Mercer Kitchen + Beer Hall + Hotel and the Festival Theatre are the perfect combination for dinner & theatre at the Stratford Festival.

The Stratford Festival is Canada’s most prominent theatre festival and is famous the world over for its production of Shakespeare plays. This has resulted in Stratford becoming an artistic mecca and the tourism and food landscape has grown along with the festival.

The Stratford Festival runs from April to October and takes place in the Festival Theatre, the Avon Theatre, the Tom Patterson Theatre, and the Studio Theatre.

I have been going to the festival for more than 25 years and had one of my first dates with Debbie at Stratford.

This year we saw Rent at the Festival Theatre and Richard II at the Tom Patterson Theatre.

The question I am often asked is where I eat either before the play or after. In other words, what is the best dinner & theatre combo at Stratford?

Stratford has become a destination for epicureans and foodies who want to experience the culinary talent graduating from Stratford Chef School.

Mercer Kitchen + Beer Hall + Hotel is my favorite spot in Stratford with its cheerful, peppy, and spontaneous atmosphere. It’s a short walk from the theatres and has an amazing selection of beer and an Asian-inspired menu.

It has an amazing patio and an amazing dining room inside that has something for everyone.

As you enter the restaurant, the ambiance resembles the izakaya, an informal Japanese beer pub that the owner visited in Japan.

The menu is an all-day focusing on salads, sides, shares, noodle & rice bowls, burgers, and kid’s eats.

The server recommends the Spicy Green Coconut & Basil Curry and the Mercer Bento Box. We decided to go with her recommendations.

The bento is a Japanese practice of carrying food in a box. It initially contained dried fish and as food tastes changed, onigiri which is vinegary rice balls was added.

The bento box at Mercer consists of Karaage chicken, peanut crunch salad, vegetable dumplings, steamed rice, kimchee pickles, and a bowl of miso soup. Karaage (Japanese fried chicken) is juicy, flavorful, ultra-crispy, and delicious. The peanut crunch salad is on a different level.

The spicy green coconut & basil curry is creamy, flavorful, and the right amount of all the ingredients and authentic.

I chatted with the GM and am super impressed with the hospitality, food, ambiance, friendliness, and top-notch service.

If you are in Stratford to see a play or a musical and want to have dinner after then Mercer is the place to experience dinner & theatre. Even if you are visiting Stratford for the day, then go to Mercer. You will not be disappointed.

Mercer is located at 104 Ontario Street, Stratford, Ontario, N5A 3H2.

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