The Mermaid Inn

On a rainy Saturday afternoon in Rye, the restaurant here seemed to be struggling for customers. So although they usually have a very limited lunch menu, they enticed our group of 16 to stay for lunch by letting us also choose from the a la carte dinner menu, which had a lot better veggie choice and seemed much more reasonably priced given most of us were after just one course.
The interior is just as olde worlde as the outside looks, and I don’t think any of the décor has changed for the last 50 years at least. It’s a bit of a maze inside too so I found a gorgeous inglenook fireplace in the bar area first which it was hard to tear myself away from — and meant the dining room felt quite cold to start with once I found it. It warmed up a bit once all of our party and a couple of other groups arrived (though you can’t beat coming in from the cold to a roaring fire in the hearth ;).
The staff were so lovely and helpful, letting us mix and match between menus and bringing out a high chair for the latest 9 month old addition to our gang. Though they were a little naïve on a few things too, like not knowing what was in some of the dishes or bringing out milk with mint tea (?!).
I was really chuffed with my fish and chips, as it was a good sized portion and a pleasing chunkiness of chip. The burgers also seemed to go down well elsewhere. I was sympathetic to the veggies of the group though — well the halloumi burger looked great, but the lentil and kale stuffed cabbage leaf that one mate went for looked about as good as it sounds (ie not very!).
They could do with a bit more lighting in the daytime I think, a few candles perhaps, just to make it a bit warmer and cosier. That was the only thing missing for me — otherwise well worth the trek up the cobblestoned hill!

This is a review for the Inn itself.
Book a room and table for dinner and soak up the atmosphere
I booked a twin room for 3 nights in April. I’m very familiar with the Inn, but have never spent a night there. I found the specific room I wanted online, and then made the booking over the phone, requesting the room. The staff are really helpful and pleasant.
Our room was wonderful, in the roof, over the main entrance. The floors creaked and you will find the odd web in the beams, if you really look for them. But for those who want to step back in time, it’s one of the most charming places to stay. The bathroom, thankfully, wasn’t like stepping back in time, with nice products and piping hot water. The head boards were antique, as was all the furniture in the room, but the mattresses were new and so comfy.
We had reservations for dinner each night and the rooms are all B&B. We had drinks in the ancient bar and read up on the history of the place. The only way our stay could have been improved, would have been by seeing one of the famous ghosts we’d read about.
I was delighted to see the dining room full each night. The food they serve is really high quality and looks as exquisite as it tastes. They have a great wine selection too. The staff are young and chatty and after three breakfasts, three dinners and three night’s sleep, it really felt like home.