Oysters, Oysters, Oysters at the Mermaid Inn!
We love oysters, so we were prepared to drool when we arrived at the Uptown location of the Mermaid Inn.
To start, we had a selection of the slimy buggers from both coasts, battling for seafood supremacy. The west coast ones were smaller and less flavorful than their east coast counterparts, but we deemed that had to do with our location, not the Oysters’ home. If you make it to the daily Happy Hour from 17:00-19:00 it’s $1 an oyster, a price that’s hard to beat in the city.
The rest of the menu takes fish seriously, but keeps it low-key: With lobster (whole or in a sandwich), rainbow trout, fish tacos, blackened southern style catfish and whatever grilled whole market fish the day brings in. The raw bar has clams and tuna alongside the oysters and we saw a group devour a generous grand platter ($65) with satisfied zest. Much of seafood on offer is local and they even have a kids menu.
Overall we had a great time there with the highlights being the oysters (obviously) and the cute after dinner “fortune cookie” which bend on you open palm to tell you if you’re “passionate”, “jealous” or a “dead fish”. Seating a is bit tight and the place can get noisy at high occupancy, but where we sat outside on the patio it was utterly enjoyable.
It’s a good candidate for seafood lovers, a romantic dinner, or wining and dining any generation without breaking the bank.
The Mermaid Inn (Upper West Side)
568 Amsterdam Ave,
New York, NY 10024
Mon.: 17:00-22:00
Tues.-Fri.: 17:00-22:30
Sat.: 11:00– 15:30, 17:00 – 22:30
Sun.: 11:00 – 15:30, 17:00 – 22:00
Reserve by phone: +1 (212) 799-7400
or on opentable.com
