Mercantile & Mash – The Cafe You Don’t Want To Miss Out On

A coffee fanatic myself, I’ve been asking people around the Charleston area what coffee shops they recommend I visit. Mercantile & Mash was continuously suggested. Located in the Charleston Cigar Factory, I’ve heard of them but in the few years I’ve lived in Charleston I’ve never visited. So I decided to dive in head 1st and spent an entire week visiting the cafe, talking to employees and sampling different items off of their menu. Here are the results of my excursion.

Day One at Mercantile & Mash

The 1st day I was in a bit of a hurry so all I got was their coffee. When I brought that coffee to class, it was like the aroma immediately perked up the atmosphere. Everyone in the room acknowledged how amazing it smelled and wanted to know where I got it from. In the years I’ve lived in Charleston, that was easily some of the best coffee I’ve had.

Day Two Changed My Life

On the 2nd day I got into a long conversation with one of the employees and we actually wound up having a lot in common. I asked her what menu item she would recommend to a newcomer. She told me their Spicy Chicken Biscuit, pictured here:

Mercantile & Mash Spicy Chicken Biscuit

Holy f^_^!! That was the best damn chicken biscuit I’ve ever eaten in my entire life. It even came with a free bag of potato chips. Naturally, I picked salt and vinegar.

Salt & Vinegar Chips

I honestly wish I could’ve given that girl a hug for recommending something so life changing but I waited until I got home to try the biscuit and over the next 3 days she was off.

Tragedy Strikes On Day Three At Mercantile & Mash

I call the 3rd day The Tragedy of the Everything Bagel. I brought my dog with me and sat the bagel – completely sealed in the box – on the seat in my car. On my way back home I had to make a stop. By the time I got back to my car, 3 minutes later, my dog had eaten my everything bagel. Let’s just say she’s lucky she’s cute.

Let’s Try This Again

So on day 4 I went back to Mercantile & Mash to order another everything bagel. The guy who served me got a real kick when I told him the story about the one that was sacrificed to my dog. According to him this happens to a lot of people. When I received my bagel I ate it in the cafe this time and it was absolutely delicious. Which, to be brutally honest, I could have made that determination the day before when my dog annihilated the original one.

Sweeter Than Sweet Tea

On day 5 I ordered a cinnamon roll with icing. When I got back to my car my dog was sitting in my seat so, like a goober, I placed the cinnamon roll, still in the box, on top of the car to move the dog out of my seat. I was not about to encourage a day 3 repeat. I put my coffee in the car and without thinking, closed the door and drove away.

Four blocks later I made a sharp turn and heard something screech across the top of my car before hitting the ground. I initially thought something hit the top of my car and was just going to keep driving. Then – fortunately –  something told me to check it out so I pulled over, got out, and walked back to what I saw hit the ground. Low and behold, it was my cinnamon roll.

Fortunately it didn’t come out of the box so I was able to take it home and eat it. That cinnamon roll was goooood but it took me a few days to finish because of how sweet it was.

When Basic Goes Extra

On day 6 I ordered their avocado toast pictured below.

Avocado Toast with Goat Cheese and Green Onions

Honestly, I wasn’t a big fan of it. It was bread, avocado, goat cheese, and green onions. Some people say they like it. I think I’ll stick with just regular avocado toast.

Proof You Need to Try The Everything Bagel

On day 7 I ordered their everything bagel again, but with salmon this time.

Mercantile & Mash - Everything Bagel with Salmon

I wound up taking it home and scraping the salmon off. There’s nothing wrong with salmon. This experience just reaffirmed my belief that it does not belong on bagels. Unpopular opinion? Maybe.

In Conclusion…

Overall, my experience at Mercantile & Mash was a very positive one. The food service took about 5 to 10 minutes, on par with any other cafe downtown. The employees were extremely friendly and personable. Every single one of them answered all my questions about the establishment and were willing to have long conversations with me about various topics. They always welcomed me into the establishment with a smile.

The atmosphere and set up of the cafe is modern and beautiful. They have an extensive retail selection, nice assortment of refrigerated food items, and plenty of space for you to bring your entire family.

Mercantile & Mash - Plenty of seating

Speaking of family, I found out that the Mercantile & Mash has an upstairs area that customers can rent for business meetings, wedding events, and family get togethers. I definitely recommend you check them out.

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By |2021-03-31T02:28:33+00:00February 3rd, 2020|Comments Off on Mercantile & Mash – A Local Gem

About the Author:

I started this blog to take you along as I discover the greatest treasures of Charleston, whether they’re the ones you know, or the ones tucked just out of the way. These are the things that make a city like Charleston unique, that give it the spice that’s all it's own.
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