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Mertens Prime, Grand Rapids, MI

Mertens Prime

3.5
3.5
1554 Reviews
$31 to $50
Contemporary American

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 p.m.
Booked 13 times today
Experiences are available.
  • Charming
  • Romantic
  • Good for special occasions
Mertens Prime, located in the historic 1914 New Hotel Mertens lobby in Grand Rapids, offers locally sourced, in-house hand-cut steaks, chops, and unique takes on classics. Scratch made kitchen where we make all the pastas and desserts. We have a large selection for vegan & vegetarian.

Prime features a full-service espresso machine and classic pastries like beignets. Guests can enjoy tableside presentations like filet dinner for two, a weekly curated rolling cheese cart, and bananas fosters and creme brulee.

The kitchen is scratch made and we feature many locally sourced products.

The bar top is one of the largest in Grand Rapids and seats 18 guests along with lounge tables. Our bar features a daily happy hour from 4pm-6pm 7 days a week for both food and beverage! Seasonal mocktails available along with many other non-alcoholic offerings.

Mertens Rooftop offers a full bar and a menu of appetizers. To book a reservation at Mertens Rooftop, select "Outdoor Seating", if available.

Order delivery or takeout

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Contemporary American, Steak, Cocktail Bar
  • Hours of Operation
    Dinner Mon–Thu, Sun 4:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 4:00 pm–10:00 pm Happy Hour Daily 4:00 pm–6:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (616) 551-1713
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Catering
    Catering is available for pick up.
  • Private party facilities
    We offer a beautiful private room on our main floor that have all of the turn-of-the-century charm as our main dining room. Mertens Rooftop is also available for private events. See mertensgr.com for details, including complete event guides with menu and pricing options.
  • Neighbourhood
    Grand Rapids
  • Cross Street
    Oakes St SW, between Ionia Ave and Commerce Ave
  • Parking details
    Street parking is available. The closest crossroads are Oakes St. and Commerce Street. The closest parking ramps are Cherry Street Parking Ramp and Weston Parking Ramp. We do not offer parking validation at this time.
  • Public transit
    Oakes & Ionia bust stop
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Delivery, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Outdoor Firepit, Outdoor Smoking Area, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Vegan, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Experiences

  • Bubbles for 2

    US$38.00 per party

    Prepaid

    Multiple dates available
    Indulge in a beautiful sparkling selection that is just enough for 2 people. This half bottle of wine is great for anniversaries or date nights. Girls night out maybe?
    Bubbles for 2 photo
  • Dessert Sampler

    US$20.00 per party

    Prepaid

    Feb 1, 2025 - Apr 30, 2025
    Enjoy our Flourless Chocolate Torte (GF), Lemon Bar with a luxurious seasonal berry sauce and our Creme Brulee

Offers

  • Happy Hour

    Multiple dates available
    Sun - Thu - 5:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.,Fri - Sat - 4:00 p.m. - 9:45 p.m.
    Enjoy our Happy Hour with specially priced appetizers, small plates, and drinks. Savor popular cocktails, beers, and wines at a discount, available during select hours—perfect for unwinding after work or catching up with friends! Offered from 4-6pm daily at our bar top.

What 1,554 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

3.5
3.5 based on recent ratings
  • 3.6Food
  • 3.5Service
  • 4.1Ambience
  • 3.2Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Mertens Prime offers a "cool ambience" and "great date dinner location" with "delicious salmon" and "excellent service." Guests appreciate the "lovely ambiance" and "wonderful night" with "amazing cocktails." While there are mixed experiences, many find the "food and cocktails delightful" with attentive staff.

1,554 Reviews
  1. Audra

    Detroit

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Delicious filet mignon, melts in your mouth! Our server was very sweet and attentive!

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  2. Sami

    Grand Rapids

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 2
    Not the best. 250 on dinner and drinks - both steaks were not cooked to the temperature requested. Everything came out cold and looked very unappealing. I’ve never wrote a review in my life, but do yourself a favor and spend the money elsewhere. After the experience we had, I felt obligated to steer people away.

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  3. Deborah

    Grand Rapids

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We went last night for my 58th birthday. Having dinner here had been a bucket list restaurant to try and it did not disappoint. Our server Jala was extraordinary! She was so knowledgable, friendly and delightful to interact with. The food was outstanding. The shrimp beignets and my salmon had so much flavor and cooked perfectly. We really enjoyed trying the absinthe service and the tableside bananas foster was the perfect ending to the evening. We never felt rushed and it definitely felt like an event. It was a lovely evening!

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  4. Hannah

    Unspecified

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 8, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We loved it. Great date spot. Booths are so cute. Definitely coming back for brunch.

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  5. Rosemary

    Northern MI

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on February 1, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Mertens is amazing! Food was outstanding; service was great; and we love the atmosphere!! Highly recommended!!

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  6. Katie

    VIP

    Nashville

    3 reviews

    2.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on January 25, 2025

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 3
    Brought to the table and sliced bread and butter was already sitting there, and at every other empty table, who knows how long. Wall’s wood paneling next to our table had a thick layer of dust. Ordered escargot, instead of it being served in the usual escargot dish it came out floating in a dish of watery pool of butter (?) with a glob of herbs and garlic in a corner. Did not look appetizing. Also ordered table side Cesar salad - didn’t really mind it wasn’t served table side as advertised, but came out together with the escargot instead of in courses like we requested and had very little dressing on it. We got the chateaubriand for two, which I’ll own was a gamble. It was advertised as carved table side, instead they brought out 2 hunks of ropey lukewarm meat. Parts were cooked medium-rare, others charred. The steak came with a dollop of raw garlic on one side of the board and cold, hard herb butter on the other. We ordered the roasted garlic potato puree as our side: it was mashed potatoes that had obviously not been seasoned except for a shaking of salt and pepper on the top of the dish (like, go to the trouble of mixing in your seasoning). I’m a frequent restaurant-goer and I’ve never submitted a review like this. I’m usually very forgiving and I’ll acknowledge I had a much better, completely different experience at this restaurant 2 years ago. This was just…bizarrely bad for the money we paid. Upside drinks were good and came out quickly.

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  7. Laura

    VIP

    Chicago

    6 reviews

    3.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on January 25, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    The parking garage is NOT for patrons as listed on this site. Menu is limited and lacks true French seasoning. Our server was sweet but inexperienced. Cocktails were great so I might return for the bar.

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  8. Kym

    Grand Rapids

    3 reviews

    2.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on January 25, 2025

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    When we arrived we were told they had a large party booked in the main dining area so we were seated in a smaller room off from the bar area. It was so dark many tables were using cell phones to see their menus. A manager tried to bring in additional lighting, but wasn’t much help. They must have been under staffed as service was nonexistent towards the end of dinner. My husband had to find hostess to get our bill. Food was unremarkable. It was our first and last dining experience at this restaurant.

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  9. OpenTable Diner

    San Francisco

    4 reviews

    3.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on January 12, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    Lovely ambiance per usual. They ran out of bowls so for the first dessert we shared (bananas foster) we had to wait and then received 3 bowls of various sizes for our party of 6. We asked just for 6 small plates. Then when the 4 Binet's came out we only had the 3 random bowls to use for our 2nd dessert. They did comp the dessert because it took so much longer to make than the Bananas Foster. We'd like to see this restaurant stay open with what appeared to be very new, inexperienced staff who were trying so hard. We appreciated their efforts. The food tasted great. The bread, maple butter, all salads, French Onion soup, mushroom entree and desert was great. The bootle of red wine we ordered was out of stock to the substitute worked out fine.

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  10. James

    Detroit

    13 reviews

    3.0

    13 reviews

    Dined on January 5, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 2
    Reception was very friendly and service was good, but we were disappointed that our beef tenderloin was very overcooked (we ordered medium rare but it was cooked medium well). Regarding the atmosphere, I would suggest they dim the lights a little more, and definitely play more interesting background music (the recorded piano songs were sleepy). It would have had a better buzz if there were more people there; it was maybe at 20%, with lots of empty tables. For a $250+ date night, there needs to be some improvements at Mertens.

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FAQs

Mertens Prime offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (616) 551-1713.

Mertens Prime is rated 3.5 stars by 1554 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 p.m.
Booked 13 times today
Experiences are available.

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for Mertens Prime

35 Oakes St SW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    Oakes St SW, between Ionia Ave and Commerce Ave
  • Neighbourhood
    Grand Rapids
  • Hours of Operation
    Dinner Mon–Thu, Sun 4:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 4:00 pm–10:00 pm Happy Hour Daily 4:00 pm–6:00 pm
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Contemporary American, Steak, Cocktail Bar
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Street parking is available. The closest crossroads are Oakes St. and Commerce Street. The closest parking ramps are Cherry Street Parking Ramp and Weston Parking Ramp. We do not offer parking validation at this time.
  • Public transit
    Oakes & Ionia bust stop
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Delivery, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Outdoor Firepit, Outdoor Smoking Area, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Vegan, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Phone number
    (616) 551-1713
  • Catering
    Catering is available for pick up.
  • Private party facilities
    We offer a beautiful private room on our main floor that have all of the turn-of-the-century charm as our main dining room. Mertens Rooftop is also available for private events. See mertensgr.com for details, including complete event guides with menu and pricing options.
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