Locals who enjoy gourmet sandwiches may be in for a treat at Andalusia’s newest deli.

The Surly Mermaid, located at 27 Court Square, opened its doors two weeks ago, and today will celebrate its grand opening, owner Jennifer Ambrester said.

Ambrester said she graduated from Johnson and Wales University in 2005; spent time working in catering at the St. Louis Zoo, where she picked up executive chef Steve Massey; toured Europe for three months; and has a lot of experience in the corporate and education culinary realm.

“I’ve wanted to open up a deli since 2005 and call it The Surly Mermaid,” she said.

Ambrester said her mother has lived in Andalusia for 20 years, and she noticed that locally, there was a lot of fried options.

“I wanted to bring a new concept to the area,” she said. “Everything is made-from-scratch. I thought the Square was the perfect place.”

Desserts change daily, she said.

“We also have a soup of the day and a lunch special,” she said. “We really want to market our strawberry sweet tea.”

The menu boasts items such as the English Cucumber, which is served with cucumbers, pecans, whipped cream cheese on croissant; Uptown BLT, which features apple smoked bacon, lettuce, fresh tomato, with a southern fried egg and sweet aioli on croissant; Creole muffuletta, which includes ham, salami, swiss and provolone cheeses complete with house-made olive salad.

Other options include chicken options – perky chicken and surly chicken, along with the aloha melt, fancy grilled cheese and original peanut butter and jelly-not sandwiches.

A plethora of salad options make their home on the menu, as well.

Choose from The Surly Mermaid trio, which is a choice of chicken salad, tuna salad or fresh summer salad combined with a choice of two from Greek pasta salad, dill potato salad or lemon parsley couscous.

Additionally, Greek, chef, classic cobb, Florentine and iceberg wedge salads are available.

Ambrester said they get their inspiration from cooking shows and Chef Massey brings his own chicken salad recipe to the table.

“I also get my inspiration from my great grandmother, who was from Germany,” she said.

Ambrester said they welcome work parties and offer catering.

The building currently seats 16, but they are in the process of building an additional banquet hall.

“We do ask that you call ahead so that we can be prepared and get your food in a timely manner,” she said of the work parties.

The deli is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.

For more info, call 251-689-0091.