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.
