Another Jacksonville landmark meets the wrecking ball. So long, Beach Road Chicken Dinners

Gary T. Mills, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union
·1 min read

More than seven months after it closed, Beach Road Chicken Dinners will soon be erased from Jacksonville’s landscape.

The building – home to the landmark restaurant for more than 80 years – is set to be razed following a recent demolition permit issued to J.B. Coxwell Contracting Inc., clearing the way for a planned 270-unit luxury apartment complex to be built at the site and neighboring properties.

On Thursday, a crew was spotted removing salvageable items from the former restaurant at 4132 Atlantic Blvd.

A man carries a salvageable item from the former Beach Road Fish House & Chicken Dinners to a truck on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023, before the building's pending demolition.
A man carries a salvageable item from the former Beach Road Fish House & Chicken Dinners to a truck on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023, before the building's pending demolition.

Since its opening in 1939, Jacksonville families flocked to Beach Road Chicken Dinners for its famous fried chicken and classic side dishes.

Nathan Stuart and his wife and business partner, Margo Klar, took over the restaurant in 2019, ending Beach Road Chicken Dinners’ run as the oldest continuously operating restaurant in Jacksonville. They reopened as Beach Road Fish House & Chicken Dinners, keeping the popular fried chicken dinners but adding the seafood component that Stuart has found success with at a number of area restaurants, including Orange Park Fish House & Oyster Bar in Orange Park, New Berlin Fish House & Oyster Bar in North Jacksonville, Seafood Kitchen in Atlantic Beach, St. Augustine Fish House & Oyster Bar in St. Augustine and others.

More closings: In 2023, some longtime favorite Jacksonville restaurants have closed. Here's a list.

Tops in chicken: Who makes the best fried chicken in Jacksonville? We have a few suggestions.

The couple bought the property for $1 million in a sale recorded Oct. 29, 2021, Duval County property and court records show. On Feb. 27, records show the property was sold to St. Nicholas MF Partners LLC for $1.9 million.

The restaurant closed its doors a day later.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Beach Road Chicken Dinners restaurant set to be demolished