The Mermaid Queen — Restaurant in Hollywood

Disappointing Experience at an Inconsistent Restaurant I recently had the opportunity to visit a restaurant based on the recommendations of friends. My initial visit in early June showed promise, despite the emptiness of the establishment in the evening, which is understandable for a new place. The cuisine was enjoyable, and the service was satisfactory. However, I encountered an issue during payment, where the tip was charged twice, totaling 38%. Despite this hiccup, I chose to leave everything as it was, as I had a positive overall experience.

Regrettably, my second visit on Independence Day left a lot to be desired. Despite the holiday weekend, the restaurant was only half full, which was surprising. I opted for an outdoor counter seat to enjoy the picturesque view of the ocean. However, this time, the waiter and manager were different, and the service took a downturn.

The waiter seemed uninterested and took his time to take my order. Due to loud nearby music, it took three attempts for me to communicate my preferences. The ambiance was affected by the waiter's refusal to lower the volume. Furthermore, the coffee served was warm instead of hot, which was a letdown. On the positive side, the main course was delicious.

Expressing my dissatisfaction, I requested the bill and asked to speak to the manager, Paola. I inquired about the automatic inclusion of 18% tips in the bill, which was not mentioned in the menu. To my disappointment, Paola neither provided any evidence nor acknowledged the lack of transparency. Instead, she resorted to threats of involving the police due to my refusal to pay a tip for subpar service. Her confrontational response was disheartening, as I had expected a more professional approach. I left the restaurant feeling disrespected and unheard.

To exacerbate matters, the waiter refused to provide a receipt or disclose his name, further diminishing the transparency and accountability of the establishment. It is essential for customers to have access to these details for future reference or feedback.

Overall, my experience at this restaurant was disheartening. While my first visit showed potential, the inconsistency in service, lack of transparency regarding tipping policies, and unprofessional behavior from the manager were major drawbacks. I hope this review serves as constructive feedback not only for potential tourists but also for the restaurant owner. I suppose it is crucial to address these issues to ensure a better dining experience...

The staff is racist and discriminatory if you don’t speak their language (Spanish). We asked to bring us a rattan chair to our table instead of the plastic cheap uncomfortable chair that they brought us. They refused saying that there were none available while there were quite a few available on the patio. We came there to sit and relax, but were treated with obnoxious staff. Will never return there.

EDIT AS A RESPONSE TO THE OWNER or whoever responded to my very honest review: As a beachfront restaurant, you are able to charge double for mediocre food because people come to your and other beachfront restaurants for the ocean view and to RELAX. If I wanted to have a gastronomic experience, I would go to a culinary restaurant such as Joel Robuchon or similar. If I would have wanted cheap fast food, I would get carry out from McDonalds. You response is extremely hostile and just confirms the same exact disgusting attitude that we experienced at your so called “restaurant.” I understand that you mostly cater to tourists that will go to your place one time in their life, but we are locals who love to return to the same places in our neighborhoods. Also, you should learn proper English, you are in America. As a restaurant owner, you must be aware that restaurant is not spelled “RESTORANT.” And btw I already ate your mediocre food a few months ago. I came back for the beachfront setting and to RELAX! If I wanted to sit on a dollar store plastic chair, while half of your patio had available quality chairs, I would have stayed on the beach on my beach chair which is more comfortable.

I see you are constantly removing your bad reviews, I you will remove mine, I will gladly post again and you will spend more and more money...

I’ve been here a few times because the food is always solid and good, and service was fine. But I brought a friend here on a Saturday night and the service was nonexistent. They sat us down. It took probably 15 minutes for someone to even acknowledge us AFTER we flagged them down. The server then took our drink and app order but didn’t want to take our main course order even though we were ready as we had been waiting a long time. Then around 20-25 minutes pass with no drinks or app, and no one coming to take our entree order. Another couple next to us also was having a similarly bad experience. We attempted to flag the manager to say we can go somewhere else but they claimed to be making our drinks. Finally after 45 minutes, drinks came, but they were the wrong ones - at this point, we didn’t even bother trying to change the drinks though we told them these weren't what we ordered. Finally someone came to take our main order and apologized for the wait as they said they were training new staff. At the end of this experience, the restaurant took no steps to fix the issue - our drinks at minimum should have been comped. I live in the area and after this experience, I unfortunately don't think I will be back and certainly won't bring guests. 2 stars and not 1 star only because the...