Brunch is back on the menu at downtown restaurant

Sunday mornings are a little sweeter with a new brunch menu at Mercer Kitchen + Beer Hall.

The long-running Stratford restaurant offered brunch previously, according to owner and general manager, Ryan O’Donnell.

The program was nixed during the pandemic amid reduced hours and other cost-cutting measures. 

After restarting their daily breakfast offerings around a year ago, O’Donnell said his team has been eager to revamp their weekend brunch menu as well.

“Bringing brunch back has been a goal for a while and we finally made it happen,” he said.

O’Donnell said the restaurant’s brunch menu adds Mercer’s signature twist to classic brunch standards. For example, their riff on eggs Benedict swaps out the usual English muffins for toasted bao, which gets topped with soft poached eggs, roasted pork belly and curried hollandaise sauce. 

In another spin on brunch staple chicken ‘n’ waffles, Mercer’s Japanese-style karaage chicken crowns a housemade bubble waffle. It’s finished with sriracha mayo, pickles and maple syrup.

“We’re using our strengths like our karaage chicken, which is very popular here,” said O’Donnell. 

There’s a wild blueberry pancake stack for diners who like a sweet start to their day, as well as a spicy kung pao-style corned beef and fried egg dish for those who prefer a little kick with their morning meal. 

Putting the ‘lunch’ in brunch, Mercer’s menu also includes much-loved all-day items like a beef burger and a mushroom miso ramen bowl, along with apps and shareables as well as a kids’ menu. 

”That just gives everybody as many options as possible. You get around nine brunch-specific options alongside the greatest hits of the regular menu,” said O’Donnell.

“We care about the quality of the experience and the service,” he added, explaining that Mercer’s brunch menu maintains the restaurant’s overall ethos of serving high-quality, scratch-made dishes, which incorporate local ingredients as much as possible. 

“People are loving the menu,” O’Donnell added. “They can come and still get their usual burger if they want or they can try the bubble waffle or a croque madame made with Perth pork.”

Mercer’s brunch line-up also includes a few playful drinks including mimosas, beer-based cocktail specials and spiked coffees. Brunchers can also enjoy discounted $5 cans of Mercer Light Beer.

O’Donnell adds that the new brunch menu, which debuted just before Christmas, has been well-received by Stratford diners so far. 

“They recognize the dishes but they also appreciate that it's a little bit different than the standard brunch they would get anywhere else,” he said. “It seems to be hitting the mark with the brunch crowd.”

O’Donnell said that Mercer wants to create a leisurely, unhurried brunch experience for diners.

“People tend to come with six or seven friends to sit and relax and really enjoy."

Brunch is available at Mercer from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Sunday.