The Branding Iron

I read the reviews on Unilocal and decided this was where I wanted to go for my birthday. At 5pm we headed into the restaurant. Upon arrival there was a heavyset blond in a skyblue VW Beetle who pays us no atention. We walk in and there were 3 ladies standing at the host booth. We look at them and they look at us and continue to talk amongst each other. Finally, my husband asks politely if we should seat ourselves. A brunette responded and said she would. Just rude amd not very professsional.
The restaurant was dim and décor was ok, old saloon type of place. Candle lanterns at each table which I liked. So we are seated and immediately greeted by a gentleman who provided us with water and parmesan toast. Im so bad with names and wish I can remember his, he was a tall heavyset guy in his early twenties (maybe) with glasses. Super nice and made us felt very welcome and always topped off our water. He even took our picture for us. The waitress (again I wish I could remember names). Slim, petite, cute young lady in her twenties, brunette with her hair in a ponytail took our order. She was a doll… extremely attentive. For starters we ordered Fried Calamari… extra crispy. Cream of spinach soup. 12oz Prime Rib with baked potato for me and Lamb Chops with Pilaf for the hubby. Sooo good!!! For the price it better have been lol. We were happy with our food, and I even had leftovers to take home.
Then, our waitress came out with a cake with a candle for my birthday. Super cute! I truly give the gentleman and our waitress alot of credit. The food was good but they took good care of us, thats why Im giving 4stars. Feeling welcome and taken care of.
One star off is for the rude hosts who by the way said nothing to us when we walked past them to leave. The heavyset blond was ranting about a 4 bedroom house she lives in and only pays $ 400/​month for. Very unprofessional and snobby and annoying. I personally will not be going back here to dine.

OK. Came here for a graduation dinner and was kind of bummed that the sandwiches my mother and I both ordered were unavailable, as was the artichoke appetizer (we got there halfway through their service). The food we got instead was ok. Really big portions. Service was good and they have their own parking lot.

I came with a large group and we were all pleased with our meals. My steak was perfectly medium rare. I really appreciated the palate cleanser which I would have eaten as dessert. The sides were just okay. However, the service made up for what may have been lacking in the sides. Our server was magnificent! She as kind, attentive and fast. Oh and I can’t say enough about the delicious little chocolate
boots on they give you at the end of your meal. I definitely eat here again.

What a wonderful meal. I love the prim rib seasoning it is tasty without being over powering. Great service and good value for the price.

Family and I came here first time for my college graduation, and I wish I knew about this place sooner. They have a lounge with couches and tables where they serve drinks and appetizers aside from the main dining area, and the atmosphere is very comfortable. The service and staff are friendly and helpful, and the place was busy so our service times were as expected. The menu was diverse, and the food itself was absolutely fantastic. I ordered the lamb, and it was wonderfully filling and perfectly cooked. Overall a wonderful dining experience that I can recommend highly to anyone.

What a fabulous surprise this was. My boyfriend and I were staying in Merced for his job. We asked the front desk for a great steak place and they mentioned The Branding Iron.
The décor is from an old saloon, plush chairs and leather booths. So cozy.
You get seated in oversized
booths and are served amazing garlic bread. We ordered the sampler plate, mushrooms, onion rings and shrimp to die for. ESPECIALLY the mushrooms. OMG!
5 star for sure! I could have stayed there all night sipping wine and just chatting, great atmosphere! They really pay attention to detail… You have to Go!!!
I want to add pics of the food but cannot figure it out, haha, if anyone has a clue pleas let me know!

Always a great experience here! The cocounut crusted prawns are the best! The steaks are always cooked to perfection. The tri-​tip sandwich with aujus is awesome. Service is always prompt and there is a decent happy hour in the bar area. Not to many places to dine at in Merced, but if you are looking for excellent food this is the spot!

I don’t know why people say this place is casual, because it’s not. This is literally the most upscale restaurant I have been to and when I walked in, I felt under dressed. The tables give you a sort of a wine glass just for water and there is more extensive set of silverware each person gets than just one knife and fork.
They brought over some toasted bread with soft butter and water as soon as we sat down. They were really helpful with questions and seemed eager to answer them. I ordered the 10oz Sirloin with a Baked Potato. It was made exactly the way I liked it. The steak was to die for. After they brought me my food, they brought around a dish that had bacon, cheese, chives, sour cream, and more. They literally put as much as you want on you baked potato for FREE. Nobody else does that. The whole time we were there, the waitress kept our drinks full and we felt taken care of.
I’ve never paid that much for a meal in my life. It was $ 63 for two 10oz sirloins and two drinks, but boy if it wasn’t the best experience I had. I really appreciated the fact that there wasn’t screaming children or super loud music the whole time. The atmosphere was amazing and I couldn’t have picked a better place to have my anniversary dinner.

Fuck yeah! Need not say anymore!!! Ok, looks like I do have to write more or they will not print my review. So Fuck Yeah they Rock!

This place has been around since the 1950’s, and is Merced’s most iconic restaurant. I know the use of the word iconic and Merced in the same sentence seems odd, but generations have enjoyed this restaurant.
The Prime Rib is really good, and the Coffee Rubbed Ribeye Steak is exceptional. Service has always been very attentive, and friendly. The bar has good drink specials, and is well stocked.
I try to stop here every time I go through Merced.

So disappointed tonight. We almost always order the coconut prawns. The order comes with 5 prawns. We got 4. The breading was totally different. They were very mushy. Almost to the point of not being cooked all the way through. went from our most favorite item on the menu… to the least favorite. Doubtful we will order those overpriced prawns again.

I’ve been here a few times for dinner and lunch and it it just okay. Customer service could be better and the place could use some cleaning and remodeling

Good service, nice atmosphere, I had the prime rib 12 oz. Was really good. Overall a good place, a little higher priced than similar steak restaurants but I wasn’t disappointed.

Went for lunch and ordered the round up. 3 small steaks wrapped in bacon with a side of veggies. Great cuts of meat and the bread was awesome. Service was fairly good as well. The meal was 12 bucks before tax and tip. Will come back again soon

The good: The food, ambiance, bartenders, and servers are pretty swell. It hits the spot and the food portions are the perfect size. I had the ribs which were solid and also liked the gazpacho and all the sides that came with an entrée. My friends had the fried chicken and salmon and everyone enjoyed their meal.
The bad: The old man at the front of the house is the most sour faced, brash person I’ve ever encountered at a restaurant. It was a busy night and there was a 1.5 hour wait, so he got my phone number and said he would call me. I went back about 1 hour and 40 minutes later to check in and he grumpily said «yeah, we’re ready for you, it’s been an hour and a half and that’s what I told you». Ummmmm ok, then why did you get my number? When I sat for dinner I had a perfect view of him, within earshot, and saw him roll his eyes, huff, and generally be annoyed with several people. He probably owns the place, but not a good choice to make him front of the house.

Best place for real steak in Merced!

Two of us for dinner on Halloween evening, no wait to be seated. Bread (2 pieces, toasted and buttered) and water brought before you could say bread and water. Ordered soup and salad, they came at the same time, right away. Salad was nice, lettuce, spinach, 2 olives, one pepperocini, one beet slice. Soup was cream of broccoli. It was ok. Thin and lightly seasoned. Before I was done with the soup, here comes dinner. 8 oz. Filet mignon was tender, tasty. Medium seemed more medium rare. Not sure why I decided to order fries, but they were fine. Regular fries, not freshly cut steakhouse fries. Baked potato next time. Sliced crook neck squash was buttered, a bit undercooked, I thought. I added s&p. It was ok.
Service was excellent, friendly and fast. Almost too fast. We asked for more bread but never got it.
What we ordered: 1 iced tea, 1 Pepsi.
Two 8 oz. Filet mignon. One cup soup. One deluxe dinner (add soup and salad).
Bill was $ 80 for 2 people.

First, we didn’t order steak dinners. And to be fair, this IS a steak place. I ordered the shrimp scampi. Not very garlicky or buttery. Still, shrimp were good. Like best the baked potato. They add everything one it at your table. My buddy ordered chicken enchiladas. He didn’t like the fact that the chicken wasn’t in strips/​pulled. He also thought it was a little too salty. The staff are very helpful & topped off our water & ice tea multiple times. The large draft beer was a good deal for the $. Next time, Steaks !

It is very rare when a restaurant «talks to you» — you know– when you walk in and you immediately think the place was custom built for you. The Branding Iron in Merced, CA felt like home to me. From the background music– Carol King, The Eagles, Buffett, CCR etc. (not too loud where you can’t have a decent conversation, but loud enough to where you can enjoy it), to the selection of draft beers– this place had my name all over it! I thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of my visit. The menu was extensive– from burgers and sandwiches to ribs, steak, chicken and all kinds of fish. The prices are not cheap– but definitely in line with the quality you get.
The parking lot was full of high end Harley Davidsons and well maintained ford F150s. It’s nice to walk into a restaurant at 6 pm and not feel like you are in the dining room of a nursing home. And it is nice to walk into a restaurant and not think you are in the lunch room of a day care. I am at a point in my life where I have little tolerance for screaming «urchins» when I want a nice quite meal. The place caters to the 50ish crowd who work hard all day and want a nice place to unwind in the evening — great food and great liquor at a price that is reasonable– not too cheap to attract senior citizens looking for a discount or families with kids looking for a children’s menu equipped with crayons but not too expensive to only attract the wealthy.
My waitress Jessa– was awesome– great smile, great attitude (acted like she really enjoyed her job and acted like she enjoyed having me as a customer). She was very attentive with a «retro-​cool» demeanor– fashionably impressive with a circa 1940 hairdo. I can’t stand being waited on by todays «cool” — you know facial tattoos, multi colored hair and nose rings.
I ordered an 8 ounce flank steak medium– and boy– it came out medium. Finally I found a place with a cook who knows the difference between a «pink warm center» and a «bloody red cold center». I am very picky about the temperature of my steak– can’t do well done and will get sick with rare. The steak came with garlic butter melted all over the top. The broccoli came with a nice béarnaise sauce. The baked potato came with butter and Jessa came around with a «baked potato» topping platter– willing to load it up with bacon, sour cream, onions, mushrooms etc. The dinner also came with a small cup of raspberry sorbet– supposed to cleanse my pallet– but I ate it for desert!
My check came out promptly and with the correct charges. It also came with a small chocolate cowboy boot– nice touch– bravo. The check was immediately tended to by the management.
I had an 8 ounce steak, broccoli, loaded baked potato, cup of raspberry sorbet and two 16 ounce draft beers (came in frosted beer glasses– I hate warm beer!) — all for $ 23. Again– priced to keep out the senior crowd looking for a Denney’s Discount and priced to keep out the families looking for an Applebee’s kids menu. The food was great, tasty, and the price was appropriate to the quality.
Just hearing the name– The Branding Iron-​I was afraid before I walked in that I would be slipping on a floor covered with peanut shells, trying to get the attention of an 18 year old dead head waitress by screaming over loud country music (after all this is Merced) — but this was not the case. Pleasantly surprised and highly recommend. I will return when I am in the area.

No wait, no reservation, constant service. Not once did my water get low. The waitress, Connie, was really nice, accommodating, very sweet. We just got married and she was a real delight. The other waiters as well, they work as a team. Now onto the food, from this day forward i will forever hold all steaks to this standard. Medium rare to perfection, juicy, amazing. I know they have good reviews, but i had to add mine. Probably the best steak I’ve ever had. This place was really good.