If it wasn't for our amazing server I'd never go here again. Went to the bar to get a drink the bartender was super rude not nice at all. Finally had some open seats at the bar so we sat down. He told us extremely aggressively to leave the seats because other people were waiting for them, keep in mind the seats did not have a reserved sign by them. The rude bartender gave those seats to people that came well after us. On a side note it was my birthday. Our server Cliff was amazing he turned our whole night around. If it wasn't for him I'd never go to this place again. read more

The wife and I went to the Mermaid Cafe for the first time tonight and needless to say it won't be the last time we go. From the moment you enter and are greeted with smiling faces, to the exceptional service you'll receive from your server, the enjoyment only starts with that. From there you'll soon be tasting the best food you'll find in Mississippi. Very fresh and you will be able to tell the chef pours love into everything he/she makes. This is the best unknown restaurant you'll ever find. A true hidden gem. You won't be disappointed read more

The Mermaid Cafe is a hidden gem in Madison. There's a vast menu with everything prepared masterfully, fun and knowledgeable servers, great cocktails and an excellent location. We've tried nearly the whole menu and everything has been just fantastic. It's our go to spot for a great meal with no surprises. You guys are awesome! Keep doing what your doing read more

A great neighborhood seafood restaurant! Whatever the special is - I get and it has yet to disappoint. Quality seafood and burgers!

This was my first time eating here. One word can explain it all "WOW". The service was exceptional, the restaurant was clean and staff was friendly. But that's not the main reason I'm excited about this place. Beyond the amazing water view or awesome laid back design. It was the food! I had a simple bacon burger. I didn't use a drop or ketchup or mustard. The flavor was beyond any burger I've had before. Come to find out, they use small bits of steak in the burger. Their shoe-string fries were seasoned perfectly. Their drinks from the bar had the right amount of mixture. The bartender, Bryan greeted everyone and not a single person waited on a drink. This restaurant knows how to earn a lifetime customer. read more

Cool atmosphere with good service. The stuffed catfish is wonderful and the caramel custard for dessert is a great way to end the night!

The Mermaid Cafe is in a beautiful location with a great coastal feel. Feel free to dress casually and still enjoy a fabulous meal. Tonight we tried the crab claw appetizers which were fantastic, the pork and grits which was good and the stuffed catfish which was delicious! The service was excellent. read more

Cool place. The Chicken & Spaghetti is really good. Their fried Dilled Oysters are exceptionally good. Really cool local vibe here. These guys do it right. This place is a spin off of another Jackson restaurant that is very high end and good. read more

Fun, Tasty, and a Great Time........The Mermaid is located at Lake Caroline and has a delightful view of the lake. The menu is diverse and everything I have tried has been wonderful. Nick Apostle has another success under his belt. read more

Love this place! Excellent food, great ambiance, great service! It overlooks lake Caroline. There is s porch where you can eat or enjoy a cup of coffee after dinner read more

One of my favorite spots especially after a good round of golf at Caroline. Great food & atmosphere!

Dinner was very Good Friday evening. I had the redfish and wife had lasagna. Both were very good. Service was great.

I had dinner there tonight with a group. I ordered the Mediterranean Pasta salad with shrimp. It was a generous serving of white rotini, finely slivered peppers, cheese (feta or goat?), green and black greek olives, cubed red onion, cucumbers, and dressing. It was good. I wouldn't drive to Lake Caroline for it, but not bad. Friends had gumbo and the smoked chicken tossed salad and liked them, too. We walked out at 9:40 on a Friday night and there was no one in left except 4 people at the bar, so it's not a late night venue. We felt a bit rushed out as we were the only table left at 9:30. We had a cute high school waitress, and she did a good job for her age. Service was pretty slow with few diners. It's just a diff vibe than Nick's for sure. Very casual. read more

I had heard of the Mermaid Cafe in the past but did not know where it was. After googling it, I found that it is located on Lake Caroline in the Gluckstadt communit, north of Jackson off I-55. My wife and I had finished some shopping chores out at Dogwood and I wanted to surprise her with a new eating place since we love to try new restaurants to which we have not been before. I had googled the Mermaid Cafe and found out where it was. After going by Fresh Market and picking up some Vanilla Flavoring for our cakes, I told her that I was taking her to a new place. We drove out to Gluckstadt and eased our way back to Lake Caroline. Simply beautiful!! We sat down at the restaurant at about 5:30 and an extremely nice young man came and gave us menus. We ordered the fried crab claws, the gumbo, the brie and crap soup and a seafood platter. I told the waiter to bring all the food at one time. When the food came, my wife and I were amazed at the portions and knew the platter would easily feed both of us. We both took a bite of the fried fish first and both looked at each other in amazement. I told her, "Oh my gosh!!! Every bite from the perfectly fried oysters, shrimp, fish, crab claws and delicious soups were amazing!!! There is nothing in New Orleans or any other place where we have been that compares to this food. The fried foods were not greasy and each bite was like heaven. I have never had fried fish so good! There were little fried crab balls on the plate that seemed to have cheese and bits of shrimp and crab in the middle. They were amazing!!! It is hard to get oysters fried right anywhere. These oysters were perfect!! They were crispy on the outside with a light breading and the inside was just soft enough so that you could get the full oyster flavor. We finished the night off with a chocolate chip skillet cookie topped with ice cream and chocolate sauce. WOW!!! My wife and I have enjoyed food all over the world and all over the United States, but this food was of Master Piece quality. Great food, pontoons cruising up the lake, sun setting over a beautiful lake!!! AMAZING!!! p.s. We even got to watch a wedding across the way that was taking place across the water from the restaurant. Can't wait to go back and try other items on the menu. What a find!!!! read more

VERY Disappointed this time! My first meal there was outstanding, couldn't believe the difference a few months makes ! My sister and two nieces treated ourselves to dinner out for Mom's Day Eve , the first thing was the odd odor in the restaurant, almost smelled like they had just sprayed for pests, but possibly some sort of scented air spray? , Idk, it was not pleasant and interfered with being able to enjoy the food. Then, my sister and I both got chicken piccata: it was as if there was no piccata flavor to it! Very disappointing, like the angel hair pasta had no flavor at all ( not even salt), we asked for some lemons to squeeze on it to give it ANY flavor! Both of us had the same opinion , tasteless! Maybe the cook was not there and they had a fill in?! Not anywhere like the first time we ate there, it was delicious at that time! My nieces said their meals were good, though, so at least half of us enjoyed......... read more

Absolutely fantastic and fresh. Loved everything we had (mostly seafood related dishes). Laid back setting and casual attire. A bit pricier than expected, but totally worth it. Get the crab claws! read more

i've been here a few times and it has been good; however, last friday the service was VERY POOR. After finishing my side salad, I happened to find a dead moth at the bottom with dressing on it. The poor waitress didn't know what to say and although i was throughly disgusted she tried to make a joke, "well, at least it's protein." then she proceeded to get the manager who just happened to arrive with the food and she told him, "look what was in their salad." He didn't even look at me, just muttered under his breath, "must have flown in there." and left. You would think the manager would at least apologize or at the very least address the situation, but he didn't. After dinner, as we asked for the check the waitress said, "don't worry, my manager is gonna discount the meal for the moth." When we got the check he had discounted it $4 for the side salad. Still no apology or statement came from the manager. My wife and parents (who it was my parent's first visit) were very surprised and upset with the way the situation was handled. The sad part is the poor couple at the table beside us were complaining too. They had been there over an hour and all they had gotten was a salad. When they inquired about their steaks, the waitress went to check on it, came back and said, "oh they are out of prime rib, would you like something else?" he couldn't believe they were just now telling him this and chose the filet and then about 15min later she came back and said, "they are just now about to put it on" He couldn't believe it and was also highly upset. either way, service seems to be less than desired. read more

We've been eating at Mermaid since it opened many years ago and have always loved the food. But this past year the food has steadily gotten worse. I've wondered if Nick Apostle sold it after he closed Nick's. I don't know if it's under new ownership or has a new chef, but I do know 90% of the menu is terrible. For a restaurant with an ocean/seafood theme, it now has very little seafood on the menu. The barbecue shrimp and grits looked and tasted like it was poured straight of a can. The friend shrimp is no longer the jumbo shrimp with tails on. It looks and tastes like something from a fast food chain. The ribeye was very thin and while it was ordered medium rare, had only a hint of pink in the very middle. Even my cocktail was different. It had obviously been "upgraded" to their new fancy version - which I didn't ask for. Why didn't we send our food back or at least talk to the manager? Because the rest of our family loves the prime rib and it continues to be cooked to perfection. We don't want to cause trouble or be known and the family who complains. We are just disappointed. This used to be one of our favorite restaurants that we looked forward to eating at several times a month. Now it's one I'd rather skip altogether and eat a PB&J. read more