Merchant was hands down a solid choice for brunch in Madison. We were in Wisconsin's capital for a wedding the night before and wanted to hit up brunch with the crew that morning. As busy as brunch can be pretty much anywhere we landed a table for 10 easily. The place was semi-dead when we arrived as we came around 9:30 am. Merchant picked right up though and left me feeling very happy we landed the table we had.
What I have to appreciate about this place was the service. We had a waiter and he was very attentive and informative. Whether it be about food options or the drinks on the menu, he was solid. He was so solid at cash out he even told us about the automatic 20% gratuity added to our bill. That to me is solid as it gets.
The food well it was good. I enjoyed a salmon cake benedict and it was every bite of scrumptious. My wife had eggs, toast and sausage. A basic breakfast and really nothing to complain about. Our drinks were great. Really tasty coffee, a solid Bloody Mary and even some killer dark stout brews.
I'm not sure if Merchant would be my go to spot for brunch but it sure hit the spot that day. I would try them for an afternoon lunch or dinner any day though. That bar was solid and I enjoyed the beers in particular. There is a reason Merchant has four solid stars and it shows! Good job! Keep it up!