The Merchant Ale House in St. Catharines

We were visiting St Catherine s for the weekend and stopped in for a quick meal and refreshment. The Merchant Ale House was a real delight! The food was delicious and the craft beers were really good. It s clear that these people have a love for good food and drink!

The food was exceptional. Service was fast and very friendly. The Reuben sandwich is the best out of anyone s. Always a pleasure .

Beer choice is quite narrow, two IPA s that were quite bitter with a weird flavour. Limited food selection and when I ordered I was told the wings were reserved for a hockey team that was coming in later :( ended up at pharmacii instead which was awesome

When you ask your server 3 times for your bill , he is just chilling behind the bar on his phone. Pub is dead so no excuse. Wont be back!

Food is expensive (the menu prices are misleading as the prices exclude any sides) but definitely amazing and fresh. Would recommend the crab dip and chicken thigh sandwich. The place was full so we ate in the basement which wasnt the best atmosphere but that was to be expected. As others have said as well, its definitely a bit of a University vibe and its easy to feel old in there pretty quickly. Overall it was a solid experience but paid more than anticipated.

Great micro brewed beers and delicious food great atmosphere great food deep fried pickles for the adventurous, 2024 great selection of craft beers and a small but very tasty menu

Great one of a kind beer selection. Great bands. Great atmosphere. Always a fun time.

Amazing and great vegan options

A good choice on St Paul Street. The food is very good as is the service. Prices are fair. Nice beer choices. Overall, a very enjoyable experience.

Amazing food! Excellent service! Brisket Mac and cheese was dynamite!!! Cheeseburger so good!!! Even the fries are super good!!! Yummy.

Love coming here I think they have the best chicken club sandwich and fries! I don t drink beer but the seltzers are great

Ive loved this place for 20 years, though I dont get to go much anymore. We went recently and I thought, how can a place stay essentially the same for so long and still be cool as hell? Magic? Love the house beers -- Strawberry Blonde is my all-time fave. Nachos are dynamite. Great staff too. Go there!!!

We stopped here on our way to Niagara Falls. The food was good. The club sandwich was the best sandwich I had in a long time. And the shoestring fries were very good. It all fell apart when it came time to pay. The waiter handed us the credit card machine. A tip was already added and there was no way to change it. For some reason they feel like they get to decide how much OPTIONAL tip their customers should give This industry needs to wake up. This is not the US where servers get $2 an hour. Tips are not mandatory. If I want to give a tip its my choice. I should not be guilted or embarrassed into giving a tip.

The ale house burger was one of the best burgers I ve ever had and I ve had a lot of burgers!

Beef Brisket burger was incredible. Big meal when add shoestring fries. Blueberry beer is,always refreshing.

The service was friendly and attentive which was so nice! The beer was really good! And the food, oh my it was so fresh and fantastic! We had the club sandwhich, the mushroom blue cheese burger and the beet salad. Amazing!

Had a great time at the bar with JJ and all the others that took care of us! Great staff made us feel like regulars even though we were just visiting the area.

Stopped by with longtime friends, very nice spot, great beer. Accidentally bumped into someone and broke my glass, luckily Jesse was a class act, ensured that everyone was okay and cleaned it all up quickly. Staff was very friendly and super helpful. Will definitely be back!

Ive visited several times and always loved the beer and the amazing food. However, my most recent visit with a group of friends was a terrible experience. Although we were told the table would be tight, we didnt mind and took it. Soon after, a server rudely told us we couldnt move any chairs or stools, without providing a reason. Despite having stools and space available, they were extremely unaccommodating and became visibly angry when we asked if we could move a table to fit better. When we mentioned that we were planning to have both drinks and food, they looked annoyed and said it wasn t possible due to space constraints. They didnt take our order and instead focused on how we would split the bill. Eventually, the server told us we had to wait for our entire party to arrive before they could take our order, claiming the staff couldnt keep up otherwise. The whole encounter felt hostile and, frankly, discriminatory.

This place does not have a big menu but the food is good and the bartender is friendly. The restaurant could benefit from some refurbishing and a good deep cleaning. Overall a good experience.

Great place for a pint, love that I could grab a flight to try out all the beers

This place makes excellent pib food on top of their fantastic beer. If in St. Catherines, I try to eat here.

Food and drinks were great. Servers were really nice and very helpful with menu suggestions!

It is very successful and the service is excellent. I congratulate them. I recommend the employee and the manager to everyone. Even though I am a tourist, they are very nice. Congratulations.

Outrageous, how good this place is. The food, the staff, the beer. 10/10

Went for a Sunday lunch and the burgers were AMAZING! Atmosphere was nice, service was fast, and the burgers were fantastic.

I went here to enjoy a pint and get some work done but boy was I surprised! It started with being greeted and served by a phenomenal server named Bailey, sorry to name you! With a packed house she ensured I was well taken care of, my drinks were always topped up while also running amazingly tasty food, dealing with takeout orders, welcoming each person as they entered and smoothly navigating her section. There was not a single person leaving here without a smile and full belly. I don t often eat out but this place was truly special (try the food and you will know what I mean!). The team that works here are amazing, do yourself a favour and give it a shot.

Its a good spot for meal and ale

They have a BBQ mushroom sandwich that happens to be vegan, and its pretty frikken tasty. Not a first date meal unless youre an absolute savage. 4 stars because the service was a left a bit to be desired.

Incredible beer and atmosphere

At only $16.99, the fish and chips are not only the cheapest in town, they are the best!! 2 big, meaty pieces of delicious fish in a wonderful light, crispy coating. And a giant pile of perfectly cooked shoestring fries. Crispy and fluffy! Best burgers, best beer. Check out this fantastic restaurant!

What a neat Ale House..definitely will be back

Nice place. Good service. Enjoyed the beet salad, easy to veganize. Went for a work lunch, all three of us enjoyed the meals. Reasonable priced.

Second time here. Once again a great lunch was had by all. The fish sandwich was great as was the burger. Also has the nachos and fries..

Great atmosphere, large variety of beers and amazing food

Was visiting from LA and first time in St. Catherines. Other locals recommended this bar, but it was the first and last time I d ever go there. The dude with the mullet serving us was extremely rude but I didn t make too much of it as we were there to enjoy our time. Same dude was rude to other customers who were also brown didn t realize we brought back racism and mullets in 2024.

Had dinner at The Merchant Ale House on St. Paul St. in St.Catharines this evening it was Great! All the food was Fantastic! Between the five of us, we had the Ale House Burger, the Blue Cheese Mushroom Burger and the Brisket Burger, all then were the best we have ever had . We also had a Chicken Caesar Wrap and a Club Sandwich. The Caesar Wrap my brother had was the best he has ever had, and hes had a lot!

Great spot for some good vibes, drinks, food and music. The best Mac and Cheese ever is back !

I absolutely adore this place so much. All the staff are just so incredible, kind, and on top of dining service. The food is so so delicious and the drinks are definitely outstanding. Me and my family will always continue dining here, and we cant thank you enough for continuing to give us the best service ever! Highly and extremely recommend that everyone comes here to eat or drink!!!

The service, food and beer were all delicious! I had one of the best burgers of my life here. We can t wait to come back.

Must have deep fried pickles!! yummmm Generous portions, great selection and our server was amazing! An excellent treat for our Badger daughter craving a hearty, tasty lunch.

Nice local spot for craft beer and good times. Good ambiance and crowd.

Had the best burger EVER .the atmosphere is so inviting - a great place to be on a late Saturday afternoon.

Really bad experience, my partner and I went there to have a couple of drinks and food, our first time having high expectations about that place, but We were told by a male server (by the way He saw us like We were different) to go downstairs because the place was crowded, We got a confusion because thought downstairs were washrooms, so We decided to sit down on a table beside downstairs, a female server approached to us asking in rude manner to go downstairs, so We just decided to leave. Really disappointed for lack of customer care and probably minority discrimination

Tried to visit, the staff was rude since the welcoming to partner and me, kinda looking us weird, I was asked to move of table in bad way due a confusion with their washroom sign (the have tables downstairs where the washrooms are), we decided not to ruin our evening by staying there, still not sure if this was a bad day for them or they have something against minorities, LGTB community. Definitely not giving a second try.

Went with my son for burgers. The whole experience was a solid B!! Prices were on the higher side but overall Solid!

A fun local experience with good food, better beer, and helpful staff. Crab Rangoon dip is insanly good. 10/10 should try

Definitely a great spot for their blueberry beer and my favourite, the crab Rangoon dip!

I always come here and always had good service and beer. Tonight the lady server with a greysh flanel and reddish hair was so rude. Other servers have been as good as always.

Food is perfect. Awesome atmosphere. Service is dialed in.

The bartender was extremely rude and condescending to my mother. The service was unbelievably slow. And the food is inedible, I m almost positive I am getting food poisoning as I write this review. Tread lightly on coming here.

Great servers and fabulous beer

Food was stone cold like Steve Austin. They completely forgot one of our orders. Never checked in on us. Terrible experience never eat here.

This place is not good. Service was horrible. My entire groups food was cold, they forgot one of our orders. Server never came back to even check up on us and was nowhere to be found when we needed her to let her know that she forgot one of the orders. Not a comfortable and good environment to be on. Never going back

We enjoy the merchant very much. The staff are always very friendly and very attentive. We have never had a meal that was not delicious. If you have never tried the blueberry beer you need to go and try it. They have garlic parmasean wings that are fantastic. Really anything they serve is awesome.

In town for a hockey tournament and stopped in our first day on Wednesday with my wife & kids. Came back with the whole team on a Saturday night (on short notice) and they accommodated us and were so great. Our server Ian was phenomenal and had a ton of patience with us. The food & beer were absolutely delicious. We will make a point to return here anytime were in town. Thanks for everything

Always such good food and amazing service. Their Blueberry beer is a must when visiting!

Always great beer and good times. That Blueberry Wheat is to die for.

Great beer, their stouts are fabulous. Food is a bit on the pricier end since the sides are not included in the price.

The back patio is very cool - industrial, trendy vibes. Good menu!!

Best Bitter

Great beer, food and service!

Beer is decent, atmosphere is nice, food is meh.

Great in-house brewed beers, great food, and super friendly staff! Best french fries in the city!

Awesome nachos

Excellent staff and food

We always love our experience at the merch, the food is amazing and well priced, the staff is always so welcoming and thoughtful. Very nice atmosphere! Love the pulled pork burger!

It has a good laid back atmosphere and the staff are very friendly and helpful. Food was enjoyable...and if you like beer this is a good place for you to visit.

Fun little brewpub. Good beer selection, all their own. Food was good, and service was fantastic.

This place is bang on, food, beer, service!!!

Best place for a craft beer in St Catharines!

Great staff, great atmosphere and the drinks were great as well. Will be back for sure.

Great food, prices are a little high and burgers dont include fries but still well worth it and highly recommended!

Great food, beer choices and environment. A St Catharines staple!

Theres not much to choose from really in Downtown St Catherines but we decided on here as there were people inside Shocking how flat my sprite was. The sweet potato fences has a nice sauce I had a cheeseburger and was rushing to the bathroom twenty minutes later The most popular place in town which is sad and makes me happy to live in Toronto

Great service and food. Nice atmosphere downstairs. Fair pricing.

The pulled pork sandwich was awesome, and so were the crinkle cut fries with Chipotle sauce.

Good pub environment with solid service and yummy food. Happy hour pricing was a nice bonus!

The blueberry wheat beer is phenomenal, food is high quality and the service is very prompt and friendly. Ive attended this establishment more than a dozen times and can not speak of a bad experience. It is a short walking distance from the Meridian Center Arena where the local CHL hockey team and plenty of other entertainment. Although this is a university town, the Ale House is never rowdy and has more of a refined atmosphere. Plenty of seating for couples or small groups upstairs and down. Like I said, the food is fantastic and the beer is top notch.

Cozy! Stout is epic. All the foods were awesome. Not ur regular pub food. The basement is its own vibe. So cool!

Run dont walk to visit Merchant Ale House. So happy we came here. Service was amazing, everyone helps each other out. Food was delicious and beer even better. Not from the area but will be sure to come again.

Such an awesome spot! Service is always so fast and friendly! Their house made seltzers are the best around. They also have tons of Vegan food which is so appreciated! If you re ever downtown St Catharines make sure you check this place out!

Intimate and relaxed setting. Friendly staff and servers. Awesome selection of locally owned and brewed beers.

I ordered takeout and picked it up myself. An automatic 15% was added to my bill. Then the visa machine was asking for another tip. I really don t like to make a negative review,I know how hard people work to feed us. I found this infuriating. However the burgers and nachos were absolutely delicious.

i had visited the establishment on avril 21/23 around 9:00pm. the setting was quaint and cozy as we were seated in the basement. the aura was pretty good, pepsi was a bit flat but i digress. my friend and i ordered and i got the vegan wings in medium sauce. when i first tasted the sauce i thought it tasted kind of funky but i figured i just was not acquainted with it as i m typically a buffalo girl. my stomach gad then started bothering me but i just figured it would pass. as it turned out, i barely made it home before i was violently ill. i m unsure as to what was wrong with the vegan wings but i have been through hell within the last 24 hours from food poisoning. please be advised if the sauce tastes funky just put the food back down on the plate and trust me.

Great food! Great staff! Great craft beer!

I had the worst day ever at a job I stayed one day at. I walk into this place because its the only place serving food in the area at 11:30. I order their specialty Light Roast pint and a fried chicken burger. Drink was the best lite beer Ive ever had, burger was the best Ive had this whole year. Just go here. You wont regret it. Great price and I regret not staying for the live music they had that night.

the sunset glow sour beer is the best beer ive ever had, delicious and doesnt have that gross aftertaste you get with some beers, and their brisket burger was incredible!

Went there last night with my friend, had the blueberry beer, it s good. However the experience and service was not. Last call was not announced, ordered another beer and got declined since they said they already did last call. Then the bartender and other coworkers proceeded to take shots right beside us after declining to serve us. Super unprofessional and disrespectful. Would not recommend.

Excellent beers, extremely salty food, nice place to chill and enjoy various beers (wheat, IPA, sour, lager). Except the food, everything was excellent

Always a great place to be!

The best nachos ever. I was really getting frustrated with the quality of Skip food. You guys blew me away. Everything you should have with nachos was there. Not a big advacodo fan. But it was perfect.

Nicole is hands down the most authentic server I ve ever had. The bond we created this evening is incomparable to any experience I ve ever had. It started off a bit Bumpy due to third party nonsense.. but man is this woman ever so so good at what she does. I left a $20 tip and couldn t be anymore thankful for making a friend out of such a hard working individual you d be delirious to not give this place your attention when visiting Niagara 10/5 stars. Will be back

Love their Bad Blood stout! They always have a list of what beers are available on their board. Their nachos and chicken wings are awesome too!

My friend and I both paid $40 for a burger and water only to get food poisoning

Closes late, great place for having a nice talk with a friend or a loved one.

Very nice experience! The beer is excellent and so is the food! Large portion, very affordable price for the quality! The staff is welcoming! Im definitely starting it again!

Went for the blueberry wheat ale and it was absolutely delicious, worth the drive from Cambridge. Ale House burger was amazing and my wifes fish and chips were perfectly done. Thanks

Amazing friendly service with outstanding food. Probably the best Rueben I have had in Niagara Region

Best place for Blueberry beer!

Our go to place for burgers and blueberry beer. Very friendly service and good food

So long as you are a regular you will get served before people who were already previously waiting at the bar. Terrible service. Specifically the bartender in the AC/DC shirt, do better.

Love being a regular at this bar, I always get taken care of first! Guy in the AC/DC t-shirt was a stud grape and wine weekend!

Amazing ale house with the best staff downtown. Love coming here with friends for dinner and having the best seltzer ever!!!! Love you merchy!!!!!! Especially the fella in the AC/DC shirt!! :-)

Really cool place to spend an evening with friends. The staff, atmosphere, food, and drinks were an absolute treat!

Service is awesome! Food and drinks are great! One of my favorite places

Food and drink were good. Had the chicken wings. Large in-house craft selection. Brewery on site. Tried the seltzers and they were excellent.

Cool vibe...lots of choices on tap...

If you re looking for the place to be, this is it. Good food. Good service. Good environment. Live local music every Sunday. Family and Welcoming environment.

Food was good. Service not good. Got no refills on drinks. Had to go and request the bill 30 minutes after they came to take our plates. Spent 2.5 hours here for dinner on a Saturday night.

We had just arrived and the bouncer kicked out our Asian friend even though he was not under the influence, saying the bartenders don t want to serve you because you re too drunk and that was it. Considering it was a group of gay men we have a feeling it was a combination of homophobia and anti Asian racism. Would not recommend it you want to relax and have a drink at night.

The Merchant ale is an amazing restaurant that provides incredible service, food, and beverages. The lovely server, Shelly, gave my family and I an experience we won t forget (and haven t been able to stop talking about since). It was our first time at this restaurant and we weren t very decisive on drinks, so Shelly offered us a sample of the beers we inquired about. She then proceeded to check-in on us and our experience by constantly offering refills or anything else we needed. We ll definitely be returning to the Merchant solely for Shelly s service alone. It s a bonus that the food was incredible. Probably some of the best restaurant food I ve had in a long time. Overall, the staff and atmosphere is amazing and I cannot express enough about how the vibes were like we had been there a million times already. Definitely an experience I look forward to having again.

Dont like the food (I dont eat fries, burgers, etc. so never come for a food) BUT the beer.... OMG - the beer is the thing here! Blueberry my favorite one. You have to try!

We went because of the location but we will be back for more of the food. Everyone at the table was super impressed. The in house seltzer (keto friendly) was quite tasty.

Spent time with friends and I am happy to see a bar that brews their own ale, amazing plus the ale I tried was amazing.

Blueberry beer is easily the best beer Ive ever had

Fantastic place! Beer options are amazing! Last nights bartender provided us with excellent service! Ill definitely be coming back, its too good not to.

Really enjoyed going there for lunch. I sat out on the patio and had the fish and chips and it was delicious. The only thing that was really disappointing for me was they dont make their Strawberry Raddler anymore. I was really looking forward to drinking that, but it is no longer available. Good thing is they have many other beers to sample. I would really like it if they could bring the Strawberry beer back.

Friendly staff, great food Perfect place for friend gathering

Great food and better drinks!

Good food, great service, craft beer.

Local gem. Flights of beer were good and so was the food!

Great beers and food.

Surprisinglygood food at a more than fair price. Patio is very unique though a bit loud and dusty

Always delicious food and beverage, friendly staff, reasonable price. The only complaint I ever have is that it can be hard to get a table!!!! We have been coming here for over 10 years now, starting from Brock, and it just gets better

This is the best beer Ive ever had! This is a bold statement, Ill admit. Youve heard your drunk mate say this a million times. But honestly, Merchant Ale House is home to the Blueberry Wheat, and it is easily one of the best beers Ive ever tasted. Seriously, I drove over 5 hours from Ottawa to drink it. Plus, the food is amazing. Go get some. Do it.

Always a smiling face to great you at the door! The beer is fantastic and a wide variety. The food is ok, I say that only because it used to be great but they seem (to me) to be using pre made food service food now

Fabulous beer. Fabulous food.

Tight

Good food, good beer, good prices, good service...what more can you ask for?! Ordered the Cobb salad-the half portion was more than enough food for my dinner with a few beers. The beer selection was great-the quality of each was quite good, as well. Was happy with the entire experience.

The food and the beer was great. The service was great

Good beer, good food.

Large variety of local craft beers and a comfy laid-back atmosphere

I hate Rude people, the lady behind the counter was supper Rude, and not friendly at all speaks with harsh voice, why you guys like this, you should behave.

Great food and atmosphere. With covid there have been too few places that have been of comfort to visit. Merch was one of them! Update... Still a blast.

Visited with daughter and fiance who chose the patio. Its down two flights of dark stairs. Waitress took drinks and food order but we waited for 35 minutes to receive & then one item was not provided (it was on the bill). Food was sub-par - soggy fish & cold chips etc. Wait staff has to run up & down the stairs to fill orders & this is not very efficient. They seemed overwhelmed.

The vegan wings are a really nice portion and very tasty! They dont have many vegan options unfortunately unless the menu has changed since my visit. The wings and a vegan patty to substitute a burger (minus the non vegan toppings) is really it.

A nice place with friendly staffs. Service is very good. Try their local and sit in patio, weather permitted.

Great place, friendly staff!!

Sat out on the patio and it was such a unique experience! The blueberry beer was delicious as was the Merch burger! Can t wait to go back!

Really great beer and great selection.

Beer was certainly available and very interesting selection. Staff was attentive and friendly. Nice location, wouldve been nice if the kitchen was still open but no food available to us.

Great vibe, great beer, good food and knowledgeable staff. Must try is the Gold Lion Stout, delicious.

Food was great but the service was just barely okay. Try tge nachos and strawberry blonde beer!

I like the blueberry beer. I came here several times with colleagues. Its not a good place to talk, because its always busy and noisy, although the beer is good.

Ive been a continued customer at this restaurant for over 3 years now. I was first introduced to them when I spontaneously walked in and tried their Blueberry Wheat Ale. To this day it remains one of my absolute favorite beverages. This restaurant has many highlights: great hours, friendly staff, amazing in-house beer (also available for retail sale), excellent menu including delicious vegan options, central location, a calming rustic atmosphere and lots of dine-in room. Gets busy on weekends, but its not hard to see why!

Good food and great beer. The friendly staff know their beers, too.

Had *life altering* chicken and waffles from here. Poutine was tasty and the outdoor patio was lovely.

Merchant is awesome. Great burgers, great vibe, great drinks. Pretty much no complaints any time I have ever beer here. Love the connection with the Ice Dogs and the bartenders and servers are always very sociable, attentive, and kind. A definite must visit for a drink if not some pub food!

Quite literally the BEST Rueben sandwich AND beet salad I ve ever had in my entire life. The sandwich was fully loaded, the bread was incredibly crispy, the house-made corned beef was flavourful, not to mention the layers of textures and flavours added with the refreshing sauerkraut and cheese. The beet salad was out of my expectation, it s beautifully presented, already tossed so the dressing was perfectly covering every single thing. The beet was fresh, the cheese was amazing, AND the nice touch of adding fennels!

Update: Continues to serve great food, drinks, & a welcoming environment. Pics: Thanksgiving Special + Poutine Havent been here in years then went for brunch with a friend... amazing food, great service... good vegetarian options ...

Great beer with really amazing seasonal flavours

Great pub grub, great in house made beer, and great staff. Fun place to go!

Ive been here twice with my husband, really love the place. We stumbled upon it while visiting St. Catherines, and its one of our favourite places now! The food is delicious, as are the drinks.

Love this place

Loved the Food! We had Cajun and Mild wings, bettered pickles and Putin.

Great beer. Highly recommend the blueberry wheat. Hands down my favourite.

We always enjoy the Merchant Ale House! We were there last night and had a Reuben, a cobb salad and a beet salad. All were delicious, as was the Quebec poutine. I wasnt crazy about the Golden Lion beer, but what the heck, it was worth a try. Small point, someone was raving me to me how delicious the shrimp rolls were, buy they have changed their menu and theyre no longer available. Highly recommend this establishment. We had a great time, courtesy of our server, Shelly. Will definitely be back!

What a find! Amazing service, loved the atmosphere and unbelievable food. One of the best burgers Ive ever had. Highly recommend.

Fantastic restaurant with great portion sizes. Menu choices are limited but whatever they offer the quality is excellent

Cozy brew pub. Excellent service. You have to try their beers... Im planning to work my way through the list. Try the Blueberry Wheat Beer - they serve it with blueberries sprinkled on top! The Caesar was top notch as well. Food was great - the Merchant Ale burger was delicious and the mac & cheese with crouton bits on top and bacon was excellent, and quite rich.

Visited last Friday and was a bit disappointed, fish and chips was overdone - batter on fish was burnt and chips were really crunchy. My friend was happy with his meal however. Overall though I thought it was poor value for money and will probably just skip food next time I visit.

not good experienced.

Great place for hanging out with friends, all the food was great and the beer too.

Good food

Great place to dine with friends or enjoy a craft beer. Warm and cozy atmosphere and the kettles are right inside the restaurant.

Great beer great food

Amazing food, amazing choices and one of the best house brewed beers.

Food was simply amazing. Big portions and so tasty. Service was top notch

Best deep fried pickles!! Seasonal beers and regular staples are top notch.