The Merchant Nc

I came here with the goal of chilling out for the night after a long day of work and MAN did this place deliver! Imagine a tucked away speakeasy with slow R&B vibes, knowledgeable bartenders, and tasty drinks. The whole time I felt like I was right at home and Hailey made sure it stayed that way. She's one of the few bartenders I've ever encountered who make an effort to know their customers by name. On top of that, she REALLY knows what she's talking about when it comes to drinks. I asked her for a certain drink (Tokyo Tea) and, although she didn't have one of the ingredients to make it for me at the time, she still directed me to the tastiest drinks on the menu. She even told me that she'd make it for me if she had the ingredients the next time I came in, which is really nice! This is my new go-to speakeasy in the downtown Raleigh area, hands down! I'll bring all my friends and, whenever I meet the owner, I'll tell them with my own mouth how good the place is!

This was a nice find! We didn't have reservations but they were able to get us in. the costs were comparable to other bars. service was great! we got the peppers which were yummy. the drinks were delicious as well. vibe was the favorite of all the bars we went to tonight. Thank you!

The space is really cool but the rest of the experience was not great. Most of my opinion is based off the fact that this place tries to be a little exclusive, which is cool and made me interested to go. But if you have to pay a deposit to make a reservation, I expect a little more. The music was way too loud and was literally a middle school dance playlist from the early 2010s. The food is very overpriced. You also can't split your check when you make a reservation, which doesn't really matter it's just like why? The drinks were very good though so if you love a good cocktail it's worth it

Met a friend there after work. The music was extremely loud and laced with profanity. We could hardly hear each other when trying to talk.

The thing I was most excited about was the duck fat fries, unfortunately they were the most disappointing. The 1st one I picked up fell over limp. There's nothing worse than limp fries! Certainly not what I expected for twice fried. The wings were okay. The lamb lollipops were good; but inconsistent doneness. Roasted peppers were great! But can't fill up on that. Service was excellent! Atmosphere was much louder than I expected. I was thinking it was going to be chill cocktail vibes, but it was not.