Blue Mermaid

471 jefferson street (at hyde), fisherman's wharf

touristy meets tasty at the blue mermaid chowder house, located in the lobby of the argonaut hotel. i had walked by a few times and thought it looked really cute inside and wanted to check out their chowder. t & h came to sf for dinner so i thought what better than to take them to a cheesy wharf restaurant to acquaint them with my new neighborhood.

the inside of this restaurant is festive in every nautical way possible. anchors, ropes, steering wheels, and waiters in stripes! the decor is cute, to say the least (the lobby of the argonaut hotel is also really nautically cute).

we settled into our table after a short wait at the bar where beers were less expensive than i was expecting. $6 for an anchor steam draft, i've paid more for a bottle down at the wharf.

the menu offers 4 different kinds of clam chowder! i went for the original chowder in a bread bowl and was surprised by the delicious taste of bacon! the other options had corn in them which i do not like (see my review of the buena vista, just up the block from the mermaid).

we shared a half crab which was overpriced and didn't taste as fresh as other crab i've had down there but it was still very satisfying soaked in melted butter. the popcorn shrimp and fish 'n' chips did not disappoint either.

i can't really think of a reason you'd jump out of your seat and hurry down to this restaurant but the food was really good. the service, although a little slow, was very friendly.

recommendation: take a visiting family member!

tastiness: yay!

food vs. price: okay!

service: okay!