10 Department Store Restaurants You Probably Haven't Thought Of In Ages - Tasting Table

"Restaurants may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about department stores. However, dining at department stores used to be more common than food courts in malls. It was the height of the retail experience - extravagant decor, glamorous window displays, spiffy attire, in-store theme park rides, massive Christmas tree-lightings, and more. Department stores offered people a peek at possibilities, and in many ways, were the arbiters of the American dream."

"The restaurants were equally aspirational, and unlike the food courts that would replace them, offered some of the best food around. Not only did they keep people shopping, but they became focal points for some of America's major social shifts, from the tea rooms, which gave women a rare opportunity to connect independent of men, to the sit-ins that contributed to desegregation during the Civil Rights Movement."

"The department stores of today are a far cry from what they were, and along with their decline, many of the restaurants have been forgotten or have disappeared altogether. But that doesn't mean that there aren't any worthwhile department store restaurants around anymore. At Nordstrom, for example, fine dining is as vibrant as ever, along with Macy's and Bergdorf Goodman, to name a few. Here are some department store restaurants you probably haven't thought of in ages."

Department store restaurants once formed a central part of the retail experience, featuring extravagant decor, glamorous window displays, spiffy attire, in-store rides, and massive holiday events. These restaurants offered high-quality dining that encouraged shopping and served as social focal points, enabling women to connect in tea rooms and hosting sit-ins that aided desegregation during the Civil Rights Movement. Many historic department store eateries declined or disappeared alongside the stores, but notable examples persist at Nordstrom, Macy's, and Bergdorf Goodman. The Bird Cage at Lord & Taylor began on Fifth Avenue in the early 1900s, expanded after World War II, and operated into the 1980s.

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