Popular downtown Jacksonville lunch spot Olio plans to close after 11 years

Teresa Stepzinski, Florida Times-Union
·3 min read
Greg DeSanto, the chef and owner of Olio, is shown in the restaurant's kitchen in July 2013.
Greg DeSanto, the chef and owner of Olio, is shown in the restaurant's kitchen in July 2013.

Probably best known for its duck grilled cheese sandwich, a downtown Jacksonville lunch mainstay for 11 years will close permanently on March 11.

Greg DeSanto, the executive chef and owner of Olio, announced the closure on the restaurant's Facebook page, saying personal health issues left him no choice but to close.

"As many already know, I have some progressing physical limitations lately, due to multiple underlying medical conditions," DeSanto posted. "It will require up to a year of recovery, from a series of surgeries. As a chef and an owner, this makes it impossible for me to continue operating the restaurant."

He couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

"Personally, it’s been a dream come true to have spent the last decade doing what I love," DeSanto said. "Thank you to all the farmers, producers, and companies that supplied us with the great products that we got to use and create with daily."

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DeSanto thanked the restaurant's team as well as its customers that included office workers, city power brokers, politicians, doctors, cops and lawyers over the 11 years Olio has been in business.

The duck grilled cheese sandwich has been a customer favorite at Olio, 301 E. Bay St. in downtown Jacksonville.
The duck grilled cheese sandwich has been a customer favorite at Olio, 301 E. Bay St. in downtown Jacksonville.

DeSanto has about 25 years of experience in the restaurant industry. He's worked in kitchens in Europe, Washington, DC, and California.

He hopes to return to the restaurant kitchen.

"It is my intention to return to the industry, although impossible to plan at this time, DeSanto posted.

Olio's menu focused on freshly prepared dishes that highlight organic and sustainable ingredients. In 2012, its duck grilled cheese sandwich was featured on the Travel Channel program "Adam Richman's Best Sandwich in America."

Other customer favorites have included Olio's shrimp and grits, fish tacos, banh mi sandwich, salmon BLT, Cobb sandwich, chicken and sausage gumbo and steak and cheese sandwich.

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Review: Put lunch at Olio on your go-to list

Olio, 301 E. Bay St. in downtown Jacksonville.
Olio, 301 E. Bay St. in downtown Jacksonville.

Olio will be the most recent of several well-known downtown-area restaurants to close since 2021.

The COVID-19 pandemic with its accompanying labor shortage and supply chain disruptions has been the reason most cited by the restaurateurs who closed their establishments over the past two years.

Retirement, health reasons and the desire to sell and make way for new development also have been among the reasons given by the restaurant owners.

The 2021 downtown restaurant closures included Zodiac Bar & Grill (January 2021) after 20 years, River City Brewing Co. (July 2021) after 27 years and the Wine Cellar (October 2021) after 47 years.

Other notable closings in recent years include 10/Six Grille, the Alice in Wonderland-themed restaurant (March 2020) and the Magnificat Cafe (August 2020) after 17 years.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Downtown Jacksonville restaurant plans to close in March