Mermaid in Ipswich

They now allow dogs inside, reasonably priced.

Friendly staff. Good food at a reasonable price. The pub/ restaurant could do with a refresh though. Will definitely go back

I went to book a table for 4 on a Saturday night and was asked to pay £40 up front by the booking system. Was a little miffed by this as always booked before with no fee. I didn't pay and didn't book and showed up at the pub. We were greeted by a friendly gentleman who found us a table. We ordered at the bar and the card machine wasn't working so they opened us a tab. The food arrived boiling hot. The hunters chicken and salad was a bacon and chicken salad, we queried and it was soon changed. Can't fault the food great and piping hot to the last mouthful. Toilets were clean and well stocked. We managed to pay our bill on the card when we were leaving. I'd visit again but I won't book and pay a fee upfront.

I have just sent a letter of praise to Head office! About #amanda #waitress

The staff made us feel welcome on arrival and were really friendly. We were impressed on how quickly the food came after ordering. My friend and I intend to recommend our friends and family to try your standard and Xmas menu. Compliments to all your staff from front of bar to the kitchen on making our first experience at The Mermaid really enjoyable.

The staff are polite and efficient, the food is always good, there's a great range of drinks and all very reasonably priced.

I visited The Mermaid today for a carvery lunch. I really enjoyed the food and pleased with the portion servings too. What contribute to my good experience visiting the Mermaid, was the customer service. I was served by a very friendly,polite and helpful staff member called 'Liam'. He greeted me with a big smile and I was very impressed by his customer service. He ensured I had everything I required to enjoy my lunch and dealt with any of my concerns promptly.I was very impressed by his customer service and made my visit to the The Mermaid enjoyable. Thank you, keep smiling! 😃

Absolutely banging food. Went here for my youngests birthday all of us loved the carvery. 👍

The people who work there are so friendly and welcoming and the food is amazing. Proper british food, and well priced for how much me and the kiddies loved it! The carvery was especially amazing, just the gem of the establishment! Clean, tidy and so warm. Will have to try to come back every weekend, as the family just loved it xxx

My friend & I had a carvery it was just warm nowhere near hot was horrible will not visit again

Fantastic service from Nelly she is the best. I will be returning for my Carlsburg!

There is a group of us who play seniors walking football at Ipswich Town on a Wednesday morning. We thought it would be good to go out for lunch after playing one day and we chose the Mermaid as being a suitable venue. In total there were 22 of us who went along. We were all very impressed. There was ample free parking. The staff/service was excellent (a special mention to Becky), the food was good and there was real ale on tap A number of us had vouchers for 30% off a main meal for up to 8 people and they honoured this for all of us. We will be returning.

The only thing wrong today was soggy batter puddings and not much variety of veg on the carvery Excellent customer service

We had a lovely meal for my dad’s birthday. The food was good and the service was excellent. The staff were all very friendly.

Good pub food, friendly staff and fair prices.

I stayed in the hotel and ate in the pub. The hotel - cleaning staff v good and rooms serviced well. However although the obvious black mould in the wet room was addressed v promptly and well by cleaners I think it shouldn't have been there when I checked in. The rooms are basic for the price but it's close to station and town and short distance to visit family. The added bonus is that the pub/ restaurant is a few steps away from the hotel part. The food in the restaurant is pub fare but reasonably priced , can't complain! I'd like to see some gluten free bread so I could have a burger. Likewisee no gluten free cake / desert. Steak is a bit hit and miss like most pubs. I've had great steak there and not so great. Chicken wings good, carvery OK. Wine is expensive for v basic red wine, but again it's like that in most pubs. Tho have to say Merlot was OK. Overall its pretty good and I'll stay again.

It was my husband's 65th birthday. There was 6 of us and 3 had the mixed grill and the food/staff were brilliant. Well done

Stayed at The Mermaid in Ipswich for a few nights whilst competing in an international tennis tournament in Ipswich. All of the team I was helped by were great and helpful. Rachel in particular was very friendly and keen to please. That kind of approach to customers is really valuable and makes all the difference. Thanks!!

We always enjoy our meals both roasts and off the main menu. Staff are friendly and happy to help. The price is great to. Childrens area could be a little better and that's our only slight negative.

We had a nice meal on a quiet Monday. Staff was attentive and service was good

We had a lovely meal tonight really enjoyed it thank you 😃

Welcoming friendly staff, great food for the price. Relaxing atmosphere. Pub grub 😎👍 good outdoor area..

Great atmosphere & very friendly staff

Went for dinner here on Sunday. Ordered 5 carverys. Chef served all 5 of us when they were clearly out if Yorkshire puddings, so we waited with our meal going cold so more could come out. As we moved across to get gravy and sauces, my son said his yorkshire was cold and when we all checked the rest of them appeared to be frozen. We complained and asked for new ones. The waitress rolled her eyes and said that they all get cooked from fresh and they were nit cold. I placed ine in her hand so she beleived me. All 5 of us waited while the waitress bough out 'fresh' ones which appeared to be soggy and microwaved. (Along with about 4 other people.) We then had to wait for gravy and sauce refill with no apology from staff. By the time we sat down our dinnners were all cold. Half way through our meal, we interrupted twice to ask if we were done, as it seemed like they needed our plates for other guests. Will not be returning. Overcrowded, rude staff and frozen food. Wouldn't even give 1 star.

Food was ok, but we had the most helpful server her name was Sophia and she is a credit to the place and made the visit more enjoyable

A wonderful carvery with a great selection of vegetables and crispy roast potatoes, good choice if vegetarian options too, great selection of larger on tap. Definitely make use of the pool table to catch up with friends whilst watching the footy on tnt sports.

First time visiting with a family group. Was very happy with the carvery. Good choice of meats and veg, and absolutely massive Yorkshire puddings for the price. Thanks to Caitlin for looking after us.

Had a lovely carvery meal. The staff let us know when the the non carvery meals were nearly ready so we could all eat together which was very thoughtful. The staff were friendly and efficient. Had a very good time and the food was reasonably priced, the drinks felt a touch expensive though at over £3 for a soft drink.

Very good service especially from Liam 10/10 as always the food is amazing !!!!!!!

Kyron served us and was customer friendly, efficient and polite. Many thanks.

Amanda and franklin are amazing... Very friendly great ppl skills.. made me feel really comfy and welcome... All the staff are brilliant at the mermaid i live in norfolk and come to ipswich to see my bf and i always say can we.go to the mermaid and see the lovely staff xx well done guys xxx

Zero stars for food. Carvery was awful. Pitiful amount of meat given, especially when we paid for large plates...and 2 squares of stuffing, come on! Roast potatoes were dry, cold and difficult to cut. Veg selection was very poor, cold and overcooked. The red cabbage so overcooked it was jam!

We waited 30 mins for drinks to arrive at the table. My wife has carvery and the beef was too tough to chew and the turkey was hard at the edges. I had steak and ale pie and I needed a sledge hammer to get through the top crust. All in all a very disappointing meal.

Friendly and polite team members and all meals were presented well and delicious.

I have been served by Amanda on multiple occasions at the mermaid. She made me feel very welcome and had great customer service. The food there Is great and the prices are good. Would 100% recommend going here.

Really good food at reasonable prices and very good service.

On this particular experience I want impressed with the. Carvery meat it was all quite fatty and not very edible

Fabulous portions, fabulous food!!

Good pub very friendly staff, good menu with lots if different choices plus they do a carvery. I had the carvery and if i was to give it a rating out of 10 it would be a 4. But then the carvery i suppose is dependent on what time of the day you have it.

We have used your pub every 2 weeks there Saturday to meet friends have a meal and drinks before football. Lovely friendly staff food great

Served by a lovely fella called Laurie thought he was an absolute legend

Really nice cakes and desserts.

Been there three times in last 5 days. Excellent food and service each time

Good value for money. food would have benefited from being a little bit hotter or score would have been 5 stars. We had to wait longer than usual to be seated upon arrival, nobody at arrival desk which is unusual for this venue.

Had a carvery and was beautiful also service was 5 star served by jalen really friendly asked about our day can't fault the place.

Our lovely waitress Shannon gave excellent customer service making our visit friendly and amazing. Shannon came over many times to ask how was our food and made sure everything was good for us. Would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants some nice pub food.

The staff were welcoming and helpful, the food was very good and served promptly. We enjoyed our lunch with you.

Great food with lovely friendly staff.will definitely go there again.

Carvery was lovely!! Especially the fluffy roast potatoes. Service was friendly and helpful

The staff here is truly the highlight of our visit. The morning staff, especially Chanel and Daisy, were so friendly and helpful. They did everything they could to make our stay comfortable.

We stopped herefor dinner around 5-pm ish on a Saturday. The place was pretty empty for the size of the place. We decided to have the carvery and were pretty disappointed. The meat selection was OK but the extras were limited compared to other places that offer a carvery, basic peas and carrots. . The potatoes were chewy and over cooked from sitting under the heat lamp. Drinks service was quick and all staff were polite and friendly.

Service was fast and friendly. Food was good and exactly as expected and delicious. All staff very friendly.

Took my family out for a meal, food was great, staff were very helpful. We'll definitely visit again and recommend to others.

Food very nice, specifically the spicy beef burger. Quick service and relaxed environment. Amanda was a very good host.

Fantastic people and a beautiful atmosphere

Visited the Mermaid this evening on impulse without a booking. It was a football day and very busy but staff were very accommodating in finding us a spot to eat. Service time was excellent and food was tasty and good value. A well run establishment which deserves to be as busy as it was because their staff and systems have the skills and efficiencies to deal with it. Recommended.

Great atmosphere before and after the footie. Staff so friendly and food was lush. Great selection of veg and the meat was amazing. We will be back for sure

Normally come here monthly. Always come for the carvery. Very consistent quality with great choice of vegetables. Obviously very busy as we couldn't attract anyones attention to get cutlery so had to get it ourselves!

Had a delicious full english breakfast here. Even included black pudding. Also had the option to choose items from the continental breakfast which was a nice added bonus. Staff were super friendly, thoroughly enjoyed. Will be back.

Food was horrible meat was cut so small and thin meat was also watery potatoes stone cold and so sharp they hurt your mouth veg is cold gravy was watery only good thing here is canned drinks and there yorkies if there fresh

Stopped in out of the rain for an early evening meal. Nothing outrageous, but good value food that was hot when it arrived and tasted good. That's good enough for me.

Staff very friendly had the carvery mostly very good but the roast potato's were a bit hard.

A great place and the atmosphere in the centre... starter, main course and dessert are just delicious. The service is very nice. Moderate prices. I recommend

The hotel itself was lovely, neat and quiet. I highly recommend it. Although the Pub/restaurant was a bit disappointing, food service took ages and the wing sharer we ordered came out still frozen on the inside after the long wait. The staff were quick to rectify it. The mains we ordered came very late as well but tasted good, after the long wait we kind of lost our appetite anyway. The atmosphere in the pub is also lovely,

Good drinks selection, Excellent food and wonderful customer service. I was looked after by Michael who was very knowledgeable and extremely helpful. 10/10 would recommend

A great place to eat.. service was excellent & and our waitress called Rachel was very polite, knowledgeable & professional & she looked after us very well.

Turned up and got turned away due to the pub closing early!! This isn’t great for guests staying at the Marston’s Inn, and is the second time this has happened to me in three visits. Shocking! Ridiculous! Terrible!

We came all the way from Ipswich Australia to stay at The Mermaid Ipswich. It was a very special trip as it was our 100th park run. We were greeted by the most bubbly smily lady. I think her name was Rachael. She took time, although busy to engage with us. She was a barrel of laughs and her work ethic was outstanding. We won't be back as it was a trip of a lifetime but wanted to urge people to go meet the lovely staff at The Mermaid.

Came here on a weekday in December for a work lunch. We all had the roast carvery. I was pleasantly surprised. Amazing food and an amazing price. Friendly caver. My meal and j2o were about £13 (pictured) I’d visit again!

We was served by Michael. He was amazing, supporting someone with learning disabilities, most people look down on them or just speak to me. But he was amazing, chatted with him with respect.

The food and service has now improved 100 fold back to how it has been for many years .

Nice pub, food was a little slow to come out, even though it wasn't that busy, but was definitely worth the wait.

We love this place, it's the 3rd time this year we have stayed here breakfasts are very nice and so are the staff they are really helpful . We have disabled access room and they are really spacious, we are looking at coming again in November

Brought my daughter and my grandson for Breakfast on Saturday Morning The breakfast was really tasty and my grandson loved helping himself to the pastries. Michael our server was very friendly and made us feel really welcome We will definitely be coming again

Very welcoming staff. Food and drink very nice. One of the best places I've been to in a long time.

Went to the mermaid at lunch time and the food was amazing. My server Erin was lovely and very welcoming definitely recommend!!

Very good service meal was prompt and hot. very nice atmosphere.

Nothing wrong with it for a carvery

Lovely place for.a relaxed family breakfast - there was something for everyone in our quite picky group - Michael our server was friendly and helpful

Kind Staff that would try to find you a table , without booking . Lovely personality, the gal and guy . Food Fantastic Had not been there for 5 years Just as nice as it was back then ❤️ Thank You

We had the carvery meal which was at the normal standard that the Mermaid offers. There was a choice of three meats together with a Yorkshire pudding, stuffing, vegetables, and potatoes. The roast potatoes were not crispy, and the gravy was very thin without much flavour. The vegetables were slightly overcooked. The price has increased considerably - Gone are the days of two meals for £10!

Very enjoyable meal, delicious!

Had a lovely meal plenty food enjoyed it

We ate at the Mermaid on the first evening of our 3night stay in the area. The food was reasonable but the carvery was very tired and really we shouldn't have been sold tickets to queue for it. The beef was suitable for repairing the soles of walking boots. I mentioned this . My plate was taken and it didn't come back!! The manageress apologised. I had a free sweet but was disappointed not to have a hot meal after a day of travelling.

Sadly, I went when Ipswich town was playing, and halfway through my meal, supporters using pub toilets, so trying to finish my meal with people walking by my table was not the atmosphere I was after. At no stage do I blame staff. Finding somewhere to park was a nightmare with supporters using it. Never go to pub on home games, unless walking. Staff were great could not fault them.

Great dinner and drinks Shanon our waitress was super friendly and inviting felt very welcomed, food and drinks were enjoyed. Will be returning!

Great food, great staff will be returning!

Before visiting a nearby furniture store we decided to have lunch at the Mermaid on Yarmouth Road in Ipswich. We both chose the roast with a selection of vegetables, stuffing and Yorkshire pudding. Delicious. Thank you Becky and Chef Ryan.

Went to celebrate my Mums 80th birthday, carvery was not up to its best, had a med plate buffet ,most of the veg was a bit dried on the edges where it had sat around for too long the beef had a nice flavour but was very grissly and chewy the roast potatoes were under cooked hardly browned at all,the Yorkshire puds were tough and hard to cut the cauliflower cheese had a lack of cheese sauce and the gravy was more like stock and needed to be thicker and have more flavour ,so all in all a disappointing experience

Had Ultimate Burger. Fab ! Cooked by manager....tku. Best burger I've had out dining.

Great steak dinner, great staff and very child friendly !

Had the mixed grill, steak left it down

Great pub on a match day. We, Liverpool fans, felt welcomed by the staff and the locals

Not much on the menu for fussy eaters, especially if they don’t enjoy chips/fries, you can’t get much here unfortunately. They seemed to have changed their menu and have decreased the amount of options of food available to order overall. Food was clearly reheated and tasted like it had been done in the air fryer, which is not always the best option to cook food in, as it makes the food taste worse. the place has gone downhill since the last few years i came here a while back. I won’t be returning as i have before which is upsetting and disappointing. Me personally i could cook a better roast than what was served here, not to be rude, but the food quality needs to be improved.

Came for a carvery with family on monday 12th, as a late dinner, was not disappointed either, sat outside in the nice garden, food was really nice, meat was lovely, lady on the bar and the chef on carvery were brilliant, chatty, welcoming, really nice, apologies I don't know there names. Returned today for a meal before heading back south, again really really good. Thank you very much guys.

WE arrived after 8:30PM to stay the night before the match and were welcomed as Liverpool fans with no issues (unlike many hotels/pubs close to grounds). The service was excellent, the food was brilliant after a 5 hour drive and the bed was so comfortable. (My son wasnt as keen on the pullout bed but hey .... I paid !! :) ) I hope that you got BT sport working again before the match started and we look forward to coming over next season as it was a really good experience from start to finish. Thanks and good luck for this season to your team.

Honest David's reviews. Updated 18.08.2024. Well we thought we would give it another try! And nothing has changed! Except two things.... they are now charging more for the same nasty meal. Cokd yorkshires, 3 small bits of turkey, and it could well have been the same roast potatoes and veg from 2 years ago. Totally disappointment again. Added to this it was match day and there car park was totally full.. and I mean FULL... and the pub was empty! I mean 4 people in it. We had to park in the range car park and walk to the pub, again not happy. And then to add insult to injury, they weren't even showing the ipswich game, so to sum up, terrible food, no parking and no atmosphere at all. Sorry but we won't be coming back again. Honest David's reviews. updated 9.12.2022 Updated part. We went for the carvery.... not good, meat we hard a d had been out a long time, the Yorkshire pudding (you only get one) we so old it was horrible, peas were dry and I stood for over 5 minutes waiting to be severed.. there was no one else waiting either. Once we had eaten the plates weren't even taken from our table! Sorry but it just felt as of no one cared. Old review 01.10.18 Been here servers times since visiting Ipswich. The place has a large car park right beside it so no silly parking problems. Once in the bar area you are greeted by a large bar offering most types of drinks. Staff are ok. Maybe not overly friendly on some occasions but might just of been having an off day. We don't buy the carvery which they offer but buy off the menu, prices are reasonable and the food is always ok. A main meal each is all we normally get which fills us up. So we haven't tried the sweets or starters so can't comment on them. All in all its your normal Marston's (hungry horse/flamming grill) type pub.

Friendly staff, fast service, good food. Couldn't be happier

Stayed here for one night, great parking. The check in was OK, I was told that as the room was cheaper I would get a part refund.... So I gave them my card but what they actually did was take the amount rather than refund. Then they reversed it and said the refund would take 3 - 5 days.... Guess what, no refund. So tbh that was all pointless. The room was clean, bed was pretty good, good size room and was quiet. Just bare in mind there is no reception where you sleep, you check in, in the pub.

Visited for breakfast whilst in the area, decent meal for the price. Returned a couple of days later for the carvery, again another decent meal for the price.