Lovely patio, good service, nice view of the water.
The person in our party who got the seafood chowder said it was the best they had while on Vancouver Island. The chicken burger was a bit tricky to eat, but good. The salad was okay.
Would definitely go back.
Brandy Saturley
This is our go to food spot in Sidney. On this occasion I had the Poke nachos, what a unique fun and delicious dish. Always start with the Humboldt squid. Great atmosphere and great service.
Elaine Blevins
First time here and I was surprised by how good the food and atmosphere was. Will go back for sure
Bill Chung
Hate to say it, but first impressions are everything. The hostess gave us a surly greeting and unfortunately made us feel extremely unwelcome. We decided to leave and not find out how the actual dinner service was.
Sarah st.jacques
Service was amazing, food was hot and flavorful.
Frank Wiebe
The food was absolutely amazing, the eggplant lasagna was incredible and as someone who had never had eggplant lasagna if you had not told me I could not tell. The second dish I tried was the shroom & bacon cheese burger with fries. The burger was delicious and the fries were perfect, ketchup almost ruined them.
I ate outside on the patio with a great view of the harbor and the service was very good.
Alexandre Rouet
We had a lovely lunch by the sea with my wife. Fish & Chips and Salmon Burger were very good as well as the cookie recommanded by our waiter, who was very kind. Many thanks to the team from France 🙏
McCulloch Simpson
You might think The Surly Mermaid is all about the view and less about the food and service. You'd be wrong - this spot does upscale pub food very well. They have a nice selection of wines, beers and spirits and the service we had was great.
TLDR: a high quality pub-fare experience. Hits the spot, especially after a morning walk waterside.
Food: The menu is diverse and there is a nice mix of casual and more involved dishes.
Salmon burger and bacon/mushroom burger were ordered. One with regular fries and one with yam fries. Both burgers had a nice flavor, well seasoned.
The bun was delicious, toasted properly (soft top, toasted middle), although it did struggle a bit to support the ingredients inside. Speaking of which, the salmon burger had everything a sandwich needs to make it great: crunch (greens and pickled onion), savory (salmon), salty (salmon and dressing) and tangy (pickle).
As for the fries... So many of these pub-style places phone it here. Not in this case. They were perfectly fried, and very generously seasoned. No problem to eat every last one.
Service: our server was very friendly. He clearly knew the menu and especially the available beers. He was there when needed but not overbearing.
Atmosphere: This place has quite a nice view of the marina. Large windows open up the rear wall of the dining room, but the space retains a cozy atmosphere. We sat in front of the window, but there is also nice seating in front of a faux fireplace and of course at the bar. The decor is what you expect in a pub but with a high quality finish.
Value for money rating: very good. Yes it is a pub and yes the burgers are over $20. But the ingredients are high quality and experienced people are cooking and serving the food. I'll gladly spend my money here again for this quality of food, service and attention to what makes a good pub restaurant.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rob Rogers
Awesome food and great cider selection
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fish & Chips, Butter Chicken Poutine, Fish
denise hunter
We are giving this 4 stars because the service was fantastic..and also the location harbourfront was perfect to have a nice glass of wine. Thanks
Food and service were excellent, I especially appreciated that all our meals came out at the same time and that dishes weren't taken away while some were still eating
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Peanut Butter Bacon Burger
Bev Streicher
Great place! Good food! Beautiful view. One of the better places in Sydney, BC.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Fish & Chips
Lydia Radke
Parking: Might have to park a couple blocks away.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
John “Jay” McGowan
One of our favourite Sidney restaurants. The limited menu means limited visits until the seasonal change. All selections are good. The outdoor patio is popular during the warmer months. Indoor can be a bit noisy when the restaurant is full (most of the time). Good choice for a relaxing meal with interesting options.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Robert Tidquist
Embarrassingly overcooked Saltspring Island Mussels. To have this item on their menu daily the least they could do is learn how to prepare them. If I were a visitor I would believe that Salt Spring Island mussels were the most inferior mussel available.
Lovely patio, good service, nice view of the water.
The person in our party who got the seafood chowder said it was the best they had while on Vancouver Island. The chicken burger was a bit tricky to eat, but good. The salad was okay.
Would definitely go back.
This is our go to food spot in Sidney. On this occasion I had the Poke nachos, what a unique fun and delicious dish. Always start with the Humboldt squid. Great atmosphere and great service.
First time here and I was surprised by how good the food and atmosphere was. Will go back for sure
Hate to say it, but first impressions are everything. The hostess gave us a surly greeting and unfortunately made us feel extremely unwelcome. We decided to leave and not find out how the actual dinner service was.
Service was amazing, food was hot and flavorful.
The food was absolutely amazing, the eggplant lasagna was incredible and as someone who had never had eggplant lasagna if you had not told me I could not tell. The second dish I tried was the shroom & bacon cheese burger with fries. The burger was delicious and the fries were perfect, ketchup almost ruined them.
I ate outside on the patio with a great view of the harbor and the service was very good.
We had a lovely lunch by the sea with my wife. Fish & Chips and Salmon Burger were very good as well as the cookie recommanded by our waiter, who was very kind. Many thanks to the team from France 🙏
You might think The Surly Mermaid is all about the view and less about the food and service. You'd be wrong - this spot does upscale pub food very well. They have a nice selection of wines, beers and spirits and the service we had was great.
TLDR: a high quality pub-fare experience. Hits the spot, especially after a morning walk waterside.
Food: The menu is diverse and there is a nice mix of casual and more involved dishes.
Salmon burger and bacon/mushroom burger were ordered. One with regular fries and one with yam fries. Both burgers had a nice flavor, well seasoned.
The bun was delicious, toasted properly (soft top, toasted middle), although it did struggle a bit to support the ingredients inside. Speaking of which, the salmon burger had everything a sandwich needs to make it great: crunch (greens and pickled onion), savory (salmon), salty (salmon and dressing) and tangy (pickle).
As for the fries... So many of these pub-style places phone it here. Not in this case. They were perfectly fried, and very generously seasoned. No problem to eat every last one.
Service: our server was very friendly. He clearly knew the menu and especially the available beers. He was there when needed but not overbearing.
Atmosphere: This place has quite a nice view of the marina. Large windows open up the rear wall of the dining room, but the space retains a cozy atmosphere. We sat in front of the window, but there is also nice seating in front of a faux fireplace and of course at the bar. The decor is what you expect in a pub but with a high quality finish.
Value for money rating: very good. Yes it is a pub and yes the burgers are over $20. But the ingredients are high quality and experienced people are cooking and serving the food. I'll gladly spend my money here again for this quality of food, service and attention to what makes a good pub restaurant.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Awesome food and great cider selection
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fish & Chips, Butter Chicken Poutine, Fish
We are giving this 4 stars because the service was fantastic..and also the location harbourfront was perfect to have a nice glass of wine. Thanks
Restaurantji Recommends
Food and service were excellent, I especially appreciated that all our meals came out at the same time and that dishes weren't taken away while some were still eating
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Peanut Butter Bacon Burger
Great place! Good food! Beautiful view. One of the better places in Sydney, BC.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Fish & Chips
Parking: Might have to park a couple blocks away.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
One of our favourite Sidney restaurants. The limited menu means limited visits until the seasonal change. All selections are good.
The outdoor patio is popular during the warmer months. Indoor can be a bit noisy when the restaurant is full (most of the time).
Good choice for a relaxing meal with interesting options.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Embarrassingly overcooked Saltspring Island Mussels. To have this item on their menu daily the least they could do is learn how to prepare them. If I were a visitor I would believe that Salt Spring Island mussels were the most inferior mussel available.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
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