The Mercer Restaurant & Bar

The black pudding appetizer is really well done. The ambiance of dining area is very nice and borders on upscale. We had a group of twelve people and they did a good job getting our orders and serving us. This included several rounds of drinks at the bar before moving to the dining area for dinner. The food for all courses was very good and exceeded my expectations. The only irritation we had was keeping the bottles of wine coming to the table. We always had to ask several times where the server was with our wine. For some reason it took too long for the wine to be replentished which I took one star away from a perfect rating because of it.

I took two colleagues for a breakfast meeting and we all enjoyed it. The good list of teas was a welcome sight, and whilst the portions of food are modest the quality is generally good. I had the Eggs Mercer which was nice although hints of brown discolouration on the smoked salmon suggests it’s not as fresh as it could be. This is a pleasingly quiet restaurant in the morning and convenient for the City although the décor could be considered a little uninspiring.

In essence, The Mercer is something of a posher version of the likes of City chophouses like Simpson’s Tavern although definitely more upscale and refined. There’s certainly a public-​schooly air to both of them although The Mercer is more Eton than King’s College Ruralshire, if you get my drift. Or not. In any case, it’s a fine place for a smart business lunch; you’ll feel out of place if not wearing a tie and smart suit during the week, and I would guess it’s the same in the evening. On my last visit, I’d alos attest to the clientele being fairly male, and fairly middle-​aged.
Service is attentive, with the chuminess that seems to be in vogue at the moment (although you’ll see the waitrons recoil aghast if you answer one of their obsequious queries with too much detail). All that said, to there credit, on our last visit, they made a point of asking how much time we had for lunch, and then working to that.
The menu is heavy on Traditional British items lots of game and pies with a daily special. Make sure they give you the correct menu for the up-​to-​date version. There’s also a good selection of more modern items lots of dainty salads, and I particularly enjoyed a goats cheese and spinach ravioli dish, with wild mushrooms. Puds are also a high point treacle tart with clotted cream was well executed, and while pleasingly rich, wasn’t overwhelming in terms of portion size. Expect to pay around 15 – 20 GBP for a main course, and 7 – 12 for starters and dessert dishes. The wine list is good, but not cheap.
Worth a visit, from a business lunch perspective in particular although you’ll probably be a lot happier if you (or someone else) can expense it.

I went here last night for a business meeting. The ambiance was sedate, it’s a great place for business. I really enjoyed my main course of shepherds pie, it was cooked really well. the side vegetables were too buttery for me. The service was good, the waiters were attentive without being too invasive. I would go here again as it was of a very high quality.

What a fantastic restaurant! I really love The Mercer.
I organised some networking drinks last week and after a bit of research decided we’d all meet up at The Mercer. I needed a place that was close to Bank tube, not too loud and with a sophisticated atmosphere… wow did I get this right.
I thought of this place because I pass it everyday to and from work. It has always intrigued me as it is sparsely signed and the entrance has a mysteriously wonky entrance that doesn’t give you much view into the place when you pass. It just seems tucked into a forgotten quarter of the building, I love a good mystery.
Though the bar is long there are only a few tables in the bar area as most of the restaurant has white cloth covered tables, impeccably dressed. As the place slowly started to fill up with patrons around us only a few solo city drinks were around us in the bar as most filled the dining room.
I had a nicely chilled chenin blanc while my colleagues swigged Peroni. Our lovely waiter, Stacy, was so kind and funny! When he had heard that my colleagues enjoyed a good dark rum he brought them a complimentary taster of a rum he recommended. It was refreshing to have such good service! As we had not planned on dining there, we ordered the cheese platter to prevent us from getting too devastatingly drunk. Stacy kindly chose the cheeses for us and explained the origin of each one and a bit about it upon presentation. It was superb!
Though we did not have dinner here I highly recommend giving it a try and I am definitely going to! I was able to see many dishes coming out and they were beautifully presented and simple yet sophisticated (just check out the menu on the website and you’ll see what I mean.)
Staff — Unapologetically friendly. Upon arriving I was greeted with lovely smiling faces and my coat was taken right away and hung up kindly for me.
Food & Drink — Absolutely lovely though we only had nibbles and drinks. But I will definitely be back for a course or two or three! The drinks were cold and they just kept coming.
Atmosphere — Quite place for dinner and a drink with a sophisticated nature.
In the end, a 2 hour networking drinks turned into a 4 hour high-​class booze fest. I left tipsy and I loved it!

Top breakfasts here. They made me scrambled eggs with tomato and chilli on request (this was not on the menu) and my friend designed his own egg white omelette. Great range of teas as well.

A very smart city bar and restaurant, I’ve only been for drinks, it was very pleasant with lots of dark wood, an old club feel and a slight feel of exclusivity. well it’s very close to the Bank of England. Good wine list, but of course at city prices.
Only down side was a rather loud bloke in Braces (so Barbarians at the Gate), impressing a young companion about an impending Ferrari or AM purchase. just hope he’s not a regular, every one else was more discreet.
Would certainly go again and use for a meeting place.