Merchant Tavern

Top choice in St John's


An elegant tavern housed in a former bank building, this restaurant is a fine choice for a splurge. Gorgeous seafood stews, duck and lentils, and cod with parsnip make for near culinary perfection – just bear in mind this is a seasonal, changing menu (but always solid). Some seating faces the open-view kitchen – good for chatting with the cooks.

Dinner is served until 10:30pm, then it's just bar food. Reservations recommended.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby St John's attractions

2. The Rooms

0.3 MILES

Not many museums offer the chance to see a giant squid, hear avant-garde sound sculptures and peruse ancient weaponry all under one roof. But that's The…

3. Newman Wine Vaults

0.33 MILES

Dating from the 1780s, these dark, cool wine vaults are where the Newman company aged its port until 1996 (when EU regulations forced the process back to…

4. Basilica of St John the Baptist

0.38 MILES

Built in 1855, the soaring twin spires of the basilica pierce the sky and are visible all the way from Signal Hill. Its design marks the revival of…

5. Harbourside Park

0.46 MILES

With iconic statues of a Newfoundland dog and a Labrador Retriever, this park hosts the City of St John’s free Music at Harbourside lunchtime concert…

6. Bannerman Park

0.64 MILES

The largest municipal park in St John's has a very British feel, with its manicured lawns, shady trees, surrounding brick buildings and general green good…

7. Johnson Geo Centre

1.18 MILES

Nowhere in the world can geo-history, going back to the birth of the earth, be accessed so easily as in Newfoundland. The Geo Centre does a grand job of…

8. Signal Hill Visitor Centre

1.19 MILES

Features interactive displays on the site's history. The last North American battle of the Seven Years' War took place here in 1762, and Britain's victory…