Mermaid — Restaurant in Ipswich

So the Mermaid in Ipswich is a Marston's chain of pub so if you have visited one before then you know all about the food. These chain of pubs are here for food and have a carvery on every day with a selection of standard food from a set menu. 7 of us went for a lunch on a Thursday and straight away it looked busy but not too busy if that makes sense so there was plenty of parking available which is needed as it's not a town centre location but there are only 2 disabled spaces ? Both of which were occupied, I would have expected more tbh. Now the meal well the mains were ok, nothing wrong with the meal but nothing remarkable either and we all had something different- Fish & Chips, Steak, Carvery, Lasagne, Pie, Burger Classic & a larger appetites Fish & Chips .... We were there for a special occasion so we all ordered dessert also.

NOW this is where it all went wrong, so after 25 minutes still no desserts had arrived so I asked politely what was going on with the delay to the desserts order. To which a lady said she would find out for me. Upon her return she informed us that the ticket which had our dessert order on it had fallen on the floor in the kitchen and had been missed (am I wrong in thinking in todays age when you order food at a Marston's pub at the bar with your table number,,,, the order would have been inputted onto a screen at the bar and shown on a screen in the kitchen ??????? Or am i being stupid?) thus no desserts but they could do them now ???? We decided we had already waited over 30 minutes and drank all our drinks so did not want to wait even longer so we cancelled the desserts.

When we paid the lady said because of the mishap with the desserts she would apply a discount off the final bill ...

Good I thought so they should after the disappointment of the desserts 🍨 and yes on a bill of over £100 we got ..................................... wait for it ................ 57p off the bill,

YES YOU SAW THAT RIGHT 57p 👀 OMG 😲 57p

Never again ... I'm disgusted by that ......

Having not been in over a year, we all fancied a roast dinner. The restaurant wasn't particulary busy with 10 tables at the most being used. The tables were dirty, we had to search for cutlery. We all ordered the roast, and went up to get it. The staff member was extremely polite. The food itself looked like it had been there for a while, even though it was only 1800. The meat itself looked good (later found out was dry), however the veg was another thing. The Yorkshire puddings were that dry and hard (gravy didn't soften them) that you could use to throw at your worst enemy. 2. The stuffing was just crumbs. 3. The cauliflower cheese was yellow (not from cheese) just from sitting there for a while. 4 Roast potato's were over cooked (usually the best bit about a roast) 5. Glazed carrots looked like they had frost bite as were that dry. The gravy at the sauce counter was Luke warm. It is a shame as the Mermaid isn't that bad a place for breakfast. Overall very disappointed, that much so that we didn't stay for desert, we went to the local supermarket and purchased our own to make at home. It wasn't all bad though as the Pepsi...

During my recent visit to the Mermaid Pub, I indulged in their Ultimate Southern Fried Burger accompanied by a sharing portion of loaded fries. While the burger was tasty, it leaned slightly towards the dry side. The loaded fries, however, were a true delight, bursting with flavor and served generously.

Unfortunately, the desserts left something to be desired. My partner's Banoffee Tart was overwhelmingly chocolatey and overly sweet, and my sponge cake with jam and hot custard didn't quite hit the spot, though this could be down to personal preference.

Despite these minor hiccups, the overall experience was pleasant. The serving staff were exceptional, displaying warmth and attentiveness throughout our meal. However, there was a noticeable difference in demeanor from the bartender, who seemed disengaged and wore a constant frown.

I'm excited to return and explore more of their menu, particularly the highly recommended roast. In summary, the Mermaid Pub provides a welcoming atmosphere and decent dining options, with opportunities for improvement in certain aspects of service and...