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The Mermaid Bar

NorthPark Center

8687 N. Central

Suite 400

HOURS: 10 A.M.-9 P.M. MON-FRI

10 A.M.-8 P.M. SAT

NOON-6 P.M. SUN

AMBIANCE: NOSTALGIC

PRICE: $6-$20

DID YOU KNOW?

THE MERMAID BAR FEATURES WHIMSICAL MURALS

BY DANISH ARTIST BJORN WIINBLAD COMMISSIONED BY STANLEY MARCUS IN THE 1960S.

In1965 NorthPark Center hosted its grand opening — as did Neiman Marcus, the upscale clothing store in its southwest corner. Inside Neiman Marcus was a small coffee bar, The Mermaid Bar, where daytime shoppers could grab a bite to eat. The Mermaid Bar was surprisingly popular, and a few years later it expanded to accommodate larger crowds. Fifty years later, Neiman Marcus and The Mermaid Bar are the only originals left at NorthPark. The café has survived on excellent service and reliably good food, says Chad Boyle, the general manager of restaurants at Neiman Marcus. The nostalgia effect doesn’t hurt, either. “This is the destination of ladies’ lunches in Dallas,” Boyle says. “The grandmothers brought the mothers, and the mothers brought the daughters, and that’s how it’s been for 50 years. It’s not well publicized. You have to know that it’s here, but everyone just knows that The Mermaid is here.” Boyle looks across the room and points out a diner who has been eating at the café for upward of 42 years. Staff member Paul Arenas boasts that he’s been working at The Mermaid since ’85, and that’s not unusual. Several of the kitchen staff have been there at least that long. Customers are treated like family, and some of the regulars bring the staff Christmas presents during the holidays. The menu is made up of “simple American recipes,” Boyle says. The Mermaid Sampler, which includes a cup of soup, a cup of fruit and half a chicken salad sandwich, is by far the most popular dish. “There’s nothing fabulous or fancy about what we serve,” Boyle says. “It’s the consistency that brings them back.” But if you have a chance to order the fried calamari, you won’t regret it.

—Brittany Nunn

One most requested entrees, the

And the winners were

Best Pizza: Primo Brothers Pizza, a timehonored, family owned neighborhood eatery. “Traditional, with a focus on quality,” is how owner Luan Vraniqi describes it.

Best Breakfast: JJ’s Café, whose popularity is a result of “very hard work and attention to service,” according to owner Jose Ramirez, especially on the part of his wife Josefina Orozco. That, and irresistible huevos rancheros.

Best Coffee: Café Silva, where owners Masoom and Suraiya Khan produce sweet, eye-opening Cuban or Mexican espressos and fruity, mouth-watering scones in their no-frills park side coffee bar.

Best Burger: The Varsity Grill, a 1950s-esque diner with a cutting-edge approach to food and service. Owner Thom Turnock shared his secrets: a great staff, all of who care deeply about quality, and delicious bread — choose jalapeno-cheddar, sweet sourdough or whole wheat.

Best Dessert: Unrefined Bakery, where mother and daughter duo Taylor Nicholson and Anne Hoyt bake scrumptious sweets sans the wheat — gluten-free vanilla caramel apple “unbutter” cream cupcakes, spicy snack mixes, and everything inbetween.

Best Gift Shop: City View Antiques, home to 65 dealers. An antique purist, co-owner Joan Williams (with sister Ellen Paulsen and their mom Joan Paulsen) enforces a fairly strict policy requiring that vendors at her mall stick to antiques, with a few fun clearly labeled exceptions. Outdoor markets each spring draw dozens of additional sellers and an array of unique treasures.

NEXT UP IN ADVOCATE’S 2015 BEST OF CONTEST:Vote for your favorite patio at lakehighlands.advocatemag.com/bestof