Mercer Kitchen (Mercer Hotel)

(212) 966-5454

99 Prince St (at Mercer St.)
New York, NY 10012 40.7249 -73.9988

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Neighborhoods: SoHo, Downtown

MERCERHOTEL.COM

Years in business

Established in 2006

Hours:

Mon-Sat, 7am-1am

Sun, 7am-midnight

Price:

$$$$

Last updated 5.13.12

What People Are Saying About Mercer Kitchen (Mercer Hotel)

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

The Scene – Though the fickle winds of celebrity restaurant-going have since directed A-listers to newer, more alluring spots, Jean-Georges' downtown eatery has still managed to remain a dining destination. The upstairs lounge is bright and open; the restaurant lies beneath in a large, open, brick-walled basement. Diners lounge on lavender banquettes beneath a ceiling of antique glass sidewalks. – – The Food – The Provencal-inspired cuisine takes a more minimal route than in Vongerichten's other kitchens, but the clarity and brightness of flavor still inspires.…

Editor's Tips

When to Go:
Be careful where you sit if it's raining--the antique glass sidewalk leaks sidewalk schmutz into the restaurant. The restaurant remedies this problem by hanging upside-down umbrellas to catch the drips.
Look Good:
A space in the restaurant can be converted into a semi-private area.
The Extras:
The cafe serves breakfast fare and coffee.
ambiance
96.14999771118164% positive
  1. Exotic food, interesting decor and hot waiters.
  2. Relatively good value considering the location and scene.
  3. but great atmosphere
  4. The romantic setting is a great place for a first date ;)
  5. the atmosphere is great (trendy, dim lighting, very Soho feel).
  6. the food was good the staff was snobby not a fun mix!
  7. the ambience was ok, and the lounge upstairs was nice.
  8. love the decor but would not recommend sitting in the communal tables unless its a very big group, much more fun getting a table and people watch while you chomp on your $20 palm sized truffle pizza.
  9. the atmosphere wonderful and the food magnificent
  10. The ambiance was pretty cool, but not worth the hassle.
  11. It was the perfect place for a 33rd birthday dinner, party of 10 on a Friday night -- loud enough to be fun, not too loud to talk, gorgeous space, chic not stuffy.
  12. The atmosphere is nice, tables are spacious, and it's not as crowded as other NYC restaurants.
  13. It must be difficult to make a decision about Mercer Kitchen based on the reviews below- and every restaurant has its off days, particularly during restaurant week- but we had an excellent meal, lively but not too loud atmosphere- even as early as our ger
dessert
71.4300012588501% positive
  1. my dessert was also just mediocre, overall, an ok place, but nothing to come back for.
  2. Chocolate cake was dry.
  3. Their morning mocha and chocolate crecents were yummy too.
  4. The molten chocolate cake dessert was as good as the legend would require (not "dry" at all...)
  5. There was interesting summer dessert, a rubarb-crisp with basil ice cream.
  6. Delicious appetizers and entrees, our server recommended a wonderful bottle of wine, and we couldn't resist dessert.
  7. will say the french fries were just average, and the chocolate dessert also pretty commonplace,the strawberry rhubarb was nice but needed some of the chocolate from the chocolate dessert (like a little souffle with a warm chocolate center) to be better.
drinks
100.0% positive
  1. Jean Georges's food is really good, and definately a lot better than most hip places, and there are a few good deals on the wine menu.
  2. Delicious appetizers and entrees, our server recommended a wonderful bottle of wine, and we couldn't resist dessert.
  3. Good wine list.
  4. its a scene in itself and the cocktails are wonderful.
  5. The scene is reasonably cool but unworth more than a drink.
  6. will definetly go back soon, maybe next time for drinks at the cool bar that runs along the space.
  7. The green tea a great blend from the T salon & T emporium.
  8. Good wine list too, and the wines by the glass were all fresh and tasty.
food quality
73.89999866485596% positive
  1. Good wine list too, and the wines by the glass were all fresh and tasty.
  2. Aside from the over seasoned skate dish, everything was delicious!
  3. For the price that is charged for this platter it could as least be freshly prepared and have crab claw meat instead of backfin full of shell.
  4. Took our friends there the other night and seriously had the worst meal of my life.
  5. The salmon was very good.
  6. In spite of the reviews I've since read below, the duck was delicious (moist and, as usual, subtly flavored) and my skate was fantastic.
  7. good food, very noisy
  8. The shellfish had been sitting open for a quit a while before service and the lump crab meat was full of shell.
  9. The service was pretty poor all around, the food was well below average relative to the cost, and outside there is a crazy bum who harasses every customer who leaves the place.
  10. Take your money and head to Savoy down the street for an amazing meal and great service.
  11. the atmosphere wonderful and the food magnificent
  12. Exotic food, interesting decor and hot waiters.
  13. The food was delicious - my friend and I tried the sashimi and horseradish pizza (yum!)
  14. My food was excellent and my server was polished and attentive.
  15. Stylish with great food
  16. great customer service and FANTASTIC food
  17. Figs and prosciutto with mozzarella- simple and perfectly matched, the mini cheeseburger was the best burger I ever had in my life, and roasted chicken with mashed potatoes delicious comfort food.
  18. My food was great (oysters, nice and fresh).
  19. love the decor but would not recommend sitting in the communal tables unless its a very big group, much more fun getting a table and people watch while you chomp on your $20 palm sized truffle pizza.
  20. the slow roasted salmon and the chicken.
  21. The food was excellent and every dish at the table of 6 was something I would order again.
  22. The food was tasty, although as said below the portions were small, so it might not be the best value for the $$.
  23. We then had the cold seafood platter.
  24. Great room, Good food
  25. Great night out with good food
  26. Don't worry, they also have great non-low-fat options like the classic eggs benedict.
  27. Their morning mocha and chocolate crecents were yummy too.
  28. Though the celery root soup was super yummy - everything else was an overpriced letdown- the plates come out looking like it's the depression era.
  29. The food options had good variety and I could always find a very healthy and tasty option.
  30. Pizzas were something my son might make at kindergarden, my Salmon was still cool in the middle with not one accompanying side dish, our friends steak was like "shoe leather
  31. may sound mean but i am tired of paying big bucks for bad food from famous names.
  32. had the steak which was good (for a steak covered in sauce) but it was a very small size.
  33. The food was delicious.
  34. Although my waiter had about as much personality as a dead fish, I loved the great solid food and would definately go back.
  35. Biggest beef is the incredibly rude staff.
  36. Been to the Mercer a few times and honestly, the food is good despite its trendy vibe.
  37. absolutely agree with other posts that you get very little food for the price but the food is good.
  38. went here last night for restaurant week and the food was fabulous!
  39. The food really is not good at all.
  40. The food and service is good but the portions are small.
  41. Terrible food, terrible service, leaking roof.
  42. went their last night and the food was so bad i thought i was going to get sick right then and there.
  43. buy good quality produce and you do not have to cover it in sauce!
  44. will say the french fries were just average, and the chocolate dessert also pretty commonplace,the strawberry rhubarb was nice but needed some of the chocolate from the chocolate dessert (like a little souffle with a warm chocolate center) to be better.
  45. had the slow baked salmon with corn pudding and it was delicious.
  46. Jean Georges's food is really good, and definately a lot better than most hip places, and there are a few good deals on the wine menu.
  47. The roasted beet salad and the black truffle pizza were amazing.
  48. The pizza with pricuttio, pistacios, pears, and goat cheese was wonderful.
  49. It must be difficult to make a decision about Mercer Kitchen based on the reviews below- and every restaurant has its off days, particularly during restaurant week- but we had an excellent meal, lively but not too loud atmosphere- even as early as our ger
  50. The food at Mercer Kitchen is great, flavorful and nicely portioned.
  51. The service was a bit slow, my friend had to send her food back twice, and overall the food wasn't bad.
  52. the food was good the staff was snobby not a fun mix!
  53. If you like trendy places but actually expect to have innovative food and great service then I suggest Nobu or Gotham.
menu variety
75.0% positive
  1. Jean Georges's food is really good, and definately a lot better than most hip places, and there are a few good deals on the wine menu.
  2. Don't worry, they also have great non-low-fat options like the classic eggs benedict.
  3. The food options had good variety and I could always find a very healthy and tasty option.
  4. Creative, seasonally-inspired menu and prices lower than we expected.
overall
100.0% positive
  1. This place is great if you have guests from out of town who do not want a touristy place - but a cool place for dining.
  2. The romantic setting is a great place for a first date ;)
return potential
66.66999816894531% positive
  1. will definetly go back soon, maybe next time for drinks at the cool bar that runs along the space.
  2. Although my waiter had about as much personality as a dead fish, I loved the great solid food and would definately go back.
  3. my dessert was also just mediocre, overall, an ok place, but nothing to come back for.
service
69.34999942779541% positive
  1. The service great
  2. Terrible food, terrible service, leaking roof.
  3. The service was attentive.
  4. The shellfish had been sitting open for a quit a while before service and the lump crab meat was full of shell.
  5. Service was attentive and knowledgeable.
  6. The service was pretty poor all around, the food was well below average relative to the cost, and outside there is a crazy bum who harasses every customer who leaves the place.
  7. The service at Mercer Kitchen was the worst I have ever had in New York.
  8. The service was great and they were very accomidating in moving our reservations around for us to meet our needs.
  9. My food was excellent and my server was polished and attentive.
  10. Exotic food, interesting decor and hot waiters.
  11. Probably my worst dining experience in new york, and I'm a former waiter so I know what I'm talking about.
  12. The food and service is good but the portions are small.
  13. Delicious appetizers and entrees, our server recommended a wonderful bottle of wine, and we couldn't resist dessert.
  14. Biggest beef is the incredibly rude staff.
  15. The crowd is of course beautiful, but the staff is not that bad.
  16. If you like trendy places but actually expect to have innovative food and great service then I suggest Nobu or Gotham.
  17. Crap service, nice iced cappuccino
  18. Take your money and head to Savoy down the street for an amazing meal and great service.
  19. Friendly staff.
  20. Although my waiter had about as much personality as a dead fish, I loved the great solid food and would definately go back.
  21. love the decor but would not recommend sitting in the communal tables unless its a very big group, much more fun getting a table and people watch while you chomp on your $20 palm sized truffle pizza.
  22. definitely recommend this place, but Australians who like to throw phones at hotel staff are apparently not welcome anymore.
  23. The service, however, was the worst I've ever had.
  24. Uninformed, rude staff.
  25. The worst service in New York
  26. Each time, the service was impeccable - not too interruptive but very attentive.
  27. The service was a bit slow, my friend had to send her food back twice, and overall the food wasn't bad.
  28. great customer service and FANTASTIC food
  29. It must be difficult to make a decision about Mercer Kitchen based on the reviews below- and every restaurant has its off days, particularly during restaurant week- but we had an excellent meal, lively but not too loud atmosphere- even as early as our ger
  30. the food was good the staff was snobby not a fun mix!
  31. Everyone from the reservationist to the servers were warm and friendly, even with the busy crowd of diners.
value
64.43999767303467% positive
  1. Jean Georges's food is really good, and definately a lot better than most hip places, and there are a few good deals on the wine menu.
  2. The ambiance was pretty cool, but not worth the hassle.
  3. NYC is full of wonderful places to eat so please, spare yourself the time and money and eat somewhere else.
  4. absolutely agree with other posts that you get very little food for the price but the food is good.
  5. The food and service is good but the portions are small.
  6. For the price that is charged for this platter it could as least be freshly prepared and have crab claw meat instead of backfin full of shell.
  7. Take your money and head to Savoy down the street for an amazing meal and great service.
  8. There are so many excellent restaurants in New York for the same price, please take my advice and go to another one.
  9. Creative, seasonally-inspired menu and prices lower than we expected.
  10. The food was tasty, although as said below the portions were small, so it might not be the best value for the $$.
  11. know NYC is expensive but this is ridiculous!
  12. do wonder if I would have loved it as much if I was paying full price.
  13. Relatively good value considering the location and scene.
  14. may sound mean but i am tired of paying big bucks for bad food from famous names.
  15. Though the celery root soup was super yummy - everything else was an overpriced letdown- the plates come out looking like it's the depression era.
wait time
37.5% positive
  1. The service was a bit slow, my friend had to send her food back twice, and overall the food wasn't bad.
  2. had the slow baked salmon with corn pudding and it was delicious.
  3. the slow roasted salmon and the chicken.
  4. am generally a big fan of anything JGV comes up with, and Mercer Kitchen was for some reason one of the only one of his restaurants that we hadn't yet tried, so we made reservations last minute without taking the time to read much about it first.
2 Star Rating: Below Average

02/07/12

Wasn't sure what to expect

by TardyKat

We tried the Restaurant Week lunch menu.

The dressing for the shrimp salad appetizer was too sour after eating the whole salad. The other appetizer we had was the black truffle and fontina cheese pizza, it was a generous size and was very tasty.

The roasted chicken entree was a thick slice of breast and came out over done. The organic turkey burger was about the size of a slider, a bit underwhelming. It was the fries that filled me up.

The molten chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream wasn't bad. The pineapple upside down cake with basil ice cream was more interesting. The basil flavor was powerful and unexpected in an ice cream. However, the flavor was very strong and might not appeal to some.

We were seated downstairs and it felt like being in a cave. I think for lunch, sitting upstairs at street level might have been preferable. We would've been able to see our food better.

2 Star Rating: Below Average

02/07/12

Wasn't sure what to expect

by TardyKat

We tried the Restaurant Week lunch menu.

The dressing for the shrimp salad appetizer was too sour after eating the whole salad. The other appetizer we had was the black truffle and fontina cheese pizza, it was a generous size and was very tasty.

The roasted chicken entree was a thick slice of breast and came out over done. The organic turkey burger was about the size of a slider, a bit underwhelming. It was the fries that filled me up.

The molten chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream wasn't bad. The pineapple upside down cake with basil ice cream was more interesting. The basil flavor was powerful and unexpected in an ice cream. However, the flavor was very strong and might not appeal to some.

We were seated downstairs and it felt like being in a cave. I think for lunch, sitting upstairs at street level might have been preferable. We would've been able to see our food better.

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

02/19/11

Great Htel BUT...

Contributor

It's a great hotel but if any of you are looking to save some $$ then book it at referer.us/8/GoodHotelDeals They usually have some pretty good deals on there!

4 Star Rating: Recommended

07/23/10

Me like

by kneering

Came here for the first time and fell in love with the downstairs - just a very cool spot to drink and eat. It wasn't too loud and you weren't sitting on top of the tables next to you. It was Restaurant Week. I ordered from that menu but my date did not. I was shocked when my wasabi tuna pizza came - it was huge! I couldn't believe given that it was a special menu. It was very tasty. Strangely, my salmon appetizer was very small. Overall though, the service was unbelievable - attentive yet not overbearing. I don't know about the other reviewers, but everyone was nice, we were seating promptly with a reservation, the ambiance was great and the food was fresh and delish. Definitely want to go back.

  • Pros: Ambiance, food, service
  • Cons: Interesting portions
1 Star Rating: Poor

04/08/10

Crap service, nice iced cappuccino

by hugosdaughter

I don't know why the staff at this place are allowed to get away with their unhelpful and miserably slack attitude. My sister wants me to post this particular review. She's visiting from London, we went in this afternoon for iced cappuccinos and a cookie plate to revive jetlagged little boys on a hot afternoon. Everything had to be asked for several times, the cookies followed half an hour after the coffees - which our waiter seemed to not understand were wanted at the same time....no one was one bit pleasant. No one asked my sister if she was OK when she fell down at the top of their stupidly wrong-treaded stair - she shoulda sued 'em. Pah!! That's it for me - I don't care how nice their coffee is!!

  • Pros: see above
  • Cons: see above

The Details on Mercer Kitchen (Mercer Hotel)

Place Categories:

  • good great solid food
  • great customer service
  • great place
  • worst service
  • very chic restaurant
  • great atmosphere
  • rude staff
  • worst meal
  • bad food
  • not best value
  • very good salmon
  • amazing black truffle pizza
  • great room
  • slow baked salmon
  • delicious duck
  • wonderful scene
  • love decor
  • warm everyone
  • outstanding dessert
  • full nyc
  • beautiful crowd
  • pretty cool ambiance
  • good wine
  • worst dining
  • great experience
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