The Merchant NC

"I had an incredible experience at this spot! Jacob and Cheyenne were so welcoming and made me feel right at home. They shared some fantastic recommendations, and I have to say, Cheyenne's blueberry tequila drink was absolutely amazing--one of the best I've had! The ambiance was both sexy and inviting, creating the perfect atmosphere for a memorable night. I enjoyed my time so much and can't wait to come back!"

I recently went to the merchant for the first time and had an awesome evening. We went on a Tuesday night and it was not very crowded. I wouldn't say you need. I would say you don't need reservations probably unless you're heading it on the weekend I love the vibe of the place in the interior decoration is beautiful. Of course I totally almost walked by when I was trying to find it. Basically it's upstairs from Vergils look for Vergils, and then you'll notice the hostas, and/or the sign/door that takes you upstairs to the merchant. Their cocktail menu is extensive and it's obvious that that's what they pride themselves on. Of course I'm more of a wine drinker so the cocktail list was pretty much wasted on me, but I did try my friends gin, floral cocktail, and it was really quite good. The servers and the bartenders were friendly, and made some great suggestions.For food the small plates did not disappoint. The menu isn't huge, but they had a ton of variety. We started off with a duck wings and they were super tender and flavorful, definitely something I would get again. Honestly, now that I think about it, I would get everything I ordered again. We also got the crispy brussels sprouts, which were great, but the favorite dish of the night was definitely the steak Frites I loved that they were duck fat fries, so delicious, the steak was cooked and seasoned perfectly. It was sliced for us and really a great dish for sharing with a small group.This spot is a gem and I look forward to dining and drinking there again.

Really fancy vibe, music is on the louder side. Cozy and cute booth side to sit on. Note you need to go upstairs to get inside here. Bartender was very nice!

Update: 2nd visit 8/4/2023 I like how I'm buzzed in at the entrance and someone meets me at the top of the stairs and escorts me to my table. I love that reservations are recommended and there is no wait. I felt like a celeb on this evening. Second time here. The first time I wanted to love The Merchant NC but there were a few marks missed with the server at that time. This time much better experience. The lamb, grilled watermelon salad, and adult grilled cheese were a hit. Everything was delicious. We wanted seconds on the lamb but the kitchen closed a few minutes earlier. This was disappointing. I wished the waitress would've advised us of this. We had wine. Cabernet because you can never go wrong with wine. The staff here seem nice and are welcoming to all. The Merchant NC is a yes for me. I highly recommend this time.

The drinks were cute and fun. The place is nice and a great date night place. The staff were very rude. Our waitress had a bad attitude to the point we had to complain and left early.

This is one of my favorite places in Raleigh. I tell anyone who's in town and wants to go somewhere to go here. This is a cute speakeasy vibe located above a taco shop. To go inside you enter through a door disguised as a jukebox and head up the stairs to the bar. I normally am able to get accommodated when it is just me and one other person but I recommend reservations. I like that it is never too loud and packed like other places here, it's almost like a hidden gem. The music has also always been great and the atmosphere of the place is amazing. Well decorated, dim lighting, good music, clean, and aesthetically pleasing. The bartenders, hosts, and servers are always super friendly and great too.The food and drinks here are fantastic. The food menu is small but the food is so good. The burger sliders here are one of my favorite sliders ever, the whole table loved them and we ordered more. We also had the buffalo cauliflower, brussels sprouts, duck fat fries, and steak frites. The brussels sprouts were soo crispy and made perfect. The duck fat fries were seasoned well and the herb cream sauce it came with was so good that it was addicting. All the fires were gone. The steak frites was delicious as well and a great entree. This spot is definitely great for birthdays, date nights, girls night out, and any other type of fun occasion.I always enjoy the drinks here and they have tons of fun drinks that are picture worthy like a drink in a smoky glass box, drinks on a tree, cotton candy drink, and the big table drinks. I love that they have big cocktail pitchers for the table because it's so fun and cute. The prices here are fair and the experience is always great.

Go. Nothing else needs to be said. Here are more words... because Yelp said to. Like I said. You want cocktails? GO.

This speakeasy has the perfect ambiance for a night out with friends or date. The drinks are absolutely amazing and creative- highly recommend their signature cocktails. The bartender is a true expert and mixologist. They also offer small bites which I thought paired nicely with the cocktails. Overall, the experience was outstanding- great drinks, fantastic ambiance, and excellent service. I would definitely recommend this speakeasy to anyone looking for a unique/new place to try!

Amazing speakeasy venue. We had amazing experience here after bday dinner date. All drinks we tried were exceptional. Tried seasonal menu drink (Everything nice) , Heart of darkness with bourbon instead and the famous, Smoke & Daggers which we ordered it twice because it was soo dang good. Venue was awesome. We got a taste of Halloween with awesome decoration. Service: excellent although I saw all were super busy. Price: well.. it is boutique- speakeasy- New York-esque mixology bar. $15 +/- FYI: it was slightly difficult to find a venue, as it is a speakeasy. Gladly, host was front of the venue door.

Su was amazing!!! Awesome service and great interaction!!!! Food and drinks were great tasting!!!Will come again because of Su's service!!