1. Dwight’S Bistro
City: Jacksonville Beach, FL
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (904) 241-4496
Address: 1527 Penman Rd.
Description: After two hurricanes, two restaurants, and two kids in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, wisecracking chef Dwight Delude said “too much” and moved to Jacksonville Beach. Local diners are indeed grateful.Don’t be fooled by the rough exterior. Opened in 1996, Dwight’s Bistro is a cozy 40-seat place that has gained a strong following among area connoisseurs looking for consistently great meals and an extensive wine list. The Mediterranean-style bistro serves fresh ravioli and pasta, awesome crab cakes, grilled quail, veal, and lamb. Dinner is served Tuesday through Saturday, with beer and wine. As the restaurant has only eight tables, reservations are a must.
2. Ellen’S Kitchen
City: Jacksonville Beach, FL
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (904) 246-1572
Address: 1824 South Third St.
Description: Ellen’s has been serving breakfast and lunch at the Beaches for more than 40 years. A full breakfast menu is served all day. Known for homemade sausage gravy and hash browns, Ellen’s is also famous for Pat’s special (two eggs on top of hash browns with melted cheese) and its crab cake Benedict. Come in before 9 a.m. for the early-bird specials. For lunch, choose from sandwiches, burgers, pork barbecue, BLTs, patty melts, and salads, as well as daily specials. Open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
3. Giovanni’S
City: Jacksonville Beach, FL
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (904) 249-7787
Address: 1161 Beach Blvd.
Description: A Beaches tradition for more than 30 years, Giovanni’s offers seafood dishes and innovative continental cuisine with an Italian flair. After dinner, head upstairs to the piano bar for live tunes Tuesday through Saturday. Opens at 5:30 p.m. for dinner Monday through Saturday. Closed Sunday.
City: Jacksonville Beach, FL
Category: Restaurants
Address: 1712 Beach Blvd.
5. Lynch’S Irish Pub
City: Jacksonville Beach, FL
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (904) 249-5181
Address: 514 North First St.
Description: Sure, the Guinness is creamy, but Lynch’s, an authentic Northern Irish pub, also serves Irish stew, corned beef and cabbage, shepherd’s pie, bangers and mash, fish-and-chips, steaks, and pasta. Take your pick from a full range of appetizers, sandwiches, and daily specials. The full-service bar has 50 imported beers on tap, and the pub offers live entertainment almost every evening (see the Nightlife chapter). Open for lunch Saturday and Sunday, and dinner daily.
6. Parson’S Seafood Restaurant
City: Jacksonville Beach, FL
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (904) 249-0608
Address: 904 Sixth Ave.
Description: The Parson family is well known for their seafood restaurants, which originated in Mayport. This old-school, family-style restaurant has a separate bar and an extensive menu of seafood as well as steaks and chicken. Try a shrimp sandwich for lunch or the popular Super Combo Seafood Platter for dinner. Children have their own menu selections. There are three separate dining rooms and an outdoor patio. The private dining room seats 50. The full bar offers daily happy-hour specials. Open for lunch and dinner daily.
7. Tacolu Baja Mexicana
City: Jacksonville Beach, FL
Category: Restaurants
Address: 1183 Beach Blvd.
Description: Serious locals love this newbie at Jacksonville Beach. Located just a few blocks from the sand, TacoLu makes every scrap of the food they serve right there, by hand, no exceptions—especially the guacamole, which is the key to any good taco shop’s success. TacoLu shines in the fish tacos and margarita departments, but, who are we kidding, everything on the menu rocks. In their own words, “If you want a Taco Bell taco, then go to Taco Bell… At TacoLu, we make everything as fresh as we can, and try to be better than anywhere else. We don’t want to change your mind about Mexican food, just open it up a bit.” Well said. Open Tuesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner (with brunch on Saturday on Sunday). Closed on Monday.
8. Tento Churrascaria
City: Jacksonville Beach, FL
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (904) 246-1580
Address: 528 North First St.
Description: At $39 a head, this upscale house of meat, governed by the more is better principle, provides a solid argument for fasting both before and after your visit. Voted Best New Restaurant and Best Service in 2008 by the readers of Jacksonville Magazine, Tento’s meat-lovers milieu is a local favorite. If you’ve never been to a churrascaria before, let us explain: the restaurant uses churrasco, the open-flame cooking style developed by cowboys (or gauchos) on the southern plains of Brazil, to spit-roast all manner of meat which they then parade table to table, slicing off slabs to anyone displaying a green chip. Flip to the red chip for a breather.
9. Thai Room
City: Jacksonville Beach, FL
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (904) 249-8444
Address: 1286 South Third St.
Description: Thai Room is spacious but cozy. Dine at a table near the fountain or in one of four large booths outfitted with Thai pillows. Chef Thong Thine’s specialties are crispy duck, snapper Lad Na, noodles of the drunk, and green curry. The extensive menu includes several vegetarian and spicy dishes, along with satay (chicken or beef), a customer favorite. For dessert try the purple sweet rice topped with coconut and served warm. The restaurant serves beer and has a large wine selection. Dine in or take out. Open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and for dinner at 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
10. The 3Rd Street Diner
City: Jacksonville Beach, FL
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (904) 270-0080
Address: 223 Ninth Ave. South
Description: If you find yourself at the Beaches and have a hankering for breakfast—no matter what time of day or night—fear not. The 3rd Street Diner is the ticket. “We serve breakfast 24/7,” says owner and operator Nick Koutroumanos. Well, almost. The diner, opened in 2003, serves breakfast (and other lunch and dinner foods) from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. seven days a week. Specialties include fresh seafood and pasta dishes, stuffed grape leaves, seafood moussaka, Greek salads, and gyros. All of the baked goods are made at the restaurant. For dessert, indulge in the New York–style cheesecake. Like any diner worth its salt, 3rd Street Diner boasts a loaded jukebox and a full bar.