Walked in for dinner with friends at around 8.30 pm and was warmly welcomed. Our orders were taken promptly but then everything went downhill from there. Waited around 40 minutes till we decided to ask a waitstaff for an update on our food and we were assured that we would get it soon. After this we had around 3 dishes that we hadn't even ordered come to our table. My friend who ordered the vegetarian soup of the day was finally served, only to find chicken in it. They offered to remake the vegetable soup which was basically a broth with vegetables in it. She was then informed that the wrap she ordered was not available and the could make a sandwich instead, and this was after a 40 minute waiting time! After a good hour and a half we finally received our respective dishes. The food was not bad, but by this time we were not in a mood to enjoy anything about the place. We did get a lengthy apology from the staff afterwards while their excuse was that the restaurant was set to close at the time we arrived. There would have been no hard feelings of they had told us this from the start and it certainly would have saved the misery on both ends. Overall an extremely disappointing experience.

We returned for lunch and had a delicious meal. Starter poulpe 🦑 salad with mango 🥭, main dishes spaghetti with giant prawns 🍤 in Oliver oil with garlic and little bit of chili oil, seafood with potatoes and mixed salade, thali chicken curry. The deserts were delicious too. Service was extraordinary, very professional and done with care and efficiency mainly thanks 🙏 to Janaka. Rates were fully worth for the quality of the food and sight. Will be back soon.

We visited The Merchant Restaurant in Galle Fort for dinner and we had a wonderful time. The restaurant is located in a beautiful colonial building with a garden and a terrace. The staff were very friendly and attentive. The food was delicious and well-presented. I ordered the signature Galle Biryani, which is a mixed rice dish with chicken, spices, and buffalo curd. It was very flavorful and satisfying. The portions were generous and the prices were reasonable. We enjoyed the ambience and the live music in the courtyard. It was a great dining experience and we would definitely recommend The Merchant Restaurant to anyone visiting Galle Fort.

Excellent service. Good food and good place to have business lunch and dinner with family. Very friendly service and staff.

Mixed seafood grill is SMALLEST on island. Service was spotty and uneven. We were told the kitchen was closed for an hour, would reopen at 5:30pm. At 5:50 management was still touting the same line. Our food arrived close to 7pm! This despite the fact I had told them the kids hadn't eaten lunch and were starving. Management needs to learn customers value honesty, not a canned mimicry of hospitality. Avoid.

The restaurant is great. Special thanks to Ishan for food suggestions and excellent service. Loved the avocado shake and grilled seafood. The atmosphere and music (guitar and vocal) were perfect to finish a nice day in Galle Fort this Saturday night. Thanks!

The food was pretty decent. The grilled chicken wrap with hummus had a tad bit too much hummus. The cappuccino was good. Staff were a bit slow to respond & were not flexible enough to take in the order in one go stating that the lunch menu will not be open for another 15 minutes even though we were willing to have the food prepared when the menu opened 15 minutes later.

The location is great, the hotel vibe good. We came just for dinner, my daughter tempted by the woodfired pizzas. We left disappointed. The service was woeful. Waited over twenty minutes for pre dinner drinks in a mostly empty restaurant. The pizza once it arrived was woeful, a lacklustre base using dough that was crumbly. My wife and daughter liked the salad we ordered but lets face it, how can you get a salad wrong. Other meals ordered were average. Pasta that was cooked well but had barely any sauce. Save your money and eat somewhere else. The culinary experience at this place is woeful. I apologised to my family for taking them there on our one day in Galle.

The Merchant is ideally situated inside the Galle Fort, offering a picturesque location that enhances the overall dining and lodging experience. The ambiance is charming, providing a perfect blend of comfort and style. The restaurant's menu boasts a diverse selection of delectable dishes, ensuring a delightful culinary journey for guests. Accommodations at the attached hotel are well-appointed, adding convenience for those looking to extend their stay. The staff is attentive and friendly ( hi 👋🏼 Lakashman ), contributing to a welcoming atmosphere. Overall, it's a recommended destination for those seeking a combination of great food and comfortable lodging in a scenic setting.

Very friendly staff with great service. We had a nice stay with friends. A relaxing experience and they have delicious breakfast. There are around 3 parking slots on the street outside the hotel and if it's not enough you can park near dutch hospital and have one minute walk to the hotel.

Absolutely fantastic. Room - 10/10 Food - 10/10 Service - 10/10 Location - 10/10 Spent 4 days at The Merchant and can honestly say it was a fantastic experience. From the room to the food to the service most of all. Absolutely zero complaints from being given a free upgrade, to a special cake (as it was my wife's birthday), to being given extra food to try, everything at my stay at The Merchant was fantastic. Not to mention it being in probably the best central location in the Galle Fort. Massive shout out to the manager, Chamika, who was brilliant as well as to Rizwan from the wait staff. Thoroughly recommended.

The BEST in GALLE! Definitely make you wanna come back ❤️ We wanted to spend our stay at a hotel in the heritage Galle Fort. Searched for many places & finally came across this beautiful place. The warmest welcome ever, most friendliest & caring service was exceptional. Starting from cleanliness, quality of food and beverages, personalized care, access to beach and for what not we could highly recomend this place if you are looking for that special place to stay in Galle. We are so much grateful to all staff who cared for us with love and passion during our stay. Our three years old son also loved the place, delicious food and staff. We look forward to come again. ❤️

We love the hotel, the staff are so welcoming and friendly and I wouldn't book anywhere else. Compared to my other trips the hotel I stay at Merchant is the best above and I have stayed in some of the best hotels across the country and the staff is one of the most best and professional.Manager Samith is very kind and always smiling and in a cheerful mood making our stay comfortable and always available for feedback about the stay which is most important in hospitality. Samith and his professional service the best asset of this property. We are really happy with everything… Keep it up..!!

We came here for a quick coffee stop. The place has a beautiful setting, though not colonial (I wonder if they knocked down the precious building?! If so, hopefully it didn't have historical values of some sort). Coffee was surprisingly very good, as well as the passion fruit mocktail and our son claimed that he had the best chocolate milkshake in Sri Lanka. Just service was a little rude after the waiter found out that we won't be having any meals 🙈

Amazing stay, very nice staff, the design of the hotel is so beautiful and cozy. The rooms are well equipied and the breakfast was very good. We were sad to leave but we highly recommend!

This is a lovely venue in a perfect location. The cafe/restaurant is in a gentle private, relaxed garden setting. The food was wonderful and staff were fantastic. I’d like to make a special mention to Rizwan. His attention to providing exceptional, high quality service made the experience memorable.

Nice place and good ambiance. We were served by Janaka who was very attentive and he was updated about the property though he was newly joined. Food portion size has to be improved considering the price. Beautiful property !

I would not recommend this place! The prices are horrendous and the food not really good. I had the chicken satay which was not proper chicken, instead you get a stick of grounded chicken with a way too sweet peanut sauce. The rice, which came with the dish, was okay but somehow contained seafood, which was not mentioned in the menu. My friend had the Tuna, which she ordered medium and she got a pretty raw one instead. Even it was almost raw, the fish still looked dry.. The food was already disappointing but the real bummer was the bill. In total they added 25% of all prices for Tax and Service Charge, which was not properly mentioned anywhere before. Also, in all the time I am in Sri Lanka, I never saw a restaurant excluding the Taxes from the prices and adding them up later at checkout.

The food was pretty decent. The grilled chicken wrap with hummus had a tad bit too much hummus. The cappuccino was good. Staff were a bit slow to respond & were not flexible enough to take in the order in one go stating that the lunch menu will not be open for another 15 minutes even though we were willing to have the food prepared when the menu opened 15 minutes later.

Very friendly staff with great service. We had a nice stay with friends. A relaxing experience and they have delicious breakfast. There are around 3 parking slots on the street outside the hotel and if it's not enough you can park near dutch hospital and have one minute walk to the hotel

The Merchant Galle Fort - Great Vibes, Live Music, and Delicious Food, I recently visited The Merchant Galle Fort on a weekend and was blown away by the amazing vibe of the place. The live music added a fantastic touch to the atmosphere, and the food was delicious, especially accompanied by their super mojitos. The staff were friendly and provided excellent service, making my experience enjoyable. However, there are a few things to be aware of. The restaurant adds a 25% surcharge to the total bill, including a 10% service charge (which is understandable) and a 15% VAT, which was mentioned in the menu. This can come as a surprise and affect the overall cost of dining. Additionally, I had an unfortunate experience at the entrance where the security personnel did not allow me to park my motorbike in their parking area, while foreigners were allowed to do so. I felt discriminated against, and this left a negative impression as my first interaction with the establishment. Despite this, the staff working inside the restaurant were exceptional and provided great service. The Merchant Galle Fort is definitely worth more than 5 stars for its ambiance, live music, and delicious food. However, the inconsistent parking policy and additional charges should be taken into consideration.

I visited the restaurant on recommendation while traveling around Galle Fort with two of my foreign friends. The location through the first step was beautifully designed to give the perfect ambiance to end a night of travel. Unlike most places, all items we wanted from the menu was available, beautifully plated and also delicious. I would also like to highlight the service provided by the staff by the name of Iroshan. He was very professional and as well as attentive. I wish both him and the establishment the best.

It definitely got some quality & uniqueness but Rooms are too small for the price. Obviously its inside the fort ! And service wise i think because of the pandemic they are under staff so took long hours when we requested for a service. We had our meals from various restaurants as we wanted to explore around best was Fort Printers !

The Merchant has been a great experience for us! We went there for breakfast and we couldn't have been more satisfied! We ordered the English Breakfast along with cappuccino. The spread was yum! Portions were large and fulfilling. Along with what we ordered, we also got a plate of fresh fruits. That was a nice surprise! Customer service was great! Everybody was very friendly and attentive to all our needs. Ambiance of the restaurant and the rest of the place was serene. Overall, it was a great place for a nice weekend hangout. We would definitely drop by again soon. ❤

Like our stay... all staff are very cooperative... home r nicely maintained n taken care of cleanliness... this is second stay in a month... we recommend to stay n experience their hospitality... Great team... 👍👌

Great place with friendly staff. Hope this will be an outstanding place for upcoming seasons. Unique restaurant area catering both indoor and outdoor seating arrangements. Highly recommend!

Great place to stay a night or two. Rooms were nice and cozy and the staff were very friendly. Rooms have TV with cable TV (limited channels) and your own tea/coffee setup. There is no elevator and access to rooms are via a singlefile staircase. The wait for breakfast however was too timely but the meal itself was nice. They did not serve pork bacon but had beef/chicken bacon instead. Affordable and reasonable pricing and good central location. Parking is limited to 4 cars just outside the hotel alongside the road but there is additional parking away from the hotel, about a 2 minute walk.

The Merchant is ideal place in Galle fort to stay. Food is good with friendly staff at the restaurant. Rooms are very good with nicely arranged interior. Cleanliness is remarkable. Chamith and team is doing wonderful job to keep customers happy.

Staff was great, very accommodating even with last minute reservations. Place is super beautiful in the heart of the Galle fort down my favorite street- Peddlar’s street. Place is well furnished and new and attracts a lot of local and foreign tourists. Breakfast was really good and fresh, good portion sizes and we really enjoyed our time there!

I’ve stayed in many hotels boutique and regular. The Merchant is home to by far the home to the most amazing staff. The customer service here is second to none. Great food, each and every ingredient tastes divine. The location is fantastic and on a very romantic street. I couldn’t recommend staying here enough. If you stay, help yourself to a fruit from the billing tree. Super sour juicy and delicious!

Amazing / Excellent experience! Upon Check-In the staff gave a beautiful refreshing lime drink. Rooms are beautiful and boutique feeling, very very clean. I would recommend staying here for your travels. I have never met hotel staff that were so incredibly kind and accommodating. Anything that was needed they were so helpful. The restaurant had great food and the coffee was sooo delicious. I would come back in a heartbeat!

Enjoyed a lovely dinner with great drinks and delicious food. Rizwan was very attentive. Service was excellent and our food and drinks were served with minimum delay. A beautiful restaurant and a place worth visiting again.

One of the best places you can stay in side the Galle fort! New property with all the amenities. Modern and spacious rooms, good food and friendly staff! Hotel Manger Samitha was extremely helpful with the last minute booking! If you're looking for a place to stay, have your meals or even sit down with a coffee and setup your remote work space inside the Galle fort the Merchant is the place to be!

The staff is extremely friendly and the ambience is very nice. The food is also great. The restaurant is very welcoming and i would love to be back. The staff made my father's n my birthday quite memorable

Honestly can’t say enough great things about this place. I chose specific high end stays for my short trip to Sri Lanka and this place far exceeded any of the other places I stayed at. They let me check in incredibly early, which I was super thankful for as I had come from a very early flight and was exhausted. The breakfast, quality of food, and beverages were immaculate (the mango was to die for), and I only wish that I had eaten all my meals here. Rizwan was incredibly attentive and helpful, as was the female front desk agent. I was given a corner room on the highest floor and the view was so nice during sunset, so be sure to ask for the corner room with the sunset view if possible!

We first visited this restaurant a few days ago for lunch. We ordered a fried chicken sandwich. What arrived was nothing like a sandwich.. it was a masterpiece! So what we thought was going to be a snack for lunch turned out to be a gastronomic delight. The skinny fries in the side were a bonus. The staff are so welcoming, and I must mention Samith (I hope I spelt that right), who had his eye on the ball yet so had time to chat to us. So professional. Since that first visit we've been back 3 times, the coffee is excellent and the cheesecake is too die for. Thanks to all staff, see you soon

The best place to stay in Galle fort compared with the budget and the quality service. It feels like a home now. Perfect location to have peace yet be close to everything at the same time. Clean and comfortable. A comfortable, efficient hotel with a great breakfast. Overall, highly recommend this place. :) Special Thanks to Mr. Samith.

The hotel is brand new and was opened only 1,5 year ago. Galle was our last stop before flying back to Poland and we wanted to make our last 2 nights special. It was a perfect place. The rooms are beautiful and clean, the food is delicious, the staff is friendly. We can fully recommend it!

Top Class Restaurant Service in Galle fort. Service, Food and Location is remarkable...an it was an unforgettable evening dinner. It's our 2nd wedding anniversary. beautiful table decoration. delicious food. Prageeth manager and every member of the Merchant family, welcomed us as family rather than guests, so it was like at home... we will be back again Merchant ❤️❤️❤️