I admit—I never had the chance to experience John McDonald's MercBar, which was described as a "proper bar" in SoHo and ran for an impressive 21 years. Since its closure, McDonald had stayed plenty busy with his other ventures at Mercer Street Hospitality, including Lure Fishbar, Cha Cha Tang and Bowery Meat Company. But it seems his itch to get back behind the bar was too strong as McDonald opened Bar Mercer in January 2025.
While the name plays on the long-gone bar, the vibe is entirely new, with McDonald describing it as "an inversion of its spiritual predecessor both in name and concept." While the intention is to look lived in, the sleek red shine of the walls is a dead giveaway, made even more elevated with black and white photography on the walls and cloth-backed chairs that display watercolors of flowers and peacocks. But luckily, chef Preston Clark (of Lure Fishbar) menu of comforts help to usher that feeling of familarity forward. Here, chef Clark cooks the food he likes to eat, and in turn, we like it too, with branzino bar sliders and beer-battered fish alongside a meaty Berkshire Pork Chop. Brunch follows through with more hits, like Housemade Pigs in a Blanket with a horseradish mustard that will make your head sing and Hangover Pasta with a silky sauce and a yolky egg that is guaranteed to cure. The chalkboard near the front displays weekly specials, so try to catch the bone-in, ribe-eye Cowgirl Steak or the off-menu burger if you can.