The Mermaid Inn

4.6

1407 Reviews

£26 to £40

British

Make a booking

2 people

15 Mar 2025

19:00

Booked 9 times today

About this restaurant

Charming
Good for special occasions
Great for fine wines

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
Phone number
01797 223065
Website
http://www.mermaidinn.com/
Payment Options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Smart Casual
Executive Chef
Drew King
Private party facilities
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.

Location
Mermaid Street, Rye, East Sussex TN31 7EY
Area
Rye
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.
Additional
Gluten-free Options, Indoor Fireplace, Vegan

Private dining

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
Hand Rolled Gnocchi (V/Vg) (N)
Leeks, Nerominded Cheese, Roast Walnuts
Local Beetroot (V)
Potato & Beetroot Rosti, Kale, Kellys Goats’ Cheese, Pomegranate Molasses

Side Dishes

Sauteed Local Greens (GF)
Buttered Pink Fir Potatoes, Crispy Onions
Mermaid House Salad (Vg)

Desserts

Rhubarb Souffle (GF)
£3.50 Supplement Tahitian Vanilla Custard
Peanut Parfait (N) (GF)
Dark Chocolate, Salted Caramel
Pineapple Croustillant (Vg) (N)
Macadamia Nuts, Lemongrass Sorbet
Tiramisu (A)
Espresso, Mascarpone, Cocoa, Marsala
Brighton Blue
Fig Jam, Sussex Honey, Ginger Biscuits
Choice of Home-made Ice Creams & Sorbet
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 1,407 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.

1,407 Reviews

M
Malcolm
Yorkshire4 reviews
5.0
Dined 6 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Splendid Sunday lunch in beautiful surroundings! The staff were excellent and contributed to a great experience.
Is this helpful?
C
Colin
Yorkshire1 review
5.0
Dined 6 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
A lovely meal in a very pleasant environment with excellent service throughout.
The Mermaid InnResponded 4 days ago
Thank you for your review. We have passed your kind words onto the Staff.
Is this helpful?
M
Mark
London4 reviews
5.0
Dined 6 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Wonderful location, sublime food, great and attentive service, what's not to like !?!
Is this helpful?
OT
OpenTable Diner
Brighton1 review
5.0
Dined 7 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
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
Is this helpful?
K
Kacey
London1 review
5.0
Dined 7 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. 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 4 days ago
Thank you for your very generous comments. We have passed on your review to the Staff.
Is this helpful?
J
Julie
Norfolk/Suffolk3 reviews
5.0
Dined 7 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We had a fabulous lunch at The Mermaid - delicious food and wonderful service. Highly recommended!
Is this helpful?
S
Steaksrus
Kent28 reviews
5.0
Dined on 4 March 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Good food at a fair price and very good service. Perfect.
Is this helpful?
A
Arthur
London3 reviews
5.0
Dined on 2 March 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
An excellent lunch although perhaps the portions were a little large. Had a wonderful time with excellent service.
Is this helpful?
R
Ruth VIP
Pittsburgh73 reviews
5.0
Dined on 2 March 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Lovely Sunday lunch in an amazing historical setting. Creative food and lovely staff.
Is this helpful?
B
Beth
Brighton3 reviews
4.0
Dined on 1 March 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
This is a great experience and helps you feel part of historical Rye. The food and ambience was excellent - if slightly warm (though was cold outside!) Excellent VFM
Is this helpful?

FAQs

The Mermaid Inn is rated 4.6 stars by 1407 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people

15 Mar 2025

19:00

Booked 9 times today

Mermaid Street, Rye, East Sussex TN31 7EY

Additional information

Area
Rye
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
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.
Payment Options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Executive Chef
Drew King
Additional
Gluten-free Options, Indoor Fireplace, Vegan

Website
http://www.mermaidinn.com/
Phone number
01797 223065
Private party facilities
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.

The Mermaid Inn

Make a booking

About this restaurant

Additional information

Custom inquiry

Dinner

Entrees

Cullen Skink

Mosaic of Hedgerow Pigeon and Rabbit (GF)

Assiette of Local Cauliflower (V/Vg) (GF)

Smoked Eel (GF)

Truffled Hen's Egg Arancini (V)

Main Courses

Charred Sussex Ribeye (GF)

Northiam Chicken

Dover Sole Veronique (A) (M/C)

Rye Sea Bass (GF)

Hand Rolled Gnocchi (V/Vg) (N)

Local Beetroot (V)

Side Dishes

Sauteed Local Greens (GF)

Buttered Pink Fir Potatoes, Crispy Onions

Mermaid House Salad (Vg)

Desserts

Rhubarb Souffle (GF)

Peanut Parfait (N) (GF)

Pineapple Croustillant (Vg) (N)

Tiramisu (A)

Brighton Blue

Choice of Home-made Ice Creams & Sorbet

Filter Coffee, Espresso, Cappuccino, Café Latte Tea or Infusions with Petit Fours£4.00

Overall ratings and reviews

Diners' Choice Awards

Review summary

FAQs

How is The Mermaid Inn restaurant rated?

Is The Mermaid Inn currently accepting bookings?

Make a booking

Additional information