Lily Pad Cafe

Don’t expect the hot dogs to be great, but for a quick bite to eat, outdoors with a great view in downtown Dallas, it is worth the stop. Dallas needs more places like this — a part, outdoors, downtown, etc. etc.
And it is under $ 5 or so for a quick lunch — can’t beat that.

The good: blissful outdoor seating, people and pup watching, urban views, good brew selection (Bonus: they have Strongbow!), in a park, bike friendly & games.
The bad: their iced coffee could use a major overhaul.
Full disclosure: Never had anything to eat here.
Basically, they are getting 4-​stars for location, setting and beer. That’s fair, I think.

Describing the Lily Pad as an outdoor oasis is trite, yet brilliantly accurate. With the moss green color scheme, near proximity to a dog park, and various food and beverage offerings, the Pad is a pleasant diversion from concrete and steel edifices of the surrounding cityscape.
The Lily Pad is much less a bar and/​or grill as it is a little league ballpark concession stand on steroids. They have an ample quantity of quality beers (ex. Fat Tire) and nachos with kick. They have a surprisingly diverse menu selection given their relatively small kitchen area. You order at a sliding window, and take your selection to an open seat on the patio. Sorry, no indoor boozing or dining available.
My only beef with the Pad? The bloody music! I sat there for over two hours listening to randomly melodic jazz fusion I’m certain could cause seizures in children. The manager informed me that their usual catalog of classic rock was flypaper for the homeless. The jazz seemed to act as more of a repellant.
I would ordinarily drop a star in the rating for the audio, but as I know the manager’s girlfriend’s predilection toward bad music, I’ll cut them a break (PW? Probably, but who could blame him).
Salud!

Wine based strawberry margaritas that are on the same plot of land as a fountain and greenspace. The patio has tables with umbrellas so one can take it all in under the cool shade. Supposedly, you’re not allowed to drink alcoholic beverages off the designated area, but I don’t think anyone cares. We brought ours over to the fountain and got our feet wet. It’s such an escape from the hot, deserted streets. A lot of cops seem to hang out here.

Loved this little spot!
We were staying at the Sheraton on Olive and wandered out to take the dog for a walk and grab a snack. Ended up with a gourmet beer (Boddingtons, if you must know, note that to me, gourmet is anything other than bud, mgd, coors, etc) and an amazing quesadilla with fresh ingredients. They had smoothies, breakfast tacos, hummus, wraps, hot dogs, booze, coffee, and so on. Quite the variety for a tiny place!
The patio was nice and shaded and sits on Main Street Garden where you can watch the kids play in the fountain and people playing with their dogs. Our pup was allowed on the patio with us yay!
A little gem seemingly in the middle of nowhere? (i.e. no other eateries or retail nearby) (Please note I am not from Dallas!) But If I worked or lived around here, I’d be here every day!

I heart local businesses! I always take my dogs to the dog area and enjoy a frozen yogurt while they play! Beautiful park, great service!

I love this place! They have great breakfast tacos (a grilled flour tortilla filled with eggs/​cheese or meat, eggs & cheese — folded over and grilled to perfection) and yummy hot dogs too. That is all I have gotten so far but so far so good. They have a small but varied menu that looks yummy. They also have beer and wine.
Staff is very friendly which is always a bonus.
Outdoor seating only, but since I always prefer a patio — it’s perfect!
Plenty of outdoor seating with great music playing and good people/​dog watching.

Any place that has a dog-​friendly patio gets 5 stars automatically as far as I’m concerned. I haven’t tried anything on the menu yet, but I’ve had their pina coladas, & wines. It’s good to wind down @ Lily Pad after playing catch w/​your dog @ the dog park which is also located inside Main Street Garden Park. On a good day your dog will be able to mingle w/​plenty of other dogs there.
Okay, update time. Last night my son had the nachos & I had the mediterranean plate. He loved his nachos & my mediterranean plate was okay… it wasn’t spectacular, just okay. Still I WILL definitely be going back. O! I saw Jackson the Great Dane there again! I love that sweet, pretty, puppy dog.

I’m a fan of any place where you can eat outside and listen to some good music. The day I went there was Zappa on the stereo, which is cool in and of itself.
The menu isn’t huge but what they do offer is very good. Had a chili dog which was good. The chili was super chunky, which I’m not a fan of. However they do not skimp on the portions!
The seating is my favorite. Lots of tables and chairs outside on some wooden decks. When the weather is good, NOTHING beats it!
If you’re downtown, this is definitely a place to consider!

Coffee, awesome flat breads, and the best yogurt ever! ^^* The yogurt definitely gives them the extra star~~

I love this place. I live right next to the park and the Lily Pad Café is a surprisingly great little café. It has a little bit of everything including hot food, amazing vanilla bean yogurt, beer, and even snacks for the dogs.

Great place to chill with your dog and have some breakfast tacos or a beer.

Well, folks, I have been waiting a while for a location to spark my interest before I wrote my first review, and here it is! I love this little place. I work downtown, and almost every day, walk over to this area for lunch. This little ‘box’ café – next to a well-​groomed, well-​maintained park – is inexpensive, tasty, healthy, and friendly. I noticed that they have water misters on the covered patio, since the only seating is outside – and we all know how hot it is in Dallas during the summer! My only hope is that they plan on having heaters placed out there for the upcoming winter, as well. Also, if you’ve spent any time downtown, you know how difficult it is to find a good-​looking, peaceful location to sit and relax that isn’t overrun with homeless people, pigeons, or the overwhelming smell of dog poo. This is the place to go. AND…(wait for it)…they have happy hour specials on beer and wine!!! «What kind of happy hour specials?», you ask. $ 1 off their already reasonable prices! So, long story short, if you’re in the area and want a nice place to relax, people-​watch, have a snack, or get a drink, go here.
P. S. Try the «Mediterranean Plate». There is enough Tabbouleh, Hummus, Grape Leaves, Greek Salad, and Pita bread to feed a charming little couple… all for under $ 8!

Boasting natural hotdogs and organic stuff Dallas once again gets a little more Austin. The covered outdoor dining area is 100% shady and cool. Think of it as a food stand. Yogurt parfait sundaes, muffins, coffee, bottled water, microbrewed beers and wine by the glass makes the park view that much better. Wading fountain nearby makes for a good trip with the kids.

I live right down the street at the Merc, so when this place opened up, it immediately caught my attention. Could it be that Main St. was finally getting affordable and non-​cart transported food? The answer to that question is yes. And even better, most of the food here is very tasty.
Pretty much every time I come down here, it will be on a Saturday or Sunday morning to grab a Breakfast Taco or two with some of the neighbors. The breakfast tacos here are more like breakfast quesadillas. But despite not looking like a taco, they are some of the best I’ve had in Dallas. The salsa that comes with them is great too. The best part is that they are only about $ 1.50 apiece. The tacos are made fresh daily, and as of lately, I noticed that they’re so popular that they tend to run out by midday on the weekends. I would also recommend the yogurt. If you like the tart, «natural» flavored frozen yogurt, then definitely give the yogurt a try. Lili Pad’s is more tart than most places, which I personally prefer.
In addition to the food, the Lily Pad is in a great location. Lily Pad is entirely outdoor seating. After all, its essentially just a lunch box building dropped in a park. This is a great place to meet-​up with friends in the morning and people watch the dog walkers, etc, and I have seen this place get pretty crowded on occasion.
Also nice is the music on the outdoor sound system, and complimentary dog bowls to keep your pooch hydrated. This place is actually very dog friendly; they sell dog treats as well.
If you have kids, you can now safely let them play on the playground equipment without having them be cooked alive (they have recently coated the metal playground equipment with some kind of space-​age super paint that doesn’t get hot in the summer heat.) Dogs can splash around in the fountain right across from the patio. I haven’t been here in the evening yet, but once the weather cools off, it looks like it might be a place to check out for a drink or two after work.
Speaking of heat, this probably the one issue I had with Lily Pad. The few times I’ve gone here were in the middle of July, and unfortunately, big miss with the misters. The misters were put in by the city when the park was built. They are about 15 feet up, so you will barely feel them. The patio is shaded, but unless you don’t mind Dallas heat, it will still probably be too hot for some.
Overall, affordable and casual food and cheap drinks. Cool location, and fills a niche that was sorely missing from the Main Street area. If you are local to the downtown neighborhood, or work nearby, this should definitely be on your list of regular spots.

Sustainable Street Food. I like it! Containers are biodegradable, No Styrofoam! Fresh, local produce and All Natural Hot Dogs. Homemade Fat-​Free Frozen Yogurt topped with fresh fruit and organic granola or you can top it with good ‘ol candy! Refreshing Strawberry Green Iced Tea, beer and wine and All Natural Sodas! Where the hell else in Dallas can you sit and watch dogs play and people greet each other while enjoying a special treat?! The city engineers were dead on with the sound system that is wired through the whole park and the people working the Lily Pad will happily turn it up or change the Satellite Radio Station for you!
The whole project is an amazing addition to the revitalization of Downtown Dallas. I look forward to many movie nights and kickball tournament evenings. I would very highly recommend stopping by for a bit to eat at the Lily Pad, a cold beer and some dog watching!
Also, just one more thing… Take the DART Rail Service to Saint Paul Station. From there walk south down St Paul 2 blocks to Main and you are there. No need to drive your vehicle into downtown and pay for parking. Enjoy the adventure and explore!