Mercantile & Mash

The place looks great! The dishes are very good. Since they only have one person making all the coffee drinks, it was slightly slow waiting my coffee. Recommended nonetheless!!!

I should probably preface this review by saying that Mercantile and Mash has a certain niche and certain clientele that they primarily serve (as evidence by the patrons and employees I witnessed during my visit). At the ripe age of 43, I was by far the oldest person in the establishment, so my review is written considering my generation, tastes, and interests.

I found M&M from doing a simple google search on best places to have breakfast in Charleston, as I know that Charleston is a bit of a foodie city. The reviews were good so I figured I'd try it out.

This place needs some work and in more ways than one. Upon entering, it was confusing as to what I was supposed to do (wait for someone to seat me, seat myself, etc.). The place was busy, so I sat next to the kitchen as I enjoy watching the chefs make things. Nobody came to counter to ask me what I wanted to eat, drink, etc. After about 15 minutes, I got up and started walking around only to discover that there is a counter which resembles that of a coffee bar, where apparently everything is ordered.

The kid behind the counter was nice, but told me that they would have to serve me coffee in a to-go cup because they were out of cups. That's probably not a good thing to have happen during breakfast, but it wasn't a big deal. He told me that I'd get one free refill, indicating that for $3, the amount of coffee served is limited. Ultimately, the coffee served was not very good. Maybe I just have a different flavor profile when it comes to coffee, but the coffee I was served had kind of a sour taste to it.

I asked if the spicy chicken biscuit was really spicy and he said, "No not at all". I thought, why call it that if it's not spicy? Since I no longer have the cast iron stomach of my 20s, I decided to get it. I sat back down at the counter, watching the chefs again, and think my food finally showed up 30 minutes later. It seemed a long time for such a simple order, but again they were busy so I didn't think much of it. The chicken I received was pink on the inside and it was difficult to discern as to whether it was a dark cut of meat that was used or if it was genuinely undercooked. I wasn't willing to wait for them to cook another as there appeared to be zero wait staff to bring a complaint to. So I rolled the dice and ate it anyway. The kid behind the counter was right in that it wasn't spicy at all. Unfortunately, the other thing it lacked was flavor. The chicken and biscuit were super bland and the biscuit was crunchy and overcooked.

Again, I'm sure that M&M appeals to a certain demographic that I just happen to not belong to and I can't fault them for that. It's not my cup of tea (or in my case, coffee). I probably won't be back but that doesn't mean that it's not worth checking out.

Great spot to work remotely - plenty of space to sit and free wifi. I had the Breakfast wrap and cappuccino to go. It took a long time to get my food, but it was yum. My girl friend got pastry and it was tasty as well.

For $20, I got: a 12oz cappuccino, a huevos rancheros wrap, and a side of fries.
Probably took about 50 min total from the time I walked in to when my food was served. Line was out the door by 10:30 but they only had one register running. Was disappointed that they were all out of biscuits, I really wanted the spicy chicken biscuit.
Coffee was good but tasted like just a shot of espresso.
Wrap was tasty but the black beans were crunchy and that kinda ruined the wrap for me.
Fries were great.
Great ambience and music, certainly seems like a popular spot among young locals and out-of-towners.
Probably won’t come back unless I can make it early before the line and before they run out of biscuits.

I stopped in to do some grab a coffee and do some work. Parking and tables are plentiful, and the almond milk latte was great. However, Merc and Mash plays very loud music and gets very busy. If you’re like me and like working in this kind of environment, then you’ll enjoy it here.

Large coffee shop with lots of indoor and outdoor seating. Both coffee and food options. Gets a bit crowded, especially on Fridays so there may be a line and a full parking lot. Awesome spot to have informal meetings or work on your laptop. Overall a clean, charming (attached to the beautifully restored cigar factory) and roomy place to have coffee and food items.

Great spot for working remotely with lots of seating and free wifi. My chicken biscuit was pretty good. Didn’t love the espresso (a little too fruity and acidic for my taste), but it was well made. Good crema and mouthfeel.

The Mercantile food and bakery are terrific. We got to sit at the bar overlooking the area where they make all the baked goods. They also have a meat section where you can purchase meats to take home. I would highly recommend this location for the food and casual vibe. The vanilla honey croissant was to die for and fish tacos were tremendous.

It’s ok, over priced and decent quality, not the best sandwiches. Atmosphere is very loud college students doing homework on day I came in. Mostly older grumpy women made the experience weird when hanging out with my 11 year old for lunch. The sandwich was warm on outside and refrigerator cold in the center.

Great service. Caleb was awesome. He is a great listener and seems to be on top of things. My fish tacos were a little cold. And my friend had the Caesar Salad with chicken. It was overwhelmed with dressing. I would suggest always ask if you want your dressing on the side. We really had a great time though!