The Mermaid - Ramore Restaurants — Restaurant in Northern Ireland

OH MY GOODNESS..... SO DISAPPOINTED.... THIS WILL BE A LONG REVIEW !!! So myself and my family visited the Mermaid for the first time during July this year.There was 6 of us. Access was terrible, corridors were cramped with people waiting, people trying to get in , people trying to get upstairs , people trying to leave, all through the same small corridors..no social distancing possible and in my opinion, a fire risk... The menu was via the table scan, BUT there was less than half advertised on their web site actually available and NO vegetarian options!! We were told by the waitress this was due to staff shortage, well I'm sorry they should not have accepted so many bookings, the place was heaving!!!!! We had to fetch our own water and glasses from the bar having waited ages after asking the waitress. We only ordered 2 starters, the duck wraps were great and worth every penny the 5 prawns were very disappointing and not cheap either, there was literally 5 prawns on an undressed plate, no side salad...nothing! As for the mains.... We had to ask for cutlery and napkins as there was insufficient on the table. The vegetarian had to order a chicken pasta without the chicken!!!! 4 of the 6 meals had to go back and be reheated as they were barely warm. Sides of chips were undercooked and cold and had to be replaced. The waitress said Chef agreed !!! So why were they allowed to leave the kitchen????? The other two diners had finished their meals before we received ours back and had to sit and watch us eat. They apologised and yet again said it was due to staff shortage and offered us complimentary desserts as an apology. So there was only ONE dessert available (due to staff shortage) which was a plate of 3 little cakes, mainly chocolate based. So they literally "dumped" two plates on our table of 6, and that was it !!! But I'm guessing they though 6 people- 6 little cakes,one each was enough. So finally the bill ....so checking the bill,the final insult was, THEY CHARGED US FOR THE TWO TINY COMPLIMENTARY DESSERTS, UNBELIEVABLE!! But removed when we pointed it out. Now people who read my reviews know I'm very fair and will always give praise where it's due...I just want good food and good service and I'm very happy to pay for it....BUT the Mermaid have chronic staff problems due to covid "pinging". Well I'm sorry, instead of being greedy, they should not take on so many bookings..this was midweek and it was heaving with guests. My first experience will be my last, next time I'm over in Northern Ireland I will NOT be visiting the Mermaid in Portrush, I will be spending my 200 pounds elsewhere, which is such a shame. Sorry Mermaid.....but there's no excuse for cold food or bad service...not...

We were booked for 7.15 pm and arrived shortly before that and we were told we had to order our meal through the QR scanner which we had not been notified that this was required and we were fortunate that one of our party had this facility on their phone. It had never been mentioned in any of the emails about our booking prior to arrival. At 8 pm we were still trying to place our order in spite of requesting help a couple of times. We were getting hangrier by the minute. The person ordering has done this before but there did seem to be a problem with the system and in the end we had to ask for the Supervisor who then let us order our drinks manually. There should have been instructions on the table how to order via the QR reader as every restaurant seems to have a different method of ordering. We witnessed several other English tourists in the same dilemma who also were allowed to walk about the restaurant without masks and at no time were they told that in Northern Ireland we still have to wear our masks in restaurants when moving around. Also the Supervisor was not wearing her mask. When the meal eventually came it was really good but the evening was spoiled by the complexity of the ordering system and it would have been so much more of an enjoyable experience if we could just have given an order to the staff and received our meal in a timely fashion. If this is going to be the way forward there needs to be better direction and support or are you trying to eliminate a certain age group. I think it is called age discrimination. We are certainly not adverse to having to adapt to new ways of doing things but you do need to give advice and support. We always loved going to The Mermaid as the food was excellent but we have agreed tonight that it may be a very long time before we...

My recent visit to The Mermaid in Portrush left me with mixed feelings. While the restaurant has a lovely atmosphere, the dining experience was overshadowed by the ridiculously overpriced food, which did not match the standard or portion sizes we expected. For a meal that cost £105.95 (without alcohol - only two cokes) for two people, the value simply wasn’t there.

The ambiance was one of the few highlights of the evening. The setting was warm and inviting, with lovely views. However, the portions were small, and while the food itself tasted quite nice, it was nowhere near justifying the hefty price tag. The lobster pasta, for example, was flavorful but minuscule and certainly not worth the price.

Thankfully, the evening was somewhat salvaged by a kind waiter who offered a refund for the lobster pasta after seeing our dissatisfaction. While this gesture was appreciated, it couldn’t fully make up for the poor value we felt overall. It felt wrong to pay those prices for those portions. The prices at The Mermaid simply don’t reflect the experience or quality provided.

In conclusion, if you're drawn to The Mermaid for its lovely atmosphere, be prepared to pay a premium for food that, though tasty, doesn’t warrant the steep cost. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend it based on...