Mert’s

Beers are cold and they have free popcorn and pretzels! Smoking is allowed, which for a smoker is nice. Staff is friendly and the service is great. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a smoking friendly establishment.

What I would call One of Scranton’s finest dive bars!!! That’s what it is, a dive bar in a small town. There’s a post of some sort that I think holds up the building as you try to get through the entrance.
It’s big room, seating around the edges and at the bar. Loved Counter/​Hangout area in the middle for all the old guys to sit and ogle the young girls dancing to the band on the very long stage up against the windows.
There was a great 80’s type band playing the night some local friend and I visited. It was a place I never went to when I lived in the area 20 years ago so I can’t tell you how many names it’s had in the past.
They didn’t serve food, but the community bowl of chips was on the bar. They mixed a decent drink and didn’t appear to ignore anyone. The still being able to smoke in the bar thing had me thrown a bit but some nights you just need a good smoky dive bar to appreciate it for what it is.
If you’re looking for fancy this isn’t the place but it was loads of fun none the less. Take the right group or just start talking to people and make your own fun, I started to talk to a guy at the bar and found out he was the gym teacher at my High School when I was in 7^th grade. He even looks like a guy teacher, you all know that gym teacher/​coach look.

Happened upon this place on a visit to Scranton for an event. It’s clean with friendly staff and the prices for the drinks are quite reasonable. The music was bearable and there was plenty of street parking. I can imagine that on a Friday or Saturday night, this place gets rocking. A fun find.

You may have noticed that most of the reviews (and reviewers) on this page are fairly similar. Here’s another for the pile.
Aside from the fact that they still allow smoking (and it seems some have a penchant for cigars), there’s nothing explicitly bad about Mert’s. It just seems to be suffering from a crisis of identity, and that may also be true of — and reflected in — its mostly middle aged male clientele.
Pretty standard tap selection, with the addition of Stella Artois. The space is fairly large and nondescript, but geared toward live entertainment. The corner location is in a decidedly less busy area of downtown, and although they have a patio, I’ve never seen anybody on it. What’s with the popcorn machine, though? I’m sure the popcorn tastes like smoke after a while.
The prices are somewhat higher than average and I wasn’t aware of any specials, but before I wrote this review, the price was listed as «$$$$» and that is certainly not the case.
Mert’s is definitely not the worst place to spend time, and I imagine the crowd changes according to the live entertainment du jour. Off the top of my head, though, I can think of ten other downtown and smoke-​free spots where I, personally, would rather take a seat.

Not my kind of bar.
To be fair, I’ve only ever been here when my buddy’s band is playing and they are VERY crowded. Can’t get a drink (I am a blue-​jeans kind of guy, as per my fellow Unilocalers maybe that is my problem.), too crowded, too warm, too loud, too expensive… and too yuppy… just too much. It’s a shame too, it is in kind of a sweet location.
To summarize; you won’t see me in there on a regular basis, but I suppose it appeals to a certain clientele.

The good:
Location
The Bad:
Everything else.
No matter what name is on the sign, this place is always bad. Expensive, terrible beer selection, terrible crowd. Walk in wearing jeans and a t-​shirt, you may never get served.

The room itself is okay, very open, lots of space. If you’re a middle aged middle class dude tryin to look WEALTHY and fancy to boink a chick, then this is your spot. overpriced beer, crappy cover bands and cocky middle agers tryin to «ACT WEALTHY» because they have a piano in the bar (which the cover band ALWAYS notices and then sings pianoman which then leads to other BILLY JOEL hits!) gross me out!

Great bar. It’s never too crowded. Eclectic mix of live music and patrons. The service is always great (especially when Crystal is working).

Formally called Scats, this is a nice bar in downtown Scranton. I went there on a night the band Double Cross was playing. Great music!!! The bar itself was a little pricey for the area. What was nice was the roaming servers, it wasn’t table like normal, they just free roamed and got drinks. This made it easier so no one has to go stand and wait at the bar. I would go back if they had decent band again.