Island Mermaid — Restaurant in Town of Islip

Stopped by for a quick bite before our departure from the island and have to say that Island Mermaid tops the list as the worst food we’ve had in a recent history. Pros: great location, that’s basically what you are paying for. View of the ocean, and hustle and bustle along the pier & boardwalk. Service is prompt and friendly. Cons: absolutely terrible. Medium burger ($29) was burnt and dry, cheese was stuck to the bun & not the burger for some reason. It’s served with mashed potatoes which is a very unusual choice to say the least. 99% of the restaurants serve burgers with fries. Crab cakes ($39) were dry and bland, those were either frozen & then microwaved or re-heated multiple times. Side dishes for entrees were rice and veg and rice was old & dry. Seems they re-heated a day old rice which can cause botulism and veg was dry & wilted. Looked like it was from a dollar store frozen veg bag. Mac and cheese for kids was ($15), I am not even exaggerating, just a soup of penne in a pool of velveeta. Cocktail with pineapple juice in it tasted like it was from a can. ($18) Experiences like this make you question the whole process of dining out. Expectations the guests have while dining at touristy places like Island Mermaid is to have a normal meal that’s closer to fast food quality but higher prices due to the location. We were not expecting an amazing meal, we were just hoping for a decent no frills meal. However, the value you get is more closer to re-heated Dollar store...

I dined here on Saturday evening this past weekend, which was the last weekend before Memorial Day. I was ecstatic to see such a lively and trendy crowd.

This popular waterfront restaurant draws many “South Beach-types” who dock their yachts 🛥 on the restaurant’s marina, which is located on the Great South Bay.

The après-beach crowd come here to dine, drink and dance 🕺 the night away. VAX cards are required for those who want to groove on the dance floor, according to the Instagram page #IslandMermaidOB”.

Everybody is so fun, friendly and unpretentious in this Fire Island melting pot.

The eclectic menu has everything from “crab and shrimp bisque soup” to “organic skirt steak with chimichurri sauce”. The uber-fluffy key lime pie is a must try!

Locals say they come here especially for the addicting “Rocket Fuel”— a tantalizing cocktail 🍹 created many years ago by some Fire Island bartenders.

Future brides and grooms hold their bachelor/bachelorette parties here.

Lots of romantic couples gaze at the picturesque sunset 🌅 , so be sure to get a seat before sundown. Reservations are strongly suggested!

The jovial owner Scotty, management and waitstaff deliver splendid customer service. No wonder Island Mermaid has a cult-like following.

Don’t be surprised if you spot a few celebrities.

Island Mermaid is where you “see...

I want to give this place a better review but their hospitality could use some real help. I understand the need to fit as many tables in to a space as possible given the new outdoor dining rules but to do so at the expense of your customer's comfort is the antithesis of hospitality.

My friends and I were situated at a corner table near the edge of the dock near where the dock master is located. Numerous times during the course of our meal, we had to get up so that people could squeeze their way between our table. The people that were squeezing in were the people working on the dock or coming in off boats. When I made a comment to our server that if this is going to occur then there should not be a table situated here. He defended the action by saying that the owner wanted to put the table there to squeeze as many people in as possible and that he had already received this complaint on a few occasions.

What prompted me to write this review was after I complained about this action to our server, he did the same thing and asked my friends to move so he could squeeze through. There's a complete disregard for customer service with this kind of action and when the need to maintain personal space during COVID is tantamount, this is completely...