Merrick Inn

Service: 4.5 stars. Not ritzy but prompt, pleasant, and polite even on a busy Friday night. Our waiter forgot to ask if we would like wines to go with the entrée but it is no big deal.
Ambience: 3.5 stars. Dimly lighted as quite a few reviews pointed out. It would have been more romantic but the noise level is HIGH. We were in the room that is supposed to be the quiet (no TV), but we still got distracted by the laughs and loud talk of other patrons 1 – 2 tables away from us. Fresh flowers are a nice touch but the tables are quite small.
Food: 3 stars. The famous fried chicken was indeed crust outside and moist and juicy inside. Everything else is meh. Grouper finger apps were too salty and surprising limpy. Nothing bad but not something I would order again.
Averaging and rounding up to 4 stars for the restaurant. But this is a 4-​star restaurant I don’t intend to return.

Perfectly southern! Loved everything about it! Fried chicken, pork tenderloin, corn pudding, green beans, bread pudding, the rolls… oh my word! Reasonably priced. We’ll be back!

Such a cute spot! Highly recommend for a romantic night or special occasion. Cozy with fire places. Like out of a movie. I had the almond crusted chicken with raspberry swirl, wow! It was so good– very good flavors together. Great experience and I dined solo!

Put this on the top of your list for restaurants when in Lexington, each year we go to the Derby and mooch off of my cousin who is a horse trainer and claims this is one of his favorite places, we like it too. They serve the most authentic hot brown in town
I grew up in Lexington and this reminds me of the authentic Southern recipes my mother used to cook. The steak and seafood is in the top three in Lexington in my opinion.
The location is easy to find and the ambience is second to none especially if you like old Southern charm. When the weather is cool there are great outdoor fireplaces and fire pits to sit and socialize.
If you’re in Lexington did not miss the Merrick Inn, especially during spring and fall meets at Keeneland.

Saturday Night Breeders Cup weekend — where else to go but the Historic Merrick Inn. Up the road to an old home now a dining establishment reminded me of White Christmas when Bing Crosby’s builds an Inn up on a farm.. Valet parking complimentary up the walkway into the home greeted by Manager Alex and two lovely southern ladies who took care of our area all night Morgan and Oh I’m so sorry can’t remember the other. .
Place is made up of Two Rooms on either side of the entrance original rooms I’m told as well as Bar in the back and several private dining rooms upstairs as well. Really quaint southern charm place. Seated in room the right next to NBC Commentators from the Breeders cup Jerry Bailey and Randy Moss — very nice gentlemen. Room had nice fireplace and just a charming feel to it.
Provided with complimentary Pimento cheese spread, Ham Salad Spread, Beer Cheese Spread, Fried banana peppers, and various crackers and pretzels. Also hot fresh baked rolls and whipped butter followed. All of the 1^st items were excellent. Another preset menu tonight with some add on options of appetizers if you choose. Wine list was very reasonable.
Wine poured and from the NOT preset menu a Crab Cake was ordered this was absolutely an 11 with fresh lump crab meat inside a lightly battered, lightly fried then topped with a special house sauce really outstanding.
On to the preset menu where
A Blue Cheese wedge salad with crumbled blue cheese wet blue cheese and chives and bacon were presented. Very cold and tasty.
Mi Amigo had the Cesar salad which he stated was excellent
Twin Lobster Tails Thermador were tails easily removed from the shell with special house butter sauce … Maine lobster and fresh and tasty.
I went with the house special NY Strip 16 OZ with fried onions… Really top shelf but had to go back for undercooking…
Sides: recommended house Bred corn pudding which was a version of creamed corn with breading type stuffing underneath. WOW
Steak Fries ordered — came out LATE ½ meal was done but more importantly they weren’t steak fries but crinkle cut fries … A little disappointed there.
Other was a backed potato served Foil on haven’t seen that in forever but standard with plenty of sides to douse it.
Strawberry short cake or break pudding deserts were included and although we were stuffed tasted a bit of each just to pass judgment. Both were OK …
All and all an charming place with excellent food and service. Definitely recommend if you are in the area.

Merrick is a great restaurant in Lexington, one of the few with this kind of ambiance. I love the outside patio, it is a great place to have a drink and dinner with friends in the not so hot time of the year. I recommend reservations anytime you plan on coming, it seems to be busy for dinner almost every time I have been here. I have had the seafood nachos and they are delicious! Expect a large portion for all orders! You will not leave hungry. The bar area ins doe is a great place for a casual dinner with friends or your family or you can dine in the dining room for a nicer quieter ambiance. The seafood has always been excellent! Steaks cooked to perfection! This past visit my mother and I both had the shrimp n’ grits and we both did not enjoy it. That dish is very heavy with the sauce and it is a bit over salted IMO and my moms. My dad had the fried chicken, which they are known for, and he really enjoyed it! A great place for dinner! Def go! Also just use the valet parking, parking is tricky!

We called on Tuesday to see if we needed reservations for Wednesday night. We were told no, as long as we got there by 6:00. We arrived before 6:00, and the host was about as unhelpful as he could be. He basically ignored us until we pestered him about a table. He asked if we had a reservation. Of course not, he told us the day before we didn’t need one. He said well maybe there’s a table on the enclosed patio. No such luck. We asked the outdoor host to be seated outdoors. He said it was closed because it was too cold. It was 70 degrees. They have heaters. I’ve eaten at this restaurant many times for the past 20 years and have always had excellent service and outstanding food. This experience was unacceptable. They couldn’t have cared less whether we ate there or not. Too many other options are available in Lexington these days for Merrick to be so laissez faire. I may never go back. We had our daughter’s college graduation party there two years ago and spent a great deal of money to feed and water about 20 guests. Never again. This was on October 14.

We enjoy the patio in the summer. Great atmosphere for relaxing. Also, they serve Lobster nachos which are a delicious appetizer consisting of lobster and crab meat, corn, black beans, tomato, cilantro, onion and cheesy deliciousness over corn chips. We made it a point several evenings this summer to come out just for a Lobster nacho night on the patio. The rest of the menu is delicious as well. Highly recommend.

This Lexington haute is a little hidden gem. My husband and I just moved to Lexington and had our five year anniversary dinner here. The waitstaff was very accommodating and the food was excellent. We both had the fillet which was cooked to perfection. The patio is wonderful as well as the live music.

This is our new favorite place in Lexington now! Had grouper special and it was delicious. Grouper finger appetizer was also great. To be honest been there several times and everything we have eaten has been great! Love to eat in the bar area, more causal! This ia a must go place!

Amazing! Best hot brown in Lexington! I don’t think they can make bad food here. I love sitting in the patio area with the fire going. The bar area in general is a fun, more casual area than the rest of the restaurant. Plus, you don’t need a reservation! It’s a self-​seating area.

Everyday this place has great drink specials, including ½ off all drinks from 4 – 6. They have a large selection of beers and wine. I have had dinner several times, and it has always been great. I recommend the steak sandwich. Be sure to try some of the specials too.

Don’t park in the resident parking, you will get your car towed. There is very few parking spots, but the valet parking is free (do tip though). Because it’s in a ritzy apartment neighborhood, it reminded me of a dated country club.
The patio is nice, complete with a firepit in the middle. The bar area and the patio are both open seating, first come.
I ordered the fried grouper sandwich and it was huge! My baked potato was a bit overcooked and I didn’t care for the butter that came in packets, not the usual dollop that you find in five star restaurants. My husband has eaten here a few times and insists that it’s a five star restaurant. But this time, my first time here, his medium filet was practically well done. They comped his meal though, so that pushes my 3 and half stars to a 4.
Two random observations, just because I’m random sometimes… The bathrooms are tiny and need more lighting, I didn’t like using the bathroom in the dimly lit stall. The live lilies were a classy five star touch… it still isn’t a fiver in my opinion though, they did impress my husband who is usually pickier than I am.

This might be the best restaurant in Lexington. Very good service in a really nice romantic setting. Outside seatting and a trendy atmosphere make this the place to be during the summer. I especially like the homemade dressings!

My family and I made a reservation to eat here after my graduation ceremony from UK. They didn’t have a table for us in the main dining room right away so we went ahead and sat in the bar. We had a great time. The food was good (even though mine took awhile longer than everyone else’s) and it was a great atmosphere. Definitely a classy place in which my parents and I would go to on a regular basis. They were supposed to offer me free dessert for taking forever on my entrée but they didn’t.

This place was hopping on a Friday night when my mom and I were in town! We wanted reservations to be around 6−7p, but it was slammed until 8:30pm! We thought this was a good sign, and it was. There’s a reason young and old patrons enjoy this spot. With a bar, patio, tv’s, but also tables that sit in rooms with less bustle and a more romantic feel, it is a versatile place.
The restaurant itself has an interesting history that you can read about on the back of the menu. Staff is warm and friendly. Plenty of choices.
Mom and I shared the friend banana peppers (a Lexington classic per the description). They were good and reminded me of friend pickles.
I had almond crusted chicken and so did she, but we each got different sides. Although the chicken was good, it was not great. A bit bland until I drenched it in the sauce it’s served with. The sides, however, were excellent! Broccoli casserole, corn pudding, their homemade vinaigrette, and the greens, too, ALL were quite tasty! Portions are quite generous, too! We each got TWO breasts. And we each took one home.
Overall, an enjoyable evening. I would certainly recommend this spot.

Our «early bird» dinner at Merrick Inn, following the Kentucky basketball game and timed so as to put our 6 month old to bed at a reasonable hour, was our favorite of the trip. Merrick Inn is nestled atop a bunker in a neighborhood villa setting, very idyllic. My wife commented that it reminded her of the country clubs she used to visit while doing high school choir.
At the pre-​dinner hour, we were sat in the bar area. Had the weather been more optimal, patio al fresco dining looked like an excellent option. The famous fried chicken doesn’t get served until 5:30, so we hunkered down and waited it out until then.
We started with a couple apps, the fried banana peppers that seem prevalent throughout Lexington, and fried oysters, noted as from Maryland. The fried banana peppers combined a few of my favorite things: fried, banana peppers, and – strangely – ketchup for dipping sauce. The oysters, very good by the by, came with a hearty helping of marinara which complemented the banana peppers much better.
Full of fried goodness and a few fingers of bourbon, I was already plenty stuffed and suggested ordering the half plate of fried chicken (two pieces) along with a salad. The wife overruled, and we got the full enchilada (four pieces). Never you mind that when the salad came out, it was bigger than my head. We ordered the farmhouse caesar, and totally dug the kale greens and gigantic brussels sprouts.
The piece de resistance, the fried chicken, hit the spot. Naturally, we each ate a piece and took two to go (great leftovers for breakfast). The batter was tasty and crunchy, the meat juicy and flavorful. And like the salad, the plate was bigger than my head. It’s a lot of chicken for two people, let alone one. The little side of honey was icing on the cake.
I also had my first try of Mr. Van Winkle here, opting for a taste of the the 12 (Alas, I should’ve splurged for the 20. Next time?). It was spicier than I expected, particularly contrasted against the very good Willett Potstill I imbibed to begin the afternoon. So I’ll always have fond memories of my first time at Merrick Inn.

Some very, very, very good food, but the service and staff leaves something to be desired. I’d go back and recommend trying it out. The food will impress.

Very good restaurant, great atmosphere and service. I enjoyed my experience but my food was a little less than five stars, may not have ordered right.
We started with the fried calamari. The actual calamari was good but hard in the low light to distinguish it from the salad and had a few pepper rings that I thought was going to be calamari (and I hate pepper).
Main course was a grouper special with a parm crust. It was good but the fish was a little too dense and the crust not as flavorful as I expected. The broccoli casserole on the side was great.
Service was also excellent, really liked how the servers helped each other. Enjoyed my experience and would go again.

The meal was amazing from the lobster nachos to the stuffed sole and key lime desert. The waitstaff couldn’t have been nicer and more attentive. We had dinner on the patio which was lovely. I visit often and we are always trying new places. This would definitely be a return.
When we went to pay our bill the waiter thanked my son in law Matt for his service and compt our check! Matt is a marine that was wounded in the Iraq war where he lost his sight and both legs. I am so proud of him. Generous gestures like this overwhelms me. Thank you for your kindness. God Bless you all.