Mermaid Seafood Restaurant, St. Ives

21 Fish Street
St Ives
TR26 1LT

Tel: 01736-796816

Proprietor: Mathew and Roz Smith

Head Chef: Mathew Smith

At the Mermaid we feel we offer only the finest and freshest seafood which is only apt as we are located at the top of “Fish Street” approx 100 meters from the sea (assuming the tide is in)

Also a selection of locally farmed Meat and poultry are available on the menu for the non fishy eaters amongst you,

St.Ives in situated to the west of the county of Cornwall, the town offers many beautiful beaches and hidden coves for which smugglers and pirates of old would have used to stow their smuggled treasures, this being, the Mermaid is said to have been linked by one of the many tunnels from behind our bar to the harbour.

As present owners we have worked to keep the character and charm that the old part of town displays, a great collection of photographs adorn the walls, pictures of fishing boats and fisherman, relatives of which still supply us with lobsters to this day.

Pews from the local church makeup part of the seating, fishing net lights hang from the ceiling to make what we feel to be a quaint and propper St.Ives restaurant and without forgetting the main purpose of our job to produce first class food

Further Details

The Mermaid is situated in the old fishing quarter, which is the older and more attractive part of St. Ives, known as “Down-A-Long”. The narrow cobbled streets, ablaze with flowers in the spring and summer months, are as quaint and fascinating as the name suggests.

The Mermaid started its very interesting life as a “Sail Loft” where sails and nets were stored and mended.

In 1904 it became “Tucker’s Pop Factory” owned by the Tucker family, and to this day it is still known affectionately by local people as Tucker’s. Lemonade was made and bottled at the factory in the old fashioned bottles with marble stoppers.

The marbles were very popular with children, who would break the bottles to get the marbles to play with.

The bottles nowadays are quite collectable - we ourselves are fortunate enough to have been able to collect some Tucker’s memorabilia, which we have on display at the bar.

From the bottling plant the bottles were loaded on to a horse and cart at the rear of the building, but in later days John Tucker purchased a Ford sedan from which he removed the back, making it into a dray - indeed Mrs. Tucker was the first woman driver in Cornwall and drove to the age of eighty four.

In the summer months an extra five ladies were taken on to help with production. Sadly, though, due to more stringent hygiene laws and to strong competition, the ”Pop Factory” closed in the 1950s.

After the factory had been empty for a few years, Francis Coudrill renovated it and turned it into The Mermaid Studio.

Francis, of television fame, was responsible for the the character Hank, who appeared with the BBC for many years. When Francis retired it was converted yet again - this time into a wine bar and then later still into a restaurant.

This conversion was done by Norman Coburn - again of television fame - he plays Fisher in Home and Away.

In 1980 it was taken over by its present owners who have completely rebuilt it with affection and care and who have made it probably St. Ives’ most interesting and successful restaurant.

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