Freshly Prepared Food, Handmade Cocktails, Great Wines
Merchants Grand Café is located on Broadway in the building that once housed the Alamo Heights Hardware store featuring a terrific kitchen headed up by Chef Jonathan Parker. Owners Michael 'Mickey' Wakely and Elliott Cunningham wanted to create a casual neighborhood place that served moderately priced bistro fare, in a friendly, inviting atmosphere to the Alamo Heights area who wanted a great lunch or casual dinner or a drink after work. Both have traveled and always enjoyed the unique Chef driven restaurants in the neighborhoods and haunts of places like Seattle, Chicago, Toronto, New York and others. So they set up a restaurant with a classic cocktail bar where you can order a Ramos Gin Fizz and other great classic bar drinks, an ice cold bottle of beer or a great glass of wine.
When you walk into Merchants Grand Café you enter a classic Deco period free standing building. The neon Alamo Heights sign that used to be outside the building is now shining over the built-in safe, which is used for wine storage. Black-and-white classic photos of friends' and families' memories from the past adorn the walls, and patrons can contribute their own.
The bar is to your immediate left and is a casual feel serving classic house cocktails including, of course, a classic hand-shaken martini as well as old favorites such as a "Mule" made with ginger beer and their own Champion's Margarita. The Bloody Maria is given a distinctively San Antonio twist by being made with tequila. All of the cocktails on the menu are made by hand. The wine list features more than 75 options, with prices set at $28, $38 or $48 a bottle; some are available by the glass. Beer selections include Bohemia, Negra Modelo, Kronenburg, Pilsner Urquell and Guinness.
In keeping with the idea of having a neighborhood place, Merchants is a magnet for many who live in Alamo Heights, but also the entire San Antonio area, since it is only minutes from downtown. The ages vary from families early in the week to young adults on up. The attire is as mixed as the age. Some are obviously coming from work; others are far more dressed down.
Chef Jonathan Parker, who was chef at Pesca on the River and Las Leyendas (which was also developed by Mickey and Elliott), is in charge of the kitchen, and his menu includes everything from roast organic chicken to steaks to a series of seafood dishes, including his unique Crab Cakes and a Crayfish, Scallop and Shrimp Enchilada. If you are looking for something quick and casual like finger food, there's marinated olives, as well as a Merchants Cheese Burger and a Crisp Cheese Pizza on the classics portion of the menu.
Merchants is also fun and games: 50" Plasma TVs at the bar broadcast Spurs games and other sporting events, but the main fun is from the art of conversation with friends or even one of the friendly bartenders. There's not a huge parking lot in front of Merchants, but a large free valet parking lot is available in the rear.