Food was tasty and just what I needed after my afternoon drive from Toronto. My dinner companion had a tasty burger topped with blue cheese and I had the chicken sandwich. We were both extremely satisfied with what we decided on. Kaitlin was bubbly and fun and efficiently took our order and checked in on us several times during our visit. Despite the place being a bit busy we didn't feel rushed or unable to hear each other. The place had a lovely vibe with other tourists like ourselves as well as locals and probably university students as well. We didn't stay too late as we had an early start planned for our drive but it looked like the place was setting up for live music. I'd definitely stop in here again for a meal or a drink if I'm in the area. read more

See all

We arrived in the area after a 6 hour drive and were ready for a late evening snack. We popped in as it was next door to the hotel, with the intention of just getting an appetizer to share. Well, we both ordered something as it was hard to decide what to get! I could not pass up the tuna nachos. I love sushi so this was an easy decision for me. I usually get it "my way" without any spicy sauce on it. I expected a good appetizer but this exceeded my expectations. The tuna was perfectly seared, chips were crispy, and I loved the extra touch of sesame seeds and radish sprouts. Hubby liked his burger - especially the onion ring on it. Honestly, I can't recall what he said about it too much as I was quite focused on my nachos. Definitely would come here again! read more

The Merchant Tap House - Bars Near Me - Kingston, Ontario

See all

Went there for a pint and food. The beer was cold and the burger was juicy. Our waitress, Stella, was lovely and gave great recommendations. I will definitely be coming back to the Merch! read more

Good service food was great. Cute pub, atmosphere. Would recommend if you are looking for a pub. Table of four, ages 80-10 around 6pm (Elders really liked the volume of the music, not to loud to have a conversation) Honey creek wrap Chicken ceased wrap Chicken quesadilla Kids chicken tenders. All were very happy with their meals read more

Eating on the patio with great service. The waitress suggested the kimchi nachos which we never would have normally ordered and they were amazing! She also suggested the falafel but we didn't try that today. I'm sure it would have been awesome. Instead we shared the hot chilli burger that really wasn't that hot but was delicious. My husband really liked the McKinnon Rose Crosscut Ale. I had the lavender lemonade which was good. It next time I'd tell them not to add any extra sugar. Really enjoyed our lunch. read more

The Merchant Tap House - Hot chilli burger and kimchi nachos - Bars Near Me - Kingston, Ontario

Spectacular pub experience. The food here was spectacular because you wouldn't get this at your normal pub and there is a wide variety of options on the menu. The service here was wonderful because the staff were friendly and polite. The ambiance here was English pub style and the restaurant was very clean. For the reasons I have stated in this review, I highly recommend and encourage you to visit this location because you will receive good service and good food for a fair and reasonable price. read more

Terrible service. If you want to wait 30 minutes between drinks and wait 45 minutes to get billed out it's the place to be! (not an exaggeration) THIS PLACE SUCKS!!!!!!! read more

Visited on a long overdue night out with the girls when visiting my hometown. Pretty chill vibes overall. Was a fairly quiet night when we visited as most of the students in home presumably were back at home for the holidays. Drinks and service were decent, I would return on another rowdy evening. read more

The Merchant Tap House - Bars Near Me - Kingston, Ontario

Ahh the merchant. Where do we start? Perhaps with the sticky floor, disgusting bathrooms, or unsanitary bartenders. This is probably the worst pub I have ever seen, let alone walked into in my life. I wish there was a negative 2 star rating, because that would be an accomplishment for this absolute piece of garbage that they call a pub. Congratulations on being the worst bar in Kingston, which is a feat in itself because I don't think any actual bars even exist in this "city". 2 stars for the atmosphere because the people in the bar were about 10x cooler than the bar itself. read more

Best pub in Kingston but...... cauliflower bites appetizer was crap at 15$ for 5 that's 3$ a soggy bite. Again everything else I have had there over the years was great fish and chips fantastic, 40 creek burger friggin awesome Management get rid of cauliflower bites read more

Amazing place, food, atmosphere, and staff! The owner is dedicated to making sure precautions are taken and that their patrons feel safe while dining within their establishment during the COVID 19 pandemic. read more

This is my favourite bar in Kingston. You get a little bit of everything here- you can tell that by walking in and seeing a wide variety of people. Younger people & the older crowd like this place, which is a good sign I think. Live music, good food, good drinks & an all around fun atmosphere. Servers a friendly and attentive. The patio is nice in the summer months but the inside is fun too, with nice decor/lights etc. great place to go for a night out with friends! read more

I highly recommend. Food and service is great. Great drink selection at the bar rail.

Virgin Caesar 3,5/5 regular Caesar 2,8/5 The service was ok, and the drinks not so good, don't think it is the best pub to go to. read more

I like the merchant because it really reminds me of some of the east coast pubs I love in Halifax. Overall, good daily specials, great live music (often, too!), a cool patio, and okay eats. Sometimes the service could be a bit better, but overall a great option for a pint on a patio. read more

The Merchant Tap House is cavernous, but with lots of dark wood and vintage decor, and so ends up with a comfortable atmosphere. They offer a large selection of craft and small batch beers on tap, as well as the usual suspects. A widely varying food menu provides a great selection of choices. We'd hoped to hear one of the local bands that perform there, but that only happens towards the end of the week, apparently. The food was great, and so was the service. If you're in Kingston, I'd very much recommend stopping by the Merchant Tap House! read more

A great place to go with a group. We were quickly seated. An impressive selection of beers and a varied menu of pub grub. The staff were very friendly and the nachos were very tasty and great for sharing. The atmosphere is nice and the live music was enjoyable. It's a go to place when visiting Kingston. read more

Stopped in after a golf game. Good selection of beers on tap although none from the immediate area. Service was friendly and efficient. Fish and chips were very good and a decent size portion. Friends had burgers and were pleased. There was a band coming on but we had to leave before they started. Would return. read more

The Merchant Tap House - Painting on wall of Kingston Harbor as it looked in the past. - Bars Near Me - Kingston, Ontario

Delicious food, great atmosphere, and great service. Hidden gem in downtown Kingston.

Great place to eat, drink and work. Staff is like a big family, one of the best I've experienced in Kingston. I especially love the daily deals, for drinks and food. Sundays are always fun, Sunday is game night! The music is also great, plus they've got TVS like most places, you can watch sports or even the presidential debate read more

We sat on the patio on a beautiful Covid stage 3 sunny day. It was perfect and felt very safe. I had mini tacos and my date had a club sandwich that I ate half of. I use a wheelchair and the bathroom was accessible for me. I can't wait to watch a live show here one day. read more

Decent selection of beers, good service, decent food. Colleagues and I end up at the Merchant almost every week for drinks and nachos, and it's a reliable spot. read more

This is my new favourite place to go when I visit Kingston. It is nestled right next to the hotel where I always stay so its location is what drew me and my bf in. We stopped in on giant pitcher day (Monday) to get day drunk. Ended up getting a bloomin' onion to snack on. It was delicious. Went back the next day on our way out of town just because of the convenience of location. We both ordered the steak sandwich. I cannot believe how amazing it was. I ordered it with a Caesar and my bf with fries. I can't tell you which is better, because they are both absolutely fantastic! We shared most of each other's sides because they were both just so yummy! But back to the sandwich... Perfectly cooked steak served with Provolone cheese atop a bed of arugula, fried Portobello mushrooms and garlic aioli all on a piece of grilled pita. Holy cow it was fabulous! A definitely must-try! I can't wait to go back!!! read more

First things first, I take a five star rating very seriously. When your 47 years old and out on vacation with your wife and 20 year old you don't expect to make the day a day of day drinking. Well, that's what we did and McKenzie at the Merchant made our trip. We started at 12:00pm and McKenzie greeted us and served us our first of many beers from 14 different locations. She told all about Kingston and places to go. She was amazing and told us to stop back as our last stop. We did just that. Once we came back she ran over to greet us, we asked if they served food, she said they did but the kitchen was closed. Then 2 minutes later she comes out with a bowl of chips and salsa. Then about 10 minutes later we get 3 shots sent to us, compliments of McKenzie. I want to make sure that her hospitality is not punished, we did buy several drinks. I will tell you, McKenzie's outstanding customer service to a family of tourist did not and will not and should not go unnoticed. It's employees like that, that build your business. I will always recommend this place to everyone I know. It will be the first place I tell them to go. Thank you McKenzie for going way beyond what I expected. Your skills are extremely valuable in the service industry. Can't wait to come back to Kingston and The Merchant. read more

the food here is v good and the service is amazing i came from montreal j to eat here because of how good it was

The Merchant is a great place to go if you want to have a good time. The patrons are mature and the staff are cute and friendly. They have great Live Rock Bands every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. There are always Taxis parked out front to ensure you get home safe. They have great, well priced food and the beer selection rivals any tavern in the area. The owner Dave MacNamara is always around to meet with Patrons and he genuinely cares for his bar, his staff and if you ask him, he will usually help with community events by donating or sponsoring. The bar is located at the far end of Princess St down by the waterfront. Highly recommended Rob Lanciault read more

Situated at the bottom of Princess Street just up from the Holiday Inn, this is, for me, the best pub in Kingston. Large, wooden, dark and comfortable, the long bar offers a wide range of beers and lagers, from the big name mass produced stuff, to local micros and other small batch beers. A surprisingly extensive and varied food menu offers everything from nachos and wings, to steaks and pastas. Be warned though, the portions are BIG! Of particular note are the wings, which are quite simply the best I've had in years, if not ever. Great local bands feature towards the end of the week and the place gets pretty crowded. For quieter times, there are several large screen TVs showing sport and a brilliant Spotify channel on broadcast, assuming you like the classics from the 70s and 80s. However, the feature that separates a good bar from a great bar is the staff and the boys and girls here are brilliant. Friendly, genuine, knowledgable both of their trade and the Kingston scene, I have yet to meet a finer crew. I won't name names, but you know who you are. I'm really looking forward to my next visit to the delightful city of Kingston and its finest pub. read more

Ehhhh nothing special; typical bar with typical bar food. Good for price and to feed the hungry. Outside was swarming with mosquitos or gnats though so we weren't able to enjoy the outdoor seating. Inside was alright - dark and a bit musty. read more

Best bar in Kingston, possibly the best 2 burgers I have ever tasted. Figurehead burger and 40 creek whiskey burger are just fantastic. Staff was even nice enough to let us order the Figurehead burger when it was off the menu last summer. Beers a bit pricey but that's just the way of the road. read more

We were in Kingston for the weekend of the Big kids for kids hockey tournament and had trouble finding somewhere that was not booked up when we wanted to do our team dinner.. this restaurant must have flown under the radar for most! They accommodated our 40 ppl reservation seamlessly! Our orders were taken promptly and efficiently! Food was tasty and hot! Beer was cold! Staff were friendly! Ambiance is awesome! I would recommend to anyone! read more

Favorite pub in kingston. A little off the beaten path, which is great! Fun atmosphere with service to match, live entertainment, lots of brews to choose from and good pub food. The burger is a favorite. read more

The draught beer here is the worst in town. Had a beer here, then had the same beer at another place down the street 10 minutes later.... it wasnt the same beer. Someone needs to look into the cleanliness of their beer lines or maybe how they store their kegs.... something is definitely wrong. read more

Wide beer selection. As well a beautiful old pub with a great location sadly dont order the nachos. horrid.

Service is excellent, food is good and portions are generous. Live bands are always enjoyable. Excellent pub setting in a historic building. read more

Very disappointed in the Fish'n'Chips. The batter was thick throughout and hard as rock at the ends (re-fried perhaps!). Thought it was odd that the waitress asked if we wanted extra cheese on the nachos...there was hardly any cheese, most of it was melted to the paper liner. Chicken Club was good. Not likely to recommend to friends or even return. read more

Matt says they have 21 beers on tap ... if that is the case, our waitress did not know that. Terrible selection for a pub. We had very slow service, waitress brought the wrong beer so had to wait another 10 minutes, our food was hot, but fish was so over battered it was doughy and the sweet potatoes fries so salty that was all we could taste. Wife's veggie burger was reported to be tasty. Server did not come back to check on us, so we never had the chance to get a second drink to get rid of the salt in our mouths ... And a big table of cursing RMC engineering profs made for an over all unpleasant experience. Take your business to one of the other pub patios in Kingston. read more

Had a great time here! I had the 40 Creek Whiskey burger and it was amazing. They had a promotion going, giving away World Cup scarves with some of their beers during the games. Been here many times before, but had such a great time this night, that I thought I'd leave a review. Highly recommended! read more

Service was somewhat slow but when the food and drink arrived, it was good. The bacon marinade wings are excellent, but if you get the "pound and a pint" special, make sure you get the correct beer choice, as our waitress didn't inform us and so our drafts were not included. read more

Good vibes but the drinks were expensive because they were QUITE disappointingly watered down. Would not come back here. Did not try the food. Good service though! read more

I was recently at the Merchant in Kingston and had an interesting experience. I ordered food and drinks at a table with some friends. The service was great at the tables and food was great. Then we moved to the bar to watch the band. I ordered drinks and closed my bar tab. That is when I saw the bartender Cassandra ring in to many drinks on my bill. I let her know she did and at first she denied it then finally took the extra drink off and said she didn't mean to. I didn't leave a tip and when she saw that instead of asking why she shouted to the bar, "that was a shity tip". I told her it was because I thought she intentionally over charged me. She argued then told me I was being a "Dick". Ridiculous! Make you look at your bill when being served by her!!! read more