Island Mermaid

Went here last night for dinner and drinks. Got the Grouper and it was very good. The calamari was too fried and small pieces. Service was decent and friendly. The view of the sunset outside was outstanding. The downsides were the prices and the noise/​crowds. If you have the money to burn then it’s a good experience.

Terrible service at lunch, waitress seemed annoyed by our questions, and avoided us for the rest of the meal; choosing to flirt with a table of guys siting behind us instead. This is one of the few places on the water, but we didn’t come back and it ranked as the worst dining experience we had on the island during our visit.

Awful customer service, would give this place no stars if it was an option. Food is mediocre at best.
Spend your money elsewhere.

We had such a wonderful dinner that we went back for lunch the next day! It was early dinner on Saturday so we were seated right away and next to a heat lamp, the hostess/​host noticed I was cold.
Our waitress Hailey was at our table right away and was extremely knowledgeable, she literally has had everything on the menu. Most of her recommendations were spot on. For appetizer we had the grilled octopus, perfectly executed, flavorful dish. The octopus was tender with the perfect amount of char, balanced by creamy white Gigante beans. Sliced celery, fennel and radish for brightness. Finished with a subtle, light oregano vinegrette. The calamari (enough for 4 people) was simply done, the coating was consistent, crispy and light. The tomato sauce was a cross between marinara and a romesco sauce. The almonds in the sauce were a nice touch. The Tuna tataki!!! Omg! So fresh, great portion, lightly seared as it should be, lightly crusted as it should be. The slices were a little big for the chop sticks, but who cares! I’d eat it with my hands if I had to. Another favorite was the lump crab salad. Again freshness is #1 priority for me, this Salad was delicious, you were able to taste every ingredient none over powered the other, just complemented the star of the dish the Crab! Other dishes we enjoyed were the cob salad, the Tuna BLTA and the massive sizes panko crusted Chicken tenders, homemade!
Now for the items we didn’t like as much, the grouper, bland and the orzo was swimming in a sauce that tasted like margarine. The codfish special was also on the bland side minus the over use of pancetta. The lardon sized pieces were hard to chew. Honestly it was as if someone wasn’t tasting the sauces, just saying…
The drinks we had were really good, we tried a few different ones from their menu. The wine selection was really up my alley. Love SB Kim Crawford, (who doesn’t?) Reliable wine. We also had the prosseco, which was also great! The best was a $ 36 bottle of Nero D’ Avila, hope I spelled correctly. This wine I once had at a Batali restaurant, so I took the chance and ordered it here. Just a great wine for the price.
The atmosphere, well let me say, we enjoyed a megawatt sunset sitting right by the water. What could be better than that? As looked around, I saw the bar was packed and everyone was having a good time. Boats were pulling in and off loading table loads of crew (familes). Every table was full, the vibe was just what we wanted.
Desserts we had were the S’mores sundae, the chocolate bomb and a blueberry ginger cobbler. Yum!
This was our first and second time to Island Mermaid and we will return. Hopefully our good experience here will continue to be consistent and get even better.

Don’t waste your time or money on this place. Didn’t have everything that was on the menu, food was mediocre at best, service was slow and incompetent (brought us someone else’s order and then took it away even though we had already touched it) but the worst part, by far, was the terrible manager. He was extremely rude and offensive, called us derogatory words «as a joke» and then tried to gyp us of the free drinks he had offered because our food was bad. I have never experienced such terrible customer service and would never come back here for the life of me. There are a million other places to eat in Fire Island, don’t come to this one.

Given how wild it gets here at night, I didn’t expect this to be one of my favorite lunch spots on fire island. I went twice in one weekend.
The seafood is always super fresh, the views & vibes are really beautiful/​chill and the wait staff is lovely.
I highly recommend the mahi mahi or the tuna burger (hold the bun). The mahi mahi was probably one of the best I’ve ever had & the tuna was so fresh and so well seasoned. I also appreciate that the guacamole doesn’t have cilantro (I’m one of the ones with the weird genetic cilantro aversion).
We, of course, also ordered rocket fuels both times– the token fire island drink — and honestly just enjoyed eating by the water in the beautiful weathers both days! Can’t wait to come back. :)

Fun, good food, nice décor and wonderful service.
On the water a real treat.
Not just seafood leave room for desert!

One of the best experiences we have ever had, and certainly the best on fire island. Our server, Liam, was awesome. He provided great service and had a great personality as well.
Our food was great, pre-​wine cocktails were strong and we had a great table by the water. I would absolutely go back and will recommend Liam and the island mermaid to anyone who asks.

We were at Ocean Beach for the day and were looking for a place to eat dinner. Just a tip… don’t expect to get seated anywhere for dinner that is on the water because there’s an extremely long wait!
We were there around 6:30 and we were told that we wouldn’t be seated until 9:45, so we opted to just get drinks instead. A guy working there (presumably the owner) told us that we could grab a drink from inside and then walk out to the dock behind his restaurant because there was no space in their direct outdoor space. (Which was extremely kind of him!)
BUT, the drinks were really expensive. $ 8.50 for a beer is really steep, but worth it for us since we wanted to be out near the water for the sunset, so thanks!

My boyfriend and I decided to grab a quick bite to eat here before we were heading to the beach. Walked in the they sat us right away. The sitting is outside, you can either be in the shade or in the sun. The waitress did take a while to come and take our order so that was a little ehh.
For lunch we ordered a lobster roll. It wasn’t anything special, wish they had a little bit more imagination since it was simple. Bun was lightly toasted and the lobster was not buttery. I did love the curly fries!
PS, bathrooms are super super small and tight!

Went there for lunch and had a great meal.
gourmet burger was delicious.
will definitely come back.
was very crowded so be prepared to wait to be seated and make reservations for dinner.

If you are looking for the best views in ocean beach fire island look no further!!! Rocket fuels at sunset are a must hear. The food is ok, but sitting out in the bay makes up for any short comings in the kitchen.
Unfortunately the table service is terrible and almost nonexistent. It’s one of those places you find the entire wait staff standing around talking, while you signal your need for a refill. The bar staff how ever is great. The owner/​manager Scott should take a class in customer relations. I don’t think I have meet anyone in the food service industry who is as rude, and aloof as him. It’s almost like he’s doing us a favor just being open.

Great scenery as you sit on the water. First restaurant we tried. Ordered the lobster roll for lunch as it was a bit fishy. I asked the waitress if it was fresh and she said yes. Drinks are not bad here. Overall this place has good outdoor ambiance but can work on freshness or flavoring as other good restaurants in area.

Unfortunately have to revise my previous review on this and give it only 2 stars.
The further we got into the Summer season, the worst the food and service got, and the more arrogant Scott, the owner.
No longer my favorite.

Not sure why everyone is so tough on this restaurant. For what Fire Island is, and what you can expect, the Mermaid has it all.
First, they have the best view with the most outdoor seating of any restaurant on the island.
Second, the atmosphere is laid back and festive.
The food is terrific in my opinion, I mean it’s not Michelin rated but for dockside sunblasting beer drinking music playing fun loving Yada Yada it’s a 10.
The service is ok, could it be better… sure. but for all of the other positives I can’t condemn them for a crowd they are trying to please.
So if you are looking for fun in the sun, waterfront, in the sun food this is the place. If you are looking for a quiet meal sitting back and relaxing day… stay mainland.

I just don’t know how you could get better than this place…
We had dinner, on the water last Thursday. Could quite possibly be the best night of our week in Fire Island. Maybe because the crowds were gone, maybe because i was with great people… but truly Mermaids is awesome.
I had the Lobster special. I am no shellfish expert, but truth is it was a bit rubbery. All my sides were DELICIOUS. Apparently so was the pig roast and clam bake that the rest of the table had.
We had a bday at the table, so we ordered the trio of pie. Pretty Amazing.
Our server was awesome, the owner came over to chat… the bartenders after were just great. I know FI gets NUTS come Friday evening, but our Thursday dinner was NOTHING But enjoyable.

Awesome experience at the Mermaid for breakfast and dinner today. Scott, the dude at the bar, and the whole crew helped out all day and made us feel special. Thanks for getting that outdoor heater working!
Definitely stop by for food and drinks. You’ll have a good time.

In order to truly enjoy this restaurant, get yourself a good, hard drink at the bar before you sit down for dinner. The stiff drinks are about all that this place gets right.
Even though several tables were open, we still waited about 15 minutes to be seated. We didn’t receive a cocktail menu, so we had to ask for one. It then took 20 minutes to get our drinks. We placed our drink and food orders at the same time.
An hour later, we finally got our food. I had subbed fries instead of the (white) rice and (bland) black beans, yet I still got white rice and beans. The chicken was left off a salad. The guy delivering our food was different from the server we originally had, so I can forgive him on that part, but why would the kitchen be so backed up when the restaurant wasn’t even half full? I can’t figure how it took an hour to cook, plate, and serve everything. My fish tacos just tasted weird – it was topped with plain cole slaw and the most bland salsa I’d ever had. It was like eating cardboard and paper mash. Clearly everything here is frozen to fried – there’s no way the mahi mahi in my tacos were fresh. I laugh at the poor fool who ordered the Kobe beef sliders, the «special of the day.»
Our server didn’t check in on us at all while we were waiting that hour, which really bothered me. The real icing on the cake was learning that the cook was the same drunken asshat that elbowed me in the head several times while he danced like Cthulhu on molly at the Sand Bar the night before.
Bottom line the customer service in the restaurant just sucks. They have a monopoly on the waterfront, so they know they don’t need to work harder than they have to to make money. I say take your cash elsewhere.

I love, love, love it here! I plan to have my wedding here. The food is fantastic, and the service is great. You get to see the sun set and rich people pull their boats into the dock. The drinks are amazing, and I went to an event here that served finger food and other hors d’oeuvres and they were all amazing! It can get a little crowded during the peak season and the bathroom is just eeek, so that takes off one star. Be prepared to pay a pretty penny for dinner, but it’s just so worth it.

I don’t really understand the bad reviews.
— Great view of the sea, right on the water
— Choice of shade or sun (they have umbrellas!)
— Crab cakes benedict for brunch — includes mimosa or bloody mary
— Amicable service
I had absolutely no problem getting my food in a timely manner. The only thing I could think of – fries were too salty.
Good thing we didn’t listen to the bad reviews, we would’ve missed out on a perfect Sunday brunch alongside waves and seagulls.
I’m really into waterfront dining.