I like this place. Â In read through the reviews and was surprised to see the negative ones. Â We eat there from time to time and always receive good service. Â The food is not Micheline star quality but it is better than the myriad of chain restaurants that we have in Vacaville. Â Try the brochettes.
Review Source:This place is pretty solid. We've been 3 times to date and food and service have always been good. The first and last time I went, I had the pasta special which was heavenly both times! Served with garlic bread...and they don't skimp on the seafood, which is a plus. The only gripe I would have is the prime rib being on the dry side. I'd avoid it. Ask for Miguel as a server! He is fantastic! Prompt, friendly and generally just good at what he does. :) he took fantastic care of us when I took my boyfriend and best friend out for their birthdays last night! Top notch!
Review Source:The restaurant food is okay, steadily going downhill, if you ask me, along with the atmosphere around there, but...
This review is mostly for our wedding catering service. Â (Yes, I'm extremely late on this! --- Good news is that since time has passed, steam has burned off, this will be short & to the point.
Pros:
** Everyone in attendance seemed to enjoy their food well enough. Â (Shouldn't really get points for a given though).
Cons:
** The buffet was closed before ANYONE could return for seconds!! Â We PAID for those food portions, so why did they close it down early?? Â I mean, my food had gotten cold because everyone kept coming by chatting, taking photographs, blah blah, so when I had a moment to eat, I went to get fresh, HOT food, but NOPE! Â Everything had been removed from the metal bins. Â NICE.
** They were supposed to provide the champagne toast, it was IN OUR CONTRACT... DISASTER!! Â Someone didn't read the schedule to know WHEN to have it ready, so when the toasting began, NO ONE had champagne!! Â Most people were forced to toast with their glass of water or whatever they had gotten from the bar (not Merchant provided). Â Seriously, my mother-in-law is in a photo raising her glass of orange soda!! Â And where was all that champagne we paid for??
The worst part was the confusion because during the toast some of their staff realized and tried to quickly pour some, and guests were looking around at them scurrying, so yeah, that was probably the worst. Â Just that people knew there was an eff-up on someone's part.
** Â Afterward, I spoke with the woman who was running things, and she had the nerve to blame ME for not personally handing her the schedule!! Â Wth lady! Â For real?? Â Sorry, but the staff members had more than one copy at their stations, you'd think someone had a brain and gave her one. Â They had HOURS to setup and think about timing issues, what nerve.... anything to avoid being at fault.
The bar area is a great place for a drink, a meal and to thoroughly enjoy the company of those around you.
There is a great, fun atmosphere, wonderful prices for happy hour and delicious food! The appetizers are fresh, flavorful and yummy, with the customer service being pleasant and quick.
Can't wait to go back!
Hadn't been to this restaurant in over a year as last visit was unmemorable. My husband & I had dinner there last Thurs. night mainly because my friend had recently been and said the food was quite good.
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We both had the chowder & it was thick & flavorful. Small cup but that was ok. I ordered salmon & my husband had  prime rib which were the Thurs. night specials. The salmon was flaky & had great flavor, garlic mashed were good as well, the zucchini & squash side was a bit overcooked, mushy.  Prime rib was very tender. My husband enjoyed the meal. He was surprised because last time he was not impressed with their food at all.
I inquired with the waitress if the place had been recently updated as it looked fresher. She said new carpeting & bench cushions had been installed.
I would recommend they offer a bread selection as theirs was soft & plain & not a good start plus include a dipping blend of some sort instead of the standard butter. Also, revise the zucchini-squash side dish.
I would definitely return to this restaurant.
I really like this spot....my boyfriend and I go here because the prices are good, the drinks are stiff, the wait is friendly, and it's never too crowded. Different specials and happy hours every day, I think you can find on their facebook page? I'm obsessed with the house ranch on their salads...how lame is that. Really good food for a bar! We like to sit outside on the patio and people watch (always an interesting crowd) and the BF smokes his pipe....cool stuff.
Review Source:Let me start from the beginning of this awful experience. First my wife calls to ask what time happy hour was and they say 3:00. So we head on over at 3:00 only for the Waitress with a 21 Frank Gore jersey to tell us that it starts at 3:30 and we are SOL. She also proceeded to tell us that it was really busy earlier and she is tired (So basically I'm checked out for the day). We start to order our drinks anyway because we don't feel like just sitting there looking like morons for another half hour. Wait though...! She is now annoyed we are not sure exactly what drinks we want right away because there is nothing on the menu so I say "I'm not sure, can" and she storms off with a huff when I was just going to ask for a recommendation. She's not done... she comes back after we see her talking with her friends for 10 min. and slams down my mother in laws drink on the table obviously still enraged we made her do work (at work). I know, we are mean. Then after she never came back to our table even though there was only about 10 other people there after twenty long minutes we gave up and went to Outback. Goes without saying that I will never go there again.
Review Source:Growing up in Vacaville, this was the place to have nice mothers day breakfast or hit for happy hour before a show at cheers. Â Now that i don't live here, we visit for brunch to catch up with friends over unlimited bottles of champagne. Â The food has always been great and the staff can be friendly. Â as long as you're not belligerent and being a jerk.
I'd say that the bar is probably the best feature, it's always bubbling over with happy people. Â But try brunch once in awhile... you might be surprised.
My boss took me here for lunch and I was very impressed. I had never been to Merchant and Main before and I was blown away. I didn't know that such a beautiful, classy restaurant was right downtown in Vacaville!
The décor and atmosphere of the restaurant is so charming and relaxing. I love the mural of the wall that depicts Vacaville's rich agricultural history. The restaurant is styled inside to almost reflect Old Italian architecture.
The service was wonderful (and not just because the waiter and bus boy were exceedingly easy on the eyes). Â ;) They were attentive and well mannered. (Wow I sound like an old lady...that was awkward.)
I ordered the teriyaki salmon. It was fantastic! The filet was cooked well. Although there wasn't much teriyaki on it at all, the pineapple salsa on top made up for it. The roasted potatoes with caramelized onions and red bell peppers were to die for. I'd go back simply to eat that! The other vegetables were good--not great--to be honest they were extremely watery which leads me to believe they were frozen veggies. (And at $13.99 for a LUNCH SPECIAL I better not be served some freaking frozen vegetables!)
My coworker got the Crab Louis salad and it was piled high with crab.
I peeked at the bill and after tax and tip it was about $50 for three lunch specials, no  drinks, which I think is very pricey for lunch. However, this isn't some puzzle-piece chain restaurant, it's a unique, special and classy local place and I would be proud to support it.
Also, hot waiters. Good food, hot waiters. It's the important stuff ya know. ;)
When Merchant & Main first opened in Vacaville it was *the* spot for special occasion dining. Â Now it just looks like a tired, worn restaurant. Â The food is average at best and even the salads skew on the heavy side. Â The service is slow. Â
The bar seems to be the main attraction, and maybe more out of habit than anything else. Â When people from my high school class gather after an event, M&M always seems to be where they migrate to. Â Hopefully we're not showing our years quite as much as M&M. Â ;)
Not a regular at M&M..outside patio is nice drinks are acceptable and bar food ok. I only come here if invited by friends otherwise this is not a restaurant that I would patronize. Vacaville sure needs to attract some fine dining restaurants as M&M hardly fits the fine dining description.
Review Source:I have given this place many chances but every time the service or/ and food disappoints. Many times the food is ice cold. Neither the staff nor management ever make an attempt to apologize or seem sympathetic. The ambiance and decor have so much potential. Too bad the staff doesn't care. I will not be returning.
Review Source:We came here for mothers day brunch.
The food was good but I won't come back.
The thing that really through me off was all the entrees were priced at $19.99. It would have been nice to have the option to have prices that ranged from $12.99 and up.
I don't think blueberry pancakes should hold the same price as a shrimp & dungeness crab omelete. It seemed like the restaurant was more interested in making money rather than making it a special celebration for mother's day.
Also, the menu said that each entree came with fruit and a muffin but it didn't. They just cut up some fruit & a few very tiny slices of danishes and put it on the table for 5 people to share! Really???
There was free champagne & apple cider so that was a nice gesture but they really fell short.
We sat in the bar, it was happy hour and seemed like a nice place. Â We had a group of 7. Â Sara, our waitress was really nice and helpful, she was quick and on top of it. Â We ordered nachos appetizer. Â We liked it so much we got a second! Â Very yummy. Â
I had the tacos in both fish varieties. Â I really liked them. Â The tortillas were fresh and the fish was good. Â The beer battered one was better then the mahi. Â Most guys got burgers and they got good reviews from them. Â My BF got the open faced tri-tip. Â I was surprised to see it was not sliced and just a piece of meat. Â I didn't read the description on the menu for it) Â He said it was good. Â I tried a bite and I agreed. Â
Seemed like a great place and I would certainly go here again.
For what you are paying its not worth it! My husband and i wanted to have a nice dinner. I had the filet minot with potatoes and my husband had ny steak. My potatoes were cold and dry, the filet was burnt on one side. My husband steak was not grilled and over cooked so it was tuff! The dressing on our Caesar salad was thick and horrible! Wouldnt go back again!!
Review Source:This review is for the happy hour. The craft beers are $3 and a good selection, Rogue, Newcastle, A good IPA. The apps are half price, have had tequila shrimp,( nice and spicy), calamari, chicken strips, and nachos, all very good. Â The service is friendly and efficient. Definetly recommend for HH.
Review Source:I really like the bar. I have eaten here numerous times and it's never bad, but it's never memorable either. They really need to update their menu, I know it's a Vacaville institution, but it's so dated. I can't help but think of Robert Irvine's Restaurant Impossible when I go to Merchant and Main. I only go when invited with others. I have never chosen to go here myself because although it's all right, nothing stands out. I do however like the bar :)
Review Source:This review is for the Bar side only ~ not the dining side.
Love, love, love the "Attitude Adjustment Hour" happy hour daily from 3:30 to 6:30. Â $3 draft beers and well drinks, and 1/2 priced appetizers.
Stand outs on the appetizers: Â Bruschetta, 49er Chicken Strips, Beef Nachos, Crab Cakes. Â
Good service, even when the place gets packed.
We came here for my sisters birthday. We really didn't know what to expect as we had gone to Vacaville to do outlet shopping for the day. The downtown area is cute and had no idea it existed.
The food was ok, a bit bland. The wait staff was ok, I could barely hear him talk. The ambiance was ok, there were some dead flowers on the table in dirty water. The wine choices were ok, what they offered, there were decent prices.
All in all, the experience was "OK". I don't think I would go here again if I was in town, but if I lived in the area, I might give it another chance.
Eh. Failure. My second time here and my first impression of this venue hasn't changed much. Â My first time was lunch time with co-workers about 2 or 3 years ago and I remember back then service was very slow. Â Fast forward to the present moment, another lunch time with co-workers and service is Still extremely slow! Â We arrived at noon, it didn't appear to be that busy but yet, it took us around 5-10 minutes to be greeted and seated.
We were served bread, which, I admit, was very yummy - I love it when it's all fluffy in the middle and slightly crunchy on the edges! Â This almost made up for the fact that the food took fooooooreeever - at least 20 minutes after our starters were served and 30 from the time we actually ordered. Â I think I just ordered a ceasar salad the last time and they managed to get my order correct then but this time they gave me blackened chicken fettucini instead of the sweet n spicy prawn fettucini I ordered so I had to wait another 10-15 minutes (while everyone in my group ate up) as they cooked up my order. Boo.
The service in general was just "ok" but at times was difficult to catch our waiter's attention since towards the end of our meal he was sort of zipping by our table without a glance. Â But when he did stop by to fill our water glasses or ask us how we were doing he was pretty pleasant, I think.
In total, the both times I've eaten here, my group has spent almost 2 whole hours for lunch here and that didn't even include any dessert!
Lived in Vacaville for 7 years and this was my first visit to this local hot spot.
My husband and I along with a friend enjoyed a pre-birthday celebration and was waited on by Miguel. He did a great job.
We started with the "world famous" calamari and it was really good. (I was skeptical) My friend and I had the M & M salad, it was ok. My husband had the chef salad, it had lots of meat and cheese, it could have been a meal by it's self.
I had the prime rib with shrimp on their special menu, the shrimp was way over cooked but prime rib was really good. My husband had the 49er chicken sandwich which was served with an interesting jalapeno honey dressing. The sauce really made the dish.
A bit of a Vacaville tradition for mid-to-fine dining. Â Order anything here, it's all pretty good. Â The service is fast and I can't remember ever waiting for a seat here.
The halibut I had last time was fantastic. Â Wonderful buttery texture. Â It's unfortunately not a regular menu item, but if it were, I would definitely re-order. Â
My husband had The Steak Sandwich which was also great. Â Perfectly seasoned.
My man, my sister, her man and I all made reservations for Valentines Day! we all kind of are like ugh when it comes to sea food. (Only some) anyways. Well we got there it didn't take long for us to get seated. For some reason I just kept staring at the host, she had this bad ass attitude to EVERYONE she had sat. It was horrible our server was a guy that talked really really low and fast and seemed like a dick! Took a while to get some drinks going for us. Finally we got situated and I noticed it was not slammed in there! Kind of still wonder why? But our night was nice even though there service was crappy and slow (when not even busy) but the food was AMAZING!!! Props to the chefs! LOL... Hopefully he not an asshole like some of the other employees!
Review Source:No Thank You! The Husband and i have been going here for a few years for Valentines day. We always get the same dinner but i guess they did away with it! So spent $90 bucks for tasteless food and for the waitress to make us feel uncomfortable! And if your allergic to shellfish well your out of luck for one of there specials they both came with a lobster tail and no substitutions! We could have just thrown our $90 bucks in the dumpster we don't work hard for our money  (sarcasm). Why two stars? One for the nice hostess and the other star for the bread they bring to you. Merchant & Main tonight? NO THANK YOU!
Review Source:OK, but only OK. Like a previous review, I am certain that several of their menu items are not fresh (fish, veggies) and it is only mediocre. It's OK for lunch, but if friends are visiting from out of town I take them elswhere. It's a shame really because Vacaville has grown so much and we have such a lack of nice dining establishments in town.
Review Source:Went on a Sunday for their champagne brunch....think it costs about $13 and includes champagne, meal and fruit/bread basket. I ordered the seafood omelet which was great.
Waitress was responsive and ambiance was nice for a family gathering. Good deal and a place I will go back to.
In door and outdoor seating.
Brunch Turned Sour
Merchant & Main is generally a good place to eat.  It's not "fine dining" by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a step above a fast food chain.  I went to Sunday Brunch with my son, Nick, today. It was his first time having brunch at Merchant & Main and I was looking forward to taking him there.  They have a nice brunch menu, and a choice of champagne or apple cider, my son chose the blueberry cream cheese french toast and I had the Eggs Benedict Florentine, we both had champagne.  My son is 24, and the server did not card him.  Brunch was good, we got nearly to the end of our meal I noticed that the place was clearing out so I paid our server, leaving him a 20% tip.  actually trying to be nice, because I've been a server and I knew he would want to start his check out.  I've worked in a chain restaurant, and I've worked in fine dining in the Napa Valley.  My son wanted one more glass of champagne ( I was done, I was driving ), we asked a bus boy who was cleaning up if he could send our server over.  He said, "Oh, I think he left", another cranky waitress comes over and we ask her if he can have another glass of champagne, and she says, " Sorry, our  brunch service is over". In all my experience as a server, whether at a chain restaurant or especially in fine dining, you don't leave until your guests do, or if they manager wants you off the clock, the closing server is supposed to finish off your table for you, and you tell your guests, "my manager wants me off the clock, thank you for coming, if you need anything else ____ will be taking care of you." What could have been a lovely brunch left us with an unhappy ending.  I don't think I'll go back, or if I do, I certainly won't pay my check until the moment I'm walking out the door...and you shouldn't either.
For Valentine's Day, we decided to forgo the usual dinner out and head to Merchant & Main's Sunday morning / early afternoon champagne brunch. For only $14 a person, we received our choice from a good variety of breakfast and lunch entrees, unlimited fruit / sweet breads, and, most importantly, all-you-can-drink champagne! I'm happy to say our server was not at all stingy in filling up our champagne glasses, and the brand didn't appear to be something frighteningly cheap like the Cook's brand.
We ended up running a bit late for our reservation (we had the address down as Main, and it was Merchant... oops), but they were happy to take us anyway The restaurant was nice looking but really dark. I would've liked to have eaten outside on their patio had it been a bit warmer. Our egg dishes were tasty, and while service was a little spotty, I give them a pass because the place was absolutely crazy due to it being Valentine's Day. Our waitress was really funny - she even carded my partner just to make me feel better after carding me! (I look very young for my age.)
I think Merchant & Main would go under my "Classy places to take Grandma" mental list. It's the kind of polished place where you can expect decent service and classic American favorites that will be good but probably not amaze anyone either.
Came here today for their Champaigne Brunch with friends, and had a GREAT time!
There was alot of variety on their brunch menu, including breakfast meals, lunch entree's and salads, all for a great price of $13.99 per person (although their website says $11.95/person. Tsk tsk!) LOL
AND the best part was complimentary (or correct term:BOTTOMLESS) Champagne! Paired with fresh strawbarries and oranges?! YUM!
Needless to say, our party of 6 left pleasantly perked and oh-so satisfied... try the M&M Steak Sandwich on Garlic Bread = Outstanding!!
Definantly coming back again!!
I came here on the company budget, and it was really really good. Â I got the prime rib (14oz) and it felt MUCH larger...it was 1 1/2in thick, and delicious! Â The entrees come with soup or salad and a side, and the crab cake appetizers were great. Â
Prices were reasonable for what you get, and there is a decent selection of wines too.
The only downside was that after such a large meal, I wanted a nice, light dessert, like chocolate mouse, and everything on there was pretty heavy, so we opted out.
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