Stefan and I have had plenty of opportunities to explore food options in Jacksonville since we have visited there quite frequently to see my sister. My cousin has also lived there for more than 10 years now, so we have been able to get the local, inside scoop on great Jacksonville restaurants. Here are some of my favorites for good eats in Jax…
Barbara Jeans
Barbara Jeans is great for good ole’ down home, Southern cooking. The restaurant has several locations along the Southeast coast, including locations in Charleston and Beaufort, South Carolina and Amelia Island and Palm Coast, Fl. The Ponte Vedra, FL location is just south of Jacksonville, situated on the Atlantic Inter-coastal highway. The setting is great, boats cruise past the back porch which overhangs the water and trees line the waterway. Pelicans and Egrets can be spotted also enjoying dinner nearby. Be prepared to wait for a seat when you visit. The restaurant is tiny and the visitors are plenty. You can enjoy cocktails while you wait for a seat and Barbara Jeans even offers you a peak into their cookbook while you wait at the bar. The menu offers many southern and comfort food favorites such as meatloaf, pot roast, and crab cakes. The pot roast is a favorite of nearly everyone in my family, including my dad, sister, and cousin. I am not a big red meat fan, so I usually opt for the crab cakes. The best part of eating at Barbara Jeans is the pumpkin bread which is served with all of their entrees. It is super moist and sweet, very delicious with butter. I can literally visit Barbara Jeans and eat only pumpkin bread and leave perfectly full and satisfied. Check out their web-site, the menu is available and includes thumbnails that you can scroll over to see enlarged pictures of their specialties. Beware of outdoor dining on the porch during the hot, sticky summer months- the mosquitos are everywhere and can ruin even the great food from Barbara Jeans.
Poms Thai Bistro
I am typically not very adventurous with ethnic food, due in large part to my low tolerance for spicy foods, so this dinner was a first for me. But, my cousin talked Stefan and me into trying Thai food, swearing that the chefs can make any dish without the spice. So, Stefan and I set out on a double date with my cousin and her husband to Pom’s Thai Bistro, an upscale Thai restaurant. Pom’s is situated in beautiful San Marco Square off of San Marco Blvd., just outside the city. Because I was still fearful of the spices, the waiter recommended I try the Chicken Pad Thai. A lot of their dishes are ordered on a chili pepper scale, ranging from 1F (mild) to 6F (volcanic hot), so you can opt for mild or spicy dishes. The noodle dish was DELICIOUS and I tried for weeks when I returned to find a similar recipe on Food Network because I enjoyed the meal so much. Unfortunately, I never found a recipe that captured the same flavors of the Pad Thai. Pad Thai this good will require subsequent trips to Pom’s Thai Bistro. If you visit, prepare yourself to spend a lot. As mentioned earlier, it is an “upscale” bistro and dishes range in price from $18-39. Try it for lunch from 11:30-2 when prices are cheaper. The Pad Thai, for instance, was $6 cheaper at lunchtime.
River City Brewing Company
River City Brewing Company is a fun place to eat downtown and is situated directly across the water from the tall buildings that collectively make the Jacksonville skyline. When you enter the restaurant, check out the huge saltwater fish tanks and the pool of Koi located at the bottom of the staircase. River City houses an on-site brewery and offers four of their specialty beers. I visited here with my family for a brunch buffet on Christmas eve, but their Sunday brunch menu features many of the same dishes. The buffet has a meat and omelet station, fresh fruits and vegetables, several entrees offering both breakfast and lunch options, and a dessert station. I would highly recommend the chocolate peanut butter cake- it combines two of my favorite flavors, (as the name implies) chocolate and peanut butter. If you eat at the River City Brewing Company for breakfast, come hungry. It will set you back $21.95 for Sunday brunch, and $27.95 on holidays. That’s a lot of waffle eating to break even. To get your money's worth at brunch, fill up on the cocktail shrimp and crab legs, then visit the meat station for lamb and beef.
Crispers
For a lighter option, check out Crispers, a salad and sandwich restaurant chain located throughout Florida. The menu boasts 12 different types of salads and a create your own salad along with a long list of interesting salad dressings. In addition to their salads,
Crispers offers sandwiches, wraps, soup, and flatbreads that include such creations as Steak and Blue Cheese flatbread, Caribbean Chicken flatbread, and Grilled Veggie. The flatbreads are served on an oblong, wooden board and If you prefer take-out, they are available for “Take N Bake.” In addition, Crispers offers many beverage options such as coffees (hot, cold or frozen), smoothies, and shakes. The specialty shakes are particularly unique and offer flavors such as Chocolate Monkey, made with vanilla ice cream, chocolate and banana syrups, and Coconut Fantasy, a blend of vanilla ice cream, pineapple, and coconut syrup. The prices are reasonable; sandwiches are all around $7 and salads range from $6-8.
The Loop Pizza Grill
Another light food and inexpensive option is The Loop Pizza Grill. The Loop has several locations around town and is an intermediate between fast food and a sit-down restaurant. You order your food at the main counter and the food, once prepared, is served to you at your table.
The Loop also offers a variety of salads and sandwiches, but their menu also includes burgers, chicken sandwiches, fish sandwiches, hot dogs, veggie burgers and pizza. It is a pretty low-key place to get a quick and inexpensive lunch or dinner.
Mellow Mushroom
The Mellow Mushroom (check out the website, it's wild) is one of Stefan’s favorites for pizza. If you can’t make it to the Jacksonville location, try the many other locations that include Destin, FL, Charlottesville, VA, as well as many locations in GA, SC, and NC. The restaurants decorations include painted murals on the walls that create a 70’s, Bohemian feel, and include a variety of mushroom characters, inspired by the restaurant’s name (**Stefan add-on -> or possibly inspired by something a little more illicit). What makes Mellow Mushroom unique, aside from the décor, is the flavorful, crispy pizza dough. You can order your pizza with toppings from a long list of options, or choose from their specialty creations like the House Pesto Pizza, the Chicken Cordon Bleu, or the Magical Mystery Tour. I would also recommend the Parmesan Pretzels as an appetizer from the Munchies menu which you can enjoy while your pizza bakes. The Jacksonville Mellow Mushroom offers live music throughout the week and Happy Hour specials.
CamiCakes Cupcakes
As mentioned in a previous post, I am out to find the best cupcake in America, a quest which led me to CamiCakes Cupcakes, located in the Orange Park mall. The cupcakes are sold out of a bakery case in the food court and cost $2.25. The fresh ingredients used to make these cupcakes make for a moist, dense cake with rich frosting that is not too sweet. I was impressed by the interesting range of flavors. For instance, t
hey sell distinctive flavors such as Sweet potato (image on right), topped with cinnamon cream cheese icing, Pineapple Toasted Coconut (image on left), a cupcake topped with pineapple cream cheese frosting topped with toasted coconut, Mint Chocolate, which has mint chips baked into the batter and is topped with mint frosting, and my favorite, the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cream, a yummy chocolate cupcake topped with a sweet, peanut butter buttercream frosting. You can order the Original, Chocolate, and Red Velvet cupcakes online ( they now ship nationwide), but you will have to frost your own cakes when they arrive (frosting included in shipment).
Barbara Jeans
Barbara Jeans is great for good ole’ down home, Southern cooking. The restaurant has several locations along the Southeast coast, including locations in Charleston and Beaufort, South Carolina and Amelia Island and Palm Coast, Fl. The Ponte Vedra, FL location is just south of Jacksonville, situated on the Atlantic Inter-coastal highway. The setting is great, boats cruise past the back porch which overhangs the water and trees line the waterway. Pelicans and Egrets can be spotted also enjoying dinner nearby. Be prepared to wait for a seat when you visit. The restaurant is tiny and the visitors are plenty. You can enjoy cocktails while you wait for a seat and Barbara Jeans even offers you a peak into their cookbook while you wait at the bar. The menu offers many southern and comfort food favorites such as meatloaf, pot roast, and crab cakes. The pot roast is a favorite of nearly everyone in my family, including my dad, sister, and cousin. I am not a big red meat fan, so I usually opt for the crab cakes. The best part of eating at Barbara Jeans is the pumpkin bread which is served with all of their entrees. It is super moist and sweet, very delicious with butter. I can literally visit Barbara Jeans and eat only pumpkin bread and leave perfectly full and satisfied. Check out their web-site, the menu is available and includes thumbnails that you can scroll over to see enlarged pictures of their specialties. Beware of outdoor dining on the porch during the hot, sticky summer months- the mosquitos are everywhere and can ruin even the great food from Barbara Jeans.
Poms Thai Bistro
I am typically not very adventurous with ethnic food, due in large part to my low tolerance for spicy foods, so this dinner was a first for me. But, my cousin talked Stefan and me into trying Thai food, swearing that the chefs can make any dish without the spice. So, Stefan and I set out on a double date with my cousin and her husband to Pom’s Thai Bistro, an upscale Thai restaurant. Pom’s is situated in beautiful San Marco Square off of San Marco Blvd., just outside the city. Because I was still fearful of the spices, the waiter recommended I try the Chicken Pad Thai. A lot of their dishes are ordered on a chili pepper scale, ranging from 1F (mild) to 6F (volcanic hot), so you can opt for mild or spicy dishes. The noodle dish was DELICIOUS and I tried for weeks when I returned to find a similar recipe on Food Network because I enjoyed the meal so much. Unfortunately, I never found a recipe that captured the same flavors of the Pad Thai. Pad Thai this good will require subsequent trips to Pom’s Thai Bistro. If you visit, prepare yourself to spend a lot. As mentioned earlier, it is an “upscale” bistro and dishes range in price from $18-39. Try it for lunch from 11:30-2 when prices are cheaper. The Pad Thai, for instance, was $6 cheaper at lunchtime.
River City Brewing Company
River City Brewing Company is a fun place to eat downtown and is situated directly across the water from the tall buildings that collectively make the Jacksonville skyline. When you enter the restaurant, check out the huge saltwater fish tanks and the pool of Koi located at the bottom of the staircase. River City houses an on-site brewery and offers four of their specialty beers. I visited here with my family for a brunch buffet on Christmas eve, but their Sunday brunch menu features many of the same dishes. The buffet has a meat and omelet station, fresh fruits and vegetables, several entrees offering both breakfast and lunch options, and a dessert station. I would highly recommend the chocolate peanut butter cake- it combines two of my favorite flavors, (as the name implies) chocolate and peanut butter. If you eat at the River City Brewing Company for breakfast, come hungry. It will set you back $21.95 for Sunday brunch, and $27.95 on holidays. That’s a lot of waffle eating to break even. To get your money's worth at brunch, fill up on the cocktail shrimp and crab legs, then visit the meat station for lamb and beef. Crispers
For a lighter option, check out Crispers, a salad and sandwich restaurant chain located throughout Florida. The menu boasts 12 different types of salads and a create your own salad along with a long list of interesting salad dressings. In addition to their salads,
Crispers offers sandwiches, wraps, soup, and flatbreads that include such creations as Steak and Blue Cheese flatbread, Caribbean Chicken flatbread, and Grilled Veggie. The flatbreads are served on an oblong, wooden board and If you prefer take-out, they are available for “Take N Bake.” In addition, Crispers offers many beverage options such as coffees (hot, cold or frozen), smoothies, and shakes. The specialty shakes are particularly unique and offer flavors such as Chocolate Monkey, made with vanilla ice cream, chocolate and banana syrups, and Coconut Fantasy, a blend of vanilla ice cream, pineapple, and coconut syrup. The prices are reasonable; sandwiches are all around $7 and salads range from $6-8.The Loop Pizza Grill
Another light food and inexpensive option is The Loop Pizza Grill. The Loop has several locations around town and is an intermediate between fast food and a sit-down restaurant. You order your food at the main counter and the food, once prepared, is served to you at your table.
The Loop also offers a variety of salads and sandwiches, but their menu also includes burgers, chicken sandwiches, fish sandwiches, hot dogs, veggie burgers and pizza. It is a pretty low-key place to get a quick and inexpensive lunch or dinner.Mellow Mushroom
The Mellow Mushroom (check out the website, it's wild) is one of Stefan’s favorites for pizza. If you can’t make it to the Jacksonville location, try the many other locations that include Destin, FL, Charlottesville, VA, as well as many locations in GA, SC, and NC. The restaurants decorations include painted murals on the walls that create a 70’s, Bohemian feel, and include a variety of mushroom characters, inspired by the restaurant’s name (**Stefan add-on -> or possibly inspired by something a little more illicit). What makes Mellow Mushroom unique, aside from the décor, is the flavorful, crispy pizza dough. You can order your pizza with toppings from a long list of options, or choose from their specialty creations like the House Pesto Pizza, the Chicken Cordon Bleu, or the Magical Mystery Tour. I would also recommend the Parmesan Pretzels as an appetizer from the Munchies menu which you can enjoy while your pizza bakes. The Jacksonville Mellow Mushroom offers live music throughout the week and Happy Hour specials.
CamiCakes Cupcakes
As mentioned in a previous post, I am out to find the best cupcake in America, a quest which led me to CamiCakes Cupcakes, located in the Orange Park mall. The cupcakes are sold out of a bakery case in the food court and cost $2.25. The fresh ingredients used to make these cupcakes make for a moist, dense cake with rich frosting that is not too sweet. I was impressed by the interesting range of flavors. For instance, they sell distinctive flavors such as Sweet potato (image on right), topped with cinnamon cream cheese icing, Pineapple Toasted Coconut (image on left), a cupcake topped with pineapple cream cheese frosting topped with toasted coconut, Mint Chocolate, which has mint chips baked into the batter and is topped with mint frosting, and my favorite, the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cream, a yummy chocolate cupcake topped with a sweet, peanut butter buttercream frosting. You can order the Original, Chocolate, and Red Velvet cupcakes online ( they now ship nationwide), but you will have to frost your own cakes when they arrive (frosting included in shipment).
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