The Mermaid Inn - East Village

Comfy, cheeky and always jam-packed, this perennial New York go-to spot (with locations in the East Village and the Upper West Side) serves up mouthwatering seafood at reasonable prices. Start with oysters, clams or a jumbo lump blue crab cocktail, and then dive into a no-nonsense entrée such as grilled mahi mahi, sautéed skate wing or a crowd favorite, the lobster sandwich. On the side? An order of Old Bay fries. As their kitschy website says, “American Fish: Eat Us Instead of Meat.”