City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Restaurants
Address: 2578 Atlantic Blvd.
32. La Nopalera Mexicano Restaurant
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (904) 399-1768
Address: 1629 Hendricks Ave.
Description: The food and service are consistently good at this family-owned-and-operated Mexican restaurant. The no-nonsense waitstaff keeps the chips and salsa coming and the portions are large and satisfyingly sloppy. Think traditional Mexican dishes such as tamales, fajitas, and pork tacos, or combos like La Favorite, as well as daily specials. For dessert order up some flan or share an order of sopapillas. Try a house margarita. Or just stick with beer or soda. There are other locations around town, but the Hendricks Avenue location is the hands-down favorite. Open for lunch and dinner seven days a week.
33. The Loop Pizza Grill
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (904) 399-5667
Address: 2014 San Marco Blvd.
Description: It goes against our policy to list a large chain (there are 26 locations to date), but if you’re craving a burger, the original Loop, located on the San Marco Square since 1981, is the one to go to. Combining the convenience of a fast-food restaurant with the individual attention and quality of a restaurant, The Loop provides a hassle-free good time. The Loop remains consistent in serving quality food at reasonable prices. Try the charbroiled Loop burger, the original Chicago-style pizza, or the thin-crust pizza with one of the Loop’s soups or salads. Leave room for a hand-scooped milk shake or brownie sundae. Beer and wine are served. Noisy and amenable to kids, The Loop is open for lunch and dinner daily.
34. Lubi’S
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (904) 270-1007
Address: 500 N 3rd St. (A1A)
Description: As we noted in the earlier Close-up, the Mozzarella Lubi is a dearly loved Jacksonville specialty that defies categorization. Part Sloppy Joe, part who-knows-what, the Lubi is an aluminum-foil wrapped mish-mash of seasoned ground beef, tomato sauce, condiments, and cheese that inspires widespread devotion and crosses boundaries of race and class. Best eaten with a fork and knife, the Lubi is a true Insider winner. Sure, there are other options on the menu, but why bother when the namesake is this good? All four are open for lunch and dinner, but with slightly different hours. The Sunbeam location is the only one open on Sunday.
35. Matthew’S Restaurant
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (904) 396-9922
Address: 2107 Hendricks Ave.
Description: A long-standing four-diamond, four-star restaurant winner, Matthew’s, headed up by chef/owner Matthew Medure, continues to collect accolades. The restaurant consistently garners top ranking from publications like Florida Trend and Folio Weekly. Consider ordering the chef’s tasting menu, which pairs each course with an appropriate wine. Matthew’s extensive wine list contains more than 2,000 bottles housed in the newly designed wine cellar. This is a higher-end establishment, so be sure to dress smartly in no less than business-casual attire. Open for dinner Monday through Saturday. Reservations are recommended.
36. Metro Diner
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (904) 398-3701
Address: 3302 Hendricks Ave.
Description: The line out the door says more than any review ever could. The Metro Diner is a Jacksonville staple with a stick-to-your ribs menu and a come-as-you-are atmosphere. While it can be a little pricey for eggs, the parking leaves a lot to be desired, and the coffee is just plain coffee, the ambiance and food make up for the inadequacies. You’ll probably have to wait a bit to get a seat, but the people-watching is part of the fun. Use the time to peruse the menu—we suggest the creamed chipped beef on toast or the omelette of the day. Neither option ever disappoints. The Metro is super-noisy, so it’s popular with families, and the kids love heading to the back patio to check out the face carved into the tree. Open for breakfast and lunch seven days a week from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Restaurants
Address: 1607 University Blvd. West
38. Morton’S, The Steakhouse
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (904) 399-3933
Address: 1510 Riverplace Blvd.
Description: While pricey, and part of a national chain, Morton’s remains a great choice for expertly prepared classics as filet mignon, rib lamb chops, and whole baked Maine lobster. The vegetables are fresh, and the portions are generous, so come hungry. The extensive wine list complements the selection of beef and seafood dishes that have made Morton’s famous. For dessert, don’t miss the Godiva Hot Chocolate Cake—chocolate cake topped with fresh raspberries and vanilla ice cream. Open seven days a week after 5 p.m.
39. Pizza Palace
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (904) 399-8815
Address: 1959 San Marco Blvd.
Description: Looking for a low-budget treat? Try an evening at the sidewalk tables of this San Marco landmark. Order a pitcher of beer and watch the world go by. The sidewalk tables are a popular dinner destination for locals with pets, so expect to see a furry friend or two under the next table. Start with a Greek salad and follow with a hand-tossed pie or calzone. The place is supremely family-friendly, which can also lead to the inside being noisy. But the pizzas delivered to your table on elevated trays are good enough to make you overlook any noise issues. Open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. On Friday and Saturday they stay open until 11 p.m.
40. Ruth’S Chris Steak House
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (904) 396-6200
Address: 1201 Riverplace Blvd. (inside the Crowne
Description: The perfect place to take your honey for a romantic dinner or to treat out-of-town guests, Ruth’s Chris is the “home of serious steaks.” A Best of Jax winner for Best Restaurant and Best Steaks in Jacksonville, Ruth’s Chris serves Midwestern, custom-aged, U.S. prime beef, cooked in 1,800-degree ovens specifically designed and built for Ruth’s Chris. The secret? Butter melted on top of the flash cooked steaks. (It’s best not to think of your arteries at this point.) In addition to steak, the menu includes some fresh seafood, live Maine lobster from the tank, and several choices of a la carte side dishes. Order from the full bar which features an extensive selection of wines. Open daily for dinner. Reservations and smart dress suggested.
41. Take Away Gourmet
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (904) 398-6676
Address: 2103 San Marco Blvd.
Description: This little take-out business on the point in San Marco has been many things over the years, but this is one of the best. TAG items are prepared in-house by a team of chefs throughout the day. The menu changes daily and seasonally, so visit the Web site to see what’s on today’s menu. Food is sold for $8.50 a pound, or all-you-can-eat with a drink for $12.50. At dinnertime, pick up a dinner with two sides for $19.95. The TAG Gourmet Grab Menu is released on Thursday for the following week, but must be ordered one day in advance.
42. Taste Of Thai
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (904) 737-9009
Address: 4317 University Blvd. South
Description: A mom-and-pop Thai restaurant located in the same plaza as Hala (a shopping center sometimes referred to by locals as the International Plaza for its confluence of world cuisines), Taste of Thai serves unpretentious Thai cooking in a cozy space that’s packed most of the time, especially on weekends. The location reads “strip mall,” but the quality—as well as the chef’s willingness to adjust the heat of any dish down to neutral or up to blazing—overrides any external aesthetic failings. Open for lunch Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Saturday from noon to 3 p.m. The restaurant closes at 3 p.m. every day and re-opens at 5 p.m. for dinner. Closed Sunday.
43. Taverna
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (904) 398-3005
Address: 1986 San Marco Blvd.
Description: Very new on the local scene, Taverna is turning heads among San Marco and Downtown Insiders. Serving both tapas and regular entrees, Taverna pleases with roasted garlic hummus, goat cheese ravioli, and the cheese and charcuterie plates. The place has a tendency to be loud (some say boisterous), which is just the ticket if that’s what you’re in the mood for. Hip locals are turned on by the modern-rustic décor, the “great, but not-too-big” wine list, and the street-side patio seating. Open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday.
44. Tidbits Restaurant
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (904) 396-0528
Address: 1076 Hendricks Ave.
Description: Open for lunch only, this old-school Jacksonville standby has served the Southbank and San Marco business crowd for 25 years. It’s neither fancy nor especially chic, but it’s about as Insider as you can get. Long lines of devoted lunch-breakers flock to this no-frills eatery for the chicken salad served in pita or domed on an iceberg salad plate. Follow it up with a slice of iced pound cake and you can practically call yourself a local. Open weekdays from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
45. The Wine Cellar
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (904) 398-8989
Address: 1314 Prudential Dr.
Description: A Jacksonville rite of passage? Maybe. It seems like everyone was taken to The Wine Cellar at some point over the last 35 years. Located on the Southbank, The Wine Cellar, while being totally respectable, has remained seriously under the radar, which is too bad as their wine list wins the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence year after year, and their fine dining is really memorable. Give them a try for half-priced martinis, cocktails, and house wines at happy hour, and then transition on to dinner. If you find yourself on a dull date, the “mingle” menu alone will give you something to talk about.