Story and photos by Mary Thurwachter
Plaza del Mar, at the southwest corner of East Ocean Avenue and South Ocean Boulevard in Manalapan, is music to the ears of islanders who really don’t want to cross the bridge to shop. Visitors will find an assortment of restaurants, boutiques and other businesses that can help them book their next vacation, purchase a home, have their nails done, find casual clothing, buy one-of-a kind art or jewelry or even catch a play or film at The Palm Beaches Theatre.
Parking is free and there’s no long walk to hunt for your car. Many of the shops and restaurants are Fido-friendly, so you don’t have to leave a pampered pooch whimpering at home.
Here are five not-to-miss spots at Plaza del Mar:
1. Evelyn & Arthur
There are several lovely clothing shops in the Plaza, but the one that has been around for the longest is Evelyn & Arthur (above), a family-owned business in the plaza for 30 years. With nine locations across Florida, the store offers casual, often colorful clothes designed for women who want a stylish fit, but don’t want to look like their teenage daughters. A section of the store is devoted to unique cards and gifts.
2. Sheila Payne Gallery
Sheila Payne’s works are called “off the wall” and “outlandish,” and she’s fine with that. The former stocks and bonds trader has no formal art background and admits she didn’t even know she was an artist until she tried it a few years ago. Payne (right) makes jewelry and three-dimensional pieces with ordinary materials, including chains, keys, shards of mirrors and seashells. Buy something here and you have a conversation starter. Or just visit her gallery and Sheila will tell you the stories behind each piece. You won’t be bored.
3. The restaurants
John G’s, a casual, family-owned restaurant (below), has been a local hot spot for breakfast and lunch since it opened in 1973. Seating is available inside and out, and the fried fish is scrumptious. If you go for breakfast, try the almond-encrusted French toast.
The little pizza, pasta and wine restaurant called Manalapan Pizza and its Basil Bar take full advantage of the courtyard setting as they serve Italian fare all day. At night, music adds to the allure. On Friday nights, it’s Motown, soul and rock ’n’ roll, and on Tuesdays, it’s karaoke with Jacqie Jackson, a fun-loving local cross-dresser.
At the newly remodeled Asian restaurant Thaikyo, favorite dishes include unique blends of flavors from Thailand along with an exotic and modern sushi bar. On Thursday nights, Thaikyo offers specialty sushi and drink deals and musical entertainment in its Buddha Lounge.
4. Jewelry Artisans Inc.
This little gem of a jewelry store, which has been at the plaza since 1991 after a move from Palm Beach, simply sparkles. Inside, you’ll find the “dream team” — master jeweler Pedro Maldonado and gemologist Emi Ebben. Maldonado created the world’s most valuable dreidel for the Chabad of South Palm Beach (also located in the plaza). One-of-a-kind bracelets, necklaces and rings are designed and created here in Maldonado’s workshop, which is visible from the store. Customers range from the rich and famous to locals with good taste. If you go, prepare to be wowed.
5. The Ice Cream Club
No membership needed here. Just come on in and pick out your favorite flavor. Take your cone outside and watch people sprint across the street from the Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa to have a taste. When the Ice Cream Club opened in 1982, Eau (formerly the Ritz-Carlton) wasn’t even built. The ice cream shop’s appeal isn’t limited to tourists and islanders: Folks from the west side of the bridge come over for licks, too, as do sunbathers who wander over from Lantana’s beach.
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