Jacksonville Florida Recommendations?

Hi all,

I'll be in Jacksonville this weekend and any suggestions/favorites would be very welcome. Mostly looking for informal stuff since will be eating with my teenage son and soccer teammates.

thanks

We were in Amelia Island FL later last year and found a place called The Surf.. it was a fun bar and the food was pretty good the thing that made it interesting is they had a lobster special on Sunday something like 7 bucks a lobster they were small you could eat 3 easy but it was fun..

http://www.thesurfonline.com/

The only reason that I can think of
to go to Jacksonville by choice, is
to visit the Mossfire Grill for their
Smoked Pork Tacos - slow roasted,
smoked pork served on soft flour
tortillas with crisp cabbage, cotija
cheese, and pineapple salsa.
Kinda like pulled pork meets
al pastor. (drools)

A long-dormant bump, but I have a lot of friends from Northwestern who are headed down for the Gator Bowl. Any Jax suggestions? I think we're in trouble, because an official Gator Bowl rep suggested the Charthouse and Ruth's Chris.

To understand why anyone would want to devote time to eating in Jacksonville, you’d have to wrap your head around its historical situation. Northeast Florida houses the longest continually occupied (by the French, the Spanish, the Dutch, and the English before us) part of the United States, and yet very few of the dishes offered in Jacksonville (such as datil pepper hot sauce, Minorcan chowder, and the Florida-style low-county boil) have spread to south Georgia, to the Panhandle, or to central Florida.

The Jacksonville, Florida area marks the intersection of a number of historical influences that have influenced its local cuisine: it is home to a cattle business that dates to the Spanish occupation of northeast Florida, it has been home to the shrimping industry that predates Florida statehood, and its immigrant populations (notably, Minorcan, Lebanese, French Huguenot, African, English, and Filipino) have all contributed to the region’s largely under-noticed food-culture. To be perfectly clear, this part of the United States is the birthplace of the North American cowboy, and is the first home of commercial shrimping in the United States.

In fact, little-known fishing villages such as Mayport are about the only place that a diner can find fish such as cobia, wahoo, and mackeral prepared in a restaurant, in addition to better-known regional specialties like grouper, flounder, and snapper. While Mayport is only a shadow of what it once was decades ago, due entirely to regional politics, restaurants like Singleton’s Seafood Shack and Safe Harbor Seafood exclusively serve locally caught fish––most of the fishermen and shrimpers have also owned the restaurants for decades, and many do the cooking.

Both Singleton’s and Safe Harbor are great spots for lunch, as you can order a sandwich made with one of three catches of the day for about $6 (including a side), to which I would recommend adding a few drops of the locally made Trinidadian habanero sauce. Please keep in mind that Singleton’s has been in business since the 1960s and is the more traditional choice over Safe Harbor, which has been around for perhaps one-third as long, and which is the cleaner and fancier option.

Many seaside towns in the First Coast region of Florida, from Fernandina Beach in the north to Ormond Beach in the south, share deeply felt cultural and social connections to fishing. If you were to spend some time along northeast Florida’s Atlantic coast, you would very soon after recognize that fishing and seafood-eating holds the entire Jacksonville Beaches community together, and that the place and its fishing culture are inseparable. Outside of Mayport, a restaurant such as O’Steen’s Restaurant in St. Augustine showcases the finest dish that north Florida offers, a plate of fried Mayport shrimp.

I can write with certainty that in thirty-two years of eating at O’Steen’s, I have only ever order the shrimp dinner, and that I would recommend it without a reservation in the world. Their sides (think green beans, collared greens, and apple sauce) are all just fine, and their hushpuppies are mandatory, but you wouldn’t know the first thing about Jacksonville-area seafood if you were to skip the fried shrimp dipped liberally in O’Steen’s datil-pepper-spiked dipping sauce. Also, I would very strongly recommend a bowl of O’Steen’s Minorcan clam chowder, which is a stew-thick tomato-based chowder seasoned with datil pepper hot sauce.

This year, Mayport celebrated the 450th anniversary of its founding as a fishing village, and Saint Augustine was founded in 1565: while the latter shows no signs of thinning interest, Mayport is on its last leg, and possibly won’t survive the decade. If you’ve interested in getting at something essential in American food-culture, and if you’re interested in what must be one of the oldest non-native cuisines in the Americas, you would do yourself a disservice to skip over Mayport or Saint Augustine in favor of a restaurant like the Charthouse or like Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. I’ve read LTH each day since moving to Chicago from Florida seven years ago, and I wouldn’t want a visitor to think of Jacksonville as the culinary and cultural backwater that less-informed writers would make it out to be, just as I wouldn’t want anyone to think of Chicago in those terms.

If you don’t mind, I would prefer not to make recommendations for eating in the city of Jacksonville, as I think it would be worth a visitor’s while to visit Neptune Beach for smoked fish-dip (another regional specialty) and oysters on the ocean at Sliders, to eat a Belgian pastry from Denoel Pastry Shop while strolling the Castillo de San Marcos in Saint Augustine, and to have a beer at Pete’s Bar with the Florida crackers. It’s where I grew up, and in moving away, I’ve realized that the food-culture in northeast Florida is irreplaceable––and yet it’s imminently in danger of being replaced, watered-down, and undone.

Thanks for reading,
Matt


Singleton’s Seafood Shack
4728 Ocean Street  
Atlantic Beach, FL 32233
(904) 246-4442

Safe Harbor Seafood
4378 Ocean Street #3,
Atlantic Beach, FL 32233
(904) 246-4911

O’Steen’s Restaurant
205 Anastasia Boulevard,
St. Augustine, FL 32080
(904) 829-6974
[Note: closed Monday]

Sliders Oyster Bar
218 1st Street  
Neptune Beach, FL 32266
(904) 246-0881

Denoel Pastry Shop
‪212 Charlotte St.
Saint Augustine, FL 32084
(904) 829-3974

Pete’s Bar
117 First Street  
Neptune Beach, FL 32266
(904) 249-9158

Welcome, Matt!

Though it's obviously a very bittersweet topic for you, this is a wonderful first post... thank you for sharing it.

Looking forward to hearing about your new discoveries as well as your old remembrances

Every time we head to Jacksonville, we head to Barbara Jean's in Ponte Vedre Beach.

I cannot decide whether I like the setting or the food more. The restaurant is located on a meandering portion of the Intercoastal Waterway. You sit on the deck and watch the boats go by and the like, it is a very relaxing place.

And the food is quite good. They serve the best shrimp and grits in the area. Their sides are excellent as is their bread basket.

http://barbarajeans.com/menu.html


And if you are in Jacksonville area, stop at the Karpeles Manuscript Museum to see the Adams Family Exhibit, a collection of manuscripts from Samuel Adams, John Adams, and John Quincy Adams. Admission is free. Also, there is a small BBQ stand down the street that is pretty decent.

http://www.rain.org/~karpeles/jax.html

Thanks so much for bumping this thread, chitrader. I'm also an NU fan who will be there for the Gator Bowl and looking for a decent meal or two along the way.

Epic first post! Thanks Matt!

Very helpful posts so far, thanks. I too am an NU fan heading down to the Gator Bowl. Mrs. ParisCat and I will be staying in Ponte Vedra Beach, so any additional recommendations in that immediate area would be much appreciated. Bonus points for water view. Thanks!

I’m so glad that many of you enjoyed my earlier post. If you’re heading down for the NU game this weekend, and if you want to stay close to the Ponte Vedra/Palm Valley area, you might check out one of the fish camps in Palm Valley. There are a handful of fish camps between the Intercoastal Waterway and the Atlantic, most of which were one operated by fishermen and their families, and which have since been sold to restauranteurs. Above, jlawrence01 pointed out Barbara Jean’s, and I might add the Palm Valley Fish Camp to that list––Lulu’s Waterfront Cafe has taken a turn for the worst in recent years.

Each of these fish camps has a lovely view of the Intercoastal, and of the adjacent marshland, egrets, blue herons, ospreys, and all. While places such as the Palm Valley Fish Camp offer food that isn’t necessary traditional to the area, I would recommend the Low Boil (with shrimp, clams, crawfish, and Andouille), or the Mayport Shrimp and Grits––this is exactly the kind of food I grew up eating, with family, in northeast Florida.

I understand that my earlier post probably finished off the dead horse, but if you have a few hours to spare, I’d very strongly heading south to O’Steen’s Restaurant for fried shrimp: the drive south down A1A couldn’t be more beautiful. Saint Augustine has preserved its colonial European architecture, and at this time of year, the city holds its Festival of Lights in the old market downtown. The Festival is well worth your time if you’re in the area for dinner.

That said, I hope you all have a lovely time in the Jacksonville area, and I hope even more so that you leave full of shrimp.

Thanks again,
Matt


Palm Valley Fish Camp
299 North Roscoe Road
Ponte Vedra, FL 32082
(904) 285-3200

O’Steen’s Restaurant
205 Anastasia Boulevard,
St. Augustine, FL 32080
(904) 829-6974
[Note: closed Monday]

MRC wrote:I’m so glad that many of you enjoyed my earlier post. If you’re heading down for the NU game this weekend, and if you want to stay close to the Ponte Vedra/Palm Valley area, you might check out one of the fish camps in Palm Valley. There are a handful of fish camps between the Intercoastal Waterway and the Atlantic, most of which were one operated by fishermen and their families, and which have since been sold to restauranteurs. Above, jlawrence01 pointed out Barbara Jean’s, and I might add the Palm Valley Fish Camp to that list––Lulu’s Waterfront Cafe has taken a turn for the worst in recent years.

One of my disappointments was that I am unable to locate some of my notes on Jacksonville and nearby St. Augustine.

However, your mention of the fish camps reminded me of Whitey's Fish Camp which is slightly southwest of Jacksonville in Orange Park. If you are looking for fancy, this is not the place. This is very basic, well prepared fish and seafood with a great view of the intercoastal waterway. One thing that they do offer is an excellent catfish that is NOT farm raised..

We generally fly into Jacksonville after spring training for one of those one-way rentals and use it as a jumping off point for southeastern road trips.

Thanks for the St. Augustine recommendation. We're actually flying into and out of Orlando, so O’Steen’s is an option.

I Googled but didn't get a good answer: What is a fish camp?

We're planning to drive up from the south toward Ponte Vedra on Monday, Dec. 31, and I'd like to stop in St. Augustine. The only St. Augustine recommendation so far, O'Steen's, seems to be closed on Mondays, so any other St. Augustine recommendations? Thanks!

If you stick to certain favorites, Columbia Restaurant is a favorite of mine--I haven't been to the St. Augustine location in many years but I still love the outposts in Tampa and Sarasota so guessing all is still well there. (http://www.columbiarestaurant.com/st_augustine.asp) Don't miss the Spanish Bean Soup and 1905 Salad...

More references to it in the Tampa thread since they have multiple locations throughout Florida. http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=12760.

chgoeditor wrote:Thanks for the St. Augustine recommendation. We're actually flying into and out of Orlando, so O’Steen’s is an option.

I Googled but didn't get a good answer: What is a fish camp?

I have been to a few but I will give you some general characteristics:

Usually in or around a marina
usually a combination of inside and outside dining
usually a very casual environment where you can go in shorts and sandals.
food generally seafood and fish but occasionally a steak.

By the way, I did not expect to like Jacksonville, FL at all. However, we have been there a couple of times and have had a blast.

Originally, a Florida Cracker fish camp was exactly what it sounds like - a place by the water where you pitch a tent or rent a cabin and some gear and go fishing. Nowadays, it also means a rustic place close to the source where you get seafood, fried, with hushpuppies. I'd add to JLawrence's description that such "camps" are often (mostly, I'd say) inland on lakes or rivers and revolve around catfish or bass. There are any number still doing business all over the state, as a quick search will reveal. A cypress shack by the water under a hammock of Spanish moss is the ideal.

Here is a link to an actual fish camp.

http://www.hpfishcamp.com/

The Northwestern Wildcats--not the restaurants--were the highlight of my trip to Jacksonville. Not counting a breakfast of beer & chips while tailgating, a lackluster taco at the stadium and an Egg McMuffin before heading back to Chicago, we ate two meals out during our time in Jacksonville.

BB's Restaurant had a special a la carte menu for New Year's Eve that seemed more upscale than their normal menu. If I found myself back in Jacksonville, I'd seek this place out again. (In fact, one of my friends may have headed back the next night for another dessert, which BB's seems to do very well.)

1019 Hendricks Ave.
Jacksonville, Florida 32207
(904) 306-0100

We were much less impressed by River City Brewing Company. The food was lackluster and their beer didn't wow me. But they have a lovely marina/riverside outdoor patio (if slightly uncomfortable chairs).

Two caveats:
1. We ate there after a long day of tailgating, watching football & screaming our heads off while cheering on Northwestern. Nothing was going to match the day's high of watching NU win its first bowl game since 1949.
2. They were serving a very limited menu. I think the sum total of our options were peel & eat shrimp, artichoke dip with (week old?) red and green tortilla chips, hamburger and fried chicken tenders with soggy fries.

(Edited to add: Coach Fitzgerald showed up at RCBC about five minutes after we did. Our table collective wondered if he got the same lousy menu options that we did. Given that our only option was to sit on the patio and he was seated inside, methinks he may have dined a bit better than we did.)

835 Museum Circle
Jacksonville, FL 32207
(904) 398-2299

GO CATS!

I, too, was in Jacksonville for the epic and emotionally draining Wildcats victory. Fortunately, we had good luck on the food front as well.

We were staying at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, about 30 minutes outside of Jacksonville. It's a beautiful oceanfront resort dripping with history and tradition.

We were scrambling for a Monday night (New Year's Eve) destination. Our preferred spot, Ocean 60, was completely booked. We were directed to a small family-run Italian spot in Sawgrass Village called Caffe Andiamo. While nothing to get giddy about, we found it to be perfectly pleasant, with a lively atmosphere, good drinks, and solid homemade pastas.

On Tuesday night, after our post-Gator Bowl celebration and a quick nap, we were torn between two sister restaurants: Palm Valley Fish Camp on the intercoastal waterway, and its new sibling, North Beach Fish Camp in Atlantic Beach. We opted for the latter. It had a fun, young vibe. We both had a grouper special, served over hoppin' john with saffron rice. This was one of the best casual fish dishes I've had in a long time. The fried artichoke appetizer was excellent as well.

I've heard pretty dismal reports from those who stayed in downtown Jacksonville for the game. The beach towns, and especially Ponte Vedra, turned out to be a much better alternative.

ParisCat wrote:I, too, was in Jacksonville for the epic and emotionally draining Wildcats victory. Fortunately, we had good luck on the food front as well.

We were staying at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, about 30 minutes outside of Jacksonville. It's a beautiful oceanfront resort dripping with history and tradition.

We were scrambling for a Monday night (New Year's Eve) destination. Our preferred spot, Ocean 60, was completely booked. We were directed to a small family-run Italian spot in Sawgrass Village called Caffe Andiamo. While nothing to get giddy about, we found it to be perfectly pleasant, with a lively atmosphere, good drinks, and solid homemade pastas.

On Tuesday night, after our post-Gator Bowl celebration and a quick nap, we were torn between two sister restaurants: Palm Valley Fish Camp on the intercoastal waterway, and its new sibling, North Beach Fish Camp in Atlantic Beach. We opted for the latter. It had a fun, young vibe. We both had a grouper special, served over hoppin' john with saffron rice. This was one of the best casual fish dishes I've had in a long time. The fried artichoke appetizer was excellent as well.

I've heard pretty dismal reports from those who stayed in downtown Jacksonville for the game. The beach towns, and especially Ponte Vedra, turned out to be a much better alternative.

I'm still giddy with excitement over the win....can't imagine that a Rose Bowl or national championship victory feels much better than this.

The hotel options really left something to be desired. I regret that we didn't stay in Ponte Vedra Beach, but friends (some without cars) were sticking to the downtown hotels so we stayed in Jacksonville, too. We seriously debated heading to a fish camp for dinner on Tuesday, but weren't up for the long drive back and forth. Our post-game "nap" started at 8:30 pm and ran until 6 the next morning!

I'm jealous you had grouper! I would have loved a good grouper sandwich.

MRC wrote:Palm Valley Fish Camp
299 North Roscoe Road
Ponte Vedra, FL 32082
(904) 285-3200

I hope to hit Palm Valley Fish Camp when they open at 11AM this Sunday Nov 8, if any LTHers are in the area, please join, menu looks really good. New England Clam bellies, local fish, Buttermilk Pan Fried Chicken with Grits, Collard Greens & Tasso Ham Gravy.
http://palmvalleyfishcamp.com/menu/
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MRC wrote:Singleton’s Seafood Shack
4728 Ocean Street  
Atlantic Beach, FL 32233
(904) 246-4442

I'm in Jacksonville for a business meeting yesterday. I had read about Singleton's here (thanks for all your info on Jacksonville), so was considering making the drive out from Jacksonville, then on last Fri night I was doing 15 mins of channel flipping when I land on a diners drivein & dives episode right on the moment they go to Singleton's, so now I have to go, right?

Minorcan fish chowder is good, fried oysters were decent (small), Mayport shrimp basket is OK but one can get killer shrimp at a lot of places. So my verdict is if one is looking for a drive & a nice river view, come to Singleton's, the food is so-so.

MRC wrote:Palm Valley Fish Camp
299 North Roscoe Road
Ponte Vedra, FL 32082
(904) 285-3200

Palm Valley Fish Camp is hardly a camp as implied by name, it is a very well done restaurant. A beautiful setting on the river, too bad the building isn't closer to the river, however there is outdoor seating available on the side of the restaurant as well as a pier with some rocking chairs on it, so I'd urge folks to take a drink out prior/post meal & enjoy the waterway.

I had one of the best things I've eaten recently at PVFC, shrimp & grits w/two perfectly cooked sunny side up eggs & bacon. Fantastic.

I also tried the Buttermilk Pan Fried Chicken with Grits, Collard Greens & Tasso Ham Gravy. The chicken was very moist but the pan had been too hot so there was a burnt ring around where the chicken touched the pan, lending a bad flavor to the dish. The gravy did not have the full flavor I would expect based upon the expectation I had. So I'll have to say pass on this dish.

The person I was sitting next to at the bar comes to PVFC a few times per week, his favorite meal was the low country boil for two, which he told me doesn't have to be for two, one can simply place a 1/2 order which is what he does on a regular basis.

The client I met with on Monday lives 1/2 a mile away from PVFC and mentioned to me that there is a sister restaurant to PVFC called Julington Creek Fish Camp which is in the southern area of Jacksonville: http://julingtoncreekfishcamp.com/

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Client I met with had some MoJo's BBQ brought in, I was able to try the brisket & dry rubbed spare ribs. It was ok BBQ, nothing I'd go out of my way for. MoJo's has a number of locations, there is also a chain Woody's BBQ.

MoJo's BBQ
http://www.mojobbq.com/

Woody's BBQ
http://www.woodys.com/
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Also got a chance to eat at Hawkers Asian Street Fare.

Roti Canai was terrific, good bread & excellent curry
Chicken Satay was a bit light on spice but had really good flavor components
Fish w/black bean sauce has delicious, make sure to order a side of rice with this as there is a lot of sauce.

Lots of noodle & rice dishes that I wish I had time to explore.

Hawkers Asian Street Fare
1001 Park St
Jacksonville FL 32204
http://eathawkers.com/
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Thanks to many of the recommendations in this thread I ate better than I ever expected on my short business trip to Jacksonville.

Safe Harbor - My first stop after landing was at one of the best known seafood joints in the area. The original location is in Jacksonville Beach which is about 20-30 minutes east of the city. It was very busy even though a short walk after dinner showed that Jax Beach is definitely in low season this time of year. I was surprised to see that most patrons were actually ordering grilled or blackened fish rather than fried shrimp. I followed suit and enjoyed impeccably fresh and nicely prepared grilled trigger. It's a fish I was unfamiliar with (google tells me it's a popular aquarium fish, ha) but I enjoyed its plump and mild flesh very much. It was served with sauteed green beans (also fresh), cole slaw and some excellent hush puppies. Worth the drive!

Metro Diner - All searches for where to eat breakfast recommend either Metro Diner of Maple Street Biscuits (see below). Metro Diner is best know for its chicken and waffles so I went for it. I've never been a fan of the dish since I never understood the synergy. Metro Diner opened my eyes. The fried chicken was excellent in every way. Crispy, juicy and greaseless, it's everything fried chicken should be. The waffles were thick with a nice crust and a spongy interior that held up to the chicken. It's served with strawberry butter that I didn't really notice and a mixture of maple syrup and louisiana hot sauce that the waitress prepared at the table. The dipping sauce was ideal and something I'll replicate in the future. If I ever return I have an eye on their meatloaf that receives a lot of attention. Metro Diner has experienced explosive expansion in the past couple years, including two recently closed locations in Las Vegas. I'm hoping they can keep the quality up though it's hard to know with over 20 locations now and more seemingly to come.

De Real Ting Cafe - I was walking around downtown during a lunch break and discovered a number of Carribbean joints clumped together in the southwestern quadrant of the urban core. De Real Ting appeared the most popular and offered a lunch buffet that proved to be a great value. The buffet had a lot variety including goat curry, simmered pork chops, jerk chicken, stewed cabbage, braised collards, rice and beans and plantains. The food had a home-cooked quality to it that made my lunch very enjoyable. It was a lucky find and worth a stop.

O'Steens - I was able to make an evening jaunt down to St Augustine to drink from the fountain of youth and try O'Steens famous minorcan chowder and fried shrimp. Though it's separated from the busy tourist district, the word is out and I was lucky to snag a table without waiting. Waits can be two hours long in high season so be warned. Honestly, the minorcan chowder didn't do much for me. It's a chunky tomato and datil pepper based stew with chewy clams and lots of soft green peppers. The shrimp were very good but also not particularly memorable. The most memorable part was dipping the breaded fish into the house datil pepper sauce that was earthy and slightly acidic. O'Steens is an institution that serves the local specialties with charm and competence. It may just be that the local specialties aren't my cup of tea.

Maple Street Biscuits - This is another restaurant that has enjoyed explosive growth over the past couple years. They were recently acquired by Cracker Barrel so there be many more coming. I have actually been to the Maple Street location in Chattanooga a couple times and I didn't realize it was a Jacksonville based chain until very recently. I visited the original location to see if the OG had some tricks up its sleeve. Incidentally it is NOT located on Maple Street and as far as I know there is no Maple Street in Jacksonville. The original location was indistinguishable from the Chattanooga outpost, but the food was still very good. I particularly like the biscuits and gravy that are both much better than you can get most places and served with hospitality and bottomless coffee you can serve yourself. On this trip I tried five and dime that includes fried chicken and a fried egg on top. The sandwich was impressive to look at and all the components were tasty but I had to remove the boneless fried chicken breast and eat it separately since it was too thick to play nicely with others. Not great fried chicken, but it was a filling and convenient breakfast.

Timoti's Seafood Shak - This was another pleasant lunch surprise. I went for a long walk down the river front to enjoy the nice weather during a mid-day break. After about 30 minutes I found myself in the Five Points neighborhood that has a busy stretch of bars and restaurants. Timoti's is another popular place that has expanded recently though they only have three locations. They serve fresh catch grilled, blackened or fried with two sides and hush puppies which seems to be the fish shack/fish camp standard in the area. I went for the grilled flounder and once again was rewarded with well prepared fresh fish. Gotta say I'm jealous that freshly caught grilled fish is so easy to come by and inexpensive in Jacksonville. I washed my meal down with sweet tea and made my way back to downtown with a smile on my face.