After 17 years of successful operation, the popular seafood restaurant is finally coming back to the East Village.
The Mermaid Inn is a popular seafood restaurant that has been serving New York for nearly two decades. A spot-on rendition of a casual New England fish shack, The Mermaid Inn is complete with style, warm hospitality, and is known for serving up classic seafood fare. The brand was established by owners Cindy Smith and Danny Abrams in 2003. Cindy and Danny have been working in the industry for years, and also operated Sirenetta pizzeria and a Greenwich Village outpost of J.G. Melon. In 1999, Danny made a name for himself when he launched Red Cat with partner Jim Bradley, establishing himself as one of Chelsea’s favorite new restaurateurs.
At its peak in 2020, The Mermaid Inn operated four different locations, including a designated Oyster Bar that was known in the city for featuring great happy hour deals. Danny and Cindy even acquired the former Red Cat space and managed to convert into a brand new outpost for The Mermaid Inn. Sadly though, right at the height of their continued success, the pandemic struck the city and caused a significant disruption to The Mermaid Inn’s operation. After a challenged series of negotiations with their landlord, Cindy and Danny ultimately decided to shut down their original location on second avenue. Things remained murky for some time, but as time continued to progress and the space continued to remain vacant, the possibility of reopening the space became more likely.
Thankfully, the space remained vacant for long enough to enable Danny and Cindy to reacquire the space, and they are now gearing up to relaunch their original Mermaid Inn at 96 Second Avenue. While plans to reopen have been in place for some time, delays with the SLA have continued to set the project back. Now though, the space is once again coming to life, and new signage has announced the triumphant return of the popular restaurant. A big sign on the window now reads “We are coming back, join our team!” with an invitation to direct resumes to their email address.
The Mermaid Inn’s reopening is welcome news to loyalists who have spent years of their life patronizing the space. Many fans have beloved memories of visiting the restaurant during its 17+ years of operation, and it means a lot to them that the original space they fell in love with will once again be open to the public. While Danny and Cindy have not yet outlined their timetable for opening, you can follow The Mermaid Inn on Instagram for future updates, and readers interested in joining the team at the newly reopened restaurant can visit their website for information on employment opportunities.
