Merc Bar – SoHo
PRO: Cool space, good sophisticated yet laid-back vibe
CON: Not much
Yo NY! I’ve got yer new hang-out & after work watering hole. See, here at VdV we’re always on the lookout for a cool new (at least to us) bar. We enjoy a cocktail or two. On occasion. That’s if your definition of ‘on occasion’ is ‘frequent’ or ‘quite often’ (say that with the ‘t’, please) and ‘or two’ is ‘one in each hand’. OK now that that’s cleared up. Follow me? Good.
So we ran across Merc Bar as we were prowling around SoHo, near Mercer Hotel and all that. It’s one of those cool places that’s cool without trying to be…cool. A small sign with a door that’s a little angled in from the sidewalk, 
very easy to pass by, yada yada. Anyway, we sniffed it out like a hound dog after a bunny wabbit. Yes, these images you see are there to distract you from the fact I have no actual pix of the bar itself. So, sue me. No, not you, image rights owners!
Merc Bar is dark, with dark recycled-type wood paneling on the walls which gives it a semi-woodsy/nature feeling. But not OTT. It’s a pretty small space, with some tables in front and scattered about, and a bar on the right with room for 12 or so. Behind the bar are three huge photos of
Niagara Falls. Old school. Just good, that’s all. And a few random paintings or drawings of dogs faces here and there. Maybe 
that’s what got us.
This is a cool, dare I say, chic, watering hole. Hmmm. Hells no, this is not chic! More like sophisticated without being snobbish. I like that. It’s just comfortable. Kinda like Bloodhound in SF, if BH were darker, smaller and a little less d-baggy on weekend nights. Plus I guess they’d have to ditch that Big Buck Hunter Pro game I love there. OK, Bloodhound, stay as you are. And same goes for you Merc, we like ya just the way you are.
Prices? WTF, really.
They seem to get a good crowd, all pretty laid back, mostly professional, and most of the people
behind the bar are super nice. There’s one big muscle head type that’s
kind of a dick, but those types always dis’ me. So, I’ll write that off.
Verdict? We are fans. And fans and fans again. Meaning when we were in NYC last week we hit this place like a crack whore hits the pipe. Take a hit!
VdV Rating: 3.5
Hours:
Sun-Thus 5:30p-2a
Fri-Sat 5:30p-3:30a
Merc Bar
151 Mercer St (near Prince)
New York, NY 10012
(212) 966.2727