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Home > Restaurants > The Mermaid Inn

The Mermaid Inn

Critic's Pick Critics' Pick

96 Second Ave., New York, NY 10003
nr. 5th St.  See Map | Subway Directions Hopstop Popup
212-674-5870 Send to Phone
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  • Price Range: $$

    Key to Prices and ratings

    Upscale
    • Almost Perfect
    • Exceptional
    • Generally Excellent
    • Very Good
    • Good
    Cheap Eats
    • Best in Category
    • Excellent
    • Delicious
    • Very Good
    • Noteworthy
    • Very Expensive
    • Expensive
    • Moderate
    • Cheap
  • Critics' Rating: **

    Key to Prices and ratings

    Upscale
    • Almost Perfect
    • Exceptional
    • Generally Excellent
    • Very Good
    • Good
    Cheap Eats
    • Best in Category
    • Excellent
    • Delicious
    • Very Good
    • Noteworthy
    • Very Expensive
    • Expensive
    • Moderate
    • Cheap
  • Reader Rating:

    6.9 out of 10

      |  

    15 Reviews | Write a Review

  • Cuisine: Seafood
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Photo by Ben Rosenzweig

Official Website

themermaidnyc.com

Hours

Mon-Thu, 5:30pm-11pm; Fri-Sat, 5:30pm-11:30pm; Sun, 5pm-10pm

Nearby Subway Stops

6 at Astor Pl.; F, V at Lower East Side-Second Ave.

Prices

$18-$26

Payment Methods

American Express, Diners Club, Discover, MasterCard, Visa

Special Features

  • Dine at the Bar
  • Outdoor Dining

Alcohol

  • Full Bar

Reservations

Recommended

Profile

This "clam shack built by a beatnik," in previous co-owner Jimmy Bradley's words, has a lot more going for it than littlenecks, however delectable at $7 a half-dozen. A New Englandy front room, a cozier rear, and an adorable garden fill nightly with East Villagers stuck in the city but hungering for the shore. Most bottles of wine are priced a miraculous $15 over cost, and dessert (chef's choice) is on the house. — Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld

Recommended Dishes

Lobster sandwich, $26

Related Stories

New York Magazine Reviews

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Recipes at The Mermaid Inn

6.9 "Recommended"
Average Reader Rating
on a Scale of 10		 Write Your Own Review
66% Would you go back?
64% Would you take a date?
14% Would you take kids?
28% Would you go on business?
38% Would you go on a special occasion?
Food: 7.0
Service: 6.7
Décor: 7.4
Value: 6.8

A Faint Shadow of its Former Self

choosyeater41 from 10003 | Posted on 11/20/09

Overall Rating: 4 (Not Recommended)
Food: 4
Service: 5
Décor: 5
Value: 4

We have been frequenting the Mermaid Inn since it opened. Sadly, the past six months or so have been a straight shot downhill. Menu items now include fried calamari (sports bar grub, anyone?), fried clam strips (reminiscent of what Hojos used to serve), and downmarket substitutes to formerly top-notch ingredients (fluke ceviche, hake, etc.). Moreover, former standouts like the grilled sardines, crispy skate wing, spicy spaghetti w/seafood are nowhere to be seen. Ordinary food rules the roost now, and the wine list has become overpriced. No wonder the place is filled up with clueless twenty-somethings rather than the formerly mostly adult clientele.

saddened to see standby go downhill

sdgwanderlust from 10004 | Posted on 7/27/09

Overall Rating: 3 (Not Recommended)
Food: 3
Service: 3
Décor: 7
Value: 2

I did not hesitate to suggest The-Mermaid-Inn when a friend had a hankering for lobster, as I've been at least 5-6 times, and their food has been consistently good. What followed was a little horrific (excuse the melodrama but given the excellent track record, it was quite dismaying to witness this)... We waited 25mins (had a rez, arrived on time). We had drinks at the bar to quell our annoyance- no offer of comping drinks. The lobster sandwich was comprised of teensy teensy lobster...bits... there's really no other way to describe it. Bits that were mashed in with a lot of filler unlike anything IÂ’ve been served before. Service continued to be abysmal: empty water glasses, and an a/c unit that dripped water down my back. This was a celebratory dinner, and I regret recommending this place over Mary's-Fish-Camp, Pearl-Oyster-Bar, Ed's-Lobster-Bar, and BLT-Fish. I would throw in Urban Lobster Shack and Black Pearl, but I've not been to either, and the latter is now closed. A non-existent Black-Pearl lobster roll would have been better than the one I paid for.

Read All 15 Reviews >>

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