Mermaid Mexicana

The antojitos (appetizers) and tacos were stand-outs, especially the corn tempura and the authentic rendition of Contramar’s tuna tostada. We did find that the cocktails were lacking: weak, small and not really flavorful.

Such a let down. Walked in for happy hour on a Saturday to an empty restaurant. We were quickly seated, ordered two margaritas, chips and guacamole. Margaritas came back too sweet, barely drinkable. Appetizers never came as we watched 5-6 chips and guacamoles walk past us. No one came to check on us until we hailed the waiter down after 25 minutes just to get the check. Hope they figure this out and train their staff better. Won’t be coming back.

I actually don't want to write a glowing review of this place because I always want to be able to get a table. But they deserve it. The food and drinks were bonkers delicious. The service was attentive and thoughtful. Prices were fair, especially for this food. I can't wait to get back here.

We were just looking for a new place to try and we were in the area the day before for dinner elsewhere. The place was cute, menu items simple and the still had happy hour specials on a Sunday! The food was delicious and the drinks were good! (See pictures in Photo section)

Really authentic tacos! Cocktails were great, Hibiscus margarita was delicious. Service friendly and knowledgeable. Will definitely be back

This was the original Mermaid location further south on MacDougal Street from the current (much larger) Mermaid. The place still looks the same -- bright and attractive. The people are great across the board, you'll have a very pleasant experience here. The menu is very different from Mermaid with a distinctive/authentic Mexican flavor. Although they also have a very good happy hour deal too (no $1.25 oysters sadly). Everything we tried was super fresh and tasty; fish taco, taco al pastor, maduros, quesadilla. Not a bad serving size either. There are cheaper places to grab Mexican food in NYC obviously, but consider this an elevated spot to try. No free dessert like Mermaid, but they do have a dessert menu (did not have room to try one).

Good food and drinks!

This is an absolutely lovely place! Great food, great service and perfect for a night out after work or a relaxing time with friends.

We went on a Saturday afternoon for drinks and food, for food I would give 5 stars because everything was delicious but I wouldn't recommend ordering cocktails. None of the ones we tried really worth the price. Neither the Paloma tasted like a real Paloma, (more like tequila with pink sparkling water) I couldn't taste neither the lemon, agave or grapefruit juice or soda. So definitely it wasn't a Paloma, nor the spicy cucumber was outstanding either. From their happy hour menu we asked to replace one Paloma with mezcal and they charged the full price ($16) for a water down, drink. So if you must. Just order beer. Now let's talk about the wonderful things. The Food and the service! A++++ mexican hospitality, country well known to be the king of hospitality, so nothing but compliments for service. For food, we had the tostada de atún, so good we had to order a second one lol, pescado a la talla, perfectly cook, delicious flavor and texture, not one bone in the plate, shrimp cocktail, delicious too, flake aguachile, I wasn't a fan, but presentation is beautiful, and fried esquites, please indulge yourself with this, a very unexpected texture and flavor that really surprised us in a good way! Nothing was spicy at all, except for a little garnish red chiles on top of the agua chile, everything was really rich in flavor though. But I guess if you are expecting traditional spicy Mexican food, this is not your place, no sauces were offer either to compliment the food, and I'm not talking about bottled sauces, I'm talking about house made sauces, that would have been a nice touch, because for me is impossible to conceive Mexican food without spiciness, or at least the option to add it. So I would totally recommend for food, not for drinks and don't expect anything to be spicy, however everything did taste very good! Plates appetizers and mains are on the smaller size, so I would recommend ordering at least 2/3 dishes per person.

I've always loved Mermaid restaurants and really admired the entrepreneurial spirit of the brothers who are behind Mermaid, JG Melon and Magnolia Bakery. Their perseverance through the Pandemic has been admirable. Giving up the Mermaid Oyster Bar and JG Melon Greenwich Village leases was part of their COVID survival strategy. When the landlord for the old JG Melon space dropped the rent, Mermaid Oyster Bar had a new home. The landlord at the old Oyster Bar location down the street quickly offered a deal and the Mermaid Mexicana concept was born. While I was hoping it would be more seafood oriented, the food was good. The stars of the show though are the amazing margaritas. Service is terrific too.

We had a lovely dinner at Mermaid Mexicana this week. The food and service were both good. We started with the guacamole, chicharron, and chips. They were able to accommodate chicharrons on the side, which was appreciated. The guacamole was a good iteration - smooth and fresh, with the chips nicely spiced. We then had the hamachi guachile and chicken tacos. The hamachi was fresh with a good balance of spice and acid. The chicken tacos were very tasty. The chicken was flavorful, and the spice was complemented well by the jicama and radish. We finished with the open face birria quesadilla and skirt steak. The open face quesadilla was a creative play on a classic dish. The skirt steak was well-cooked and well-seasoned. We enjoyed the service. Our waiter was attentive without being overbearing. They brought us a free shot of frozen mango margherita for making us wait for our food, but to be honest, it was actually refreshing to get a real break in between courses to digest and anticipate the remaining food.

Great happy hour 4:30-6:30pm! $10 food and $9 cocktails/wine and $6 beers. It's located right next to Dante which had a band playing outside. I sat at the bar and was able to hear the music which was perfect. The bartender was super friendly. I enjoyed the Paloma I got. The woman next to me ordered the chips and guac which came out in a good portion size. Lots of indoor and outdoor seating. I'd definitely come back to try their food!

WOW! What can I say? It's a Mermaid restaurant! Everything Mermaid is excellent!! We dined outside. Seated promptly started w drinks and happy hour items!! The food, the service was great! Our server was Freddie S! He was very professional and on point. A great concept! The Mexican Idea was great. The place is larger then it looks. We had the guacamole and chips, crispy popcorn. Then we had the chicken quesadilla & the flautes de queso. We had the Cardini's Caesar Salad. (Which was amazing, grilled romaine). We then ordered two Baja tacos and the Birria tacos. Everything was very nicely presented and full of great flavor.

I'm such a fan of Mermaid Inn, and was so excited to try Mermaid Mexicana. I came with friends for happy hour on a Saturday. We started with some classic margaritas from the happy hour menu, which were fine, and then switched over to the "for the burn" cocktail after happy hour, which we all really enjoyed. The food did not disappoint. We all loved the guac & chips, flautas de queso, and platano tacos. We got a birria open faced quesadilla at the time (though I'm not sure if it's on the menu anymore) and it was absolutely delicious. The one small issue was the service, which makes sense given it recently opened. We were sitting for quite a while and we had to flag someone down to take our order. However, after that our server was wonderful and very attention. This is a great happy hour spot to come with a group of friends and to stick around for dinner.

I actually don't want to write a glowing review of this place because I always want to be able to get a table. But they deserve it. The food and drinks were bonkers delicious. The service was attentive and thoughtful. Prices were fair, especially for this food. I can't wait to get back here.

I had higher expectations given the good reviews. Obviously it jams and is kinda a scene but that is due to the location. The food was fine but definitely not the best Mexican I'm NYC. I got the birria tacos and didn't realize it was a hard shell with shredding beef. I like soft tacos better. The chicken enchiladas were good but again not the best in the city. Service was friendly and really quick. Oh and my friends drink (G&T) was strong.

I was wandering around without reservations on a Saturday early evening. Came across Mermaid Mexicana. Even better, it was happy hour. The chips and guacamole was fantastic, as was the shrimp cocktail. Looking forward to diving into more items here. If you're in the area, this is not your run-of-the-mill Mexican cuisine. Delicious. Everybody so friendly! Come here :-)

As a mermaid inn fan, was so excited to try mermaid mexicana! The food did NOT disappoint, I could eat the chipotle corn fritters every day for the rest of my life, and incredible tacos. My only sticking point -- the happy hour menu says "wine - $9", so I ordered two glasses, unbeknownst to me that apparently the standard rose that I ordered wasn't on HH menu. I felt the waitress should have mentioned that as she knew my friend was ordering off the HH menu, or she was inaccurate. At the end of the day it was a $10 additional charge and not the end of the world - but menu is absolutely misleading. Would go back for the food, but my heart is with the OG mermaid inn.

I completely forgot to take pictures but the drinks were amazing (we ordered the pepino picante and la playa) and tacos were great (Camarones and platano). I will say they tasted much better than they looked and two is definitely not enough for dinner. Service was great!

Was very sad to be met with such horrible service from a Resturant group I normally love

Food was delicious! Drinks were delicious! Location was great, nice ambiance in the back room especially. Service was friendly and attentive. We would come back the next time we're in the city.

Food and drinks were great. Service super efficient and friendly. Excellent neighborhood spot with welcoming vibe.

Love Mermaid Oyster Bar and thrilled to see they opened a Mexican concept. Came for happy hour with my toddler & we had a blast. Delicious margarita and chips and guacamole. Also had tacos. Friendly staff kept my water glass full which I appreciate and hostess brought crayons for my daughter which was so nice. I live down the street and am sure will be back frequently!