The Mermaid Bar

Thursday special rocks!
The best oxtail soup ever and now you can order for takeout. The meat is tender and fatty while the broth is just right (no need shots).
They give a generous amount of garnishing (ginger and others).
For a price less than zippys!

Convenient and casual café in NM. Good place to dine if you’re in NM but I wouldn’t go out of my way to come here.

My sister and I came here for lunch amidst our Holiday shopping. We have been to Mariposa before and wanted to try out The Mermaid Bar.
Selections are limited. I ordered the grilled shrimp salad w/​a side of hot tea.
Service was ok. Overall, not bad.

Pros: Great service, easy menu, and delicious options. NM chicken sandwich sampler is a great option.
Cons: It has minimum seating and can fill up quickly.
Mermaid bar is located in Neiman Marcus, 2^nd floor. Cool simple theme and the food leaves you feeling refreshed. Some menu items are seasonal or change from year to year. When you’re there, check out the bathroom too. It’s quite spacious…

I confess I love Mermaids!
No, not the scary types on the Discovery Channel, I mean the Daryl Hannah types like in the movie, Splash! Gosh I love that classic!
Oh, and BTW, I also love…
THE MERMAID BAR!
This semi-​secret spot is semi-​hidden in Neiman Marcus! See, that’s why it’s so hidden because not everyone shops at NM’s! The wannabe super models & typical metrosexuals, some upper-​middle class tourists might stroll in, of course the flock of Japanese tourists too, oh and the occasional locals who come to NM’s for the leopard print briefs and the cuisine! Yes, the cuisine!
No, I prefer not to wear leopard print anythings, but I do admit I enjoy Mariposa, Expresso Coffee Bar, and The Mermaid Bar all located within upscale Neiman Marcus! Let’s talk…
THE MERMAID BAR!
I’ve actually known about this place for some time now. My ex-​girlfriend (the clingy one) worked on the top floor selling $ 1000 European eggs and I would visit her for lunch sometimes. The Mermaid Bar was the more «casual-​nice» of the restaurants in NM’s, so we would meet up here to grab a bite or two.
The Menu is quite extensive for a «casual-​nice» spot! If you dig quality sandwiches, soups (many claim the Ox-​tail soup here is as good as any), and salads you might give this place a go! Surprisingly it’s not as pricey as one might expect. Prices are in the $ 10-​$ 14 range, which is comparable to most «casual-​nice» spots out there. The bonus here is there’s also a pocket-​friendly Keiki menu, choices run about $ 8 for the kiddies! Oh, and let’s not forget the delicious in-​house desserts too!
On my last visit, a week ago, I stopped off for a grilled chicken panini. I love the sandwiches here which comes with a generous serving of chips and pickle or fruit. You can substitute a small salad instead of the chips for the health nuts! I usually wash it down with bottomless iced tea or Hawaiian Aqua! All served on real China NM plates! Nice, hah?!
Other favorites include; the hot roast beef sandwich ($ 11), the Mahi tacos ($ 14), and I’m not an Ox-​tail soup type of dude, but my highly intelligent friends scream it’s the bomb! So, I can scream too!
Yes, I definitely recommend…
THE MERMAID BAR!
A fat wallet or fancy purse not required to dine here! It’s nice, clean, you feel «special» and the menu is quite delicious! Go give them a try!
Hey, you might luck-​out and have a Daryl Hannah or «Big E» sighting… En Vouge!
BIG KAHUNA TIPS:
–It is located on the 2^nd floor of Neiman Marcus, Ala Moana — Ewa side.
–Hours are limited to 11a-3:30p daily (closed on Sunday).
–No reservations accepted.
–Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, American Express, Visa, MasterCard, JCB, cash, and checks accepted here.
OVERALL GRADE: 4.1-STARS! (Solid!)
LIVE ALOHA…
Unilocal REVIEW #369

First time here. This is a hidden gem ! I never heard about this place before, maybe because it’s so small. LOL We had the smoked salmon pizza that was delicious, hoison chicken salad, shrimp salad, and crab soup. Every dish was very good. strawberry tart to finish things off.
I would definitely come back here again.

This rating is for the oxtail soup because it is absolutely amazing. Ok so mermaid bar is located on the second floor of Neiman Marcus by the children’s clothing. It is a hidden gem if you are a fan of oxtail soup. The restaurant is a little room with an open service area where you can see some parts of your meal being prepared. I like the clean crisp look that is so typical Neiman Marcus.
Now they have a secret menu with specials for everyday of the week. But Thursdays for their oxtail soup are the best! Go early because it fills up fast (like every table is full and has at least one oxtail soup on it). So first they bring out a plate with all the fixings for your soup– a scoop of rice, grated ginger, hot mustard, cilantro, and soy sauce.
Then a piping hot bowl of their oxtail soup comes out with on-​choy, shiitake mushrooms, baby bok choy, and the lovely pieces of oxtail in the most flavorful broth. The broth tastes like it is been slow cooked for hours. The died shiitake mushrooms are plump and soft from soaking in the flavorful broth. So what you do is you add whatever from the fixing plate into your soup bowl. I put about half the ginger in the bowl and the other half in the soy sauce, which I dip the meat in. The meat is soft and cooked nicely but had a little too much fat on them for my liking. I know that the fat is key to making a good broth and it is great so I don’t mind picking the extra far I don’t want to eat off. Plus I don’t mind a little fat any ways ;). So summary for the story, this oxtail soup is amazing and I will be returning on Thursdays for it! Now my sister in our group was the only one who didn’t order an oxtail soup, and she ordered the smoked salmon pizza. It was interesting but had very sharp flavors. We expected it to have lox on it but this was little chunks of dry smoked salmon, with goat cheese, and arugula. She regretted not getting the oxtail soup!
So go to mermaid bar — on Thursday and get the oxtail soup!

This review is in regards to their private event services.
Cousin’s having a baby boy! They wanted a no-​fuss (aka. no cleaning required) baby shower so they planned one here at The Mermaid Bar. Apparently The Mermaid Bar is open for private events in the Evenings, and all-​day Sunday when they are closed to the public. Mermaid Bar provides a preset menu, and then the guests choose beforehand so that the kitchen can have all your food prepped and ready!
The menu selection is super simple, but a good enough selection for your guests. On the particular day we had our baby shower, we had a choice of the:
(1) Tuscan Chicken Melt on Ciabatta Bread,
(2) Rosemary and Garlic Roasted Pork Chop, or
(3) Bistro Salad that comes with Chicken, Apples, and a vinaigrette.
The sandwich was a bit bland, but still satisfying. What i really should have ordered was the Pork Chop! My cousin was one out of 20 of us who decided to order the pork chops and MAN, what regret! Her dish came with a generously cut portion of juicy meat, over a generously served portion of risotto. MMMM– what a mistake I made to order the «healthy» option.
Drinks are provided, and at the end of our meal, every guest was served a sorbet with 3 flavors, mango, raspberry, and lemon.
YUM. I had an awesome time, not to mention parking surprisingly easy to find~
Overall, this is a great venue to consider about it if you are hosting a small event. I am not sure about the guest size limitation, so those are things you might want to check with the restaurant!
P. S. The restaurant during public hours is a way more economical alternative to mariposa if you are trying to impress for a lunch date!

First time here it wasn’t to crowded or anything. I came on my own so this was really a solo lunch. I got seated quickly and server came took my drink order and everything came out quite quickly. The sandwich is pretty good. I liked that it wasn’t so huge and messy. It was the right size and enough for me to enjoy. I ordered the orange ginger ale punch and the warm roast beef sandwich. Overall nice place for a quick lunch will def be back here.

We recently stopped here for lunch following a little post-​Christmas clothes shopping with the kids. If you are parents, you know what I’m talking about when it comes to trying to buy your kids the right size clothes when they are both going through a growth spurt… ka-​ching!
But before you think I’m a blue blooded New England Brahmin or trust fund baby, just know that I can’t afford to actually buy anything at this store… well except for a wallet once and some Christmas candy. However, my wife and I decided that our children’s table manners were sufficiently passable to «do lunch» at this casual, quiet, calm place. You may have caught the drift that I can’t stand crowds, which is why we wandered in here, rather than the noisy food court on the street level of Ala Moana Center. I had a really delicious sandwich with salad and iced tea. The server was friendly and attentive. An attractive young model came in with a nicely tailored black dress and classy jewelry, whereupon she demonstrated some of these pricey «baubles» to us. I don’t know if she could tell that we really couldn’t afford such luxuries, but we were friendly to her, which is more than I can say for some women who looked very mean when she came to their table. You could say it was a «guy thing,» to be friendly to her, but she really was a sweet person, and my wife thought she was nice, too. It was not too expensive, and to eat lunch in peace and quiet within such a busy shopping center is my idea of a little bit of heaven.

Been eating here for years, literally years. Brought all my relatives for the thursday, oxtail soup. It’s the best cuz it’s fresh, not frozen bits like Zippy’s. My tip to secure your bowl of oxtail soup. Just come when they open at 11 am, don’t be late. Also did you know, when Mariposa was open (renovations now), you could order the popover’s down here and also the at the espresso bar. That’s not the only things you can order from Mariposa, but it’s my favorite. Can’t say it really goes with oxtail soup though.

Had the roast beef sandwich. It was a bit chewy and just a little lack luster.
There was one waiter for the entire restaurant and he was nice, but came around very seldom and only for the bare necessities.
I didnt necessarily have a bad experience, but I wouldn’t go back. I expected a bit more from neiman marcus

Very cute place to go if you want some fresh, light lunch options while shopping. Located inside Neiman Marcus, at Ala Moana. Shopping makes me so tired & hungry.
This is a good place for various sandwiches and salads. There’s a soup of the day for $ 6 (the day we went my friend got this cream of mushroom one and enjoyed it), and turkey chili for $ 7 (I tried this and it was good!). We also each got a salad… chinese chicken and the green papaya salad with chicken. The salads were good, but I think I should have tried the cobb or the nicoise one. A plate of the bruchetta and this incredibly yummy looking panini passed by us and made me regret getting the salad… I need to try those next time… and the delicious looking fruit tarts we saw on our way out.
It can add up for a «casual» lunch (ex: sandwich or salad and a small cup of soup and a beverage might run you around $ 25+), but it’s Neiman Marcus, so no surprise there.
Best parts in my opinion? The helpful calorie index on the menu, and they have Voss! I love Voss. Sparkling is the way to go… only $ 3!

I met a friend here for lunch today. It wasn’t crowded at all, but it took a while to get seated. We both decided to order the vegetable panini. It took a long time for the food to come out, I would say around 30 – 45 minutes. Even the guy sitting next to us told the waiter, «I thought you forgot about me» by the time his food came out.
Overall, the food was just ok, totally not worth the wait. Just like Mariposa… way overrated, bad service, and a bit overpriced. The Mermaid Bar is more reasonably priced than Mariposa, but still, the price doesn’t match the quality of food. Head over to Nordstrom Café instead, where the food and customer service is way better.

Voss. Best part about The Mermaid Bar is that they sell Voss!
Remember that one time Hilary Duff got mad because a restaurant didn’t serve Voss? Ever since then, I simply had to see what the fuss was about and got hooked on Voss.
If I ever land a date with Hilary Duff, I will take her to The Mermaid Bar because they have Voss. I will order the salmon salad and sparkling Voss.
Edit: my friends said I should say something else in my review other than Voss. Okay so here goes …
The view is calming, but no mermaids in sight. Well, at least not when I was there.

The Mermaid Bar is a classy-​casual lunch spot for those who want to enjoy delicious and simple soups, salads, and sandwiches in a more private setting. I’d say it’s a slight upgrade from NM’s first floor Espresso Bar, which is very open and not private/​enclosed at all. The Mermaid Bar is tucked away in the children’s clothing section on the 2^nd floor of Neiman Marcus, on the «Ewa» side of the building.
The food is simple and tasty. And if you’re down for having a simple lunch in a slightly upscale setting, this place is definitely for you. It’s like fake living-​the-​good-​life, almost-​baller-​status, fronting, etc. Well, not quite. But almost.
WARM ROAST BEEF — $ 11
Roast beef, melted swiss, balsamic arugula, creamy horseradish on warm ciabatta. Served with chips and coleslaw. And 920 calories for you calorie counters. In my opinion, this is a great deal for Neiman Marcus. This sandwich is filling and flavorful. The arugula really gave this sammy a nice pop of flavor. I would definitely order this again.
APPLEWOOD SMOKED SALMON NIÇOISE — $ 14.50
The salad with pretty much everything: roasted potatoes, green beans, artichoke hearts, tomato, kalamata olives, and more. The red wine vinaigrette was light and tasty. (You know the dressing is good when you ask for extra. Hehe.)
ORANGE-​GINGER ALE PUNCH — $ 3.50
After having a sip of my bff’s punch, I had to order my own. It’s very good and quite refreshing. Well worth the $ 3.50.
VERDICT
I am a fan. The food is tasty and surprisingly, the prices aren’t ridiculous. I mean, $ 11 for a sandwich may seem high, but you’ve got to consider the ingredients and the atmosphere. The restaurant is clean and the service is great. No real complaints here.
Unilocal 365 — #309/​365

i’m not really a soup/​salad/​sandwich-​for-​lunch kind of person; if i have a choice, i will usually skip lunch and just wait until dinnertime to eat something. But since I was being treated to lunch, why not…
And yes, Mermaid Bar has only soups/​salads/​sandwiches and it’s only open for lunch. But it was very good, not gonna lie. I mean, yeah, it’s in neiman marcus, so it was never gonna be terrible. But still, they make a mean cobb salad – really fresh, not too light but not too filling. All in all, they make 5 or 6 different salads, a handful of sandwiches, etc. And you even have the option of making your own salad – which the person i was with ordered – choosing your own lettuce, choosing from an embarrassment of wonderful toppings (you choose up to 7), different dressings, all that stuff.
Just a quaint lunch place with a relaxed yet classy enough atmosphere to go with good salads; i never felt too neiman-​marcused out eating there, if that makes any sense at all

Located inside Neiman Marcus– Another great lunch place! My usual is the Mediteranean sandwich– yumm! Some people like it for the «make-​your-​own salad” — you tell them what you want in it.
The service is great and fast!

After a couple hours of shopping we came in here for a little rest & a bite to eat … we shared several items — chicken club wrap, special of the day: beef stew, crab bisque, and a chicken salad sandwich. Everything was very good !! I was not a fan of the mayo coleslaw side but the chips and fruit were good… service was also good — water, coffee & iced teas were refilled often and they were very kind to my little miss !! We got our energy recharged and were able to get back to shopping !!!
* the lady next to us said the oxtail soup & short rib specials are her favorite
* so fun to browse the kiddie section … life size Angelina the Ballerina, rocking horses, pianos, and drum sets all set up for the kids to sample !

Let me start off by saying how much I love and miss their Brick-​Pressed Sandwich!
Up until they removed this delicious item, it was all that I would order from here. A good amount of prosciutto, salami, blue cheese and watercress sandwiched between two pieces of perfectly toasted ciabatta. Served alongside a handful of Maui Potato Chips and roasted corn & red pepper relish, it was the perfect meal. Their delicious corn relish is no longer on the menu, it’s been replaced by a sweet coleslaw… I hate cole slaw.
There has been some substitutes that tried to take the place of my beloved BPS, but it’s not the same.
I gave their Mortadella & Ham Panini (fatty/​marbled italian bologna) a shot but was disappointed. There wasn’t enough filling and the mortadella tasty too irony for some reason. This item is also no longer on the menu.
HOUSE SMOKED SALMON PANINI ($ 10):
Tried this the last time and thought it was pretty good. The salmon was tasty (didn’t get a lot of the smokiness though) and served with a dill-​dijon mayonaise.
I couldn’t really taste (or see) much dill in the aioli but their salmon was sliced sort of thick, and they give you a good amount. Their «panini» was not toasted long enough, it was too soft for my liking.
TURKEY CHILI ($ 7 for a bowl, $ 4 for a cup): A dish worth mentioning, but it can be a hit or miss at times bc it can get too salty and it’s not served with any crackers or bread.
They don’t skimp on the ground turkey here, my many orders of chili have always been thick and chunky. It’s a meal in itself so if you’re planning on ordering other items during your meal, I suggest getting a cup of chili instead of the bowl. I like mines without the pico de gallo (don’t like raw onions).
***FYI: They only price list the chili and soups as bowl portions. They don’t tell you that it’s also avail in a smaller cup portion, so you have to ask for it.***
My friend Norine usually gets the ‘NM Sampler.’ For $ 10 you get half a sandwich (choice of wither the chicken or tuna salad), a cup of their soup of the day and some fresh fruits. There’s also this jello-​like flan that comes with it, though I’ve never tried it.
The California Cobb Salad ($ 10) is huge (actually all of their salads are)! This salad is big enough to serve 2 people. You can never go wrong with a mountain of grilled chicken, hard boiled eggs and bacon, drowned in gorgonzola cheese dressing.