Top 25 Restaurants in Jacksonville, 2010 (Homestead, Jacksonville Beach: house, neighborhood, live)

[jsimms3]

Jacksonville Magazine puts out its annual list at the end of each year. You can find the list with descriptions, reviews, pictures, prices, and menu items here:

Jacksonville Magazine Top 25 for 2010

They judge on cleanliness, pleasant decor, value, consistency, friendly service, and taste. The restaurants are in the urbanized Jacksonville area (the core, Southside, Northside, Beaches, Julington Creek, Orange Park, etc). St. Augustine, Amelia Island, and outlying areas are not included.

The 2010 List

1) 13 Gypsies in Avondale
Was featured on Guy Fieri's "Diners Drive Ins and Dives"

2) 619 Ocean View in Sawgrass Marriott, Ponte Vedra

3) Aqua Grill in Sawgrass Village, Ponte Vedra

4) b.b.'s in San Marco
Can attest to this...great desserts

5) Biscotti's in Avondale
Can attest to this...great desserts like b.b.'s and closest thing we have to a loud New York style restaurant

6) Bistro Aix in San Marco (Chef Tom Gray is widely known in the culinary world)
Can attest...one of the coolest/trendiest restaurants in town

7) Blackstone Grille in Julington Creek

8) Blue Bamboo on the Southside

9) Brick Restaurant in Avondale
I have had no problems in my time going there, but the food isn't exactly the most consistent...fun fun place though!

10) Chew Restaurant in Downtown
I have heard some great things about this one...Jonathan Insetta has two restaurants on this list...see Orsay

11) Dwight's Bistro in Jacksonville Beach
Decent...don't remember it much

12) Eleven South in Jacksonville Beach

13) Lemongrass Restaurant in Baymeadows

14) Marker 32 near Jacksonville Beach on the ICW
Decent, seemed kind of pricey when I went, but maybe it's worth it?

15) Matthew's in San Marco (consistently rated among the top in the state)
Experience varies here. Smaller portions for sure. Bring a fat wallet.

16) Meza Luna in Neptune Beach
Worthy.

17) Nineteen at the TPC Sawgrass (the former White House chef just acted as a guest chef there for a few days)
I'm dying to try this place out.

18) North Beach Bistro in Atlantic Beach

19) Ocean 60 in Atlantic Beach
All I know is that my parents and their 55-65 year old friends love this place, especially for the drinks.

20) Pastiche in Avondale
A worthy little secret. Very very small, but definitely very exquisite and has a lot of savory food (borderline sweet).

21) Restaurant Orsay in Avondale
Some say it's the best French in town, but I forgot about Pastiche. They are near each other and both are actually really really good. Pastiche caters.

22) River City Brewing Company in Downtown
Cliche, but this is one of my favorite restaurants in town. I have never been let down by the food or the service. The service may be the best I have experienced in Jacksonville and you can't beat the view.

23) The Row in Riverside

24) Sorrento near San Marco

25) Zaitoon Mediterranean Grille in Atlantic Beach


2009 Jacksonville Restaurant Hall of Fame Inductees:

-Beach Road Chicken Diners
I went to Episcopal...I ate here *a lot* LoL

-Bobo's Pit BBQ
(I don't think Jax has any good BBQ)

-Chart House Restaurant
We are fortunate to have one, but for such a place the crowd is absolutely tasteless.

-Chizu Japanese Steak and Seafood

-The Hilltop

-The Homestead
mmmmmmmmm, yummy...a Jacksonville staple since the 40s

-Giovanni's Restaurant
Heard it closed, but I guess not?

-O'Steen's Restaurant

-Ragtime Tavern and Seafood Grill
Used to go here more often when I was younger...very lively place

-Wine Cellar
Definitely a fixture...along with the old Grotto which is now closed I think

Amelia Island

-29 South

-Beech Street Grill
Best restaurant in Amelia Island methinks

-Espana

-Joe's 2nd Street Bistro

-PLAE

Orange Park

-Blu Grotto Trattoria and Pizzeria

-Sarnelli's Ristorante
Worthy of a mention

-Sorbello's
Also worthy of a mention

-Thai Garden

-Whitey's Fish Camp
Oh yea, a take your boat, all you can eat, fried and grilled seafood Jacksonville staple!

Saint Augustine

-Bistro de Leon

-Collage

-Opus 39
I have heard great things about it

-Present Moment Cafe

-The Reef

(Bye bye 95 Cordova, you were the best Saint Augustine had).

A Few of Jacksonville's Favorite Chain Restaurants

-Bonefish Grill
-Roy's (same Jax Beach shopping center as the above restaurant)
-Morton's Steakhouse (first time I had a souffle was here)
-Ruth's Chris (has never let me down)
-Melting Pot
-The Capital Grille
-Cantina Laredo
-Mitchell's Fish Market (this and the above 2 are at SJTC...a new popular restaurant place...and I can attest to all three)
-Shula's 347 (something else now)

A Couple Restaurants that Need to Be Mentioned Somewhere

-La Cena...easily the best Italian in town. Moderately expensive, small, and quaint. In downtown.

-Medure in Ponte Vedra (I mean if you're going to mention Matthew's, might as well)

-Salt...the restaurant at the Ritz Carlton and the only local restaurant to be awarded 5 stars (I know portions are really small, but someone else recently told me that food was over-seasoned...appropriate for the title I guess)

Tidbits, Interesting Facts, and Private Dining Experiences Everyone Should Try to Try

-Ponte Vedra Inn and Club's pastry chef made it very far on the first, and so far only season of Top Chef: Just Desserts. Her name is Erika Davis.

-The former White House chef was recently in town to guest chef at the TPC Sawgrass

-Former Top Chef contender and former head chef at Salt at the Ritz Carlton is back in town to open his first of an exclusive chain of upscale seafood/Carribean inspired restaurants.

-Some of the best chefs (some with storied histories) in town cook for Ponte Vedra, Florida Yacht Club, River Club, Epping Forest, Timucuana, and San Jose. Try to get a meal at any of these places when you can.


Now Add Your Own Reviews!

[madcapmagishion]

Hmmm no mention of
1.Restaurant Orsay..I guess Riverside is out in the sticks
2.French Pantry
3.Bowl of Pho
4.Town 3611 ....but I do agree with them on the Hall of Fame inductee
Beach Road Chicken Dinners...I too went to JEHS go Eagles
ohh n BTW O'steens is in St Augustine

[jsimms3]

Yes, the article mentions O'Steen's is in St. A (I took note of that, too, because I hadn't heard of it).

Also, Restaurant Orsay makes the Top 25 List. I have eaten there twice and thoroughly enjoyed it both times. Pastiche is definitely a competitor, though.

[HollyinJAX]

Just had some really wonderful crab cakes that were full of crab and no fillers at Barbara Jeans the other day - this is a place on the waterway near Ponte Vedra.

[madcapmagishion]

yes Barbra Jeans is a nice chain restaurant in Palm Valley and they also have another in Fernandina and you can get their crabcakes online and delivered.

[fsu813]

Corrections:

13 Gypsies is in the heart of Riverside, not Avondale.

Pastiche is in the Fairfax neighborhood, not Avondale, as well (although this line is more blurred).


madcap,

Orsay is in Avondale, not Riverside.

[jsimms3]

Ok, symantics symantics. I live literally right near "Fairfax" and nobody calls it that. People just say either Avondale, Ortega, or Woodmere (the street most people live on). I think most people kind of put Riverside and Avondale together (hence RAP). People will get what you mean.

And I ate either at Barbara Jean's or Lulu's a long time ago (maybe both?). Can't remember it much...is it on Roscoe?

[madcapmagishion]

yep....15 S Roscoe Blvd, Ponte Vedra Beach ...used to be Wards Landing.... Lulus is closer to TPC's back gate

[fsu813]

In the short time i've been in Jacksonville, I have had the pleasure of sampling a plethora of those restauarnts ~ How divine!

Biscottis is my absolute favorite of those described, but 13 Gypsies and the Uptown Market <unlisted> are closed runner-ups. The variety of quality venues around the "core" is mouthwatering. How do you pick your favorite child? Orsay, Gypsies, Uptown, Biscottis, Taverna, Mossfire, Three Layers, Mathews, Indochine? ~sigh~

[joninclay]

Kinda funny to see Blu Grotto in the Orange Park list, since it's not there anymore. Times Grill moved in, and the other day, they looked like they were closed down, too.