Merkin Vineyards Tasting Room Osteria

Went to check out this restaurant tonight. First, a big thank you for our server, Claire, and her professionalism. Another big thank you to John, kitchen manager. The rest of our experience was sad. Yes, they are new and experiencing growing pains but they weren't ready to open. Host stand was unwelcoming and communicated poorly. The wait for food was way too long. Food arrived late, cold and tasteless. The final straw was a small pebble in my pasta that hurt my tooth. In all fairness, maybe in 6 months I might try them again. Nothing in the beginning is easy. It's such a beautiful spot and I wish them luck. Thanks Claire!, thanks John! Expand that boring menu and get the staff into a rhythm and get someone at the host stand that is welcoming.

This review is for the newly opened Merkin Restaurant and Winery located on a hill overlooking Old Town Cottonwood. During our visit, the establishment had only been open for 2 weeks and the staff were still in the process of learning and training. The parking lot on the hill was convenient, although the tram from the lower parking lot was not in service on the day we visited. The restaurant and winery tasting room are housed in a beautiful modern structure, with an outdoor patio offering a great view of Old Town. Our party of six arrived around noon and was promptly seated for lunch. The indoor seating quickly filled up after our arrival. We started with a white and red wine flight tasting, as they have a large selection to suit different tastes. My wife and I shared a turkey sandwich which was the perfect size and the meat and bread were fresh and delicious. Service was a bit slow and disorganized due to the staff still in training, but they were doing their best. We definitely plan to return the next time we are in Cottonwood.

YUCK. The view is incredible and the restaurant ambience is great. The food service however... terrible. I've been to the original Merkin many times, and absolutely loved it. This place however, had awful food. My gnocchi had a pool of olive oil in the bottom of it and the texture was like mushy Elmers glue. It took over an hour for the food to come out, and a few of the people in the group had to send their meals back because it was just simply inedible. When the waitress had the manager come over, he told us he just got there and basically did not care at all. I hope they can get their act together and bring themselves up to the standard Merkin once was.

Service VERY inexperienced Kitchen slow Food a c+ Nice interior, ambiance great Prices good

The food was excellent, but the service was terrible. We were hoping to buy a few bottles of wine to take home after our meal, but the staff seemed too overwhelmed to assist us. After waiting by the counter for 15 minutes with no attention, we decided to give up and leave.