Nestled in a Little Tokyo strip mall, The Mermaid is a whimsical, woman-owned cocktail bar featuring vibrant tiki-inspired drinks and casual pub bites in a cozy, nautical setting.
"This low-key nautical-themed bar located in a Little Tokyo strip mall wants to be everyone’s neighborhood spot; it seals the deal with live music, Tiki Goth Mondays, karaoke Thursdays, and a daily happy hour that runs all day Sunday. Order up a Shot + Tots, a well shot and tots with ketchup, for $10. Even when it’s not happy hour, the drinks are affordable and approachable. Close out a night of high-end drinking Downtown with a tropical punch like Drink Like a Fish with rum and Earl Grey tea." - Eater Staff
"The Mermaid has long been one of our favorite dives in Downtown, but now this tiny Little Tokyo spot has taken things outside with a front parking lot patio that’s quadrupled its footprint. All the more room to get a little sloshed on tremendous tiki cocktails. Open weekdays until 1:30am and until 2am on the weekends, The Mermaid is a perfect spot to hit after a dinner out when nobody wants to go home, since that’s where we’ve all been for the last 14 months. They also have a rotating bar food menu with dishes like tots and queso, chicken tacos, and loaded nachos." - brant cox
"Any place with a sno-cone machine and video loops of swimming mermaids might seem a little cheesy, but this neighborhood dive bar in Little Tokyo is the opposite. Expect a small, darkly lit room filled mostly with musicians, Downtown locals, and people who’d rather die than stand around a mediocre brewery in the Arts District all night. The cocktails are fantastic, and if you want that sno-cone, nobody’s going to stop you - not even the mermaids." - brant cox, brett keating
"The Mermaid is a Little Tokyo dive bar that’s also ditching warmth and cheeriness for a more sinister approach to Christmas. Their holiday pop-up is called “The Siren Who Stole Christmas,” based on Pimu, a treacherous mermaid who lures sailors to their watery graves. But the cocktails at The Mermaid remain fun, festive, and full of rum, like a coquito and the Sinterclaws with white rum, orange, and passion fruit. Also, the holiday menu is part of their Cocktails For A Cause program, where a portion of sales are donated to adopting a family for Christmas. " - sylvio martins
"Little Tokyo spot The Mermaid is back open with bar snacks, cocktails, wine, and beer, Thursday 4-10pm, Friday 4pm-1am, and Saturday 3pm-1am. More info on their Instagram." - brett keating
