The St. Johns Town Center and Tinseltown corridors. Chains dominate the visible frontage, which is exactly why the independents here are worth naming.
Folio Weekly described a small strip-mall spot at the Gate Parkway exit, with an Ikea across the street, when it reviewed the place in 2023 under the earlier owners. Its own site says it has been under new ownership since August 2024, and it offers vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free starters.
Jacksonville has been pulling trays from Bono's since Lou Bono fired up the first pit in 1949. The original moved to Beach Boulevard as the expressway came through, and today's 4907 Beach Boulevard room is the direct link to that story.
Irish pub food and soccer watch parties on Deer Lake Court. The Southside calendar also lists NFL and college football events.
A Saturday-only vegan kitchen inside Jax Kitchen on Emerson Street. The rotating menu pulls from Guyanese, Caribbean, Indian, Filipino, and West African food, so this is the place on the list for a meal that does not feel like a substitute for something else.
A made-to-order all-you-can-eat sushi room near the St. Johns Town Center. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, one child age 10 or younger eats free when two adults order all-you-can-eat; children age 4 and younger eat free with a paying adult at any time.
A Southside Boulevard Thai restaurant near Brackridge Park. Its own site says it is known for drunken noodle, pad thai and slow-simmered green and panang curries, and it lists a kids menu and free parking.
An outdoor food hall built around the part most family restaurants treat as an afterthought. The fenced play park is for ages 2 through 10 and puts slides, tunnels, hills, hopscotch, board games, and a life-sized Candy Land beside the food vendors.
This is a music venue. It is loud when a show is on.
A Beach Boulevard sports grill with HD screens and a menu of pizza, wings, and burgers. The venue advertises Jaguars viewing and welcomes fans of other teams.
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