The Surly Mermaid

By far the best place to eat in bc. My wife and I ate there twice this week and the owner recognized us and said hello. Fantastic service, fantastic food and quite possibly the best vegan options I have ever seen at a restaurant. We will definitely be back

Had a wonderful lunch on the patio. Our group had the tacos, salmon burger, clam chowder. Service from Dylan was great. Would return and recommend!

Amazing food. Great service. Good atmosphere. I’m definitely coming back next time I’m coming to the island.

What an awesome place to have lunch before catching the ferry. We called for a reservation for 8 girls and luckily we did as the place was packed. The decor and atmosphere are great. The waitress took into consideration that we were short on time and delivered our food in a super timely manner. The caesars were delicious, the clam chowder has to be tried and did not disappoint any of us. My friend had the Peanut Butter burger and she told me it was one of the best burgers that she has ever had! We will be back and can't wait to try other items on the menu.
Thank you for such a nice experience at the end of our girls weekend away.

We enjoyed a lovely birthday lunch on a sunny Jan day. Our server Dillon was awesome.

Went for a beautiful spring drive out to Sidney and did a walk-in at this wonderful marina view restaurant. We ordered the squid - yum!! I had the shrimp tacos (picture) and we ordered the mushroom burger (picture). Balance of favour was complex yet somehow simple. Patio looks to be a great summer spot for Happy Hour!!!

The Surly Mermaid was one of the best restaurants that we tried in BC last summer, especially in Sidney.

First, we came for lunch and we had a couple of rounds of Beers and ordered several dishes, including, Calamari, Ceviche with Kettle Chips, Corn Cobb Salad with Sockeye Salmon, Yam Wedges, Snapper Bites, Chorizo Mussels.

Since we were a group of four and we liked it so much, we tried to “bribe” the staff to book us a table for dinner later that night by offering to buy a couple of bottles of wines in advance but, unfortunately, they didn’t accept reservations at all.

Despite that, we returned later for dinner and we got a table outside. We then had a bottle or two of wine, as well as other drinks, and ordered several other dishes including the Thai Coconut Mussels, Fish Tacos, Seafood Chowder, Salmon in Phyllo, Vegan Chocolate Truffles.

Overall, we had a very good time and enjoyed our meals. The staff was friendly and diligent and, the ambiance was nice.

The best chicken bacon sandwich we have ever had. The chicken is juicy with a crunchy coating that isn't hard, bacon is thick and beautifully smoked, on a fresh brioche bun with a delicious coleslaw salad. I would have it again and again!

I recently dined at the Surly Mermaid and was pleasantly surprised by the diverse vegan options on their menu. The Beyond Meat Burger was flavorful and satisfying, and the Cauliflower Wings provided a deliciously unique twist. The attentive service and charming atmosphere added to the overall positive experience. Highly recommended for vegans and non-vegans alike!

Best chicken burger I have had maybe ever?! 👍🏻👍🏻🎉 came around 2pm for lunch and sat inside. Everything we had was delicious. Service was great with servers not being too in your face. Just like really good food.

We loved our visit to the Surly Mermaid. Food was amazing and service was friendly. But go early - we had a 1 hour wait before being seated. Calamari was our appy and it lived up to the hype. Absolutely incredible! However we could have used more tzatziki. I had the farmhouse crispy chicken sandwich and my beautiful wife had the fish tacos. Chicken was cooked perfect and the sourdough bread was nicely toasted. That said the crispy chicken wasn't as crispy as i was expecting. A bit more crunch would be an improvement. The fish tacos were allegedly very good as well - i didn't try them. Highly recommend The Surly Mermaid. We'll go again, probably aiming to arrive closer to 5pm in order to get seated sooner.

What amazing place, the decor, the location and the ambience, everything on perfect balance. The place was pack, but I got a seat at the bar, witch was great, all good came both very nice presente. Generously on size and very testy, I was in a rush to catch the ferry but will come back

The Turkey Pot Pie and the Vegan Chocolate Mouse were amazing. Really good food.

Loved the place and the Ambience, loved the servers recommendation. I forgot his name but he was a local from Sidney, so you can ask around, he keeps a moustache. The roasted beet salad is a must try, totally out of this world. Also loved the chicken burger on their Menu. Overall great place with great taste and superb service 👍

This was a wonderful spot, right on the water with a great view from their patio. It has umbrellas and heaters if needed. The food is delicious and the service was excellent. My server Brooke was wonderful. She was very pleasant, attentive and made a great recommendation for my lunch: the chicken sandwich on the pretzel bun. A must try. I would return again just for her service. They have a solid selection of craft beer and on Happy hour: $5 pints. Great value. Overall, if you are in the area for lunch, make the Surly Mermaid your first stop.

Managed to seat 4 adults and 2 kids immediately, served our kids food first without asking (the correct call) and didn’t stress the little ones. We are grateful. Food was great too!

Best calamari ever with a great selection of local beers. I would highly recommend the whole menu and with the outside patio you couldn't ask for a better atmosphere.

My favourite restaurant in Sidney! Lovely atmosphere, great service and amazing food! Delicious vegan options and a wonderful cocktail list. Perfect for large groups or an intimate date night. Highly recommend!

Busy on Saturday night but we were fortunate enough to get a table right away. Our drinks and amazingly good Thai curry soup came out quickly. We enjoyed the delicious seafood linguine and a generous portion of fish and chips. Our waitress was friendly and efficient. Nice view of the marina. Definitely will return.

Food was delicious.

I tried the Peanut Butter Bacon Burger after seeing people recommend it in these reviews, and I was not disappointed.

The peanut butter seemed like an odd choice for a sauce, but it works well and is not overpowering. It's quite subtle.

Bun was delicious too, not sure what they did to it but personally it was the best burger bun I've had. Stayed intact the whole time, and had it's own flavor which was tasty.

Now for the desert. I tried the Vegan Truffles. While I was a bit sceptical, because I'm not a vegan (clearly), and I've never had/tried a vegan option before, they were actually melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

Very rich/sweet taste, but worth trying and taking home for later.

My SO tried the Crème Brûlée, and said it was excellent. It was also the first restaurant he's been to, out West, that got the "crust" correct on it... so he would recommend a person tries that out as well.