Dine in the AA 2 Rosette Linen Fold Panelled Restaurant, where you can enjoy the ambience of the large restaurant, the cosiness of The Dr Syn Dining Room or the privacy of the Boardroom for your evening meal, lunch and breakfast.
Head Chef Drew King is focused on using quality, seasonal, local ingredients and cooking them perfectly. He has a broad range of experience having worked in Michelin Star restaurants. and is able to adapt to the requirements of the guest and the occasion.
Please note dogs are not allowed in the Restaurant. Bookings are for the Restaurant only. We do not reserve for The Bar and outside seating areas.
Additional information
Dining style
Fine Dining
Price
£26 to £40
Cuisines
British, French
Hours of Operation
Mon–Fri, Sun 12:00 pm–12:30 am
Daily 6:00 pm–9:00 pm
Sat 12:00 pm–2:30 pm
We can offer a range of menus to suit the occasion.We can provide a personalised service to help you plan the food and wine to ensure we can create a memorable occasionWe offer private dining in our Board Room, or our Dr Syn Dining Room and for larger functions we can seat up to 90 guests in our Tudor Room.
Unfortunately we are unable to offer parking to our restaurant customers as our small car park is reserved for hotel guests. There are a number of alternative car parks locally, and reception will be happy to direct you to these.
Public transit
The Rye railway station and bus station are both a 5 minute walk to The Mermaid Inn.
Additional
Gluten-free Options, Indoor Fireplace, Vegan
Menu
The Mermaid Inn's menu was last updated 2025-03-14.
Dinner
2 Courses £39.50 | 3 Courses £49.50
Entrees
Cullen Skink
Smoked Haddock, Potato, Chives
Mosaic of Hedgerow Pigeon and Rabbit (GF)
Spring Pickles, Soft Herb Emulsion
Assiette of Local Cauliflower (V/Vg) (GF)
Vadouvan, Caper & Raisin Dressing
Smoked Eel (GF)
Blood Orange, Apple, Endive, Creme Fraiche
Truffled Hen's Egg Arancini (V)
Mushroom Ketchup, Twineham Grange Cheese
Main Courses
Charred Sussex Ribeye (GF)
Bone Marrow, Buttermilk Salad, Pomme Pont Neuf, Gentleman’s Relish
Northiam Chicken
Pan Roast Breast, Raclette Stuffed Thigh, Red Cabbage, Caramelised Onion, Chicken Jus
Dover Sole Veronique (A) (M/C)
Noilly Prat, Grapes, Mussels, Local Crab
Rye Sea Bass (GF)
Sauteed Spinach, Capers, Sea Herbs, Brown Butter Emulsion
Filter Coffee, Espresso, Cappuccino, Café Latte Tea or Infusions with Petit Fours£4.00
A discretionary 10% Service Charge is added for good service.
What 1,409 people are saying
The Mermaid Inn reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.
Overall ratings and reviews
Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant
4.6
4.6 based on recent ratings
4.5Food
4.7Service
4.6Ambience
4.4Value
Noise • Energetic
Diners' Choice Awards
East Sussex
Great for brunch
East Sussex
Great for fine wines
East Sussex
Romantic
East Sussex
Good for special occasions
East Sussex
Most Booked
Review summary
AI-generated from verified diner reviews
The Mermaid Inn delights with "atmospheric, authentic, beautiful" charm, offering "excellent service" and "delicious food" in a historic setting. Guests praise its "wonderful, atmospheric building" and "friendly, attentive staff." While some noted minor menu and service issues, the overall experience is "a delight," making it a "must-visit" in Rye.
1,409 Reviews
JY
JulieY
London5 reviews
4.0
Dined 1 day ago
Overall 4
Food 3
Service 5
Ambience 4
Staff were brilliant, food 50% of table loved it / 50% found it too salty but that was the dish so think was more individual taste than any issue. Brilliant place and would recommend.
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S
Sarah
Surrey1 review
5.0
Dined 7 days ago
Overall 5
Food 5
Service 5
Ambience 5
We had a such a lovely evening at the Mermaid. The food was amazing, lots of choices and absolutely delicious. The staff were attentive from the moment we arrived to the moment we left. They all knew the menu and were able to give good recommendations. The whole restaurant had a great feel to it. Would definitely recommend.
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M
Malcolm
Yorkshire4 reviews
5.0
Dined on 9 March 2025
Overall 5
Food 5
Service 5
Ambience 5
Splendid Sunday lunch in beautiful surroundings! The staff were excellent and contributed to a great experience.
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C
Colin
Yorkshire1 review
5.0
Dined on 9 March 2025
Overall 5
Food 5
Service 5
Ambience 5
A lovely meal in a very pleasant environment with excellent service throughout.
The Mermaid InnResponded on 11 March 2025
Thank you for your review. We have passed your kind words onto the Staff.
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M
Mark
London4 reviews
5.0
Dined on 9 March 2025
Overall 5
Food 5
Service 5
Ambience 5
Wonderful location, sublime food, great and attentive service, what's not to like !?!
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Brighton1 review
5.0
Dined on 8 March 2025
Overall 5
Food 5
Service 4
Ambience 4
Me and my wife dinned here. A great new menu was introduced this evening and was very nice. Great service from the staff. Would highly recommend
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K
Kacey
London1 review
5.0
Dined on 8 March 2025
Overall 5
Food 5
Service 5
Ambience 5
Our dinner was lovely - the pigeon and rabbit starter and chicken main were lovely. My friend loved her smoked eel starter and fish main. The bread was divine, and the amuse bouche were so tasty. Unfortunately I was too full to try one of the amazing looking deserts (the rhubarb souffle looked fantastic), but I did love the petit fours that came with my post meal decaf coffee. The food was amazing, but the staff were even more so - everyone was so happy and friendly, they made you feel so welcome.
The Mermaid InnResponded on 11 March 2025
Thank you for your very generous comments. We have passed on your review to the Staff.
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J
Julie
Norfolk/Suffolk3 reviews
5.0
Dined on 8 March 2025
Overall 5
Food 5
Service 5
Ambience 5
We had a fabulous lunch at The Mermaid - delicious food and wonderful service. Highly recommended!
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S
Steaksrus
Kent28 reviews
5.0
Dined on 4 March 2025
Overall 5
Food 5
Service 5
Ambience 5
Good food at a fair price and very good service. Perfect.
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A
Arthur
London3 reviews
5.0
Dined on 2 March 2025
Overall 5
Food 5
Service 5
Ambience 5
An excellent lunch although perhaps the portions were a little large. Had a wonderful time with excellent service.
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FAQs
The Mermaid Inn is rated 4.6 stars by 1409 OpenTable diners.
Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.
Mon–Fri, Sun 12:00 pm–12:30 am
Daily 6:00 pm–9:00 pm
Sat 12:00 pm–2:30 pm
Price
£26 to £40
Cuisines
British, French
Dining style
Fine Dining
Dress code
Smart Casual
Parking details
Unfortunately we are unable to offer parking to our restaurant customers as our small car park is reserved for hotel guests. There are a number of alternative car parks locally, and reception will be happy to direct you to these.
Public transit
The Rye railway station and bus station are both a 5 minute walk to The Mermaid Inn.
We can offer a range of menus to suit the occasion.We can provide a personalised service to help you plan the food and wine to ensure we can create a memorable occasionWe offer private dining in our Board Room, or our Dr Syn Dining Room and for larger functions we can seat up to 90 guests in our Tudor Room.
