Chef Mark Baker

Merk Snack bar is all about the experience. We focus on making our food fun and delicious. When you come in and look at the menu, we want you to smile with curiosity at the proposed flavours the chef has put before you. We also want you to leave thinking about the next time you’ll be in to try the next flavour experience or when you will be back for more of the same.

We offer a tapas rogue menu that rotates seasonally. Chef Mark sources products from local bakeries, markets and farmers personally so that we can offer unique touches and flavours in our dishes when you least expect it. We like to showcase classic skills and dishes, as well as put our unique touches on new
dishes in ways that will always have you wanting more.

We look forward to the next time you’re in for a drink and a snack. See ya later!

We are always excited about what we create in our kitchen and we can’t
wait to share it with you. #wedontservebadthings

The Kitchen team at Merk are dedicated to one thing, and that is to make
sure you have the very best that we can offer. Flavourful and fun plates are what drives us. The search for the next intriguing or inspiring flavour is never ending for us, which is why we choose to locally source all of our
ingredients. To know where the food is coming from and personally
guaranteeing freshness is the second most exciting process, next to the
enjoyment on our customers faces when they try it for the first or 15th time.

Complacency is not our favourite word so when we feel we are getting
bored, we figure you are too. So we change the menu, maybe we introduce
one or two new items or maybe we change the whole thing – you never know what to expect. Always know we make these changes with you in mind! We want to keep our menu fresh and exciting. We grow our own herbs when we can, hit up markets and small vendors all in the interest of keeping these flavours new and exciting.

Our kitchen staff is small, and they create these dishes together. Typically
over a loud conversation, with Prodigy playing in the background. The
conversation gets louder as we get more excited about the flavours we are
imagining. So if you walk in and The Fat of the Land is playing, know that
some of your favourite food items were created while that album was playing.

We stand by our most commonly used social media hashtag; we don’t
serve bad things. We seek products that are fresh, that inspire not only our
bartenders but our guests as well. We seek creating a cocktail that captivates your taste buds trying to pinpoint every ingredient used to achieve the flavour. Captivating and approachable.

We have begun growing our own herbs during the summer months; to
infuse spirits; to make simple syrups; to garnish your cocktail with
aromatics. We ship in bitters from Prince Edward County, to add an
additional flare at the end of the build – bitters you don’t see every day. Creating seasonal cocktails, that warm you during the
winter, or cool you on a hot summer day.

Our staff have created this cocktail list with passion, knowledge and joy.
We hope it inspires you as much as it inspired them.

Taking time to research beer is really hard work. And we are thrilled to do it
for you. Discovering breweries off the beaten path – who thankfully deliver to
Hamilton – has been a lot of fun. A big shout out to those who also bring us
back beer when visiting family out of town. This beer journey wouldn’t be
possible without some of you.

What does this mean to you? Our favourite guest? It means a beer selection you can’t find at the LCBO. It’s brands even the savviest of craft beer drinkers may not be familiar with. It’s the excitement on our face talking to you about the new beer we just brought in, what hops are in it, and where it came from.

We can’t wait for your next beer journey with us!