Mercer Cafe

This place is the perfect blend of modern and classic dining! We were greeted warmly by members of the staff upon arriving (we were concerned, as we had our 7 month old son with us. At most modern dining establishments, we are usually met with concerned looks of whether or not he would be a disturbance to the other patrons.) and seated right away. Our server was very personable and went above and beyond to ensure we were comfortable, even bringing my son’s pancake to the table first, as she noticed he became a bit antsy to eat! The food was excellent and very inexpensive for the quality you receive. Might I add, they serve the best pancakes I’ve ever had! (Please note that I am a monthly subscriber to Pancake Aficionado magazine, so my endorsement is valid) This has become our family go to for a great breakfast!

A nice little oasis of contemporary eats at the Navy Yard. Here you’ll find freshly brewed LA Colombe coffee, homemade pizza, sandwiches/​paninis and breakfast options.
As a diner fanatic I always get an omelette. I ordered a mushroom and spinach omelette and the one word I can describe it is fresh. Tasted like very fresh high quality ingredients, paired with home fries and a fruit salad.
The place really picks up around lunch time, most of the patrons are people who work in the surrounding area. This is a great place for diner food of which has little presence in Philadelphia.

Had my sister’s baby shower here and it was great. Liza was a pleasure to work with, the staff was friendly and food was great. Definitely recommend.

— I waited more than 30 minutes for a regular bacon cheese burger.
— The side salad was pretty good.
— I don’t know how the burger taste yet because I didn’t want to spend more time there so I took it with me.
— The waitresses were arguing amongst themselves.
— They add tips to our checks without telling us.

I was so excited to stop and get my childhood favorite pizza Tacconelli’s. I was very disappointed to find out it not only shrunk in size but went up in price. $ 45 for three of the smallest pizzas I ever had. #epicfail. Not even as tasty as Maple Shade.

Things have definitely smoothed over and improved over the last few months at Mercer Café. I’ve actually come to really love the place, and visit several times a week for coffee and/​or breakfast. Even some of my co-​workers who had similar complaints are now regulars.
Every place deserves a second chance, and these guys have won me over. Thanks for that.

Good for a quick bite! My coffee is usually burnt, the bagels are hard, my main complaint is that it takes a long time to get your food, even if there is barely anyone in the café! It took 20 minuets for me to get a bagel and cream cheese the other day! Probably won’t return. rather go to the sandwich shop next door.

It’s still pricey, but I had this short rib pizza they had on special a few weeks ago and it was phenomenal! The pizza was artisanal, gourmet, and I was crying tears of joy as I was eating it… One might say it was the best pizza I’ve had all year. Short rib meat was cooked to perfection and it had some type of onion jam or marmalade on it which was making my tastebuds do back flips. It was really an amazing pizza experience. It was covered with short rib meat. I wasn’t expecting it to be as good as it was.
The barista, Nicole, is top notch. She really loves what she does and not only does it show it also comes out in her fabulous drinks that she makes.
It’s still über expensive for lunch fare, but I treat myself every now and then.
Customer service is always with a smile, literally everyone is always pleasant when I go in there.

I’m literally here every day. Awesome breakfast place! Best lattes! They cater to whatever you’d like, and everyone is always welcoming and super friendly. I recommend a vanilla almond milk iced latte for drinks and a sausage, egg, and cheese on a long roll for those rough Monday mornings after an awesome Sunday funday.

Hooray! Went back yesterday. Everything’s is getting much better. Chicken salad club was great. Chips were homemade and perfectly crispy. Service was really good. Pizza there and one to go couldn’t be better. It’s still really loud. Painfully so but they said it will be resolved soon. I asked for my Togo pizza not to be cut and they cut it anyway, but they made me another. No biggie. Brought a friend who introduced me to their pizza 25 years ago. He was so happy to get one of their pizzas in the daytime! Great potential.

Mercer Café was a buzz when it first opened. It was the new restaurant at the Navy Yard; that for a period of time lacked a sufficient amount of places to eat. Prior to my dining experiences, I would hear people say that the food was over-​priced, and the service was slow.
My first two dining experiences came a week after their opening. On both occasions, I dined at Mercer Café for lunch, and both times I left a little disappointed. I ordered the crab cake sandwich my first visit, and the chicken pesto sandwich my second. While the crab cakes actually tasted pretty good, the entire dish was underwhelming. The crab-​cake was small so there was a lot of bread around the sandwich, and I was not a fan of the French fries. I returned a few days later and ordered the chicken pesto sandwich. The sandwich consisted of, asparagus and roasted peppers topped with pesto and a very thin piece of chicken breast, essentially making the sandwich all bread and veggies. If the chicken breast was thicker and seasoned a little more the sandwich could have been good. I believe this is why some patrons were expressing their concerns about this place being slightly over-​priced. While my first two lunch experiences may not have met my expectations, things progressively improved. I ordered the chicken Caesar salad, and the pizza during my last two lunches visits respectively. The salad was certainty an improvement from my first two experiences. The full salad was enough to satisfy any hunger, and could serve as two meals if necessary.
If you’ve read my reviews, you will know I am a stickler when it comes to pizza. While the pizza here probably won’t make my all time favorites list, I can, without hesitation, eat the pizza here on a routine basis. I cannot say that about most of the pizzeria joints in the region. Unfortunately, I have to agree with most when they say the pies are slightly over-​priced based upon the size of the pie.
Despite some of the negative lunch experiences, breakfast is one thing this place does really well. Yes, there were some growing pains at first, especially when it came to how my eggs are prepared. The staff at the front of the house at least, especially Nichole the Barista, is very accommodating, and after much trial and error, and the occasional mistake, I think the staff in the kitchen is starting to get the hang of it. Other than that, I have been satisfied with the breakfast at Mercer Café. The French toast is pretty good, and the pancakes are really… really good. The only thing that can make these two Breakfast staples better, is if it was served with warm syrup. The breakfast potatoes are pretty solid as well.
The key element to any establishment seeking to be a quality breakfast location is good coffee, and their coffee is probably the best on the base. It is smooth, and brewed to a comfortable temperature. In addition to their normal coffee, their Barista, Nicole, will whip you up some of the best lattes, mochas, or any other coffee flavored beverage of your choice.
Despite the challenges, overall I am pretty satisfied with Mercer Café. The staff that I have encountered have been friendly, and accommodating. Their prices are not any more expensive than any other quality establishment at the Navy Yard but, giving my first two experiences I can understand why some patrons feel as if they do not get their money’s worth. My mediocre lunch services came shortly after this place opened its door. Like anything new, you have to expect some hiccups and growing pains during the first few weeks. Are the posts from other reviewers true? Yes, there are some concerns from patrons that need to be addressed but, once they get past hiccups and growing pains, Mercer Café will be on track to becoming a successful eatery.

Mercer Café knows how to sell itself on external, vain aesthetics. Unluckily for them, however, this doesn’t translate into selling you on their fast food like food and service.
Walking in was pleasant. The materials and layout appeared to be well thought out. However, after sitting down and being overwhelmed by the noise level (which is legitimately overwhelming), it’s obvious the owners should have installed some type of wall or barriers to reduce the sound reverberations. However, this wasn’t the limiting factor for them in this review.
The food and service literally set a standard for subpar. In fact, I should probably up the star counts on all my previous reviews since this place was so lacking in fit and finish. In my entire 2hrs at Mercer, which was about 1.5hrs too many, I received only 2 drink refills. It’s wasn’t because I didn’t ask… but because I only saw the waitress two times, once to order and once to take my money.
The menu was blah. Nothing inventive or exciting. However, after hearing about the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich special, I was immediately excited. I pictured this awesome, house made chicken breast slathered in yummy buffalo sauce with all the fixings. What i got was a flavorless ground chicken patty with some sauce drizzled on the side. The Lean Cuisine version is better at ¼ the cost. The fries weren’t homemade and as for fixings… a piece of iceberg lettuce.
With Urban’s café literally across the street, I will just walk an extra few yards next time. Mercer certainty proves you can’t judge a book by its cover.

LOVING this new addition to the Navy Yard! Not only is the atmosphere fantastic, the food is amazing! I can’t say enough about the blueberry pancakes and their variety of different paninis. They even do a daily special that is always creative and different if you want to divert from the normal menu.
Service is awesome! The staff makes me feel right at home. Nikki who works in the coffee bar makes the most creative coffee drinks and smoothies. Love her! If I’m dining alone it’s perfect — I can grab a seat on a barstool and chit chat with the waitresses during lunch. Thanks for bringing such a great new restaurant in the Navy Yard! Keep up the awesome work. :)

Just what the navy yard needed. Food was delicious and the service was good. Nice spot to grab breakfast or lunch and the Pizza is top notch.

This is my third time here (second time for lunch). The food is good, but, if you come for lunch, it takes forever to come out of the kitchen. I had the Roasted Turkey wrap. It was so loose, I had to eat it with a fork. It was tasty though. If you order coffee after 10:00, be prepared for it to be cold. Don’t think I’ll be back for lunch again…

Me and my co worker went on their grand opening day. It was the worst experience ever. First we were told that they were too busy to make sandwiches and we can order pizzas, ok fine. Our waitress seems very high and somehow she never put our orders into the system, but keep walking over and told us that our food are in the oven for about 3 times, but 45 mins gone by, we still didn’t get our food. By the time she brought out our pizzas, our lunch break was already over and we asked for boxes to carry out, she said they ran out of boxes!!! Then it took her another 5 mins for her to bring the check, by this time, we are late to work. Then finally she bought it over, then she was standing by our table while we were paying, how rude!!! I understand it was their first day, but the waitress’s behavior cannot be tolerated.
Anyway, this was first and last time. I will never dine with them again.

Love, love, love this place. Been at the Navy Yard for years — this is just what was needed here!
Plenty of menu options, excellent customer service, very stylish layout, pleasant atmosphere, great food! The online menu doesn’t list everthing. You have to visit this place.
There are two things that are not so great.
1. Just a little pricey for some things, although they make up for it in other ways.
2. Tacconelli’s Margarita pizza is not what you’d expect if you’re a huge fan of Margarita pizza from places like Nomad or Pitruco. Quality and fresh ingredients, just not a fan of the way it’s baked — too crispy and a bit over cooked to the point that I couldn’t taste the sauce, basil, or fresh mozzarella. They were baked in. I tried it a 2^nd time, requested shorter cooking time, but got the same result. My co-​workers love the pizza. Maybe I’ll try another flavor pizza.
Mercer has so much to offer, so many great tasting options, and such a great staff that I’m there way too much!

I’m a fan. I actually enjoyed the pizza better then the original tacconellis. The new location is great and service is as good as the original Mercer. They need to tighten a few things up but they are doing great for only being open for 9 days. Worth a trip, you won’t be disappointed

Very good sandwich tried the toasted Italian hoggie, presitation was good, nice roll, alittle dry tomatoes not ripe nice touch with watermelon slice and homemade potato chip were good will go back. As for the pizza at tacconellis what a rip off 12 inch pie for 15.00 tried the signature pie, not much cheese, light on tomatoes and spinach probably cost them 2.00 to make not going to try that again better off getting pizza elsewhere

Mercer Café is a warmly welcomed addition to the Navy Yard campus. It is the first restaurant of its kind in the area. Having worked in the Navy Yard for 4 years, I must admit, it is nice to have an alternative to Urban Outfitters cafeteria.
The café is so cute with raw wood and metal accents and includes a dining area that is open to the outdoors when weather permits. They offer fairly standard breakfast items like omlets, breakfast sandwiches, waffles, pancakes, etc. as well as an impressive selection of sandwiches and paninis for lunch. Gluten Free toast is available for an additionsl $ 0.75. A big plus is that they are brewing La Colombe coffee for your early morning (or sometimes midday) caffeine fix.
Perhaps one of the best features is that they have aTaconelli’s pizza complete with imported brick ovens from Italy tucked in the back corner of their space with a few fixed pies available. Note: they are only available by the pie.
I stopped by on their second day and business was booming. Although it was very busy and they have only had 1 day of experience in their new place, they were so friendly, accommodating, and surprisingly had their sh*t together. I applaud Mercer Café and look forward to many future visits.