"Then the fiddler crab plays his violin On the back of a dancing whale While the mermaid sing to the shell they bring And the dragon leads with his sweeping tail" (Elvis Presley) After a morning of shopping in Kittery, we went hunting for a lunch spot and ended up making a stellar choice with the Blue Mermaid. Stumbling onto authentic Caribbean cuisine in coastal Maine wasn't exactly on my Bingo card, but it turned out to be a very welcome surprise. The restaurant is very spacious with a big bar, dark wood exposed ceiling beams, and blue and green accented décor. Their menu is multi-cultural with Asian, Mexican, Burgers and Jamaican influences. Our lunch choices were a cup of Lobster and roasted Corn Chowder ($13) for my wife and a Bowl of Ital Stew ($14) for me. I'm a fan of Jamaican food, and although I've often seen Ital Stew on Jamaican menus, I never tried it and really had no idea what it was. The Blue Mermaid's menu described it as "Lemongrass coconut broth, root vegetables, spinach, black beans, and chickpeas". So that was enough for me to order it. I enjoyed it a lot. The broth had a very distinctive flavor and was loaded with chunks of those vegetables. And I have to mention the very cute touch of fish shaped biscuits that came with our lunches - 1 for the cup of chowder and two for my bowl of stew. Our server, identified on our bill as "PM B" was friendly and very pleasant. The Blue Mermaid seems to be a bit of a social gathering venue, with live music on Bluegrass Sunday Brunch, and supporting charitable initiatives. And they got bonus points from me for hosting a Bob Dylan Appreciation Night on May 28. read more

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I ordered online but the order must not have went through, probably my fault, when I arrived I ordered again and everyone was very friendly and helpful. I ordered salmon with rice and asked what the seasonal vegetable was, I was told broccoli then did a little dance cause I love broccoli. Once I arrived back at the Airbnb I realized I got a salad??? Not broccoli and rice entree I thought I ordered. I looked online and I'm not sure what dish I received. It was good, it had salmon. I didn't get dressing so I ate it dry. I think it may have the potential to be an amazing dish. Does it normally come with a dressing??? read more

Blue Mermaid - Caribbean Near Me - Kittery, Maine

My friends and I made it just before they closed last Sunday. It was busy and had live music. It is a large place! I move on Saturday the 28th but if you're in the area - check out their Latin dance night! The food was delicious and the service was great. No one seemed upset we arrived 10 minutes before closing. If you're in Kittery - get away from the outlets and check out the Blue Mermaid - especially if you enjoy Caribbean flavor. Not too pricey, either. read more

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1st time trying the restaurant was not impressed. Our bartender made us a very good dirty martini But had to tell us and was very embarrassed that they had like 4 items that was not ready and we could not order them because the cooks did not Show up early enough to prepare them so they weren't ready. We ordered the chicken saddlebag wontons that were tasteless. We were excited to try the lobster corn Chowder, turns out it There was no corn in it whatsoever Very little potatoes and a couple specks of lobster. If I did return to this restaurant I have to say it would be only for a cocktail. read more

What! The Blue Moon has made our weekly favorite list! Great staff, fresh food, FABULOUS FRIES THAT HAVE POTATO SKIN, atmosphere is comfortable and a touch of island music. Grab someone and head over. read more

Blue Mermaid - This was special, grab a drink off the specials menu - Caribbean Near Me - Kittery, Maine

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I have no idea why this place is popular. I've given it several tries just to see if there were bad nights or some of the stuff on the menu is better than others. No, the food here is just bad. The saddle bags taste like cardboard with the texture of sand. The burgers have fake grill marks and reek of fake smoke. I don't have any words for the short rib dish. It's just dull and flavorless. The poutine is passable. It's all way overpriced for what you get too. It tastes like a restaurant that relies on Sysco pre-made items. I have 25+ years of experience with cooking, and I highly doubt they're doing anything from scratch. Everything tastes pre-cooked and frozen. read more

The food and wait staff (Mackenzie) were excellent. We came for open mic night where our team had songs prepared and had booked a 6:30 time slot. Shawn B put our band off multiple times telling them they would be next AT LEAST 4x allowing other bands to take the stage. If you only want your friends' bands to play, it shouldn't be advertised as an open mic night --- when we asked Shawn after yet another band was put on stage ahead of our group, we were told "if you don't like it leave". Not a good way to treat paying customers- unacceptable! read more

We were scheduled for Open Mic night. Hosted by Shawn Babineau. We were going to play 4 songs..... We ate food. We paid for drinks. We were told "you are next" ~ and then denied. Another band, played. We were told "you are next" ~ and then denied. Another band barely entered the restaurant, "you are next" ~ and then denied!! Horrible. Inexcusable. Bar was closing in 10 min. No way to treat a band, ready with 4 songs, to an open mic night....arrrrrgh. We left. Superb food. Shittttttttty service by music manager. WILL. NOT. BE. BACK. EVER. F**K YOU SHAWN!!!!!!! read more

Some photos from my recent visit. The short rib entree was outstanding. The Rasta pasta was yummy but could've been spicier. The tips were great too! read more

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Creative food options. Live music offerings. Upbeat staff & Bar manager. Great parking and a definite "must try" near downtown Kittery.

This was our first trip back to the Blue Mermaid since they relocated from Portsmouth, and I'm glad we gave it a try. Since it was a beautiful evening, we decided to have dinner outdoors on their pleasant and comfortable patio. We did poke inside and the space looked great, so much nicer and bigger than the Portsmouth spot. We had the nicest waitress and service was spot on throughout the meal. Cocktails were delicious and potent. We tried the pretzels and pub cheese and "saddle bags" for starters. Both appetizers were great. Saddle bags are a bit like fried wontons, and the pretzels were warm and delicious. We had mixed results with our entrees. I had the Bahn Mi Hot dog, huge and delicious. It's not often you find a hot dog as a dinner option, so I threw caution to the wind, and glad I did. We also tried the lobster quesadilla, and I suppose we should have known better. At a $15 price point and with lobster prices sky high today, it was really mostly cheese and scant lobster. In fact there were pieces of the quesadilla that had no lobster at all. I think they need to make this a market price item and use a proper amount of lobster, or find a more affordable filling. It was tasty otherwise, but a letdown. All in all, a very pleasant dinner, and glad we made the effort to find them. They are a bit off the beaten path, but worth the trip. read more

Blue Mermaid - How often do you find a hot dog on the menu? This one was great - Caribbean Near Me - Kittery, Maine

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Getting a better open mic night host, we were scheduled at 630pm, we been sitting there since 5pm to 8pm, and you keep getting told your up next for 4 bands in a row, and you ask Shawn, what's the deal. His response is " it is what it it is , if you don't like it you can leave" so that's what we did, so we left. Shawn needs to improve on dealing with the public,,Hopefully Blue Mermaid don't teach the staff "It is what it is, if you don't like it you can leave" read more

Food was really good. The drinks, even the mocktails were good. Wait staff was fantastic. Entertainment person left us with a bad taste over all as he was unprofessional and should not have been handling an open mic event. Ill prepared and snarky. He lost business for the restaurant. It was a disappointment after the communicated expectations we never received. read more

Mediocre experience. I had read about this place online and wanted to try - the menu looked interesting and my husband was excited about the Paella. We arrived early so it wasn't super busy, other than the bar area. They had no drafts available (machine broken) and the selection of bottles/cans was not so great, especially given they are next door to a fabulous brewery, literally share a wall! The wait staff was lukewarm in greeting us and plopped cans down on the table, no glass offered. We ordered paella and poke bowl. Both were underwhelming, not bad but not great: bland and smallish portions. Everyone was just friendly enough to not be rude but not welcoming at all, no interest in whether this was our first visit, etc. We won't go back. read more

We were there for a rehearsal dinner. Service was excellent as well as the 3 options to choose from for dinner. We were able to move around and socialize with everyone. It's a favorite place to go to ! read more

First time here. And I will be back. Staff was welcoming and pleasant. Interior is so pretty , light and bright. Lunch was served quickly and was delicious. Def a gem in Kittery. read more

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The poutine was so good and the portion sizes were really large. Everything I ordered was pretty tasty. The viet fish surprisingly had decent flavor. I'd skip the fried chicken. Stars if the show were poutine and salads. The fried cauliflower was not great - too much breading read more

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We popped in here for a quick bite while at the local farmer/craft market and the food was absolutely delicious! I got the Hangover bowl from the Sunday brunch menu and he flavors blended so well with the most delicious flavored short rib. My mom got the special Benedict on top of a sweet potato cake and it was good but recommend the Hangover bowl! read more

Stopped here for lunch one day while stopping over on our way to Acadia National Park. It was pretty good. There were 4 of us. Two of us had the grilled cheese with homemade sweet potato chips(mmm). It was good but i wish i had ordered the Jerk chicken wrap. My friend ordered it (was too spicy for her) and it was awesome! She gave me a piece and id go back just for that!! Someone else had the fish sandwich and said was good but a little well done. We all had water served in a mason jar which we poured into our jelly jar glasses. It was cute but where's the ice? Lol It took over half an hour to get our food, it seemed soo long but maybe because we were all hungry. Service was good though. read more

Blue Mermaid - Lunch menu - Caribbean Near Me - Kittery, Maine

Worst service I've ever had- being in the business myself made it even more Frustrating! Watched at least 6 employees standing around on their phones while we waited for someone, anyone, to say hello. Ten minutes later we asked if we could have a drink and the answer was - whatta ya want? You can't mess up a glass of wine, so that was fine. Then we foolishly ordered their "awesome lobster quesadilla" which was one step down from a cardboard box with maybe some crumbs of frozen knuckle meat in a piece or 2. Dry, cold and burned. After sitting there with an empty glass for 15 minutes ( watching the girl bartender order the man bartender around cause she was on her phone) she came over. "Do you want anything else?" I asked to see the wine list again and quickly decided to stick with the same but she went out back and disappeared . 6 MINUTES LATER she asks what I want- I said "CHECK PLEASE". Whoever the owner is, is losing money- what a shame. Cute place and comfy bar but THATS IT. Sorry blue mermaid but you clearly need some customer service training. Oh, and this was on a Saturday! read more

So I read the reviews for the lobster quesadilla before getting and despite the mixed reviews I went for it. I LOVED it. I would agree with others that it is lacking in the amount of lobster, but for $14 that makes sense to me and the cheese was really great and there was corn which I love. The salsa they had was also surprisingly good, I ate the whole amount! Also to note their bubbly happy hour is only $5/glass and a great full pour. read more

Blue Mermaid - Bubbly - Caribbean Near Me - Kittery, Maine

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Five stars by far best food I could ask for even helped with the kids. They were so generous and helpful and new just when to come help us At the table. read more

It just fell so short. Having been here before a few times I had a certain level of expectation. Surprised to the hangover bowl was nothing like before. It was heavy greasy and totally lacking presentation. The steak and cheese was burnt a bit and dry. Drinks were honestly watered down. It was such a let down because they usually nail it. If I had not been here before I would cross it off my list.I probably will go back just not soon. Only hope they get back to what they are capable of. read more

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The food was delicious. My fb got the monte cristo sandwich and I got a burrito. There were so many flavors in them. Even the potatoes were delicious. The food is unique. We look forward to returning. read more

Had the Shrimp Tanos which were nice flame grilled. Have to admit I am new to tacosso this might be the way of things but I find it disappointing that you have a warm shrimp but everything else is cold. Again- this is probably not Blue mermaids fault but just nit great. read more

I really enjoyed the open space, comfy corner chairs and couch seating and large bar away from crowded tables. I am not from the area so I enjoyed seeing the locals pop in for a drink at the bar. Since I was staying at an Air BnB up the road, I stopped in 2x for food. Picked up the quinoa salad to go and it was surprisingly very tasty and filling, and traveled well. The IPA I had while waiting was good as well. On my second visit I got the Rasta burger and fries. I think I would have been more satisfied ordering the quinoa salad again even though I was nursing a hangover and really needed the greasy fries. Fries weren't great. Not bad, but not that great either. A bit on the soggy/limp side, and the bun on the burger tasted slightly stale. I wouldn't recommend this burger unless you're starving and vegetarian with no other options other than the salad lol The waitress was super nice and service was great. read more

Blue Mermaid - Rasta Burger and IPA - Caribbean Near Me - Kittery, Maine

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Just finished a dismal Easter brunch. Cold potatoes accompanied a lamb Benedict mess that was comprised of tough, chewy lamb and a mish mosh of spices that left a muddled taste. read more

Great stop for Sunday Brunch... all the dishes were delishs.. the jalapeno margarita was awesome. Mimosa's and bloody's looked good too... food was sumptuous we split our burrito and it was enough for 2! read more

Good service overall. They handle large groups pretty well. BUT. tonight I ordered the Saddlebags.. and I'm kicking myself for not sending them back to the kitchen, They were so salty. Inedible. I noticed other tables that ordered them left them almost untouched. The texture of the filling was strange as well. Overprocessed, and pasty. Skip the saddlebags and order something else! read more

The best dinner We've had in a long time! Everything was great from the moment we stepped in the door. Friendly, very knowledgeable and professional waitstaff. Appetizers were unique and full of flavor! Delicious corn fritters! Entrees were good portions and excellent! Perfectly cooked! Finished up with dessert and locally owned coffee. Maple bacon cheesecake was my favorite. Our waitress took time to chat with us about the restaurant, other "foodie" places to try and places to see/ things to do in the area. Thank you so much for making our Anniversary special! We will be back with friends/family soon to work our way through your menu, and also to try your brunch! read more

Blue Mermaid - Wontons, Grilled Banana, Corn Fritters - Caribbean Near Me - Kittery, Maine

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Fantastic lunch today! Coconut Curry sweet potato soup, Kale salad with chicken & a Kimchi Hot Dog. So good and the service was great( thank you Nicole). Highly recommended and a great beer selection which includes Tributary Brewery offerings which is located right next door. read more

Blue Mermaid - Kimchi Hot Dog - Caribbean Near Me - Kittery, Maine

restaurant vibes are cute and servers were really nice! it's a pretty classic American restaurant, went with a large group so tried a lot and the dishes of note were the short rib poutine and short rib entree! would recommend those, flavor and meat tenderness were great. would stay away from lobster roll (bun was just a normal hot dog bun, lobster barely had any Mayo on and was fishy), pretzels (dry with little flavor), and summer salad (was weirdly wet and the fried things in it were a bit much). also tried the cauliflower, lobster quesadilla, shrimp tacos (each taco only has 2 shrimp) which were fine read more

We are so happy to find this gem. First live Music that was outstanding and a lively bar scene. Great selection of local beers on tap. The service was excellent very accommodating. We tried the corn fritters and cauliflower appetizers so delicious the dips were so well matched. For the main dishes the chicken was unbelievable as was the salmon tangine and the veggie burger. Can't wait to go back and try other dishes. Lots of vegan options and seafood. Love it! read more

Not sure if this was an off day for them or what but the food I experienced for brunch here was nothing short of awful. First time here so I got the French toast and visually it looked like they scooped the trash can onto my plate. Better yet it looked like something you'd find on the beach. At least they're honest when they say they serve seafood. My girlfriend got the biscuits and gravy which was not any better. Dry gravy, small biscuits, and Parmesan crusted chicken with a false advertisement on both dishes of hash browns, which were actually home fries. Not to mention the fact they when they say it comes with bacon they leave out the fact that it's only one piece. Honestly underwhelmed. Flavors were alright, but visually I didn't want to keep eating. Would not go again. read more

I'm very glad to have this place back. They went total opposite for size compared to their previous location. I enjoyed the Portsmouth location, but typically felt pretty cramped in there. The Kittery location has tons of space for seating and breathing room! We've been here a hand full of times and I think they're almost there. With any new place there is always a few kinks to work out. They have an excellent island themed menu, the concept it great. However, I found the actual execution of some items were slightly less favorable. For example we got the jerk chicken wings, that were pretty vein-y and maybe just slightly undercooked. Would have loved a crispy outside. I also tried the coconut curry soup and it was absolutely delicious. I'd get that again and again. Perfect the way it is. read more

I have to say that I'm honestly surprised this place did not show up upon a yelp search for local places to eat! It's such a hidden gem! Tucked away in a small plaza between a local micro brewery and a post office this place is a must try! Upon walking up to the entry way it looks kind of generic looking as if it'll be just another run of the mill joints, but it's anything but. Walking in you notice the very large open floor space that has a very industrial vibe to the layout but still has a subtle charm to it. Your initially greeted at the hostess table form which you can either "belly up to the bar" or have a traditional sit down dinner. Great place for either a night out for drinks or bring the family for dinner out. As for the food, it's delicious! They offer a large variety of Caribbean inspired dishes; almost all of which you can choose your desires level of spicy. Oh and they do offer gluten free and vegetarian for those whose have special requests (so no one feels left out). We decided to share an appetizer, and we thought that we'd share the "grilled banana". It was something we've never thought about doing ourselves. Well it was worth it! Banana was sweet and cooked perfectly! It came topped with a "sunshine salsa" which was your typical salsa but had the addition of mango which amplified the whole flavor. For entree's between my wife and I we had paella and jerked chicken. The paella; it was delicious! A well balanced blend of curried rice with andouille sausage, fresh mussels, shrimp, and chicken to boot (that's a lot right there alone for fillers) topped with fresh celery slices. The jerked chicken was a nice large portion of meat, served over a mound of fresh whipped sweet potato, and a side of rainbow chard (not a very common side offering). Our server was very accommodating and friendly. Once we had our seats she came brought over complimentary water and poured us a glass each (they are served in mini mason jars) and the water is served in a larger mason jar. Upon questioning what drink specials they had she noticed we did not have a drink menu and apologized and got us one quickly. Overall our experience was great! Would absolutely return again to try the different offerings on the menu. It's not everyday that your able to stumble across a Caribbean themed restaurant. read more

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Stopped in on a Friday at noon to check out the new Kittery Mermaid. The space is very nice, and the service was friendly and efficient. We ordered a grilled banana, lobster quesadilla, and seafood tacos. Grilled Banana - my toddler daughter loved it, although it occurred to my wife and me that it was the most expensive banana she'll ever eat ($5). Lobster Q - $14 - the lobster barely showed up to the party. Maybe the Mermaid can increase the price by a few dollars, and add more of the main component (considering you can get a well stuffed lobster roll at Bob's for $20). It was essentially a cheese quesadilla. Tacos - $9 (although the menu stated $11. Maybe we got a lunch discount?) - the three tacos were well plated and appeared to have a substantial amount going on. Similar to the Lobster Q, the main compnent was negligible. The tacos were 10% fish and 90% other fillings (which were good). You want the fish to standout and be complemented by the fillings, but that wasn't the case. I'm sure we will return (we live in the area), but for our first visit, the food was not memorable. read more

Very open atmosphere and my fiancé and our two friends were able to hear some (not too loud) live music. We were visiting from VT for a few days and this was the first restaurant that we went to where we had good food, service and were able to hear each other talking across the table! I appreciated that GF, veg and vegan options were labeled, as I am GV/vegetarian. I ordered the quinoa dish, which was very fresh. I expected it to be warm, but was served cold (which is fine). My only issue is that onions were mixed into the quinoa, making the entire base taste like onions. My fiancé ordered the seafood tagine and LOVED IT! We also loved the "salsa and chips" for the table, flourless torte for dessert, and delightful drinks with cute little mermaids! Would come here again! read more

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UPDATE: we went back for lunch yesterday, and as Steve said, jerk wings are still available, they made them for us even though it wasn't happy hour. They were spicy hot and crispy. Perfect! I got the fish tacos, Monday got the lobster quesadilla. The bartender was wonderful. A great place for a casual meal. read more

We were very excited to try out the new location in Kittery, after having good cozy experiences at the Portsmouth location. The new place is large and roomy, with plenty of parking. But that's where the good stuff ends. The Parmesan Panko Fried Chicken ($21) was dry and overcooked. One large thin piece of breast meat. And the Ital Stew ($16) was pretty much tasteless and very thin, more like a soup than a stew. It had some heat, but little flavor. After adding some salt and lemon to it to pump up the flavor a bit, and adding some leftover tortilla chips from the complimentary chips and salsa, it got a little better. But neither were worth the price on the menu. PS. Prices on the web site are old and lowered by a couple dollars on several items. They also charge a ridiculous amount for a small 10 oz. pour on their drafts. The draft menu shows drafts at &6-$8, but does not mention that you will not be getting a pint, but merely a 10 ounce pour. And these were not "big" or "heavy" beers by any means. A big disappointment and we will not be returning. read more