Celebrating my birthday. We decided to give Rainbird a try. From the valet parking, the hostess and…read morewait staff were all friendly and seemed happy to help. For starters we had the pork belly app with bread and honey ricotta spread. Both were amazing! Best pork belly we have ever had. Then I had the scallops and my child had duck confit! We were trading bites and with our plates half cleared, we realized we never got a photo. I had lemon tiramasu and they had Strawberry shortcake. Great flavor! There was also a double bourbon and a latte in there somewhere. I wanted to try everything on the menu and should have had some wine. There will have to be a next time, and another next time. The dining room was modern and clean. The experience was great and glad that Merced finally has fine dining.

We chose Rainbird for our Galentine's celebration on Sunday, 2-15-26. We had reservations at 12:30…read morepm. We were met by the greeter who proceeded to tell us to wait to be seated. The restaurant was not very busy and it took almost 20 mins just to be seated at our table. We then took our place at the table and we waited another 10-15 mins for someone to wait on us. We kindly flagged the young male server there and asked him if he could get our server to assist us. The young female server finally came out to assist us - she was not very welcoming but proceeded to take our drink order. It took almost 15 minutes to get our mimosas and water. She did not greet us, inquiry if it was our first time there or gave us suggestions on the menu. She then proceeded to take our order which took a while to get our food. The plus - everyone enjoyed our meals from the way they were prepared to the ingredients. No one ever came to our table and gave us any water nor did they ask for a refill on our drinks. During this time I peeked around the corner and saw staff just sitting in the back talking to one another. I tried to keep the experience positive for my group of friends but they were also growing concerned about the lack of hospitality. The lunch schedule was only until 2 pm but because of Rainbird's delay in seating us, taking our drink orders as well as the slight delay we felt we were now being rushed to finish our lunch, I also wanted to celebrate our friend's birthday and I brought a cake - the server proceeded to tell me it would be a $5 charge per person if I cut the cake there. She did offer to bring a complimentary dessert for our guest of honor. In my opinion, due to the service we were not receiving the cake fee should have been at least discounted or offset due to the lackluster enthusiasm and service. As we were trying to finish our lunch and take pictures at this beautiful establishment we could see the "side eyes" of staff rushing to get us out the door. I am a firm believer of supporting small businesses in Merced since I was born and raised there and let's face it - Merced has very limited fine dining and we wanted to do something nice for us. In order for small businesses to thrive in this town they need our consumerism to stay in business. As I read from all the exemplary reviews on this platform we unfortunately had a very bad experience with this lovely establishment. A group of us came from Madera so that we could meet our gals from Merced as a middle location. Needless to say we were very disappointed with the service as well as the treatment we received from Rainbird. Next year we will choose another location for our next gathering. Please do better Rainbird.

Coffee and a bar Genius!! While staying at El Capitan Hotel this business is attached and my go to…read moreplace for coffee, snacks, mimosas and a margarita. Beautiful plants make for a calm comforting environment. Staff super friendly and helpful. Enough room to meet friends before going to events or to meet up later. Perfect!!

A wonder gem in the e Central Valley, there are many things to treasure the service impeccable,…read morefeta and spinach pastry, pellegrino and a cup of joe. Native Sun is not only my favorite Richard Wright novel but my favorite cafe in Mercr

We visited this gem on our first visit to Merced. We were in the mood for some great beer and pizza…read moreand our amazing bar keep helped us with great recommendations! We ordered beer and walked down the street to order our pizza and bring it back. It was great to hang out and take our time while waiting for our son's next water polo game. They do a great job of keeping this place super clean. The vibe is very casual/college town - which fits since this the college is nearby! I would recommend this great place to anyone looking to stop in for a good drink and friendly barkeeper!

My favorite place to go for a cold beer. They have beer from all over on draft and in cans. If…read moreyou're a beer connoisseur and in the area stop by. Vibes are chill and they even have Pliny on draft. Oh yeah they have wine too and seltzers--and miller for you light drinkers