Upscale Mexican restaurant plans to open next week in Jacksonville's historic Riverside

Teresa Stepzinski, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union
Updated ·3 min read
The interior of family-owned Don Eduardo Cocina Mexicana, which hopes to open by the end of October at 2665 Park St. at the intersection of King Street in Jacksonville's historic Riverside neighborhood.
The interior of family-owned Don Eduardo Cocina Mexicana, which hopes to open by the end of October at 2665 Park St. at the intersection of King Street in Jacksonville's historic Riverside neighborhood.

A family-owned Mexican restaurant group known for offering authentic freshly made cuisine and hand-crafted cocktails is days away from launch of its newest venture in historic Riverside.

Offering an upscale menu, Don Eduardo Cocina Mexicana plans to open Wednesday at 2665 Park St. on the corner at King Street, restauranteurs Rodolfo Torres Gonzalez and Maria E Leon told the Times-Union via a message relayed by Sam Middlekauff, an associate at Colliers in Jacksonville, the leasing team for the building.

The new restaurant is an easy stroll away from Lola's Burrito and Burger Joint, Carmine's Pie House, Pie95 Pizza, Primi Piatti and European Street Cafe.

Don Eduardo will be the newest addition to the Mexican restaurant scene in Riverside, joining Taqueria CINco, 904 Taco and Anejo Cocina Mexicana Riverside.

Don Eduardo Cocina Mexicana, 2665 Park St. in Jacksonville's historic Riverside neighborhood.
Don Eduardo Cocina Mexicana, 2665 Park St. in Jacksonville's historic Riverside neighborhood.

Gonzalez and Leon also own and operate several Cinco de Mayo Mexican restaurants in the Jacksonville area.

Their company bought the former Olio Restaurant storefront at 301 E. Bay St. Unit 1 in downtown Jacksonville for $1,337,500 in a sale recorded Sept. 28, Duval County property and court records show. The Bay Street space — approximately 4,141 square feet — is slated to become another Cinco de Mayo location, the Jacksonville Daily Record reported.

Cinco de Mayo debuted at The Jacksonville Landing in 2009, according to the restaurant's website. The Landing restaurant closed in 2019, state Department of Business and Professional Regulation records show.

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On the menu at Don Eduardo

The family traces its roots to Jalisco, Mexico. The Don Eduardo Cocina Mexicana menu is designed to reflect the rich heritage and cuisine of that Mexican state, according to the restaurant's website.

"Today, our family is an integral part of this community, and we take great pride in our father, who introduced us to the restaurant business. He has left us with the promise of treasured recipes and the atmosphere to establish our own legacy," they say on the website.

Among the signature offerings will be "Pescado a la Veracruzana, which is seared Snapper with tomatoes, olives, onion, peppers, capers, chilies, mango, garlic, and Mexican oregano," they said in the message relayed by Middlekauff.

Another will be Brochetas de Marigcos, which is "skewered shrimp, mango, red onion, peppers, grilled and glazed with hot honey ancho," they said.

They also noted that their chef has more than 20 years of experience and "all our menu items will be made fresh daily including tortillas." The restaurant also plans to have a full bar.

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Historic location

Don Eduardo will be the most recent restaurant at the Park and King building which was constructed in 1904, Duval County Property Appraiser Office records show.

It served as the second location of Carter's Pharmacy from 1986 until 2009 when it closed. The site subsequently hosted a series of restaurants including Pele’s Wood Fire from 2012 to 2015, Il Desco Italian (2015-2018), Two Dudes Seafood Restaurant (2018-2020), and most recently, One Bar & Lounge, which closed earlier this year.

Gonzalez and Leon said Don Eduardo seeks to attract "families and individuals who want to experience authentic upscale Mexican cuisine."

They also said they chose the Park and King location because "there is a great sense of community with a lot of support in the Riverside area, which is something we wanted to be a part of."

Don Eduardo will have approximately 4,200 square feet of seating and bar space. It will have about 150 seats, they said.

The planned hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Thursday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.

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: Don Eduardo Cocina Mexicana: fresh seafood, daily-made tortillas and more