Mermaid Bar And Killer Shrimp Restaurant In Hermosa Beach Closes

Say Goodbye To Legendary Drinking Institution, Its Great Bartenders And The South Bay’s Best Cocktail

There’s no more Drink of the Week, no more shaker-shaking bartenders mixing up the best cocktails in town, no more of the South Bay’s many singles piling in and packing the place after a big event like Smackfest.

The Mermaid, an institution in Hermosa Beach that’s been there almost as long as there’s been The Strand, closed its doors after Labor Day Weekend.

Skyrocketing rent is being blamed. There is no word on what might take its place, tho it is part of a proposed development on an L-shaped property that will eventually include a hotel. Next rumored to go is Good Stuff breakfast and lunch restaurant, which is also part of the development property.

One of only three bars on and facing The Strand in Hermosa Beach– Hennessey’s and The Deck being the other two –  Mermaid is in a prized location.

“This place holds a special place in our hearts,” one of the bartenders posted on Facebook. “I am broken. I am so sad.”

For decades, Mermaid was a dive bar with big leather booths and sensational food that was something of a secret among locals. Old-timers would sit in the booths and at the bar, drinking their basic cocktails, chatting with the occasional younger person who wound wander in to escape the lively scene taking place around the corner at the bars on Pier Plaza.

A few years ago, it underwent a change, which gave it a more modern look inside as it became kind of extension bar of Killer Shrimp restaurant, which had opened up in a separate building on Pier Plaza. In 2017, Killer Shrimp gave up the separate location and became part of Mermaid.

Quickly, Mermaid became quite popular among a somewhat younger singles crowd – locals in their late 20s to early 50s (and yes, 50s is young by South Bay standards) – and was a “go-to” spot for PubClub.com because of its rotating Drink of the Week, a strong and outstanding cocktail that sold for just $5 during its twice-a-day Happy Hour.

Not only was it the best drink in town, it was the best drink deal in town.

So it will be missed, not only by PubClub.com, but by a lot of people throughout the South Bay.

So, too, will be the bartenders who made those drinks.