Say Mercy

Delicious food
Awesome service , friendly staff !! Recommend make reservations , it's busy there , especially Wednesday nights .. Enjoy

i'm honestly really sad to write this because i was soooo excited to try this place. it was a really cute restaurant, kind of chill vibes which i liked. i went for my birthday dinner with my boyfriend and from the get go i didn't love our server, i thought she was kind of standoffish and just not the most welcoming (not blaming her i know people have off days) but it really kind of set the tone for dinner which sucked.

the good: amazing wine (and half price on tuesdays) - great rec from our server, and the banana cream cannoli was really good!

the bad: now this is on me because i did not realize it was an italian/american bbq fusion restaurant and i would not have gone if i knew. we were considering the tasting menu but i'm a bit picky so decided against. we ordered the smoked veal & tuna, potato agnolotti, and bbq bolognese. the smoked veal & tuna was kind of bland, really nothing impressive. the potato agnolotti was incredibly rich and had some funky cheese that I just was not a fan of, the flavours did not work in my opinion. the bbq bolognese was incredibly barbecue-y and kind of spicy but it just was not a good pasta.

I had heard really good things and so i'm incredibly disappointed that I had to write this. again, this kind of fusion is probably not my thing so I can't fully blame them, but i still think it's a bit lacking in their flavour synergy.

We decided to visit Say Mercy! after learning that they are included in Michelin's Bib Gourmand restaurants in Vancouver.
Plus, who can resist $15 pasta every Thursday? That's what caught our eye!

Though their menu is small, it's full of flavour. We went straight for the Thursday special and ordered 3 pastas to share. The atmosphere is lively -- perhaps a bit too lively if you prefer quieter conversations. The tables are quite close, so you might end up getting cozy with your neighbours!

Here's a rundown of what we tried:
* Duck Carbonara: A generous portion, but a heads-up -- it's a bit salty for my taste.
* Parsnip Rotolo: Beautifully presented in a flower shape. Absolutely exquisite and my personal favourite!
* BBQ BOLO: This is their most popular item. Tasty, but again, a tad salty!

We also satisfied our sweet tooth with:
* Banana Pudding Cannoli: Crispy cookie with a banana mousse filling, dusted with powdered sugar. A delightful mix of sweet and crunchy!
* Earl Grey Trifle: Lovely flavour, but perhaps a bit too much-whipped cream for our liking.

Overall, Say Mercy! offers a distinctive dining experience in the Fraser neighbourhood. The servers even provide a little background on each dish as they serve it -- still getting used to that!

Food: 4/5 Should Try!
Service: 4/5
Kids: 3/5 A-OK for kids.
Price: $30-$40 per person (dinner)
Presentation:
Parking: Plenty of street parking is available in the neighbourhood.
Tips:
* gets Michelin dining experience at an affordable price.
* highly recommend making reservations.
Would I Return: Yes ‍

We were really excited to check out this recent addition to the Fraser 'hood touting an Italian American BBQ menu.

The decor is delightful. Our server was great. There was a steady buzz of diners enjoying "Jesus Take the Wheel" that's the Wednesday chef's choice meal served family style.

We started with the AmberJack Crudo. It was fantastic. Like Italian-style sashimi served with fine herbs, fresh segments of grapefruit and small diced kohlrabi. Delicate and delicious.

Maybe our pairing choices were off - the Crudo arrived at our table with Tater Salad. Which was tasty but completely overpowered the Crudo.

For the pasta course we ordered the Duck Confit Carbonara and the Potato Agnolloti. They were delicious, but very rich and heavy. Between two of us, we could only eat about half of each dish.

Anyways, maybe it was our choices, but I felt like the menu needed more balance. The dishes did not complement each other.

It's not easy to hatch a new concept - "A"effort. I hope the menu evolves and grows over time.

Came by on a weekday night for Dine Out Vancouver with a reservation. We were seated immediately and by the window which is great for people watching. Say Mercy is a combination of Italian and American BBQ...very unique and I can honestly say I have never heard of or tried cuisine with this combination previously.

We opted for the Dine Out menu and a bottle of wine.

The first course were breaded fish squares and prosciutto and olive skewers. Nice presentation but the fish sticks/squares were all batter...could not taste any fish. The second course was hushpuppies. They were perfectly cooked. The sauce worked well and was definitely needed. Next up was squash and burrata followed by the cornmeal crusted catfish. I loved the crispy skin on the catfish. Then the braised lamb with kale and lima beans. This was the best of the items...and falling off the bone good. Desert was a lime and cherry semifreddo and it was a nice light way to end such a great meal.

The presentation and taste of each of the dishes were great as was the service but I found the smokiness of many of the dishes a little over the top...yes even understanding the concept of the restaurant.

It was a very positive food experience.

This was my first visit with my sis, and she treated me to a nice dinner here. We have tried the MacKenzie Room together prior to our visit a few years back. I was so happy to try this place for dinner as it did not disappoint me as the service, ambiance, and food exceeded my expectations. Located in the heart of Fraser St, the food is a hybrid between Italian and southern comfort.

We started off with the Okra Hushpuppies. It was amazing! It did not taste like Okra! Afterward, we had their signature dish: catfish. It was a pleasant surprise and had a nice kick. We had the lamb after, which I recommend. It was a lot of food for two people, and there were leftovers afterward. For dessert, we had the semifredo, which was refreshing, tart, and delightful! It tasted like a deconstructed cheesecake.

I will come back again and try the 'Jesus take the wheel' menu. It looked amazing!

Say Mercy has a very well designed set menu where the courses flowed and ended with a light dessert that balanced it all. Our server was also great with her personality, frequency of her check ups on us, and her recommendations.

Their Bolo Spahetti is the dish the server really recommended as one of the first dishes the chef made for the restaurant and is also consistently on their menu. It was not on the Jesus Takes The Wheel set-menu but could be added for $10 more. The dish had a sweet bbq flavor in the sauce and was delicious; though we were stuffed by the end of the meal since there was enough food in their regular menu already. All the dishes are delicious (see photos). And the pace of the meal was perfect.

After dinner, the server came by with a liquor trolley for if we wanted to end the meal with a dessert wine. We were too stuffed so declined but the trolley had some interesting liquors! Will have to try next time. This restaurant is definitely one to go back to.

Super excited to try this place. We had a reservation at 6:30pm and the place was just getting started. I highly recommend making reservations early as the place is quite busy. It was quiet and chill and the restaurant became very vibrant and busy within 30 mins. It's not a big place so the place does feel a little tight and loud when it's full house. We went for the Jesus Takes the Wheel option which is their taste the entire menu option. However, if there are only two of you, you get a smaller menu for the tasting menu.

The food is served family style. Out of the whole menu, I love their potato agnolotti, bbq bolo and definitely their rocky road tiramisu.

Later, I found out that this restaurant is part of the MacKenzie Room and Collective Goods chain.

Overall a very average dining experience. Servers were all super nice, but their cocktails and food left you wishing for more. Filling for sure and decent value, but very experimental. I did enjoy their pork belly & strawberry & corn pop dessert though. And their eggplant parm wasn't half bad either. Not sure if their Jesus Take the Wheel menu changes every so often, but I'm personally not a huge fan of their current menu.

And everything is slightly on the saltier side of things for my Asian palate.

Our first Michelin dining experience. The food and drinks were excellent. Thankfully we had the foresight to get reservations, since it was packed on the weekend we went. Cute decor. Our server was helpful in explaining menu offerings and recommendations. We were encouraged to share each dish as family style... we shared the hush puppies but opted to order our own entrees, the BBQ bolo pasta and meatball Texas toast. Of course we still tried bites of each dish, and were very impressed by the flavor. Everything was cooked to perfection. What a fun and unique fusion of Italian and southern food! We're still dreaming about this meal experience.