Paradise Bistro brings breakfast, lunch, and dinner to Lakeside with a down-home Texas flair

Paradise Bistro is open and welcoming customers. (Above, l-r) Nathan McDaniel, Brad Moorehouse, Laura Veale, Lindsay McDaniel, and husband Aaron McDaniel.

Two kinds of smoked turkey breast sandwiches (the Paradise and the Albuquerque) sat on a table at Paradise Bistro & Coffee Co.

Beside them, a hamburger, a Rueben, The Veggie, French Dip, and two types of french fries (potato and sweet potato).

While sampling lunch items along with Paradise’s owners and managers, three thoughts rotated through my head: tasty, authentic, and “How to stop eating?” 

“We want Paradise to be the kitchen for everyone who lives in and around Lakeside,” said manager Laura Veale, “like an extension of their home.”

“We’re not trying to do too many things,” added Nathan McDaniel, who co-owns the restaurant with brother Aaron McDaniel and father Tony. “But we want everything on the menu to be very good.”

“It’s a classy bistro in the French tradition,” he said, “with a Texas twist.”

The decor and food express both traditions successfully and genuinely.

Customers enjoy Paradise’s comfortable environment that is warmed by a brick wall (rear) and lit by lots of windows (right).

The sign outside was hand-made by Lindsay McDaniel’s (Aaron’s wife) brother and dad. Inside, details like the dark wood tables, floor-to-ceiling brick wall (yes, it’s real), and white tiles create a warm environment lit beautifully by lots of windows that look out on Lakeside’s sidewalks.

Breakfast at Paradise offers all the dishes you’d expect: eggs, sausage/bacon/ham, hash browns, and pancakes. There’s an egg sandwich, breakfast tacos, and build-your-own omelettes, too.

“A gentleman came up to me and demanded to know whether we serve biscuits and gravy,” laughed manager Laura Veale. “He was glad to know we do. I don’t think he planned to come by for breakfast if we didn’t.”

For a healthier start to the day, try the oatmeal, yogurt with granola, or egg white sandwich.

Brunch includes Chicken & Waffles as well as a Smoked Salmon Benedict.

The dinner menu features Mahi Mahi, Salmon, chicken, filet, and pastas.

Manager Veale and kitchen manager Brad Moorehouse are particularly proud of the deconstructed Beef Wellington.

“We like to think our drink selection,” said a smiling Aaron McDaniel, nodding toward the bar, “is as good as our food selection.”

The Paradise Bistro & Coffee Co. in Granbury is located on the courthouse square.

Paradise carries a variety of liquors, fine wines and beers (including Deep Ellum Blonde), all of which are from Texas, save for Old Chub from the Oskar Blues Brewery (Colorado).

If you’re beginning to think that Paradise serves up just the kind of food and drink that Nathan and Aaron McDaniel favor, you wouldn’t be far off.

They have some experience, too.

With Veale serving as manager, the Paradise Bistro & Coffee Co. in Granbury has become a fixture on the courthouse square (see photo).

Here in Lakeside, Lindsay and Aaron McDaniel have a little added incentive to please their customers. They live here.

“People come up to us all the time,” said Lindsay, “and ask us about the restaurant.”

“When we first began thinking about moving our family to Lakeside,” she explained, “we read a story (click here) about the kind of restaurants Flower Mound residents wanted in Lakeside.”

“So many people,” she said, “wanted the restaurants at Lakeside to be owned and operated locally. They wanted the kind of establishments where customers know the owners and operators personally.

“Aaron and I just looked at each other. We knew immediately what we had to do.”

You’ll be pleased with the result.

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