A Perfect Order at This Standout Soho Tavern With Reasonable Drinks

Lure Fishbar veteran Preston Clark is making the revamped Bar Mercer his own, where he’s created a menu of tavern favorites for every budget (including appealingly affordable drinks). While he still oversees the Mercer Street restaurant group, he’s a partner in this restaurant.

As to why he wanted to offer such straightforward fare, Clark says he wanted to cook what he likes to eat. Its simplicity will more likely allow him to build crowd of regulars.

Bar Mercer (25 W. Houston Street, at Mercer Street) builds on his legacy. In 2019, The New York Times named him one of 16 Black chefs changing food in America. He is also the son of the late Patrick Clark, the first Black chef in the country to win a James Beard Award, 35 years ago, while at Tavern on the Green.

Bar Mercer reminds me of a Soho variation of the also-excellent Red Hook Tavern: it’s humble fare done well. You will often find Clark cooking here, as the kitchens between Lure and Bar Mercer are practically adjacent. But while Lure is more of a scene —as it has been for the past 20 years — Bar Mercer feels like the neighborhood spot that’s always been there.

Daniel Krieger

Bar Mercer’s updated dining room includes a retro red-and-black checkerboard floor, bistro seating, and cushy red banquettes. Old New York photos from New York Archives line the room. The bar is cozy and warm — a good spot to grab a seat early while waiting for a table.

As the price of everything rises, particularly drinks, it’s a relief to see that the cocktail menu is entirely under $20, with sips like the gin-based Bronx with blood orange, vermouth, and bitters, or the bar’s version of a margarita (with carrot juice). Wines by the glass include a house Grenache Blanc or a Côtes du Rhône for $15; other wines range from $19 to $25. The bottle list is extensive, with wine storage integrated throughout the dining room.

Even though Bar Mercer feels like a tavern, the burger is off-menu (or occasionally listed as a chalkboard item), joined by some flex options like Dover sole with asparagus and morels ($75) and a cowgirl steak (a ribeye cap, bone-in for $85). There’s no chicken on the menu, despite it becoming a must-have sleeper hit at new restaurants around town from Crevette to Chez Fifi. But this restaurant has a show-stopping main of a different sort. Read on for the perfect order at Preston Clark’s Bar Mercer.

Dining solo

Daniel Krieger

These are the best pigs in a blanket in town — four mini-dogs with plenty of snap, wrapped in what’s almost a croissant, dressed with just enough salt, and a sprinkling of black sesame seeds. “They’re served with a side of spicy mustard ($14). I’d put these head-to-head with the longtime reigning champion pigs in a blanket at the Polo Bar.

Moving to the entrees, I’m going to declare that pork chops are back. It was the last thing I expected to order — particularly following my porcine starter — but I gave it a whirl. Now it’s my Bar Mercer go-to — a 14-oz. grilled Berkshire chop, marbled kurobuta, wearing a sheath of velvety white wine sauce, sweetened by cipollinis, with an otherwise savory mix of maitakes, chanterelles, and trumpet mushrooms ($39). Don’t miss the oyster of the pork, the best part: and with a frenched bone, it’s an excuse to eat with your hands. This order, plus a glass of house wine, will set you back about $85 with tip.

Dinner for two

Daniel Krieger

I love snacks, so I’d double down on a visit here with a friend. In addition to the pigs in a blanket, I’d start with the three-piece, fried-oyster-topped deviled eggs ($21), a bite that nods to the South. Hamachi crudo also wears crunch, this time: cracklin, along with Thai chile, and dressed with nearly neon olive oil ($24). Add a chicory salad, a layering of bitter, sweet, and creamy, with apples, hazelnuts, blue cheese ($17). If you need one more dish beyond the chop, go for the beer-battered haddock ($28) with lemon tartar sauce, served with a ramekin of truly mushy peas, and malt vinegar. Yes, you can get shoestring fries here, but on this plate, they’re actual British chips.

Dinner for three, four, or more

Get the entire order above, but swap out the fish and chips for the whole branzino ($34) with shishitos, herb butter, charred lemon, and chile oil — those last two ingredients make the plate. Then, I’d add the hangover pasta ($28), a relative of cacio e pepe, featuring bacon and eggs, ham, and pecorino, on chitarra “guitar spaghetti” — like a grown-up version of mac and cheese.

Why haven’t I suggested items from the alluring oyster bar, with its shrimp cocktail and a shellfish plateau? For that, I’d suggest a trip to iconic Lure: Visit while you still can.