Mertens Prime

We made a reservation for new years, because previous year the experience was fantastic. This year was very different. The service was good, and the cocktails were delicious. However, the main dishes were undercooked, and uninspired. $67 for a room temp ribeye is outrageous… two years ago it came out on a ripping hot plate. My wife and two of our friends ordered chicken - all three plates came out bright pink - clearly unsafe to eat. It is a below average food experience. Unfortunately the manager didn’t seem to think it was enough of a concern to stop by our table and instead sent the hostess to argue with us about the experience. For the price there are better options.

Steak was amazing, melts in your mouth. Pleasant soft music not too loud to prevent hearing each other talk. Service was impeccable, friendly and knowledgeable. Definitely recommend to others! Thank you

Did a birthday happy hour here. The food was delicious. The steak was cooked just right. The best part of the meal was my espresso martinis. So freaking good. The service was awesome and incredibly kind. We definitely will be back

I decided to come here to celebrate my 30th with a small party of 4 and expected a more elevated experience. The building was absolutely stunning on the inside and vintage. We were served by Matt and he was training as well (Kylie? I think it was a K name). Throughout the night I could quietly hear him explain things to her in detail as they were ringing in our orders which I loved. He was so thorough and I could tell he was one of the best!
We started off with the rotating cheeses and figs for apps and both were fantastic. I decided to try the duck while the rest of the party chose other dishes. Everything was as delicious as I was hoping it to be. The flavors were there and everything was cooked properly. Our drinks also complimentary our meals as well! We decided to end the meal with the cheesecake and crème brûlée. The cheesecake was hands down the best cheesecake we’ve ever had! It was so fluffy in texture and the flavor was a perfect blend of creamy and tangy. The crème brûlée was also creamy and perfectly set.
Since it was my birthday, I also decided to get the absinthe service because why not! It was so fun to finish the night with this service and would recommend to anyone interested in exploring a new liquor! All in all, it was probably my favorite birthday dinner to date. We never felt rushed, it stretched over the course of 2.5 hours which I appreciate for so much food, and Matt gave me a little candle for my birthday as well. Definitely recommend visiting for any occasion!

Definitely a 5/5 experience! Food was amazing, customer service amazing and the vibe in this place is immaculate! I would highly recommend Mertens Prime to anyone looking for a great downtown Grand Rapids experience for brunch & dinner! Also, definitely get a coffee and some Beignets🤌🏼

Wow! What an experience. Sat on the roof top that had 4 other tables for 15 minutes before anyone acknowledged we were there. Took 15 additional minutes to get the worst Aperol Spritz I've ever ordered. Just make it with soda water rather than dry Prosecco; they'll never know. 😂

First and last experience there. We came for the ambiance too (1st pic), but we got the other ambiance (2nd pic).

Thankfully our waitress was decent (and new) but we bailed on dinner after our horrible $15 cocktails.

Oh and the dollar store plastic greenery hanging over the deck edge are hilarious.

Honestly the food was not very good. The steaks didn't seem to be seasoned at all. The shrimp came out with big poop veins, the fries were undercooked, the steaks were overcooked. The best thing was the free bread and butter food wise. Otherwise I really enjoyed the mai Thai, probably my favorite thing I've had. I'll be back for that drink