Gastropubs in Brainerd, MN

“We’d had a day full of errands in and around the Brainerd area. By late afternoon we still had our Costco trip ahead of us, but we were both feeling spent and weary from the day. We decided to look for a new happy hour location in Brainerd and found B Merri. The online reviews looked promising, and there were some vegetarian items on the menu so we blew off the Costco trip, crossed our fingers and headed north out of town.
The vibe was exactly what we were looking for, and the staff was friendly. Our waitress, Hannah, was devoted to making sure we were enjoying ourselves. Her recommendations were spot-on, and she offered us samples of IPAs she thought we might like (We did!) Our favorite was an IPA called “Old geezer” or something like that. Bright and refreshing. Hannah recommended the bruschetta platter. It was gorgeous and delicious. Quality shaved parm, fresh cherry tomatoes, halved and drizzled with balsamic, little baby smoked mozzarella balls, caramelized onions, fresh pesto with slices of bread that were soft and perfectly toasted with a light crunch. The chef made a specialty sandwich for us out of portabellas and Hannah recommended the sweet potato fries for the side. I cannot remember ever having better. Crispy and flavorful with a yummy sauce for dipping.

We highly recommend B Merri and look forward to returning! Thanks to Hannah and Chef for turning our afternoon around!“