They’re breaking out Chardonnay and cocktail sauce on the Upper West Side.
The Mermaid Inn, which previously rocked Amsterdam Avenue for 15 years closed last yearIs diving again nearby.
The new Mermaid will reopen later this year at 335 Columbus Avenue. The former branch of Chase Bank, on West 76th Street. Danny Abrams, who owns the popular seafood-driven Mermaid mini-empire with Cindy Smith, said it will have an impressive 6,500 square feet.
Abrams said, “The lease took longer than we expected, but we got a really good deal”. Negotiations for the vacant lot began last June, but Abrams declined to discuss terms.
The Amsterdam Avenue Mermaid had long been one of the area’s favorite restaurants. The owners called Smith a “super sad” decision to close it for the last time due to uncertainty over the landlord’s plans for the building.
She said they were already searching for a new location – which sometimes prove to be empty words after a popular spot closes.
The reopening provides a boost to the Columbus Avenue and Upper West Side retail scenes, where many storefronts have vacated.
Neighborhood resident Linda Alexander, who is a member of Community Board 7, called the mermaid return “terrible.” They’ve always been some of the best restaurant operators we’ve had.
Meanwhile, the first phase of Adams and Smith Jumbo Mermaid Oyster Bar The one at 127 W. 43rd St., in collaboration with Alicarte Restaurant Group CEO Jeffrey Banks, is “taking flight” as more people flock to Broadway theaters and Times Square, Abrams said.
The second half of the venue will open in a few months, he said.