The Mermaid Inn won't be returning to its original East Village home

A for-rent sign now hangs outside the retail space at 96 Second Ave. between Fifth Street and Sixth Street... which presumably brings an end to the Mermaid Inn's time here. 

Last fall, after a 7-week reopening stint, Mermaid Inn went dark. A spokesperson for Mermaid Inn said this outpost was "closing for the winter" and would reopen in April. 

The "we are closed for the season" sign remains on the front door of the empty space...

Workers removed the remaining contents of the restaurant in January... a not-so-subtle hint that the Mermaid Inn was not returning here.

To recap... Mermaid Inn closed during the pandemic. Co-owner Daniel Abrams and partner Cindy Smith decided to shut down the seafood restaurant in the wake of failed attempts to reach a workable rent deal, Eater reported at the time. 

There were later issues with a stringent State Liquor Authority that was delaying the return.

Then there was a grand reopening last September. Seven weeks later, the Inn closed again.

The Mermaid Inn arrived in the East Village back in 2003, with several outposts to follow... most recently a massive space on 10th Avenue in December. No word if there might be plans for another EV outpost some day. 

A look at the currently closed Mermaid Inn on 2nd Avenue

Photos yesterday by Stacie Joy 

On Tuesday, an EVG tipster told us that workers were removing the contents from the currently closed Mermaid Inn on Second Avenue between Fifth Street and Sixth Street. 

A look inside reveals an almost-empty restaurant ...

After a 7-week encore, Mermaid Inn went gone dark in October. At the time, the official word was a temporary closure for the season. 

Door signage still points to a seasonal shutter...

Despite this, two MI employees told us last fall that this closing was permanent. 

Meanwhile, the East Village location is no longer on the MI website. We'll see what transpires.

Mermaid Inn closed here during the pandemic. Co-owner Daniel Abrams and partner Cindy Smith decided to shut down the seafood restaurant in the wake of failed attempts to reach a workable rent deal, Eater reported. 

Then came a (delayed) triumphant return last September.

The Mermaid Inn arrived in the East Village back in 2003, with several outposts to follow... most recently a massive space on 10th Avenue in December.

The East Village Mermaid Inn is now closed until the spring

Photos by Stacie Joy

After a 7-week encore, Mermaid Inn has gone dark once again on Second Avenue — until the spring. 

The East Village location has been removed from the Mermaid Inn Instagram account... and reservations are no longer available here between Fifth Street and Sixth Street. A spokesperson for Mermaid Inn said this outpost is "closing for the winter" and will reopen in April.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy took these photos at the space yesterday... 

This is a deflating development, as the restaurant reopened for business on Sept. 8. In the comments on previous posts, residents cheered on its return.
 

Mermaid Inn closed here during the pandemic. Co-owner Daniel Abrams and partner Cindy Smith decided to shut down the seafood restaurant in the wake of failed attempts to reach a workable rent deal, Eater reported at the time. 

There were later issues with a stringent State Liquor Authority that was delaying the reopening.

The Mermaid Inn arrived in the East Village back in 2003. There are also locations in Greenwich Village, Chelsea and the Upper West Side... with Mermaid Mexicana opening in the spring on MacDougal Street. 

Meanwhile, a big outpost is opening soon on Times Square. 

The East Village outpost of the Mermaid Inn reopens TODAY; take a look inside

Photos by Stacie Joy/HT Steven!

The Mermaid Inn reopens later today (4:30 p.m.) at 96 Second Ave. (Note: This is the soft opening. The official opening is Sept. 15.)

EVG contributor Stacie Joy got a look inside yesterday as workers were gearing up for the grand reopening...

Per Stacie: "The end-of-meal chocolate pudding/pot de creme dessert will still be there but the fortune-telling fish will not be coming back (due to plastic)."

Mermaid Inn closed here between Fifth Street and Sixth Street during the pandemic. Co-owner Daniel Abrams and partner Cindy Smith decided to shut down the seafood restaurant in the wake of failed attempts to reach a workable rent deal, Eater reported at the time. 

There were later issues with a stringent State Liquor Authority that was delaying the reopening.

The Mermaid Inn arrived in the East Village back in 2003. There are also locations in Greenwich Village, Chelsea and the Upper West Side... with Mermaid Mexicana opening in the spring on MacDougal Street.

The EV hours moving forward: Wednesday-Saturday: 4:30-10:30 p.m. ... with a 10 p.m. close on Sundays. 

The Mermaid Inn is moving closer to its East Village return

Photo by Carol from East 5th Street

Signage is up now about the reopening of the Mermaid Inn on Second Avenue. 

Aside from announcing the return, the signage serves as an employment ad for recruiting staff at this outpost between Fifth Street and Sixth Street.

No word on an opening date just yet. (Local 92 next door will then no longer be able to use the sidewalk space outside Mermaid Inn.)

Mermaid Inn closed here during the pandemic. Co-owner Daniel Abrams and partner Cindy Smith decided to shut down the seafood restaurant in the wake of failed attempts to reach a workable rent deal, Eater reported at the time. 

There were later issues with a stringent State Liquor Authority that was delaying the reopening.

The Mermaid Inn arrived in the East Village back in 2003. There are also locations in Greenwich Village, Chelsea and the Upper West Side... with Mermaid Mexicana opening in the spring on MacDougal Street. 

Report: Mermaid Inn to return to 2nd Avenue in 2022

Photos from last month

The Mermaid Inn's East Village outpost is expected to reopen in the spring.

This nugget of news of interest to EV residents was part of a larger story at Eater about Mermaid Inn opening an outpost on West 43rd Street.

Mermaid Inn closed here on Second Avenue between Fifth Street and Sixth Street during the pandemic. Co-owner Daniel Abrams and partner Cindy Smith decided to close the restaurant in the wake of failed attempts to reach a workable rent deal, Eater reported at the time. 

In April, Abrams said that the Mermaid Inn would return to the East Village, though the SLA would reportedly not grant a temporary liquor license to the seafood restaurant that had been here for 17 years.

There has been a little activity here and there at the Second Avenue space...

Mermaid Inn outposts are open in Chelsea, Greenwich and the Upper West Side.

Report: Mermaid Inn plans to reopen, though the SLA isn't helping

[Photo from Aug. 22]

Co-owners Daniel Abrams and Cindy Smith have plans to reopen the Mermaid Inn, the seafood-centric restaurant that closed late last summer after 17 years on Second Avenue between Fifth Street and Sixth Street.

However, as Abrams tells the Post, a stringent State Liquor Authority law is delaying the reopening.

Why?

Under current law, new or revived restaurants and pubs outside New York City can obtain a temporary liquor permit within 30 days, while the State Liquor Authority reviews an applicant’s request for full license — a process that could take anywhere from four to six months.

And?

... unlike their peers in other parts of the state, Big Apple restaurants that want to open or reopen are barred under the law from obtaining a temporary permit to sell booze pending the SLA’s months-long review on whether to provide a two-year license to sell liquor.

Hmm.

The more restrictive treatment of city restaurants under the state alcohol and beverage control law is a result of complaints from city residents and lawmakers who railed against the proliferation of bars in certain neighborhoods, sources familiar with the law said.

According to Abrams, alcohol sales account for 40 percent of a restaurant's revenues. 

"What's the purpose of opening a restaurant without serving alcohol? If you can't offer a glass of wine with the oysters, diners will go somewhere else," he said.

Abrams decided to reopen the Mermaid Inn after renegotiating a lease with the landlord and seeing "more foot traffic and economic activity."

Mermaid Inn has closed on 2nd Avenue

[Photo from Aug. 22]

Several readers have noted activity at the currently closed Mermaid Inn on Second Avenue... workers were spotted removing equipment from the casual seafood restaurant here between Fifth Street and Sixth Street.

The interior is now empty...



The East Village location is no longer on the Mermaid Inn's website; the phone is not in service. Mermaid Inn reps did not respond to requests for information about the Second Avenue outpost. Three other Mermaid Inn locations are currently open.

The Mermaid Inn arrived in the East Village back in 2003.

Updated:

As we were writing this up yesterday Eater confirmed the closure.

Co-owner Daniel Abrams and partner Cindy Smith decided to close the restaurant in the wake of failed attempts to reach a workable rent deal with the location's landlord amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

"The situation is untenable," Abrams says in a phone interview. "The PPP has run out. There's no money to pay landlords. We go to landlords like beggars hoping they'll give us a handout."

Abrams also wrote an open farewell letter, which includes this passage:

We are sharing this information to illustrate what ONE SINGLE RESTAURANT adds to its community and to the city. Many restaurants have closed since COVID and many more will close as the pandemic continues. The ripple effect will be incalculable.

Over the years The Mermaid Inn on Second Ave has:
• Welcomed over 850,000 guests
• Paid over $15M in wages to our more than 3000 employees who have spent Ime with us
• Contributed more than $2.1M in taxes to the city, the state, Medicare, SS, UI, etc
• Sent in excess of 4M in Sales Tax to NYS
• Paid over 15M to our hundreds of hard working vendors
• Given hundreds of thousands of dollars to the city and state for permits, licenses, etc

We are providing these numbers to show the effect the closing of a SINGLE restaurant has. Now mulIply that by THOUSANDS of NYC restaurants closing. The loss of opportunity for employees, the loss of income for city, state and local governments, the loss of sales to our fish companies, our vegetable company, the linen company, even the company that comes to take our used oyster shells or our discarded grease. If we don’t pay them, they do not pay their employees and so on and so on. The chain is never ending.

On 2nd Avenue, the Local 92 and Mermaid Inn are closed for renovations

On Second Avenue between Fifth Street and Sixth Street, two neighboring restaurants are currently closed for renovations.

First, there's the Mermaid Inn...



The sign points to a spring cleaning in anticipation of their 14th birthday. They are expected back open next Monday. (They closed for renovations in October 2011 as well.)

And next door, Local 92 has closed for a few days ...



...with a return date on Thursday.



Thank you to Vinny & O for the photos!

Updates on yesterday's bar-restaurant rumors

1. The owners of The Immigrant will open a cafe adjacent to their current home on East Ninth Street. True.

Late yesterday afternoon, owner Jason Corey confirmed his intention to open a similar space next door. If all goes well, then he is "hoping to open our low-key locals hangout bar extension in the next two months." The Immigrant Tap Room is a working name for the new space now, with both beer and wine likely available.

2. The Mermaid Inn is expanding into the Candela Candela space next door on Second Avenue. False.

A Mermaid Inn rep contacted us early yesterday afternoon and said that their news announcement teased via Twitter was not about an expansion.

Their news: Starting on Monday, they'll have a happy hour every day from 5-7 p.m. Also: On March 23, to coincide with the celebration of The Mermaid Inn's 10-year anniversary, they are launching a lunch service on weekends from 12:30-4:30 p.m.

[Updated] Rumors: Is the Mermaid Inn expanding next door? (no)

The folks at the Mermaid Inn tweeted this late last week...

Pretty exciting news to share about the East Village with you soon.... but for now, we'll leave you with this image ow.ly/i/1o0yn

— The Mermaid Inn, NYC (@themermaidnyc) January 17, 2013

After we posted this yesterday, several tipsters told us that the restaurant is expanding next door... where there's now paper covering the windows of Candela Candela, the Cuban-Italian restaurant that opened in 2007 ... there isn't any kind of "closed for renovations" note at Candela, which one reader thought was still open as of Sunday.

Anyway, this is all only speculation at this point... Among other things, we haven't heard anything official about a Candela closing. (We called last evening, and received a "voice mailbox full message.")

Updated 1:55 p.m.
The folks at the Mermaid Inn wrote in to say that they are NOT taking the Candela space...

Mermaid Inn has 'pretty exciting news to share'

Caught this tweet from the other day...

Pretty exciting news to share about the East Village with you soon.... but for now, we'll leave you with this image ow.ly/i/1o0yn

— The Mermaid Inn, NYC (@themermaidnyc) January 17, 2013

Any ideas about the announcement from this restaurant on Second Avenue between East Fifth Street and East Sixth Street...?

Mermaid Inn closed for renovations this week

The sign explains what's happening... "installing new floors, redoing our bathrooms, painting, retiling and generally sprucing up the place."

Back open Friday.