7 Burgeoning Trends of Jacksonville Dining

Image Courtesy of Maple Street Biscuit Company

“Staking” Out The Urban Core

One of our favorite and most noteworthy trends, and how we see the “local” trend developing in the most substantive way, is that so many good spots are not only focusing on utilizing local products, but delivering them in very “local” neighborhoods that are uniquely Jacksonville: 5 Points/Riverside, Avondale, San Marco, Murray Hill and Downtown. In these millennial-driven neighborhoods, new and exclusive restaurants are making homes and creating brands.

For example, let’s start with the first and most trending, Riverside and 5 Points. Years ago, Riverside had an extremely niche clientele and was known as the alternative and creative neighborhood. If you needed a fancy pack of smokes, a vintage coat, or antiques to decorate your apartment, 5 Points was the place to go. Granted, you can still get most of those things, even though your cigarette may now be electronic. But time and redevelopment have given room for some of the city’s most ambitious chefs and restaurateurs. Black Sheep and Hawkers led the way by introducing a new crowd to the hood. It is now peppered with a new array of restaurants (see trend five, about food trucks to brick and mortars) bars, and coffee shops.

Avondale has always kept a home for refined and lovely restaurants, but it recently welcomed the unexpected pizza slingers at Mellow Mushroom. This not only demonstrates the demand for more casual establishments, but also diners’ desires to have choices within their dining destinations.

We predict Murray Hill is on its way to be the next 5 Points. The Edgewood Avenue shopping and dining district recently welcomed the wonderful people of Maple Street Biscuits, Community Loaves Bakery, and it is eagerly awaiting the much-anticipated opening of Knead Bakery, turning the area into what we expect to be the artisanal bakery destination of Jacksonville.

There is a lot of chatter about Downtown Jacksonville. We have heard that Uptown Market is expanding to feature a full liquor license. We know that local candy rock stars, Allison and Pete Behringer, are relocating their soon-to-be-national Sweet Pete’s brand to the Seminole Club building and promising to feature a bigger than life-sized candy factory, restaurant, and event destination. We feel the floodgates to Downtown are about to open and are excited for what is ahead.