JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A longtime Jacksonville soul food restaurant is back serving customers after a two-year closure, continuing a family legacy that began two decades ago.
Austin’s Soul Food and Catering has reopened its doors on Jacksonville’s Northside, serving Southern favorites including oxtails, smothered pork chops, smothered shrimp, collard greens, macaroni and cheese, desserts and homemade salads.
Owner Alissia Austin said the restaurant is about more than what comes out of the kitchen.
“There’s more than a restaurant to us. It’s our family’s legacy that my mother started, and I’m just blessed to be able to continue it,” Austin said.
Austin said the business has been around for 20 years. She has been part of it for about 14 years, watching generations of customers continue to support the restaurant.
“It’s so crazy to see my customers that I started with, their kids, their grandkids, and now my customers as well,” Austin said.
The restaurant closed for about two years while Austin completed repairs to the building and prepared for the birth of her first child.
When it came time to reopen, Austin said moving to another part of Jacksonville was never the plan.
“The community is part of Austin’s. They’ve been here from the start,” she said. “This is a northeast side-based restaurant, start to finish. So this is home to us.”
Austin said customers have been excited to see the restaurant return, and the feeling is mutual.
“I thought it was just me missing my customers and being in the restaurant, but everyone has missed us,” she said.
Many of the recipes served today were inspired by Austin’s mother and grandmother. One dish that holds a special place for her is the seafood salad, which she said was one of the first dishes her brother taught her to make.
Austin said the goal is to give customers more than a meal.
“I want you to experience the love, the recipes, the traditions and the memories that are poured into this food,” she said. “I want you to feel like you’re dining at one of your family members’ house.”
The restaurant also works to give back to the community. Austin said she collaborates with local churches and organizations to provide meals and hopes the business continues to serve as a neighborhood resource for people in need.
After 20 years, Austin is already thinking about the next generation.
“I plan on passing this to my baby, hopefully,” she said.
Austin’s Soul Food and Catering is open Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m.
Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.