Jacksonville-area restaurant roundup: 8 opened, 3 closed in December
December saw the opening of an upscale restaurant with a raw bar and rooftop seating in San Marco as well as the closure of a landmark Murray Hill coffee shop.
A longtime San Marco mainstay opened an Italian concept promising fine dining food at affordable prices. And a popular artisan bakery relocated into a roughly 3,000-square-foot stand-alone cafe.
In addition, a nonprofit coffee shop offering "possabilities" along with fresh coffee, pastries and other baked goods welcomed guests to its tables.
Here's a recap of notable Jacksonville-area restaurant news in December.
More openings: Top restaurant openings in Jacksonville in 2023
More closings: In 2023, some longtime favorite Jacksonville restaurants have closed. Here's a list.
Gemma Fish + Oyster
A much anticipated, upscale casual restaurant and raw bar offering fresh seafood, Wagyu steak and rooftop seating open right before Christmas in Jacksonville's historic San Marco neighborhood. Gemma Fish + Oyster, 2039 Hendricks Ave., Unit 111, at the East San Marco retail center, offers signature dishes such as a half-ounce of caviar with pommes rosti and champagne cream, Scottish salmon with Basmati rice, pistachio mole and vegetables and a roasted half Moroccan chicken, as well as an elegant and warm welcoming ambiance. | Read more
Vagabond Coffee
Vagabond Coffee, a Murray Hill landmark served its last cup of freshly roasted specialty coffee and scratch-made pastries on Dec. 22 after nine years in the neighborhood. Remaining open are the Vagabond Coffee roastery, which is across the street from the coffee shop as well as associated businesses VGBD Creative and The Vagabond Flea. Owner Will Morgan and Vagabond Coffee is credited by neighborhood residents with helping launch new businesses and revitalizing Murray Hill. | Read more
Happy Brew
"Possabilities" top the offerings of Happy Brew, a nonprofit Jacksonville cafe providing employment, job training and leadership opportunities for people with Intellectual and Developmental Differences (IDD). The Happy Brew menu features fresh coffee and scratch-made cookies, brownies and other baked goods. "We Brew Possabilities" is the motto and mission of the cafe, which is an outreach of Southside Methodist Church. | Read more
Lemonstreet Brewing Company
After four years, family-owned and operated Lemonstreet Brewing Company, 2100 Dennis St. in the Rail Yard District, closed abruptly. It announced its closure on social media with a post titled "So Long Friends" on its lemon brand symbol. The owner announced the closure on social media but didn't say why the microbrewery was closing.
Blueberry Artisan Bakery
Amid growing demand for its decadent desserts and chef-driven breakfast fare, Blueberry Artisan Bakery relocated to become a larger, standalone restaurant. It has 3,000 square feet of scratch baking and five ovens where bakers and pastry chefs create cookies, cakes, fruit tarts, brownies and other sweet treats. In addition to its cafe, Blueberry Artisan Bakery provides fresh, made-from-scratch breads, pastries and desserts to multiple Northeast Florida restaurants. | Read more
Red Owl Coffee Company
Red Owl Coffee Company crossed the state line from South Georgia to set up shop in Clay County and plans to open more drive-thru cafes in Northeast Florida. Founded in Valdosta, Ga., seven years ago, Red Owl is known for its "craft-roasted coffee beans" which are at the heart of its signature hot, iced and frozen specialty coffees, espresso, lattes, and frappes. | Read more
Limoncello Restorante
A Jacksonville fine dining destination for nearly 24 years expanded its culinary horizons — launching an upscale Italian restaurant featuring family recipes at "less expensive prices." Limoncello Ristorante — reflecting the flavors and ambiance of the Island of Capri — opened inside Bistro AIX in San Marco. Limoncello's menu includes in-house-made pasta, Mozzarella cheese, bread and more. | Read more
Chicken Salad Chick
The nation’s only fast-casual chicken salad restaurant — Chicken Salad Chick — opened its fifth Jacksonville-area restaurant at 415 Durbin Pavilion Drive at The Pavilion at Durbin Park in Saint Johns. The restaurant is known for its selection of more than a dozen original fresh-from-scratch chicken salad flavors, signature sandwiches, side salads, gourmet soups and desserts. The restaurant features a drive-thru as well as an outdoor patio. | Read more
Chow's Country Buffet
A first-of-its-kind buffet in Jacksonville and Northeast Florida offers those and more Southern comfort foods as well as Asian-style classics. Chow's Country Buffet opened at 4250 Southside Blvd. in the former Golden Corral location near Jacksonville's Tinseltown area. With its "Southern Classics with an Asian Twist" motto, Chow's offers more than 150 freshly made entrees, sides, salads and desserts. | Read more
Chipotle Mexican Grill
Chipotle Mexican Grill continued its Jacksonville expansion with the Dec. 29 opening of its fourth restaurant this year at 9172 Baymeadows Road on the city's Southside. The restaurant is the latest Chipotle in Northeast Florida to feature the “Chipotlane” drive-thru, which allows diners to pick up digital orders without having to leave their vehicles. The Chipotlane made its Florida debut in Jacksonville in 2019 at the chain's 9671 Argyle Forest Blvd. location. | Read more
Crabcake Factory Seafood Grille & Bar
Less than a year after reopening, Crabcake Factory Seafood Grille & Bar, 1396 Beach Blvd., Suite 1396 in Jacksonville Beach closed abruptly. It was unknown whether the closure was permanent or temporary or if the restaurant planned to relocate. Neither the restaurant owner nor the landlord — who Duval County court records showed had been engaged in a rent dispute earlier in the year — could be reached for comment. | Read more
Teresa Stepzinski is the dining reporter for the Times-Union. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @TeresaStepz or reach her via email at tstepzinski@jacksonville.com.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville dining: Vagabond Coffee closes, Gemma Fish + Oyster opens
