And don’t forget! We serve brunch from 9 am - 2 pm every Saturday and Sunday. Fantastic, traditional Irish and British breakfasts, American classics and some originals.
On This Page:
* EATS - Starters & Sides, Vegetarian, Burgers & Butties, Fish & Chips, Entrees, Desserts
* BEVERAGES - Sodas, Beers, Wines, and Whisky Wisgi & Whiskey
EATS
Starters and Sides
Dingley’s Delight - Homemade Guinness Stew over french fries
Pie and a Pint (Vegetarian Version Available) - A smaller version of the pie with ground beef, parsnips and carrots. Covered with a blanket of freshly made garlic mashed potatoes. Finished off with melted cheddar cheese and a roll for good measure. Your choice of a draught pint.
Chicken Tenders
Ye Olde Spicy Cheese Bites - Provolone and pepper jack cheese covered with a sour dough and walnut crusting. Served with a side of marinara sauce.
Side Salad - Fresh lettuce, cucumbers, broccoli, green peppers and carrots. Your choice of ranch, Italian, blue cheese or French dressing.
Soup of the Day - Ask your server
A Cup of Ol’ Grandma’s Cottage Pie - Just enough to take the edge off your hunger
Basket of French Fries
Basket of Onion Rings
Vegetarian
5-Bean Guinness Stew (Vegan) - Five types of beans, potatoes, leeks, carrots, parsnips, onions and shallots all in a rich Guinness base
Veggie Bangers and Mash - No joke! We’ve got vegetarian bangers stuck in a pile of freshly mashed potatoes. Served with garden peas and a side of thick rich gravy.
Cornish Pasty -Lovingly made with seasoned sausage-style soy mince, potato, carrots, parsnips, leeks and shallots. Wrapped rustically in our homemade flaky pastry crust and served with a rich gravy. Mmmm. A bit of history from the Isles here too! The pasty’s rustically prepared crust was originally for the sole purpose of being handled by miners in Cornwall, England. Awful work, true; but great eats!
Cottage Pie - Seasoned soy mince, parsnips, garden peas and carrots covered with a blanket of freshly made garlic mashed potatoes. Finished off with melted cheddar cheese and a roll.
Supreme Vegetable Melt - A perfect saute of broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms, spinach tomatoes, green peppers, onions and a pinch garlic smothered in provolone cheese and topped with fresh lettuce and tomato on a multi-grain bun. Served with potato chips and a pickle.
Veggie Walnut Burger - This recipe comes from the historic Tremplealeau Hotel in Wisconsin. We serve it with lettuce, tomatoes, potato chips and a pickle. Your choice of a multi-grain or egg bun.
Veggie Salad - Fresh green lettuce, cucumbers, broccoli, green peppers and carrots. Your choice of ranch, Italian, blue cheese and French dressing. Add shredded cheddar cheese or blue cheese crumbles.
All burgers are served with potato chips, green leaf lettuce, tomatoes and a pickle.
Your choice of an egg or a multi-grain bun.
Angus Beef Burgers - In this corner…weighing in at 1/3 pound!
Vidalia Beef Burger - This contender also weighs in at 1/3 pound. And, YES, the onions are INSIDE the burger!
The BBC Burger - No, not the broadcaster. Here you’ll get our special thick-cut British-style bacon on an Angus beef patty. Topped with melted cheddar cheese.
The Excalibur - Not for the timid! Two Angus beef patties, our own special British-style bacon, cheese and sauteed onions for good measure. Your choice of cheese.
Merlins BLT - Made with our very own British-style thick-cut bacon, fresh lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise on toasted, 7-grain bread
Fish Sandwich - Choose from Tilapia or Pollock on an egg bun. Homemade tartar sauce for dipping, of course.
Steak Sandwich - Angus beef seasoned with Jameson and caramelized onion
Chicken Sandwich - Grilled chicken breast, melted provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise on a whole-grain bun
Fish & Chips
Stout-battered Pollock with homemade tartar sauce
or try the Sam Adams-battered Tilapia
British Style - Pre-malted and salted and wrapped in newspaper
Yanke Style - Unmalted and sans paper
Entrees
Guinness Stew - Angus beef, potatoes, leeks, carrots, parsnips, onions and shallots in a rich Guinness base
Bangers & Mash - Three British-style bangers in a pile of freshly mashed potatoes. Served with garden peas and a side of thick, rich gravy to do with as you please!
Ol’ Grandma’s Cottage Pie - Much like its shepherd’s pie counterpart. Made with seasoned ground beef, parsnips and carrots. Covered with a blanket of freshly made garlic mashed ‘taters and finished off with melted cheddar cheese and a roll for good measure.
Cornish Pasty - Ground beef, potatoes, carrots, parsnips, leeks and shallots. Wrapped uniquely in our homemade flaky pastry crust and served with a rich gravy. It’s a classic dish from the Isles. (Pasties were originally the food of Cornwall’s miners. They lived hard lives, but they had fine lunches. The rustic crusts protected the meal inside.)
DESSERT
Deep Dish Fruit Pie - Apple, Cherry or Blueberry. Comes with a generous helping of vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt. Oh, the choices!
BEVERAGES
Sodas
Coke, Diet Coke, Cherry Coke, Sprite
Beers & Cider on Draught
Guinness Stout
Boddington’s Pub Ale
Harp Lager
Belhaven Scottish Ale
Newcastle Brown Ale
Finnegan’s Irish Amber
Summit Extra Pale Ale
Fuller’s Extra Special Bitter
Smithwick’s Irish Ale
Strongbow English Cider
Ace California Pear Cider
Beers in Bottle
MGD
Miller Lite
Grain Belt Premium
Non-Alcoholic Beer
Kaliber NA
Clausthaller NA
Buckler NA
Wines, Red
Yellow Tail Merlot
Yellow Tail Shiraz
Wines, White
Alice White Chardonnay
Cavit Pinot Grigio
Beringer White Zinfendel
Whisky, Wisgi & Whiskey
Merlins Rest is proud to hold the largest single malt stock in the Twin Cities, and it’s only getting bigger. Join us for one of our monthly single-malt tastings to find out just how impressive our stock is. And being an Isles pub, we’re more than happy to take you around the Isles sip by sip. Visit the Highlands, the Lowlands, the Scottish Islands. Visit Ireland and even Wales. (The Welsh whisky, Penderyn, is not easy to happen upon. But we always keep it on the shelf here.)
The stock is always expanding, so please check in at the bar for a look at the latest whisky list.
SCOTLAND, SINGLE MALTS
Abelour 12 year
Aberfeldy (Dewar’s)
Aberlour - A’Bunadh
Ardbeg
Auchentoshan
Auchentoshan 10 Year Auchentoshan Select
Auld Reekie Islay 12 Year
Balvenie 21 Portwood
Balvenie Single Barrel
The Benriach 12 Year
Bowmore
Bunnahabhain
Caolila 18 Year
Clynelish
Dalmore
Dalmore Cigarmalt
Dalwhinnie
Deanston
Dufftown 15 Year
Glen Garioch
Glen Moray 12 Year
Glen Scotia 12 Year
The Glendronach 12 Year
Glenfarclas 12 Year
Glenfarclas 17 Year
Glenfiddish
Glengoyne 17
Glenkinchie
Glenkinchie 1991 Double
The Glenlivet
The Glenlivet Nadurra
Glenmorangie 10 Year
Glenmorangie 18 Year
Isle of Jura - Superstition
Glenmorange Madiera
Glenmorangie Portwood
Glenrothes 1992
Highland Park 12
Highland Park 18
Knockando 100 Centinary Bottling
Lagavuln
Laphroaig 15 Year
Laphroaig Quarter Cask
Laphroig 10 Year
Ledaig 15 Year
Ledaig 20 Year
Linkwood 12
Littlemill 1999 (Signatory Vintage)
Longmorn 15 Year
Longrow 10 Year
The Macallan Cask Strength
The Macallan
McClelland’s
McClelland’s 16 Year
Oban
Old Pulteney
Rosebank 15 Year
Rosebank 15 Year
Royal Lochnager 12 Year
Scapa
Speyburn 10
Strath Isla
Talisker
Tamdhu 10 Year
Tomatin 12 Year
Tomatin 25 Year
Tomintoul 16 Year
Tormore 12 Year
SCOTTISH BLENDS
Chivas Regal, 12 Year
Cutty Sark
Dewar’s Signature
Dewar’s Special Reserve, 12 Year
Famous Grouse
Hog’s Head
Johnnie Walker Black Label
Johnnie Walker Red Label
Pig’s Nose, 5 Year
Pinch
Sheep Dip
Turnbulls
IRISH, WELSH & WORLD WHISKEY
Penderyn (Wales)
Black Bush (Ireland, blended)
Bushmills (Ireland)
Clontarf (Ireland, blended)
Connemara (Ireland)
Jamesons (Ireland, blended)
Jamesons 12 year (Ireland, blended)
Jamesons 18 year (Ireland, blended)
Knappogue (Ireland)
Michael Collins (Ireland)
The Middleton (Ireland, blended)
Powers (Ireland, blended)
Tyrconnell (Ireland)
Crown Royal (Canada)
Knob Creek (America)
Yamazaki (Japan)
Please be sure to include some good solid vegetarian and whole grain menu items. And that doesn’t mean just leaving out the meat: shephard’s pie with beans, grains, and tofu instead of meat; sauteed or grilled (maybe organically grown) vegetables over brown rice; and whole wheat buns for burgers would be some suggestions. I’m sure that a lot of the more nutrition-conscious people around south Minneapolis and the near side of Saint Paul would love to have a wholesome place to eat and enjoy all that good beer and wine plus music and great atmosphere. And keep the fish and chips and Guinness stew coming, too!!
The fish ‘n’ chips last week were good -decent sized pieces of fish and not too greasy compared to some places.
Paul: Thanks much for the suggestions! They are truly appreciated. We’ll take these into discussion and see what we might do once we have the full kitchen staff in place.
And Chas: Thanks for the kind words!
-cK
I’m so excited you have Stronbow! Brings back memories of living in England. I can’t wait to have a tall one! I live in the neighborhood and friends and I are hoping to grab a table outside tonight…see you soon, Merlin!
Hi all:
I LOVE Merlin’s Rest. It is so cozy. I have suggestions for wine.
A GREAT wine company that you should consider for your wines is
Etica Fair Trade Wine. It is based here out of Minneapolis (Chicago Ave) and only distributes Fair Trade Wine–this is wine where ALL the workers get fair wages–including the grape pickers. The wine is very tasty and the folks at Etica are super friendly. Brad Conley in particular. The Birchwood Cafe is among the restaurants to use Etica. I discovered them through a charity fundraiser. They also donate 5% of profits to scholarships at the University of Minnesota and are very involved in charities. Good wine. Good people. Good causes. Sounds like a winner. See http://www.eticafairtrade.com/contact_us/
Gena - Thanks for popping by! We appreciate it. And my apologies on taking a spell to respond. (Was sitting happily on a lake for a couple days.)
Paul - Great suggestion. We’ll look into it. (Birchwood’s a gem, isn’t it? I may use your idea to conduct “official research” over there again.) Thanks!
I lived 50 miles South of Scotland for most of my life…..A few suggestions would be:
Pitchers of Shandy in the summertime - half beer/half Sprite
Merrydown Cider…The BEST…..WAY better than Strongbow!
I see you already serve Boddington’s Bitter! WooHoo!!! (Is there an option to have it served a bit on the less-frigid?!
Game Pie
Neeps and Tatties
Cornish Pasties (Molly Quinn’s were great!!)
Pork Pies
Sticky toffee pudding
trifle
(skip the Haggis!)
Maybe finding a Keilidh Band to play there?
Domino games
We’ll be wandering in for a bite and a swift pint or two one night soon!
Vivienne,
Wonderful suggestions! We’re rapidly expanding the menu, and I’m about to post that information. It doesn’t meet all your requests, but we’ll do what we can. Great feedback. Thanks for that. And, yes, please do pop in and say hello!
re: Vivenne’s request for a slightly less frigid pint.
When I was in high school, the man who owned the bowling alley always had a glass of beer on the shelf behind the bar. He wouldn’t drink beer unless it was room temp. Maybe you could call ahead and have the bartender set a pint out to warm up for you.
John,
It’s funny how the simple solutions can elude one! I should have considered that…especially since my girlfriend is that way about soda pop. Cracks it open and lets some of the cold and fizz escape before she’ll drink it. Huh.
I’m becoming an addict for the Guinness Stew. it’s exquisite.
I like the idea of taking on breakfasts when you are able. I’d recomend at least one solid Mexican style item like Molly’s old Tex-mex eggs. Chorizo, eggs, Jalapenos and Guinness. Few things mix better!
I’d also suggest Wychwood beers. They only import a few of their stable into the US, but Wychcraft is wonderful, Scarecrow, and Fiddler’s Elbow are great summer brews, and their Hobgobblin is fine dark ale.
They have a Green Goblin Cider, but I don’t think you can find it in the States yet. Thank you again for getting back into the fray as it were.
We Old Time Well alumni feel at home again. It’s been way to long!
I’m telling all I know to stop in.
Doc! Golden ideas. Thanks for those. I’ll keep an eye out for the Wychwood beers–”research” purposes only, of course. If we can add some funky bottle stock to the beer side of things, we will.
I like the spicey / Tex-Mex idea for the future. I hope we make it so!
And thanks for all the kind words here and on your own blog. We appreciate it. I might just have to link to that tomorrow on the main page of merlinsrest.com. (I hope you don’t mind!)
Feel free to link! I’ll add a brief here to ask folks looking at my blog to look at the Save Tara information. One of the most historic spots in Ireland is in danger of becoming a highway interchange!
Thanks again!
Tremendous vegetable barley soup last night! Sean the Chef is a wizard in his own right, even though he wears that baseball cap instead of a pointy hat.
Paul Mc
I’m going to repeat my request for Magners cider, esp. now that we can get it in the cities. Also, something sweet on the menu would not go amiss. The pears in frangelico were tasty. I know that by the time I get to Merlin’s to listen to the music, I’ve eaten dinner and would like dessert with my cider.
I love that there’s already requests for vegetarian food here that didn’t come from me. Righteous! So what are the chances you’d consider making veggie (paying attn to stock) beer cheese soup? I don’t know if it’d fit in with the Isles theme, but I’d order it just about weekly.
Seven,
Thanks for the note. I’ll pass it on to Chef and see what we can do. I think he’d enjoy the challenge! And, yes: If we’re able to do this dish, we will pay attention to stock. That’s an important reminder, though (especially in the Midwest!).
Make that 2 votes for beer cheese soup.
Going there tonight for the first time. Looking forward to a nice Scottish ale. Recommendation: Hand-pulled ale!
How about some bangers and mash?
Last time I was at Merlin’s was for the half-way to St. Pat’s gig, with the Tim Malloys. Our server (I believer her name was M’kenna; lovely girl!) blessed us with the last three pieces of pie in the kitchen— PIE!! Nice ‘n hot, ala mode. The cherry was absolutely perfect; could we have pie every Tuesday night? I would pretend to be there for Bedlam, but really, it’d be for the whiskey and pie.
Love the scotch tastings! Good way to get people to become regulars. And, I agree with the above statements that you need BANGERS AND MASH on the menu!
Bangers and mash will be on shortly - first we had to sample one heck of a lot of sausages to find the right kind, we have them now, to be served with London Pub Sauce, (like real thick A1 for the uninitiated. ) More delights in the pipeline.
Enjoy,
Bill
You really are the greatest. Looking forward to the new menu items and I am excited about the breakfast. See ya t’night!
Thanks, Nate! Kilt up!
Excellent! Can’t wait to see the Bangers and Mash on the menu! I’m building up my appetite for them as we speak….
I love, love, LOVE your traditional Irish breakfast! Don’t ever stop with that, please. I had the best plate of eggs, toast, hash browns, and bangers on my life at Merlins just a couple weeks ago and will return often for more breakfast. Good price, too.
Oh the British Style Fish and Chips were lovely when last they past my teeth on the way to me grateful tum tum. Will be enjoy them again tonight at the Kilt Krash. Be looking for me Snog.
As another Neighborhood Gal… The Breakfast is SO good! The soda bread is the cat’s meow!
Just one thing I think maybe missing on the breakfast menu is mushrooms. I always get them with breakfast when I go “home”.
Any chance of getting those added??
In tonight with a friend who’d never been to Merlin’s, delighted again by the ambience and by Papa John and the Hot Club of East Lake. Bring them back again! BTW the food has gotten even better- much larger selection. Had the Brit-style F&C tonight, looking forward to the pasty next time.
I’m one of the knitting crew that take over a couple tables once a month. My b-day is in a couple weeks, and I’m bring the family here! I LOVE the vegetarian options- you did a great job with them!!!
Thanks so much, Devin! We appreciate it. And if you want a birthday announcement on the site, hey: let us know. We’d be happy to post one. Or maybe I should have the knitting group track down your family and send us a photo of you as a child….
Cheers!
-cK
Stopped in last night for the first time to listen to jazz and to check out the ambiance. Love it! Your scotch collection is wonderful, but I just couldn’t believe it — you have McCarthy’s!! Thank you!! I have been to the distillery (Clear Creek) in Portland, Oregon, and I know this stuff can be hard to find; their last bottling sold out in one day! Anyone who enjoys Lagavulin, Talisker, or Caol Isla will like McCarthy’s. I’ll be back!
Another comment about scotch. For those of us who keep track of scotches that we love (and hate), it would be useful to see the type of each scotch (e.g. Highland, Islay, etc.) with the name so that we can target new ones to try.
You should get some Red Breast Irish Whiskey to have on hand. Very delicious.
I remember awhile back you were taking suggestions for your menu.
After Sunday dinner at home, I think the perfect pub quiz snack would be some Welsh Rarebit.
http://www.nosetotailathome.com/2008/06/welsh-rarebit/
MMMMMM doesn’t that look scrumptious.
Steak and Kidney Pie?!
This place sounds fantastic! My family and I have been searching Minnesota for a proper steak and kidney pie for years now. Any chance of putting that on the menu? Also… maybe some scotch eggs!
Came for trivia Sunday evening, and am glad we came early. Very much enjoyed the fish & chips (now I know where to enjoy malt vinegar!) and will be back to sample your other menu selections. Hopefully soon I’ll do the Sunday brunch, too!
Kudos for hosting a wonderful evening of challenging fun!
I love this place–delightful food and company. I made a point of bringing my Mom once to show her where I hang out to knit. She has asked more than once when we can go again.