Merrill Inn

Very cute and quaint place to stay in Prince Edward County. It might not be as hip as a certain new inn in the area, but the service is warm and very friendly.
We came for a weekend escape and did one of the packages which included a night’s stay, 3 course dinner, wine and cheese tasting at the inn, breakfast, and a coupon for some free maple syrup at a local winery. It was listed as $ 310 on the site, with taxes and gratuity (auto included) it comes to just under 400.
The afternoon wine and cheese was held outside on a sunny but crisp day, they had a nice fire pit going and John from local Three Dog Winery came to provide the wine tasting. It was informal, and a nice way to spend an hour in the afternoon.
The dinner at Merrill Inn was really amazing. I had the duck liver parfait, beef tenderloin, and opera cake. They start you off right with complimentary fresh baked bread which comes with a house made chutney and salted butter.
At breakfast there’s a good selection of baked goods, cereals, fruit, and cheese. It also includes a hot breakfast feature, which today was a eggs benedict on a buttery scone, with choice of bacon or sausage.
The bath products are all locally produced, which was a really nice touch. If you fell in love with the restaurant, they sold some things in the gift shop like the salad dressing, jams, and tea.
Really wonderful inn, and just off the main strip in the area which makes it very convenient.

I love this place. The rooms are beautiful, there are lots of lovely rooms to sit in like the porch, sunroom and formal living room. Just had a four-​course New Year’s Eve dinner that was five-​star excellent, with a different wine for each course. Best of all is for people with celiac/​gluten intolerance, head servers Susan and Lynda are extremely knowledgeable. County wines on offer including Karlo Estates beautiful white port.

The inn is very quaint, the owner & staff are really friendly & accommodating. The in-​house condiments & treats are awesome, but the real hidden gem is the restaurant downstairs.
Both our meals were AMAZING. Somehow each of my courses; the cauliflower, smoked bacon soup, pan-​seared pickerel, & chocolate marquise all got better as I finished them!
I had a few bites of my girlfriend’s shrimp & grits, roasted lamb, and cheese plate, and was immediately jealous of the fact I couldn’t have both meals!
I would recommend both the inn & the restaurant, but if you’re looking for a fantastic meal, at least try the tiny restaurant hidden in the back.

We decided to getaway from the big city for a few days and came across the Merrill Inn in an online search. It looked quaint and has some decent reviews but we weren’t prepared for how great it really was. The Inn itself has some great rooms, and the staff make you feel so welcome. On our first night we booked dinner downstairs in the dinning room. I am elated that they sell some of the food that we ate during our meal upstairs in their boutique as I was blown away with every course. I don’t know much about the area but I’d be surprised to find a better restaurant in PEC.

Looking for a superb meal in Picton? This is a sure bet.
The restaurant sits in the basement of the inn, a converted Victorian house, so it is small but quaint. The décor is nice — clean, cozy, you feel comfortable the whole time. Service is excellent — professional, but still friendly and very knowledgeable. The wine list is heavy on the local wines, so if you are not familiar with the wines of Prince Edward County, ask for assistance. We chose a terrific local Riesling to accompany our dinner (there are some great wines on the list). But this is a restaurant, what matters is the food, and the food here is excellent!
We started off with the signature salad — a mixture of spinach and lettuce topped by local cheddar, local apple slices, candies pecans and dressing — a fantastic mixture of tastes and textures, oh this is so good. Then we had the crab cake — a very good version, and the scallops and shrimp — mostly scallops, and heavy on the dill, but perfectly cooked and with a delicious broth.
I usually avoid ordering poultry in restaurants, as so few can do a decent job — because they need to pre-​cook portions, the meat is usually stringy or dry. Not here. We had the paprika Cornish hen, which was truly delicious. It was tender, juicy, cooked to perfection with a lovely paprika rub that enhanced, not obscured the wonderful flavor of the hen. I had the duck breast — seasoned, seared, sliced and served with a blueberry based sauce that was so good I almost licked my plate in public. The duck might have been a touch overdone, but I like mine rare, not medium rare, so you can judge for yourself. The sides were lovely, but the Cornish hen and the duck were outstanding.
For dessert we had the crème arlequin — a vanilla brulee topped with chocolate mousse. It was decadent without being too heavy.
All in all, I loved the meal here, and I look forward to returning. Very highly recommended.

Like eating in your grandparents basement. That would be fine if they did not push their Toronto trained chef. Perhaps we are not the target market — but the basement dining room was cramped, super floral and dated. As for the food — the meat in our mains (duck and lamb) was exceptional but the sides fit with the rest of the motif. Same boring steamed vegetables with each dish along with a starch. The potato «gnocchi» with the lamb was basically a breaded potato mush. The whole meal (including a blah corn and crab bisque and red velvet cake) felt mailed in.

The Inn is totally lovely and just what you want from a country inn – attentive owner aiming to make you as comfortable as possible, cookies and iced tea upon arrival, smallish but well-​appointed rooms (and large containers of lavender scented shampoo, conditioner, and body wash) (but don’t even think if taking them or you’ll be charged $ 40 extra, the discrete sign says), hair dryer and waffle bathrobe, and lots of nice corners – living room, gazebo, outdoor patio, etc. where you can sit and talk with friends. Breakfast, picnic lunch, and dinner was included in our package. 5 stars for the Inn.
The food was 4. Maybe it was because we ate the night before at Blumen which was outstanding. But small things prevented the full count for me: a squid appetizer that was unremarkable, a potato side that was way too salty, an undercooked veggie medley. High marks go to the risotto with scallops, the lamb, the rare duck breast, and the sour cherry pie.
There was a hot breakfast choice both mornings along with a fruit and bread buffet, and the picnic lunches were adequate, if slightly unimaginative. But the effort to please was everywhere and it’s just a short hop up to 5 stars for this (persnickety?) patron.

This is probably THE BEST restaurant in Prince Edward County, and for an area chalk-​full of foodies and fine eating establishments, that’s saying a lot!!!
Michael Sullivan, formerly a chef at some of Toronto’s finest restaurants (Auberge de Pommier, etc) now makes his culinary magic at the Merrill… and you’d be a fool to visit the County and not enjoy this romantic little dining room, wonderful service and truly spectacular cuisine.
Consistently excellent. A must!

Fine food — incredible restaurant.
Country Inn — great rooms, super service.
Fourth year running we’ve stayed here. And we will be back…