of us, but we went ahead and picked a couple of things off the somewhat limited menu.
We ordered the P.E.I. Nachos, which is «kettle chips, tomato, jalapeño, salsa, olives, and cheddar sauce.» We also ordered the calamari. Starting with the latter, it was a fairly typical version of this dish. But there was absolutely nothing special or interesting about it. It could’ve come straight out of a pre-​prepared bag, as far as we knew. It was also delivered to our table far from hot, as though it had been just sitting there waiting to be picked up.
The P.E.I. Nachos fared much worse, surprisingly enough. The chips themselves were fine, but the toppings were subpar and sparse. There was an entire side of the dish that was just naked chips, which kind of blew us all away. How does this happen? And, like the calamari, the plate was served lukewarm (at best).
The ambiance and service was fine, and they’ve got a decent selection of beer, so I’d return just to drink. But I don’t think I’d order the food again.

Formerly Fionn MacCool, this location has been stripped down and renovated to more upscale pub and another prime lunch/​after work beer spot. It’s more modern, touched by the open space concept.
The food has improved too. Rest assured, the traditional pub standbys are still here, like burgers, fish & chips, chicken pot pie, and crispy chicken wings, but there are more English-​style pub foods available as well (ie: curry). Prices of mains are roughly $ 16 – 21, with the prime rib at the top end at $ 29 for half a pound. For alcohol-​free «beer» options, you can also get ginger beer or root beer on tap for $ 4.
For today’s lunch, I had the Fisherman’s Bowl ($ 19), featuring an assortment of seafood in a Clamato sauce with crusty, toasted bread on the side for sopping up any extra sauce. Simple, but tasty.
I stole a bite of my friends’ cheese fondue ($ 11), which was cheesy but not, as my friend Chester says, «DANGEROUSLY cheesy.»
Friendly service who are happy to answer any questions you might have about the menu, comfy space to sit and hang out for awhile. Prices are what’s expected in the Finance hub.
All in all, a decent experience that I’d be willing to repeat again.