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    Mertens Prime

    2.8 (90 reviews)

    Mertens Prime Photos

    Business Info

    MERTENS PRIME ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Classy
    Outdoor seating
    Happy hour specials

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    Recommended Reviews - Mertens Prime

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    Reviews With Photos

    Escargot
    Emily J.

    We finally made it for dinner at Mertens Prime after visiting just their rooftop bar last summer. This spot feels hidden away from Grand Rapids (even though it's smack dab in the middle), like it's its own little dark and romantic universe. We had escargot (for the first time!) and were blown away! The little serving of pasta that came with was an added bonus (and cured my constant craving for buttery noodles!) For entrees, we had the butternut squash gnocchi with shrimp added, and the duck al orange. The gnocchi was the perfect amalgamation of flavors, with the sweet squash, tangy goat cheese, and salty shrimp. The duck was juicy and delicious, and Derek loved the broccolini that came with it as well! (Honestly, I don't know how they made a vegetable taste like that!) We were so bummed we didn't save room for dessert, because the whole dessert menu looked insane. I'm looking forward to coming back for some french onion soup, a little dessert or two, and maybe a drink on the roof of the weather ever warms up! Shoutout to our server, who was very helpful and communicative even when he was being pulled a million different ways! (Lots of table side service desserts were going out)

    Sarah G.

    Marvelous meal great server Kate. Perfect medium rare on my steak lovely brussels sprouts wonderful old-fashioned love ambience!!!!!!

    Delightful atmosphere, delicious food, and courteous staff. Valentine's Day was busy but service was handled well.

    escargot
    Trina C.

    I tried Merten's Prime for the first time during Restaurant Week and I enjoyed my time here! Street parking for a Saturday night wasn't too bad. Regular seating was a long wait but I was able to be seated at the bar immediately. I ordered the escargot and the petite sirloin from the Restaurant Week menu. I was nervous about the escargot since I wasn't sure how it was going to be but it was delicious! The sirloin was just okay to me but the service made up for it. I'd definitely come back to try other items!

    THE WORST DINING EXPERIENCE EVER! Please read on.. I was visiting my employees in our Grand Rapids office and invited them out for a nice dinner on a Thursday evening. It was strange when I noticed that were the only ones in the entire place at 7 pm. The waiter was not experienced, but nice enough. The appetizers came, pretty underwhelming, but not horrible. Then it got really bad... Our table of five ordered our meals and 45 minutes later, they came out, everything ice cold and dried out! Did I mention we were the only patrons in the restaurant throughout our entire meal? Of course, the salads came out with our steaks at the same time. We ordered caesar salads and they brought out garden salads with raspberry vinaigrette. The waiter sheepishly asked us if everything is ok and all of us in unison (as politely as possible) said NO! This couldn't be worse! As entrees were being sent back, and apologies from the staff began to mount, out comes the cook/chef and he starts arguing with us about the quality of the meals. "What do you expect for a table of five?". he says. Then he proceeds to pick up my salad, stick his nose into it and then says, "What do you mean? This is a caesar salad!" Remarkable! The manager starts in with offering a discount on the meals, free dessert, etc. In my attempt to be charitable, I insisted that I did not want anything off the bill, but just pleaded with them to be better moving forward or else everyone working there will be out of a job because Mertens is not long for this world if they don't turn things around, fast! (The place was empty so obviously word is out the locals this establishment is done for, it is so bad.) Now here's the kicker, I am reconciling my credit card a few days later and I see that I was charged $100 more than I had on the receipt I had kept for myself. (See the pics below). I called the restaurant and left my contact info for the management to respond to me and below was their response to me. (I inadvertently calculated an additional $100 to the final bill AND THEY REFUSED TO ISSUE A CREDIT TO MY CARD! THEY OFFERED ME A $100 VOUCHER FOR MY NEXT VISIT, HA! WILD! What if I inadvertently wrote down $1,659.78 on the bill? They would argue that would be the amount that I owe them, it appears! Desperate, stupid people, do desperate, stupid things! So sad really...but it does make a great story for those who read restaurant reviews. In summary, if you dine out Mertens Prime & Rooftop, double check your math when calculating the bill, take a long nap before you arrive, and do not order the caesar salad...

    New York strip and potato puree
    Adrianna H.

    We had a great time at Mertens Prime, the service was great and the history behind the restaurant is very cool. The French onion soup was incredible as were the potatoes. We do wish food had a bit more of a wow factor to be honest! But highly recommend checking it out.

    Salad

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    1 year ago

    Menu options and food quality were sub par for the price. Miss the original Mertens. Wait staff were ok.

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    Ask the Community - Mertens Prime

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    Stella's Lounge

    Stella's Lounge

    3.9(956 reviews)
    0.0 mi
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    My initial experience was frustrating. I ordered through Uber Eats and only received about half of…read moremy order. After contacting the restaurant, I was told the missing items would be remade and ready in about 20 minutes. It ultimately took closer to 45 minutes, and I had to drive to the restaurant myself to pick up food that should have arrived correctly the first time. That said, what changed my opinion was how the team handled the situation afterward. The General Manager personally came out, apologized sincerely, gave me her card, and told me to contact her directly so she could make things right. She took ownership of the mistake rather than making excuses, which I genuinely appreciated. Nobody likes dealing with a missing order, and there is definitely room for improvement in their Uber Eats process. However, mistakes happen in every business. What matters is how a company responds when things go wrong, and Stella's showed they care about their customers and reputation. Not a perfect experience, but the recovery effort and customer service earned back a lot of goodwill. We'll give them another chance.

    2nd time here!! Food and drinks were amazing!!! But the…read morestaff sucked!!! Well we sat at the bar. So the bartenders!!! Not friendly at all. Had to flag them down to order food, get condiments for the food, get more water. Never got any silverware or napkins. Also didn't know if you can order food online. She had her thumb up her a$$ the hole time. It was not busy at all. We stayed and it got busier, she did do a lot better once it got busier! Was my birthday and I could tell it was my birthday and no single worker ever told me happy birthday! The other shift after about 5pm ish was a lot better!!

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    Flanagan's Irish Pub

    Flanagan's Irish Pub

    2.6(113 reviews)
    0.4 mi
    $$

    Wanted to grab one quick drink with the wife before an event an Amway, and this place is close by…read more It's actually in a pretty central location, I say this because hopefully someone will see its value and pick it up. It's clear somethings going on with ownership maybe wanting to sell as I'm seeing reviews on here. Anyway our experience was unique; I told my wife and people at the event it was like a scene out of bar rescue! Serving drinks in red solo cups, the bar wasn't very stocked, and though we didn't look around and inspect the place it didn't give off a clean vibe because of updates that look like are needed. That being said at least around us the bar from what we could tell was maintained. Our bartender was friendly so there's that. But immediately on sitting we were informed the kitchen was closed and overheard later with other guests that it was due to staffing issues. Again overhearing it sounded like alot of things were out; even staples like Bud light. My drink was fine but my wife's cider was flat and probably an old keg... again just get the vibe they cashed out and putting minimal in... so I'd definitely recommend another spot until new ownership or some change comes... Which is too bad because even photos on here from 5 years ago look completely different (stocked bar) and I used to come here often about 10 -12 years ago for fun times and great value/experience.

    We only stopped in to meet clients and have a few drinks. Very friendly staff with a good vibe to…read moreit. I didn't see anyone eating or look at a menu. I cannot comment on anything about the food. Overall a good bib and friendly staff

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    Mertens Prime - french - Updated June 2026

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