The Merchant is a great spot for dinner or drinks after work. The restaurant has a dark, inviting interior with a long bar, high ceilings, and the option for outdoor seating. The food was excellent. I had the Shrimp Mendoza and a few beers while stopping in to catch the end of a World Cup match. The shrimp was delicious, and the Cajun sauce paired perfectly with it. It also made an excellent dipping sauce for the bread. The bartenders and waitstaff were friendly and attentive, creating a welcoming atmosphere. It's also a fantastic place to watch the World Cup. Everyone was fully engaged in the match, making for a fun and energetic experience. read more

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This review is about the below average food and cocktails at the Merchant. The service was lovely and the ambiance is nice. I can see this as a fine after work happy hour beer and oyster spot. Cocktails - all were overly sweet and weak. The Hugo spritz tasted overwhelmingly of soda water, and the Georgia Peach had a really strong artificial (schnapps?) peach taste. For a $15 cocktail most nearby locations will use peach puree or juice. The oysters were as expected and served quickly. Sourdough bread was cold, but the butter was great! Lamb skewers and octopus were overcooked. The worst part is that the dishes have the right idea and ingredients, but the execution was disappointing- maybe a new chef is needed. I've tried most of the restaurants in the area for pre-show meals and this is one of the few to which I will not return. Seems lovely for after work beers though, especially when the outdoor patio opens! read more

Overall a very cozy and very business professional place to grab lunch! The vibes are veryyyy upscale and service is great! So for the food! I thought that the peppers were overall decent, but honestly if they were battered rather than grilled...might be banger! The chicken Caesar wrap is decent as well, just wish it had more Caesar sauce inside of the wrap (had to pay extra for extra sauce and very tiny at that). The fries were not bad, very thin and some of them were too oily for me, but! They were super fresh and crispy! My favorite part was definitely the cappuccino! It was literally soooo good...definitely want to try their drinks here but that's for another time! read more

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This is the spot! Happy Hour oysters for a buck! Boom! I'd eat here every day if I could. Not really sure what else is on the menu. Oysters were all we ordered. LOTS of oysters! Friendly service (a lil' slowwww). Nice cocktails. Cool spot! read more

The Merchant - $1 oysters! - New American Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Excellent for date night! I loved the variety of menu, not to mention the quality of the food and drinks. My favorites were the tuna tartare and octopus appetizers. Service was prompt, and the location is great for a pre or post dinner walk and/or show. read more

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A colleague of ours was leaving and we wanted to have a small send off lunch before she left. We made reservations as we figured they may have a lunch crowd and so glad we did because it was very busy. We arrived on time for our 12:15pm reservation and were promptly seated. Once all 6 of us were seated a few minutes later we were given water and then asked if we wanted to order. It was a tad difficult to hear the server due to it being very loud but we got it done. A few appetizers and several lunch entrees. I had the red Thai curry and it doesn't say it has a kick, but be prepared it doesn't, it was a tad salty for my taste and the ratio of sauce to rice was disappointing. I was told the calamari, steak frites and chicken sandwich were all good. Great atmosphere and energy from the staff. I would def return to try out their drinks and maybe later in the day to avoid the busy lunch crowd. read more

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M-F 4-7 $1 oyster happy hour. This is why we come here. Don't even need a menu. This is all we're eating. Cocktails are pretty good and reasonably priced (during HH). Service is sweet but a little slow. Cool bar area. read more

The Merchant - $1 oysters! - New American Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Went to this place after work. Nice slow Friday. Drinks and food were very good, solid (no weirdness) and tasty. Server and support staff were cool and right on time. Nice old school business atmosphere without any snobbishness (is that a word?) read more

We came here on a Monday before 5pm, for one reason and one reason only - $1 oyster happy hour. We never expected to order 3 dozen oysters, but that is exactly what we did! We expected oyster that cheap, it must be blue point. But no, they served Pink Moon from Prince Edward Island. Small, super fresh, sweet, and simply awesome! We sat at the bar, bartender was very attentive. What a great happy hour! Next time we are in Boston, we will make sure we include either a Monday or Friday so that we can come here for $1 oyster!! read more

The Merchant - Pink Moon oyster from Prince Edward Island - New American Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Chicken was undercooked. Squash tasted horrible. The dish itself was sub part at best putting those elements aside. The communication about dairy free items was also a challenge. I would not return. Hopefully they work on their dishes and cooking properly. read more

WOW! If you're visiting Boston, come here for happy hour oysters. Some of the best NE oysters for $1/each. We ended up getting 3 dozen for the 2 of us. They were SO good. Drinks and service were good as well. They do have a little patio out front as well as numerous tables/ bar height seats. read more

Great spot with excellent service and really tasty food. Everything came out fresh and flavorful, and they also have a great selection of beers on tap. Definitely worth a visit! read more

The Merchant - New American Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

The atmosphere is warm, and it's great to be here around Christmas. The food is delicious, there are fine choices for all types of preferences. Portions are good, staff are friendly, and service is pretty quick. It's one of my favorite downtown spots. read more

Great place to go to on a Friday night without a reservation. I liked that it felt spacious and not too noisy. Our server was also attentive and nice. The food was yummy, and I plan on coming back to try the dollar oysters + the new items on their menu. read more

The Merchant - All Natural Burger - New American Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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No complaints here! This place is great. A dim bar setting with hints of nautical accessories throughout. I came here mostly for the dollar oysters but stayed due to the relaxed setting, cocktails, and good service. The $1 oyster special, at least on Friday, started at 4pm. A thorough search of oyster specials lead me here. A very cool restaurant provided my sister and I respite from a scorching summer day. We enjoyed a couple rounds of oysters and French fries over drinks and couldn't appreciate the relaxed setting any more. The place was very clean and the staff attentive. We came here before a dinner reservation elsewhere and I wish we had just stayed here! The food was really good! read more

The Merchant - Side fries - New American Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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The Merchant has both indoor and outdoor seating and a solid classic American menu. I ordered the tuna melt -- it was fine overall, though I wasn't a big fan of the flavor in the filling. The sourdough bread was really good, though, and the fries were decent. A nice enough spot for a casual meal. read more

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I came here for the dollar oysters on a weeknight after work. I didn't actually order any food or drinks besides the oysters, so I'm not sure about the rest of their menu, but the oysters were pretty solid. It seemed to be fairly typical for an American spot, so probably not the type of place I would go out of my way to visit, aside from the oysters. It wasn't especially busy, so I wouldn't expect too much of a wait. In terms of the ambiance, this felt like a good after work spot. The decor was fairly upscale and I could imagine a business crowd visiting this place. The staff was attentive and came by a few times to see if we'd like to order anything else. I would happily come back to order some more dollar oysters, so I hope they continue to run that special! read more

The Merchant - Dollar Oysters - New American Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Not bad - a solid, fancy-ish place in Downtown Crossing to grab a meal or drinks with coworkers. It's pretty big inside with lots of space for large 10+ groups (also, shout-out for the booth seating, wish more restaurants offered this). I'm more used to the NYC post-work social scene where you're crammed like sardines next to a bar, so I can see why this would be a popular after-work place to hang out. Ordered the chicken Caesar salad wrap, which (like the eel roll or green curry) I will order if I see it on the menu, no matter how adventurous I proclaim to be. It was a pretty generous portion for the price, though I should have gone with the fries instead of the mixed greens as a side. So much for trying to be virtuous - the vinaigrette was too tart and sour for me. In terms of structural integrity, the wrap was a little weak, with bits and pieces falling out each time I took a bite, but good enough for me to want to order it again next time. Service was a little slow, but they had a lot of big groups coming in at lunchtime. I'll have to come back for their oyster special. read more

For a small mid day menu everything was delicious! It was quite dark inside and we were the only ones in there around 4pm which made the service fast. They had good local beer on the menu. read more

The Merchant - New American Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Come for the dollar oysters!! They're super fresh and delicious :) Besides that, everything else was just ok. Interior is super dark, service is slow (we were there when it wasn't busy), and food was okay. All of our entree dishes were salty and a bit disappointing after having such delicious oysters to start. read more

The Merchant - Shishito Peppers - New American Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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The $1 oysters on Mondays and Fridays from 4pm-9pm is where it's at! The oysters are so fresh. Whenever I'm craving a $1 oyster deal, I make the trek to Downtown Boston just for The Merchant. I love the shishito peppers! I don't think I'd get full entrees from here (they're a bit pricey) but I've gotten their gnocchi before and it was pretty good. It was more like baked mac and cheese, which I'm not complaining about because it was delicious, but not what I usually expect to get when I order gnocchi. I've also ordered their fish and chips, but it's two small pieces of fish with some fries. I like their togarashi fries too, but they're kind of just like any other fries you'd get just with some really yummy sauce. I've gotten drinks here too which are also just sort of average. This place definitely draws in an older crowd, but I've seen families with young kids here too. Their bathroom is also worth mentioning, it's very clean and has lots of gorgeous artwork. Parking in Downtown can be a pain, but The Merchant actually validates parking at 33 Arch Street ($6 for up to 10 hours) which is such a deal! read more

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Only restaurant I am aware of serving $1 Oyster on a Friday night from 4-9pm! On the day we went, we got 5 dozens of black magic oysters and they were fresh! However, some of them very extremely small with nearly no meat hence I took a star off. The burger came with fries that were thin and crispy and to my surprise, it was very good. The shrimp tacos were good but it did not stand out as much as the burger. The atmosphere was chill and classy. The restaurant has a great location and it was fairly easy to find street parking in the area. Food: 8.5/10 Service: 8/10 Experience: 8/10 Value: 8/10 read more

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$1 oysters and $1 cocktail shrimp. Do I need to say more? The $1 oyster happy hour at the Merchant was a great find and was totally worth it. The fact that they include shrimp put it over the top for me. Besides the great value, the quality was pretty good. Not perfectly shucked, but well within acceptable. Both the martini I tried as well as the togarashi fries were a great pairing for the cold seafood. Service was very friendly and attentive. Atmosphere was trendy and modern. A great spot for a Boston happy hour. read more

I had a business dinner with my coworkers. It's located in the downtown Boston area and was within walking distance from the office. However, I arrived here straight from the airport. The dining area is spacious with a nice modern look. The restaurant do not offer a loge number of menu items, but most of the dishes on the menu sound delicious. For dinner, I ordered the Grilled Arctic Char. The ski was crispy on the outside and the fish was cooked nicely. A few folks at the table ordered cocktails and we all enjoyed our drinks. The service was excellent, and the entire dining experience was excellent. read more

The Merchant - Grilled Arctic Char - New American Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Was in town for business and we came here for lunch- was packed mid day . Service was great, food was good. Strangest part was the bathroom was downstairs and couldn't find it lol read more

The Merchant - Steak tacos - New American Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I visited The Merchant in Boston- Good food and service. It was a bit too dark for me. The lights were very dim. I was a bit confused with menu. Appetizers are larger then the small plates (I guess similar to tapas). The tuna tartare was amazing. Menu selection is perfect not too big or too small, which works for me. read more

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Fantastic spot to satisfy oyster and shrimp cocktail craving on Monday and Friday happy hour from 5-9. Came here right at 5 on a Monday, the place was pretty empty, very nice vibe inside with an extra long full bar. Our server was very friendly and attentive through the meal. Oysters and shrimp were very fresh, such a steal at $1 each! Cocktails were of standard price, but very yummy and went well with the seafood. Will definitely come back here again on the next visit in Boston! read more

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Great food and great service. One of the best salads we've had. Very friendly environment.

I am not a local, here for a conference so my commentary is based strictly on my experience- no recommendations to check out or anything. This place was walking distance from my hotel and it was already almost 9p so we decided to grab a late dinner here. We wanted to sit outside because it felt really nice out but the host discouraged and said wouldn't be allowed to be our past 930 so grabbed a seat inside near window. Inside is really beautiful and dark. After checking out the menu we attempted to order oysters from the appetizer menu but the waitress said they don't serve them past 9p. Odd. But I guess they thought we wanted the $1 deal on oysters so just said they don't serve at all past a certain time? We both got the No Friend of Mine tequila drink and it was not good - very strong and didn't taste half of the ingredients I expected. The waitress was polite enough to offer me a different drink (my usual Moscow mule) and that drink sat on the counter diluting for almost 10min before she brought it over. By that time I had already finished my food and the drink again didn't taste good. The food - the fried shishido peppers were soooo good. Best thing we had. My friend got the shrimp tacos , these could have been better seasoned as they were a little plain and definitely needed a better more authentic tortilla. I got the crispy organic chicken Milanese and i am torn because it wasn't bad- the chicken was pretty good, the salad was too but I was very disappointed that the sauce tasted like it was from a jar at the store. Overall the service and food was ok and with some adjustments they could be much better. read more

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Intimate ambience, warm environment with dim lights. Good draft beer list but came out warm. Server made it right and offered another option. Cider was good. Food is on the spicy side on everything we ordered. The cauliflower app, pita bread and hummus and the fish taco sauce all had a spicy kick. Fish was good fried but light and tasty. If you like spicy you will enjoy this restaurant read more

Stopped by on a Friday night and surprisingly it wasn't busy. We came here just for the oysters (HH till 9pm). The oysters were pretty good and fresh. After ordering 50 oysters split between two, I now what my limit is :) read more

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Really good service and really good food in a nice enviornment in the heart of Downtown Crossing

Not much to say because I came here with a friend after work just for $1 oysters. It was okay but small, can't complain since just $1. Also order their drinks but not good, too much ice, can't taste the alcohol at all. The ribs are okay, soft and juicy but dried on the side. read more

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The service and the food were Phenomenal! The steak was perfectly cooked, very tender with crispy hot thin friesbeautiful long bar, great lighting and cozy private seating! read more

The Merchant - Steak Frites - New American Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

This place is tucked away between downtown and the financial district. It can be a bit more dressed up than a typical casual spot since it seems like most people would be coming from work. This can also make for a cute date spot since the presentation of the food and drinks are spot on. Highly recommend coming here for the $1 oysters! Fries were really good as a appetizer, the calamari was ok since the sauces made it kinda soggy. Not sure about their other food on the menu. It's definitely on the more pricey side but that's typical of the Boston area. read more

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Restaurant gave a nice ambiance and seemed well rated. Food was reasonably priced but portions were small. I ordered pasta and was given about 10 gnocchis. The fish and chips (hard to mess up) was almost sweet and looked like it was fried in cake batter, very think. Fries look as though they came from the freezer section at the grocery store. The waiters do not leave your water glass alone, after one sip they are refilling. read more

This was a decent restaurant. The prices were surprisingly fair based on location. it does extend quite a bit indoors so that was a bit surprising. The food was ok, just your typical American fare. Nothing to complain about. I can see this being a great place to unwind ater work or just to sit and get drinks. There is ample space for large parties and work groups read more

Came here for the pre-frix Thanksgiving dinner. The menu had a nice variety and was well developed. Upon walking in, they seated us immediately and it was very very lowly lit. We had to use our cellphone lights to read the menus. I started off with the pear salad which was absolutely delicious. It was with arugula, roasted pears, whipped goat cheese, candied pecans and shaved fennel. I would have been happy with a larger salad for my whole meal. My dining companions both started with the butternut squash soup. It tasted heavily of chicken broth and they were both given different spoons. A bit of a pet peeve of mine, as there should certainly be consistency within one table. Next up, steak frites. The seasoning on the steak was perfection, and cooked exactly how I wanted. However, the frites were a bit cold and some almost seemed freezer burnt. They also chose to lay the steak over some fries for a fancier plating but it left some frites soggy. Then the mound of undressed watercress was a bit out of place. Lastly, I got the apple tart and almonds for dessert. I needed a knife to cut the tart and the server gave me a giant steak knife. The caramel was supposed to be bourbon, but it seemed like that's all it was. Overall, a thanksgiving meal is tough to pull off but I thought it could have been better. read more

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Nice atmosphere. I had a quick lunch there and sat at the bar. I ordered a chicken Caesar salad. The salad came out fast and was a good portion. The only reason for 4 stars is for the service. The female bartender that originally waited on me was attentive and nice. However I believe she left (or went on break) and a gentleman bartender filled in. He was not talkative and not very friendly. read more

Only stopped by for a drink but it's a nice place. Tim was my server he was nice, I ordered some fries and had some wine. It was good service and not to badly priced. read more

The Merchant - Tim was such an awesome and patient bar tender - New American Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts