Normally speaking I am not moved to make an effort to write a review about an establishment, unless I feel others would benefit from what I have to say. So here goes - It was my fiancee's birthday dinner, just a short week ago and she wanted to try this restaurant. We are residents of the area, and have been to just about every other place here. We arrived and were greeted by .. nobody. The place was packed due to the online coupons available (which we had no knowledge of until later) - so from the beginning, it was clear that they were overtaxed and ill prepared for the evening's meal. We made our way upstairs and found someone who would talk to us, and as luck would have it, we actually got a table within a few minutes. Great! I thought. Well, a full 45 minutes later of just sitting there, we were rather unprofessionally greeted by our "server", who stated: " I just found out that I have you guys, I'll be with you in a few minutes". 20 minutes later, he finally came to the table and asked for our order. We ordered chips and salsa, which eventually came about 20 minutes after that, with our drinks. Clearly, the entire staff was overwhelmed - even now, as the place was starting to become less full because frankly, it was getting late. Our meals arrived some 40 minutes after that. The food was... pedestrian, nothing special. Certainly not worthy of any accolades or oohs or ahhs. Boring, UN-inventive. Frankly I expected a lot more. What I didn't expect was my fiancee's chicken being RAW. Seems to me, that even the worst chef or fry cook would know enough to cook chicken. I'm talking grilled ahi tuna raw, not just pink or bloody. It was browned on the outer 16th of an inch, and absolutely raw in the middle. Disgusting. My parting words to the manager: "Pray that she doesn't get sick". Needless to say, my fiancee become rather ill at the sight of the chicken, and even though our meal was comped, the empty promises of the on site manager for the owners to contact us, and other claims of apology and recompense never came. More than anything, I hate being lied to, then forgotten like it didn't even matter. As we were leaving, I saw the manager go immediately to the phone in the front office to talk to, undoubtedly, the owners. Seems she was more concerned with litigation than making the customers happy. Sad, unprofessional and a disgusting commentary on the attitude of management and ownership. read more

Even though there are many wonderful places to eat in Portsmouth, we continue to return time and time again to the Blue Mermaid. It has not disappointed us yet! Our last visit was during restaurant week and we didn't make a reservation until that afternoon. We could get in, but for a time later than we wanted. We called back a couple of hours later and they had received a cancellation so we were able to go at a better time for us. We were seated immediately upon arrival, drink orders were taken and promptly delivered. They have some very good drinks. That night we chose a mojito and a sangria. Complimentary chips and special salsa were brought to us while we perused the menu. What to get! Our selections included wasabi rangoons that are yummy and "hot". They were crispy and full of yummy filling. For my entree I chose the scallops which were served with 2 sides of my choice, mashed and cole slaw and wasabi sauce drizzled over the wood grilled scallops. My husband had the beef dish which he said was cooked to perfection and very tasty. The decor in this restaurant is colorful and islandy. Service is always good and the food is so enjoyable. Can't wait to go back again! read more

Blue Mermaid - A beef selection - Caribbean Near Me - Kittery, Maine

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See, I hate to go against the grain here, but I really wasn't that impressed with my mahi mahi. I got the cedar-grilled fish with wasabi cream sauce. The fish was pretty dry and there wasn't nearly enough sauce. I suppose the chips and salsa that came out in droves made up for it a bit, and my brother's beef medallions with mashed potatoes were great, so I maybe it just wasn't a good day for mahi mahi. I'd go back to give it a second chance with the beef or chicken, but would probably look somewhere else for my mahi mahi. read more

My band scored some acoustic gigs here a couple of summers ago; We basically didn't get paid sht, but we got free food. It's the only way I could ever afford a joint like this, unfortunatly. The building itself is one of those pre-American Revolution types, with narrow stairs that will give you the shivers just looking down from the top. George Washington slept here?? Nope; It was his great grandparents. This is the sort of place where the town fathers would have come for a mug of ale, after all the witches had been hanged for the day. The food itself is very good; I think the other reviewers pretty much covered it. Kind of interesting, though, that all of the potato on the menu is sweet potato. I did have some very good sweet potato fries, and noticed that the brunch menu even had sweet potato hashed browns. The beer selection's also not too bad, with some local brews on tap mixed in with the standard Sam and Guiness. Hmmm...I wonder if the real Sam Adams ever slept here, too? read more

We visited the Blue Mermaid on a Monday night and it was far from busy on that particular evening. The last day of our vacation, and we were pretty much seafooded-out. The dining room is situated upstairs and the colors create a nice, bright atmosphere. Certain beverages are garnished with a little mermaid hanging from the side, and she is now very happy living at my home :) The menu was very appealing, making it hard to decide what to choose. We decided to go with two appetizers and one entree and the share it all. While waiting for our food, we enjoyed the chips and salsa. Very good salsa! We were then served our steak skewers and saddlebags. My only complaint is that I had to share them because they were both delicious. If I had to choose one over the other I would go with the saddlebags. Or entree was jerk chicken, served with an extra spoonful of jerk seasoning on the side. We like hot and boy was it HOT! I love, love, loved the sunsplash salsa and swear I'm going to try to replicate it at home. Yet another hands down awesome eatery in Portsmouth. read more

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This place had a super cute atmosphere with a friendly attentive staff. My boyfriend & I decide to try this on a whim. We were in the mood for something different. They start you out with multi colored corn chips with a very unique salsa that actually was really yummy. I tried the lobster corn chowder which was very tasty but definitely could use more lobster. I also had the fish tacos appetizer, which on the menu it advertises they are made with haddock & when I ordered them and asked if it was in fact made with haddock, the waitress informed me they were made with Mahi Mahi. I appreciated her honesty, but change the menu to say "seasonal fish" or "catch of the day". These were in some sort of blue corn chip bowl thing & were very difficult to eat & didn't contain much fish and the fish was a little on the dry side. The white peach Sangria I had I would recommend. My boyfriend had the sweet potato curry soup, it wasn't a soup it was like a thick purée. He also had the panko crusted chicken, that was really good actually & moist. All in all we definitely would go back & try some more dishes here. It was a beautiful night & we sat outside. It's a very quiet spot, makes for a great date night. The staff and atmosphere is what would make us give this place another chance. A few tweaks on some stuff & this could really be a top notch place! read more

Sat outside on a balmy Spring afternoon listening to reggae music, and eating jerk chicken wings. I am often disappointed with island food being Jamaican and all. Not this time. Those wings were on point. Had the peach Sangria which was okay. Which reminds me, I need to look up the ingredients for a Sangria because they are so varied from restaurant to restaurant. The service was great. read more

Blue Mermaid - A great way to spend an afternoon - Caribbean Near Me - Kittery, Maine

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This is a great place to eat. Sunday brunch is really wonderful. Lots of delicious things to chose from. The memosas are really great with live blue grass playing in the back round. Great serve going back soon...:) read more

The food was delicious and the hosts were incredibly accommodating for a large group. Everyone at the table had a different dish and all meals were flavorful and unique. It was such a positive experience we returned for lunch two days later! read more

We had a buy-one, get-one-free entree coupon to the Blue Mermaid, where we'd never been before - definitely enticed us to visit! I was surprised by how family-oriented the restaurant was, little kids everywhere, but it was also full of couples & friends. Good lighting, bright decor, large upstairs seating area. I ordered a cocktail that tasted like Christmas in the summer, with champagne & cloves. YUM. As an appetizer, my boyfriend & I split the Saddle Bags, which, despite their unappetizing name, were delicious - little wontons filled with chicken & jack cheese with a ginger dipping sauce that I wanted to drink from the condiment cup. My boyfriend ordered the Rasta Pasta with shrimp, & he devoured almost all of it. I ordered the paella sans mussels, spicy. Um, emphasis on the spicy. I'm really good at spicy food, & I love it, but oh, man, I was struggling. It was the absolute spiciest dish I've ever tasted; I was nearly in tears. Out server offered to add coconut milk to take down the spiciness a bit, which I appreciated, but it still bordered on inedible. Based on the location of the restaurant (across from the Residence Inn) & the notably inflated prices, I'd say this restaurant primarily caters to the tourist crowd. Our bill was $74, without tip, which was pretty pricey, &, of course, we somehow forgot to use the coupon. And to top it off, I got really, really sick afterwards - in a WalMart bathroom, no less - and ended up throwing away the leftovers because I didn't want to risk another bout of barfing. Guess I went too spicy. Way too spicy. But we'd go back. And we still have the coupon! I would've loved the paella had I gotten it medium-spicy instead, and I WANT MORE. read more

This place was like the underdog I was cheering for, but still got absolutely crushed by the competition. We arrived to a small hallway that led to a busy bar, or a flight of stairs to a dining area and a sign that said please wait to be seated. They weren't kidding about waiting - we waited in for five or so minutes before a hostess came to seat us. When we reached the top of the stairs, there was not a single other person in the place which is never a good sign. It also doesn't make sense that we waited so long to be seated. The waitress was pleasant, so I don't think she realized that she was rushing us with a drink order. She had asked three times within a timeframe shorter than what we waited downstairs. I had a house-infused tequila on the rocks, which was the right amount of heat to go with my meal. I ordered the lobster quesadilla as Yelp had suggested, and an order of catch of the day tacos. The tacos were served in a hexagonal shaped tortilla bowl, rather than a tortilla. Cool to look at, but fell to pieces as you ate it. You can tell these sat in the kitchen a bit too long as the center was wet and began leaking the dressing all over the place. Lobster quesadilla was tasty, sure - but you could barely call it a lobster quesadilla with how little lobster was in it. Wasn't very impressed. But the part that struck me the most was how dirty and dingy the place was. You could see dust bunnies in the light fixtures, glossy spill remains on the walls, and tons of leftover food crumbs at our table and many of the other tables in the place - even ones in an area that looked like it wasn't being seated in regularly, as the lights were off in this area. That means the leftover food likely sat there for a while. Eww. But hey, the music was really good, and the menu was unique - a mix of Caribbean and Mexican with a tough of Maine. Blue Mermaid has some strong potential, but was lacking what I assume to be proper management motivating their staff to keep the place tidy and the service and food solid. Don't go here - not when BRGR Bar is a stone throw away and there are so many great eateries in Portsmouth. read more

Big disappointment here. Went for lunch on a slow Saturday afternoon and it was a good thing we had nothing on our schedule. The service was slowwww. Like... sloth slow, like, I'm pretty sure our waiter was named Mr. Sloth. Mr. Sloth takes 20+ minutes to take our food order after drinks come out and (as it turns out) Mr. Sloth mentioned he goes all the way down the the bottom of his tree to do his business. It's weird because why do sloths even bother when gravity does the work? Reference here: https://youtu.be/DlKY5PFO4o8 Anyway, the food was so-so. Nothing I couldn't make at home. Let me mention that I may give this place a second try for the dinner hour. Deep down, I want to like Blue Mermaid, I really do. read more

Food order was incorrect (they gave me the wrong kind of soup!)....Fries arrived lukewarm. Beers (no happy hour during the week) in the $6 range. My dining partner waited 20+ min. for a basic sandwich. Won't be back..... read more

Lunch yesterday, pretty place with a deck, sort of tucked away behind all the new buildings in the area, martini was very good, burger excellent, scallops good but only 4 of them, saddlebags as an appetizer excellent, nice little spot although it is pretty big upstairs!! read more

Finally gave Blue Mermaid another shot. They didn't blow me away, although this visit was definitely more bearable. Perhaps it was the $3 margaritas (although, seriously, it's pre-made sour mix in a small cup... is this the same margarita they usually charge $8 for? Because... ouch.) M ordered the wasabi rangoon... admittedly, this was a risky decision. We ended up making an endurance game out of who could actually eat one. I scooped pretty much all the filling out and it was ok, but I don't know who orders these on a regular basis. Probably someone with a gaping hole in their sinuses. I had the mahi over mashed potatoes with green beans. It was definitely better... although slightly overcooked and a little bland. The green beans came topped with almonds, which would have been nice to know before we ordered them (M is allergic... not that I'm complaining... they happened to be the best part of either of our dishes). Our friends ordered the tofu saute (not bad) and the eggplant napoleon (apparently excellent, although I didn't steal a bite). I still can't really think of a reason to come here. The ambiance is cafeteria-ish (especially upstairs). The food is ok, at best. The drinks are not impressive. The prices are a little on the high side. There are so many great restaurants in Portsmouth... I guess this one stays alive on tourists staying at the Hilton. read more

This place was ok. To be honest, we only got a drink because we saw others food come out and we're not overly impressed. Also, it was pretty dirty inside and the menu they gave me to look at was filthy.... Tons of food caked on and wet. The drink I got was ok. Not impressed for price. Boyfriend got a beer. read more

Everything was interesting and good. I can't quite tell which cuisine we're eating from because things were so different course to course. As a whole, I don't think the meal flowed well together, but individual dishes were good. read more

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I would prefer that the sweet potato fries didn't have a batter on them...why?! I am Jamaican, so I'll refrain from expressing my disappointments, so as not to seem biased. read more

My boyfriend and I came here for dinner. This place was in between 3-4 stars. The food was OK. I mainly chose this place because the menu sounded interesting and a little out of the ordinary. I also had an Entertainment book coupon which saved us a bit of money. The staff were all very nice, friendly yet polite. We were seated upstairs in the dinner area. The tables were spread out enough so that you couldn't listen to the conversation next to you. The music was quiet enough that you could have conversation. I know this sounds stupid, but the red and yellow paint on the walls looked like an average person put it on. We got chips and salsa which was pretty good. The appetizers/little plates sounded great and I wish we had ordered one. I'd like to come back sometime on one of their half price small plates nights. I ordered the Bimini Chicken and it was OK. There was lots of flavor, and my sweet potato hash was great. Honestly, I thought the portion size was a little small for the price. My boyfriend got steak with mac n cheese and poblano mashed potatoes. His dish had less flavor than mine but he liked it, I think. For dessert, we had the white chocolate banana bread pudding with rum caramel sauce. My only complaint here was that there should've been more of the rum sauce--I could barely taste it at all. We parked in the Marriott Hotel parking lot. I think we paid like $1.50 for parking so not a huge deal at all. Overall, I think the food we ordered was a bit of a let down, but that doesn't mean the whole menu is like that. Either way, I probably wouldn't come back unless there was another discount or coupon or something. read more

Well, that was just spectacular. I've been living in Portsmouth for nine years and for some reason, I've never gone to Blue Mermaid until this evening. I don't know why. Oh, wait - yes, I do. I have children. I don't get out much. I came here this evening for our book club for a change of pace and I was pretty excited - I've heard nothing but stellar remarks about Blue Mermaid. While perusing the menu, I mentioned a few things I couldn't choose between. All at once, my friends shouted: the short ribs! (one of my picks). Well, I couldn't say no to that dramatic persuasion. Once they sang their praises about the "sweet meat", I was in. Those short ribs .... THOSE SHORT RIBS. It's only been a few hours and I'm drooling for them again. If you're reading this and wondering what to get - wonder no further. Get the short ribs. Divine. Spectacular. Delish. Totally satisfying. I also tried the lobster corn chowder and I, ahem, may have licked the bowl clean. I have no shame. read more

We had the Best waitress, ask for Jakie, she was right on top of everything! you have to try the chips and salsa. Little colorful chips with a Smokey salsa! Nice big wide open concept with high ceilings. read more

This was a good location to meet a friend and I loved the menu online. But the food was disappointing. The spring roll had little flavor and a lot of water. My tacos had very little fish. Hardly able to taste it. The only thing I liked was the corn fritter though the sauce was way too sweet. Asked for some spicy mayo. The bill was $$ considering the quality. Sorry, I will not go back. The service was good, though! read more

The Blue Mermaid looks like a bar. I went for a Friday lunch today and they were packed. They are off the beaten path and have done very well with what they have to work with. 1. They have Smutty Baltic Porter and other good beer on tap ++++ 2. The service was very good (Monique) 3. Loved the salty chips, and appreciated the unique salsa. Downside is they gave us one small condiment salsa (1/4 cup?) for three people. It lasted about 10 milliseconds. 4. Corn/Lobster chowder was good. 5. MahiMahi wrap was good. Last few bites lit me up with spicy sauce after quiet first bites. I wish it had been more even. 6. Flavors deemed less than robust. No strong flavors or sauces... In a Caribbean place. read more

I have a soft spot for the Blue Mermaid, or maybe its the building having spent so many of my college nights squinting around the Cod FIsh. But if town is busy and I want a place to go, have a cold Corona, and sit outside, I go to the Mermaid. As you'll read, the food is OK. I think it depends on who is cooking and what time of day it is. HOWEVER, every now and then I will have something at the Mermaid that is not only good, its great. Craveable great. Last week was such a time. It was hot, we went there with 3 adults, and 2 three year olds and sat outside. We were the only ones there for lunch, which might have made a difference. I had the Grilled Tomato & Goat Cheese sandwich. Awesome. Its made on fresh texas toast with baby spinach and jalapeno pesto with Israeli toasted couscous and roasted tomato salad. There was only one roasted tomato, but minor point. I need this sandwich again. I just hope that history doesn't repeat and when I get it, it disappoints. Kudos to Scot for staying consistent with this staple of Portsmouth. It aint easy. read more

My husband and I were in Portsmouth, NH on our anniversary and met up with another couple. After reading several recommendations, we decided to try the Blue Mermaid Island Grill. What a GREAT place for dinner. The chips/salsa that they give out were unbelievable. We had to ask for more salsa because it was that good. The lobster quesadillas were excellent and cooked perfectly. The Seafood Tagine was excellent with lots of flavor and fish Two of us had the New World Paella - excellent and I am a huge fan of paella. It was just the right amount of spiciness and our friend wanted his dish extra spicy, so the waitress gave him a side on a spoon to control how much spice he wanted....we both devoured our dish. Service was not rushed and timed perfectly. We highly recommend this place. read more

Good day Last week i ate at your restaurant had a salmon wrap it was very good. I tried the salmon wrap at Y54 in York and was disappointed the salmon was lost in the other ingredients, yours was much better. read more

The Blue Mermaid is a place I've been telling people about for years. Initially I always get the same reaction, "Caribbean? Like... bananas and stuff?" And while you can get bananas at this restaurant if you so choose, I try to do my best to convince them it goes well beyond that. Luckily, if they take my advice, the restaurant does the rest of the explaining. I have never had a negative experience at this restaurant, not even a teensy-weensy little one. Moreover, everyone I've ever talked to who's been there has echoed that sentiment about their own experiences. Frankly, a restaurant that can consistently offer up top of the line meals to a variety of palates deserves a special place in my rank book. The values are fair and the staff has always been friendly and attentive. I've eaten pretty much every meal there now--mostly dinners, some lunches, and even a Sunday brunch recently-- and each time I've found something new and interesting to try. Personally I'd recommend the Braised Beef Short Ribs, Lobster and Roasted Corn Chowder, and pretty much anything they put scallops on. (I might as well mention that Rachel Ray stopped here for her old "$40-A-Day" show... but who actually likes Rachel Ray?) read more

We enjoyed EVERYTHING! My kids loved their rice and chicken, which was nice to see as a choice on the kids menu. My husband and I LOVED the calamari which was so light and fresh, just the way calamari should be (we had 2 orders!) our drinks and entrees were delicious as well. read more

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Phenomenal restaurant! It's been a long time since I was at a restaurant where every choice was so exceptional. Terrific drink menu-margaritas, martinis, wine and a half a dozen craft beers. That decision took 10 minutes. I'll usually have a beer or a gin and tonic, but I decided to go with lava guava (gin, guava, lime juice) and that was a good opening for things to come. Then you have a tough choice of small plates vs. entrees. We had the lobster corn chowder to start. That could have been the entire meal and I would have been happy. The we chose the plantain encrusted cod and mahi mahi with a honey chipotle glaze (each grilled item has the option of about 10 glaze options). Everything was incredible. We wished that we saved room for the flour less torte or white chocolate banana pudding. We wish we had one closer to our house! read more

This is a nice little restaurant with a really great staff, friendly fellow patrons and, from our experience, very good food...especially the seafood. We have been there a few times and the staff has always been very accommodating with special requests. Nice atmosphere; plenty of parking. It does not hurt that they are next door to the Tributary Brewery which has a tasting room. read more

Excellent! Eliza the bartender was fantastic! Drinks were great; awesome drink menu! The food had wonderful flavor. We were all very happy with everything we ordered. We will be back!! read more

The food that was in stock was good, but that is fairly limiting. They were out of multiple dishes and beers. They literally had no pork in the entire restaurant. The saddle bags were good, the sweet potato fries were a little soft, overall good food. They did a good job of noting vegetarian options on the menu and the staff was friendly. read more

On a wintery Sunday at noon, three of the 10 or so tabletops were full. The Blue Mermaid Grill has a fun, Caribbean atmosphere, and was recommended by friends who joined us. My bloody mary arrived promptly, and was tasty, topped with green olive and pepperoncini. My black bean soup was highly spiced, and delicious, if a bit salty, and slow to arrive. The beer selection on tap was very good, and we had Left Hand Brewing's Fade to Black stout. There were many choices for low carb, high protein meals, including the pulled chicken lettuce cups with mango salsa, and 3-egg cheese and veggie stuffed omelette with sweet potato-chickpea hash. I would go back again; friendly, laid-back hangout. read more

We had a small party (26 quests) on June 18th before an event in town. Everyone was thrilled with the food, service and atmosphere. The short ribs were exceptional. It was the perfect choice. read more

I went for brunch with two friends. Food was good, but the atmosphere honestly sucked. It was sparse and cold and SILENT (where is the music?!) but the deal breaker was when they sat a 10 top right next to us, with a nearly empty restaurant. You go through all these measures for social distancing, but seat a giant table right next to another with plenty of other open spaces? To top it off, drinks came slow (again, not many tables) and we felt rushed out of there! Instead of asking if we wanted another round they brought the check. Wouldn't go back for that experience. read more

The selection of non seafood was surprising and great for someone who doesn't like seafood, but often gets dragged along with seafood lovers when going out to eat. The sauces and combinations we're unique to any place in kittery or Portsmouth, really a more island vibe which was good. Some of the food was just so so, but other food was good. Drinks were good, but pricey like everywhere around here. Service was a little slow. Would return and give it another go tho as they had many options I'd like to try. Side note on the reciept it has "suggested tips" which go off the TAXED bill (not pre-tax as is supposed to), but then when they show the points you can get with the rewards program that goes off the PRE TAX amount. So they use it to their convenience. Still not a reason not to come back, just an interesting observation. read more

They call it Caribbean style, but that's not even close with all the sprouts, ginger, wontons, aioli, mango, wasabi, salsa, beets, curry, and tofu items on the menu. Lotsa strange items here, some of which we liked very much, some not so much. The place looks like an old warehouse with tables and booths on a wide-open floor, so no ambience at all. We were there for dinner and paid dinner prices but got charged an extra $8.00 for lunch, which was weird. We'll give it another shot, but at the moment, I'm left with very mixed feelings. read more

Got 2 things first thing was great the second was the short rib over cooked dry no flavor expensive crappy short rib

A little too spendy, food was alright. Dishes were the 17 to 22 dollar area. Better for a date night as opposed to a regular place.

We were excited to try a new place and it looked very cool inside. We had 5 children with us and were one of about 5 other tables. We pretty quickly ordered our food all at once wanting the kids easy meals first. Once the kids meals came out we waited another 45 minutes for ours to come out. The food was mediocre. The drink selection was decent. While the server was very nice the wait for our food with screaming children was not. Hopefully others have a better experience. Stay away from the Poke- not with it. read more