Meril

A bit late for the review as we were here on 7/17 Friday lunch, their second day of opening. Very spacious and contemporary interior design, especially the seatings by the window overlooking M resort pool, which brings relaxation and vacation vibes. The staff were nice but not familiar with their menu or serving time. And the second we got seated (no wait as we made the reservation), we heard the next table guests complaining to the staff as they waited one hour, not sure for food or the check. We also witnessed the server brought the food back in the kitchen after looking at it, not sure what happened. We waited roughly 20 minutes for our server to come by, Another 20 minutes to order. After we ordered, the first thing brought to the table was the cocktail. Then another really long wait for our food to come, but we were not able to eat as there was NO utensil provided. Of course another while of wait just to get the utensils. We literally ate for 10 minutes and waited for more than one hour. The food was mediocre unfortunately. Nothing like what those influencers bragged about on social media. The only food item we liked is the street corn. And their lychee rose cocktail (substitute vodka to Rum) is really good, exotic and refreshing with great and rich flavor of lychee with charming floral notes. We got what the server highly recommended, crabs linguine and ribs plus other items. The crab linguine is a total disappointment. Really small portion like 3 bites at $28, can’t see any crabs and the only thing we can taste is tomato sauce. The ribs were ok and covered in sweet sauce. We also ordered burgers and pastry basket. Burger patty was not bad, but we ordered well done, and it came out pink meat. The pastry basket never came. At this point, we just wanted to leave. I would come back after 6 months to try their breakfast and hopefully everything goes on track. But my other friends were totally done with it after this experience.

Five stars for Emeril Lagasse’s Meril! We visited on opening night and were impressed from the moment we walked in. The restaurant is beautiful, the atmosphere is lively and welcoming, and the servers and staff were attentive throughout the evening. Many of the staff came from other M Resort restaurants, and we were especially happy to see Amy, our favorite hostess, and Chris, one of our favorite people from Raiders Tavern & Grill. Their familiar faces made the evening even more enjoyable. The menu offers a wonderful variety, with everything from salads, pasta and seafood, to tempting desserts. Even more surprising were the very reasonable prices—especially for a celebrity-chef restaurant! We started with the Parmesan chicken salad, which was honestly one of the best salads we have ever had. My husband also ordered the delicious street corn and buttermilk fried chicken. I chose the seafood boil, and it was excellent! The seafood was delicious, but the rich, flavorful broth may have been the best part. For dessert, we shared the bread pudding with ice cream, and it was amazing. My only suggestion for Meril is to serve crusty bread slices with the seafood boil. While I realize that there are potatoes in the dish, a piece of crusty bread would have allowed me to savor every drop of the broth. It is far too good to leave behind in the bowl! Meril was an impressive experience, particularly for opening night. We cannot wait to return and try more of the menu—including the famous banana cream pie!

Worth another go! There were no reservations available for Saturday night, but we decided to go and give it a try. We were able to sit at the bar, which we enjoyed. Service was good, but not great (appear to be working out some kinks). Variety of options on the menu. We tried the Boudin (average, but the mustard sauce was unique and tasty), the mini cod sliders (average) the Gumbo and the Banana Cream Pie (best things we had, lived up to the expectations of an Emeril restaurant). The cocktail menu sounded creative and intriguing, but the drinks we received didn't seem to match the description. The Espresso Martini and Bloody Mary lacked the flavors and presentation we were expecting based on the menu. Our bill before gratuity was $170 (for 1 wine, 1 beer, 1 Espresso Martini, 1 Bloody Mary, and the food). For that price, I expect the food and cocktails to knock my socks off. The breakfast menu looks intriguing as well. We will definitely give Merils another try and hope that our food experience wants us coming back for more. The area needs a restaurant like Merils!

Well we never got to eat. We had a reservation 7/31/26 for lunch and were seated promptly at 1pm, however after sitting and looking over menus for a few minutes, another 10 minutes or more went by and we never saw a server or anyone else for that matter…it was lunchtime and not busy at all….we got up and told the host and all she said was I’m sorry..it was 1:20pm We left and went to the Raiders restaurant which by the way was great! Great fast service and the food was excellent! Honestly we would have stayed to try Meril even if anyone acknowledged us sitting at the table…not even a busser or host asked us if we wanted water! Not a good way to open a new restaurant!!!