Merchants Pub & Plate

This felt like the perfect restaurant to stumble upon early in 2025 with my New Year's Resolution set. When I went to LFK for a KU game I was picturing eating fried sports bar food I'd surely have to make up for walking up the huge hill to campus. Alas, we decided to check out Merchants. I was thoroughly impressed by the down to earth restaurant. It's super cool that the restaurant is in an old bank and that the bathroom is in the vault! We started with the Butternut Squash Arancini that looked like falafels served over sauce. It was super yummy but not too filling before our mains. The Cauliflower Tikka Masala was amazing. I really liked that it wasn't served over rice. Instead, I got to savor all of the flavors spread over the cauliflower and with the naan. It is also really nice that the restaurant does a fantastic job marking all of the dietary guidelines for every item. That makes ordering so much easier than having to ask a waiter about each dish that you want.

Let me just say this....The sad part about this review is that I was very happy when I first came in. I was sitting at a high top by myself and had a very kind and attentive server. For context- I am traveling for work in a city I've never been to before and I wanted to try a new place that seemed to be popular around the hotel I'm staying at. I came in for dinner around 5:30 and wanted a bar seat so I'm not taking up a whole table for just myself. Unfortunately, none were available so I sat alone at a high top for a drink until someone got up from the bar. When the couple got up I came to the bar to sit down in the corner and the bartender saw me, smiled and did not even think to clean up the space. I sat with dirty glasses from the people there before me for at least 30 minutes (never even offered to wipe down the space). BTW the plate was mine after I finished eating which was served to be in the mess lol. But, I kept trying to push them towards the end because I find that pretty nasty to eat around. The bartender never asked me if I needed anything or came to clean up. The other bartender that seemed to be serving the bar high tops....awesome. he finally came back to me at the bar and continued to serve me another drink and cleaned up. Disappointed that the other one didn't give me the time of day or even clean up the space for me to eat when my food arrived. Otherwise, the food was good. The other bartender made up for this experience. Will give another try and hope it gets better.

After living in Lawrence for a few years and experiencing the local dining scene. I'd like to share that Merchants remains one of my top picks for brunch (collectively with the Roost) and dinner. On a casual day, it was relatively easy to go down Mass Street and decide somewhere to eat. However, on a busy week, particularly a weekend, based upon where you go, you will usually have to wait a few minutes before they can fit you and your party. Well, because of the longer wait times and my lack of patience, I used to avoid merchants since I knew I'd have to wait for seating. However, on a day when I was not as starved and determined to be more patient, there was actually no wait at all, and my friends and I were seated instantly.Furthermore, even if there was a wait, I would have done it again because the truffle goat cheese dip is well worth it. I have yet to find a restaurant that serves anything like the unique dish so far. Brussels sprouts are another one of my favorites. I was never a fan of Brussels sprouts until I tried them here, and I don't think I'll ever be able to hate them again. I'm looking forward to returning and trying more of their menu items. But, for the time being, if you want something a little more upscale but not overly elegant or pricey, I recommend Merchants.

We have been coming to Merchants for the last 5 years and we always have the best experience but tonight was worth noting! MEGAN was our sever on the 3rd floor. She was so kind and so happy at every turn! I wished I could have thanked her more than I did... she flew up and down those stairs with a smile and a wag that made us feel like family! Thank you Megan ! After a long week of work at LMH it absolutely made it allWorth it! Megan made us feel like we should do better! Simply put .... she is one of those people that makes us as locals want to keep coming back !!!

I love Merchants. Every trip to Lawrence we have to eat there. The steak it's awesome, the ravioli and the hamburger. Highly recommend

This was my second time in Lawrence KS and my sister's first. We came out to visit family in the area. We all decided on Merchants Pub and Plate. Our server was Arthur and he couldn't have been more polite or helpful, considering how many questions we peppered him with about the entrees. I also loved the impressive list of mocktail offerings--my Frenchie (a take on the French 75) was balanced and refreshing. Everyone else at the table had various beers. My sis mentioned having a Kolsch in Cologne, and apparently Americans are serving it all wrong--should be consumed ice cold in a small glass, not a pint. But hey, we are far from Germany and that's nitpicking. We shared deviled eggs on bacon jam and the pork belly burnt ends (interestingly spicy preparations), both delicious, but my award goes to the eggs! Entrees included the pork chop, short rib rigatoni (special), NOLA gnocchi and the least hungry among us had the chicken bahn meatballs app as a meal. Everyone enjoyed their selections. I rounded things out with the coconut lime panna cotta (special) and sis had tutti frutti sorbet. Apparently, tutti frutti should simply be called raspberry according to her taste buds. I loved loved loved my panna cotta, though the presentation appeared to have suffered a mishap during plating. Please settle a bet for me, because I tasted plum & cherry in my raspberry puree garnish (similar to vintage Gerber's strained plum baby food), which I happened to love. This is a cool place, nicely decorated with friendly staff with lots of interesting cocktails. Check them out. If I lived closer, I eat through the entire menu, starting with the Korean fried chicken steamed bun tacos.

My first visit was amazing and I can't wait to return. The "upscale casual" concept is comforting, the staff were friendly, and the food was phenomenal. We ordered the honey chipotle chicken sandwich and the chicken and dumplings. I'm not a fan of goat cheese but oh my, the cilantro goat cheese spread that is on the chicken sandwich was super tasty and makes me second-guess my dislike of this particular cheese. Their take on chicken and dumplings is a stretch but the flavor doesn't disappoint.

This place was SO delicious. I was in town with my friends and sister, so we picked a place close to where we were staying. Every piece of food we had was SO yummy. Would absolutely go out of my way to go here again.The inside was spacious and inviting. All the staff was nice, but our waiter was a bit snarky when ordering. They accidentally spilled some red sauce on my friend, but they went out of their way to help her clean up. They even found a tide stick!

Wonderful. Love the building itself. Such a beautiful set up. Staff was very welcoming. Ordered the Pear Pressure and Winter Sangria; they did not disappoint. I loved the Brussel sprouts!! Enjoyed the salmon bruchetta and I added 2 poached eggs on the side. Our experience was lovely. This place won't disappoint.

Went here for a Valentine's day dinner and the experience was 10/10. The ambience was amazing with live music throughout the whole dinner! I had the seared salmon and I thought the dish was great, salmon was cooked well and all of the veggies and sauces really complimented each other. My boyfriend had the Korean fried chicken and it was perfect. The aioli drizzle was his favorite part and the noodles went really well with everything. Good service despite a very busy evening. Would definitely consider for another date night !