This Cafe Is Perfect For Mermaid Lovers

Move over, unicorns. A new mythical creature is getting well-deserved time time in the spotlight. The Mermaid Island Cafe in Pathum Thani, Thailand, is a dream come true for anyone whose secret ambition is to live under the sea one day — so basically everyone, right? (Ariel didn't understand how cool her life was.) Until someone actually invents a way to live underwater, a whimsical, ocean-themed cafe is as close as a woman can get to living out her mermaid fantasies. The best part? You don't even need to make a bargain with a sea witch to visit.

Mermaid Island Café opened just last year, but the themed restaurant has already taken off in a big way. The pink-and-blue decor is ocean-themed, naturally, and to get into the spirit of things, guests are provided with mermaid tails to wear while ordering from the colorful menu. According to Pop Sugar, offerings include rainbow waffles, frozen pink-and-turquoise drinks, and cupcakes topped with mermaid tails diving into the icing. (I feel the same way, pastry mermaid.) Although the café is young, people seem to enjoy being part of its world — the Mermaid Island Café Facebook page has an average rating of nearly five stars.

Look at those colorful cupcakes. No human being could possibly resist Instagramming them. Please excuse me while I book a trip to Thailand as quickly as possible.

You would have to be well off the grid to miss the fact that mythical creatures have taken over the foodie scene. The New York Times traced the origins of the trend to last year, when food stylist and health blogger Adeline Waugh began coloring her food with beetroot. Since then, sparkly, vibrant "unicorn" foods have taken off, culminating in the release of Starbucks' Unicorn Frappuccino this spring. But unicorns aren't the only magical creatures dominating Instagram. Mermaids and even dragons have both inspired their own colorful recipes and beauty trends.

Does the growing popularity of Mermaid Island Café mean we've reached peak mermaid? The Unicorn Frappuccino didn't appear to dim anyone's enthusiasm in the least for unicorn recipes. If the mermaid trend follows a similar trajectory, more sparkly, nautical goodness is yet to come.