The Mermaid Inn

I had brunch at Mermaid Inn recently with a friend. It was a snowy Saturday in nyc, so the place was only moderately packed...nonetheless, my reservation was immediately honored. My date and I shared The salmon poached eggs and the fish tacos. Fish tacos were breaded, which is not my favorite way to have them, so they were only so-so in my view. The salmon poached eggs however were excellent and delicious and came with well-seasoned fries. Our coffee was replenished multiple times, by two separate attentive waitresses. Our bill was around $40, which was very reasonable. Overall, a very pleasant experience....will definitely be back.

I used to love this restaurant, but was very disappointed last time I went. I noticed that a few of my favorites were not on the menu and the waitress told me that a new chef had started this week. The lobster bisque was bad and did not even taste remotely like lobster bisque, but our server was nice enough to remove the charge from the bill. The two entrees that we ordered were not nearly as good as the dishes on the old menu. Overall, the experience was very disappointing especially because it used to be so great.

I went to Mermaid Inn with my husband, who is a meat eater. Usually restaurants that don't have vegetarian entrees will put together a vegetable plate for me. In fact, I'd never been to one that wouldn't. But despite the fact that there are vegetable sides on the menu, our waiter refused and was pretty rude about it. I wound up having a side of lemon whipped potatoes (that combination is as bad as it sounds) and a bowl of mediocre lentils for dinner. If you don't eat seafood, do yourself a favor and skip this place. They certainly don't want your business.

Typically, I case the restaurant before going in, to know what to try or what not to try, etc. I didn't have the opportunity to do that before my visit last night. Went in for a dinner and had the roasted fish with green herbs. The service was friendly but I wish it had been more helpful! The server seemed to complete his tasks with us no interest. And, I am completely bummed because I was not offered the free chocolate mousse, {granted, we were in a rush, but NO MENTION AT ALL}. The mousse, served in tiny cups, looked heavenly. Otherwise... the decor is beautiful and the food is amazing.. had oysters (which I would have appreciated a better introduction by the server) and the roasted fish. Friends had the fish fry and calamari salad. All was good, wish I had been able to enjoy it more and wish that I had gotten the chocolate....

My fiance and I love this place. I've had dinner and/or drinks there many times. A recent (first) trip for brunch only solidified my opinion. The staff is excellent: easy-going and fun, yet completely professional and eager to please. The food is fantastic: large portions, tasty, comfort food-ish but with interesting twists. It is a comfortable neighborhood gem. We're thankful for Mermaid Inn.

In a neighborhood that has few good seafood restaurants this one is distinguished by a limited menu, small portions, high prices and over all mediocrity. There are 2 other seafood restaurants within 3 blocks that are fresher, better and have much larger menu choices at a similar price point. We had the mussels, skate and shrimp po' boy. The shrimp po' boy was the best of the lot.

i went here the other night for dinner with three friends and we all had a great time. the mussel appetizer rocked (really plump mussels and juicy) and the oysters were fresh and briny and the lobster sandwich quite good (maybe not as good as the pearl oyster bar, but still yummy). highly recommended!