Fish and chips offered up in style: Excellent service, nice surroundings and good food make for a great Leicester Square restaurant. Perfect even for cautious dieters with a nice steamed fish selection.

The Venue
Upon entering The Mermaids Tail, you are immediately met by a small front desk where a helpful member of staff will assess your needs and show you to your table. You can’t help but be impressed with this pleasant restaurant. Opulent gold ceilings hang above you and every detail seems to have been seen to. Especially nice are the gold metal coat racks that sit behind the seating on one side of the restaurant. Think of the Orient Express overhead luggage racks and you’re close! Other touches include a large wine display spanning the whole restaurant, with quality bottles of wine gleaming behind glass. Clever uses of mirrored walls makes for a light and airy feel playing well on the space. All of this is brought down to Earth by the charming touch of chequered tablecloths in red and white, indicative of a traditional English cafe.

By far the most visually appealing aspect of The Mermaids Tail is the presence of the beautiful, mermaid-themed touches that show an attention to detail that is worthy of note. From the mermaids painted on the signs to the metal statuettes on either side of the entryway through to the huge painted walls depicting pictures of the beautiful creatures. Calming and beautiful, be sure to keep an eye out for the stained glassed windows on the ceiling as you walk in, depicting the mythical maidens.

The Atmosphere
The atmosphere is what makes The Mermaids Tail so unique. It’s certainly laid back in that there’s no strict dress code, it’s a fish restaurant touting fish and chips and the vibe is friendly, but there are also some definite upmarket touches; the way the staff greet you with total professional courtesy at the door, the attractive surroundings and the posh restaurant music playing in background. This could easily not work – making it a Jack of all trades, instead it just gives the restaurant mass appeal. From romantic couples out for a meal to mates or colleagues having a gossip over lunch, there’s something for everyone.

What makes The Mermaids Tail especially good as a place to relax and eat are the staff, who provide a top class service. Attending to all your needs and making sure you’re happy, they’re attentive without being overbearing, and charm you into a bit of friendly banter. Showing knowledge of what they’re serving, they can offer recommendations and talk you through the menu, whilst making sure you have a smile on your face.

The Food
The philosophy behind the restaurant is excellent, with a very environmentally aware stance taken: all the fish they use is from a sustainable source with traceable provenance; they are Dolphin friendly, refusing to sell any ‘sport’ fish, including Swordfish or Tuna; and they even change their oil continually, collecting the waste oil for recycling into biofuel! As well as this, they consider the health of their customers with strict rules in place such as their policy on only using fresh, Maris Piper (or similar) potatoes prepared daily on the premises. They also thick cut their chips to allow for a lower absorbency of oil into them, thus cutting down on the fat content.

Starters cost around £5 and include things like prawn cocktail or white bait and crab – all delicious fish and seafood choices to clear the palette. Mains come in at the £11-£15 mark - including an incredible deal on battered cod and chips with a big portion costing just £8.95 - and there’s a nice choice of fish including haddock, monkfish and lemon sole. An added bonus is you can choose how it’s battered – gluten free, pale ale beer batter or an exclusive vodka, lemon and chilli batter. All are subtle in flavour – the beer batter giving an orangey colour and the vodka batter being more golden with flecks of orange. Both look appealing and taste great – avoiding the greasiness that many battered fishes can acquire. The chips are also top class, being home cut, chunky, and soft and fluffy inside. A great deal is the Seaside Special of a large cod and chips with a glass of Champagne for just £19 – a great deal for a dinner.

If you’re watching the calories or fancy something a bit more upmarket then there is also a nice range of non-battered fish in the guise of Catch of the Day, which includes Skate, Monkfish, Cod, Lemon Sole and Salmon. These cost around £15 and are fresh cuts of fish served with vegetables. Again, there is a choice as to how you’d like it cooked – roasted with caper butter or steamed with oriental ginger and chilli or a dill and tarragon sauce. The caper butter is especially good when served with the meaty texture of the roasted Monkfish, bringing a creamier taste to the fresh fish flavours. However, unfortunately the vegetables are a little unnecessary and seem like an afterthought rather than a nicely thought out accompaniment – slightly overcooked and not very well presented. That said, bulk up the meal with a couple of well chosen sides – cheap at £2 a go. The onion rings are crisp and flavoursome and there are further options of chips, mash or additional greenery like Spinach.

If you have any room after all that, then there are always the desserts! At £5 a go they’re reasonable, and include typical British favourites like Spotted Dick, Jam Roly Poly, Sticky Toffee Pudding and, best of all, the deep fried Mars Bar with ice cream. Go on, you know you want to!

The Drink
Continuing the theme of being a more upmarket venue than some, there’s a rather hefty wine list of reds and whites, and even Champagne (which you can have a glass of in the Seaside Special!), which are reasonably priced. There is also a good selection of soft drinks on offer if you’re visiting at lunch and can’t face a boozy meal, and at £2 for a diet coke, it’s not as bad as many restaurants in the area - no penalising the tee totallers here!

The Last Word
This is a great find in the hub of Leicester Square. The staff really help to turn a mid-priced restaurant into a top class experience in service – and the grub ain’t half bad, either!

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