Though not their oldest location (that would be at 96 Second Ave.), the Mermaid Inn has been a staple on the Upper West Side since 2007. The owners, Danny Abrams and Cindy Smith, recently revealed to the New York Post that they would be closing up shop at 570 Amsterdam Ave. on October 16, in agreement with their landlord.
But this isn’t a pandemic-induced tragedy, luckily. Instead, it was mutually agreed upon by the new building owners and themselves, with Smith saying “We didn’t want to have a restaurant surrounded by a scaffold.” Abrams and Smith even said they are already looking at three different locations in the same neighborhood to reopen in, plus that’s in addition to their giant location opening soon in Times Square.
They hope to move into a new UWS location by late spring or early summer, and the employees at this location will be offered jobs at the new Times Square outpost at 127 W. 43rd St., where Heartland Brewery was formerly located. The space is 15,500 square feet with 550 seats, though only part of the space will open this fall, with the remainder opening in the new year.
Their original East Village location closed & then reopened recently after COVID, and their others in Greenwich Village (the Mermaid Oyster Bar), and Chelsea remain open at this time as well.
So, enjoy their oyster happy hour (4:30-6:30 p.m.) on the UWS until the 16th, and hit up their other locations until the next opens up!