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Portsmouth, NH Map: Blue Mermaid World GrillBlue Mermaid World Grill Frommer's Very Highly Recommended

Cuisine Global, Eclectic
Hours Mon-Thurs 11:30am-9pm; Fri-Sat 11:30am-10pm; Sun 10am-9pm
Address
409 The Hill
Location At Hanover and High sts., facing the municipal parking garage, Around Town
Reservations Reservations recommended for parties of 6 or more
Phone 603/427-2583
Web site www.bluemermaid.com
Prices Main courses $6-$12 at lunch; $16-$22 at dinner
Credit Cards AE, DISC, MC, V

Frommer's Review

The Blue Mermaid is a Portsmouth favorite for its good food, good value, and refusal to take itself too seriously. A short stroll from Market Square, in a historic area called the Hill, it's not pretentious -- locals congregate here, Tom Waits tunes play in the background, and the service is casual but professional. The menu is adventurous in a low-key, global way, leaning ever so slightly toward Mexico and the Caribbean -- you might try a tortilla pizza or a salmon club sandwich for lunch, or a dinner of short ribs in guava-soy sauce, served with cornbread; Bimini-style grilled chicken with bananas and walnuts in bourbon sauce, sided with a sweet potato hash; or beef medallions spiced up with horseradish cream and chipotle peppers. For fun, make a dinner out of small-plate offerings like wontons, Jamaican beef patties, and the seafood-coconut wrap. They also cook seafood on a wood-fired grill, burgers, pasta, and pizzas. Libations include local draft brews plus a full menu of coolers, mojitos, Goombay smashes, and margaritas.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.


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Frommer's Destination Guides Frommer's Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, 6th Edition
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Frommer's Very Highly Recommended 2 stars Frommer's Very Highly Recommended
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Frommer's ranks every hotel, restaurant, attraction, shop, and nightlife establishment it reviews for quality, value, service, amenities, and special features using a star-rating scale, an expression of the strong compare-and-contrast opinions that are a brand hallmark.

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The "baseline" recommendation is zero stars--every hotel, restaurant, attraction, shop, and nightlife establishment that Frommer's chooses to review is recommended; otherwise, we simply wouldn't include it.

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