Best Date Night Restaurants in Merced

The staff and chef at the Elderberry House excited our expectations! Each dish was beautifully prepared and presented with elegance.

The Valentine Dinner was remarkable. It was a four course meal and we had the tomato bisque soup with balsamic drizzle, which sounds wearied but it added a complementing flavor; bacon wrap shrimp, which has a great smoky flavor and the shrimp was cooked perfectly; the Halibut dinner which had a sauce that complemented the halibut and potatoes and the halibut was cooked to perfection and melted in your mouth; and for desert we has a light a fluffy tiramisu, which was also delicious. In addition the service was excellent and attentive.

We had a great time as usual and the service was outstanding.

Reserved a table for two for an early Valentine’s Day dinner. We were about 5 minutes late, but the staff was very kind and accommodating. Service, food, and drinks were excellent! We started with a bottle of rosé and the spiced pear martini. We did the Mediterranean platter for appetizers—the salad, smoked salmon and pita slices were my favorites. We shared a ribeye, which the kitchen kindly split evenly for us, and the wild mushroom risotto… both were excellent! The portions are actually very decent for all the food we ordered, and the prices are pretty reasonable. The atmosphere was mostly nice. There were some people talking a bit too loud for our tastes, but it wasn’t totally overbearing. Overall, we had a nice time and we’re looking forward to returning to try some of the other dishes!

Max’s is special. The food was delicious, as always. The servers are professional- attentive and friendly. And JJ is always there to greet us with a smile. One of my favorite restaurants for years! The perfect place to get together with family or friends.