{"id":217132,"date":"2026-04-03T06:26:19","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T06:26:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/217132\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T06:26:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T06:26:19","slug":"12-jacksonville-area-restaurants-open-5-permanently-close-in-march","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/217132\/","title":{"rendered":"12 Jacksonville-area restaurants open, 5 permanently close in March"},"content":{"rendered":"

March saw the closure of a landmark Jacksonville restaurant<\/a> that had been a popular downtown dining for nine years.<\/p>\n

Opening was a unique, family-oriented Jacksonville entertainment venue<\/a> with an outdoor food hall featuring eight restaurants and a craft brewery, plus a kids’ park, live music pavilion and a private dog park. Also opening was a fourth-generation family-owned restaurant<\/a> specializing in traditional Southern-style wings, shrimp and more in historic San Marco.<\/p>\n

An award-winning New York-style bagel shop<\/a> based in Orlando introduced itself to Northeast Florida with the debut of the first of seven franchise locations in Neptune Beach.<\/p>\n

But closing was a Jacksonville restaurant offering healthy menu options<\/a> closed abruptly on the Southside to focus on its Ponte Vedra Beach location. Also shutting its doors was an Indian-Mexican concept<\/a>, as well as another Jacksonville-area location of Wendy’s<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here’s a recap of notable Jacksonville-area restaurant news\u00a0in\u00a0March.<\/p>\n

Mini-burgers, big flavors: Popular mini-cheeseburger chain celebrates ‘Can Drop’ in St. Johns<\/a><\/p>\n

Sold! After 63 years, Whitey’s Fish Camp sold. What’s changing, what’s not<\/a><\/p>\n

The BLOCK JaxSee inside The BLOCK Jax, Jacksonville’s new food hall, dog park, more<\/p>\n

1 of 37<\/p>\n

An aerial of The BLOCK Jax, Thursday March 26, 2026. The venue is a first-of-its-kind family-oriented Jacksonville entertainment venue with an outdoor food hall featuring multiple restaurants and a craft brewery, plus a kids’ park, live music pavilion and a private dog park, opened March 20 off Gate Parkway on the Southside. [Doug Engle\/Florida Times-Union]<\/p>\n

Highly anticipated, The BLOCK Jax \u2014 a first-of-its-kind family-friendly Jacksonville entertainment venue with an outdoor food hall featuring eight restaurants and a craft brewery, plus a kids’ park, live music pavilion and a private dog park \u2014 debuted at 7520 Quarter Mill Drive off Gate Parkway. Restaurants include Chancho King, Butt Hutt Smokehouse, Just Kitchen Pita Bar, Stack’d, Dairy Joy Tampa, The Hungry Owl Asian Eatery, Dark Side Tacos and Slingin’ Wieners. Award-winning Southern Swells Brewing Co. has an on-site craft microbrewery there. | Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

Bellwether\"Bellwether\"<\/p>\n

Bellwether<\/p>\n

After nine years, Bellwether, a landmark downtown Jacksonville restaurant, closed at 117 W Forsyth St. Bellwether was known for its\u00a0menu of\u00a0smash burgers, shrimp po boy\u00a0and other sandwiches\u00a0as well as\u00a0entrees\u00a0like\u00a0Blackened Shrimp & Grits, Steak Frites and Korean Short Rib\u00a0\u2013 plus anything-but-ordinary starters\u00a0Chili Pepper House Boiled\u00a0Peanuts and\u00a0Poutine.\u00a0The restaurant, in announcing its closure in two social media posts, thanked customers and the downtown community. | Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

Paris BaguetteJacksonville’s 1st Paris Baguette, feast your eyes on savory delights<\/p>\n

1 of 15<\/p>\n

Pastries are the specialty at Paris Baguette, located at 4624 Town Crossing Drive, Suite 125 in St. Johns Town Center, Tuesday March 31, 2026. [Doug Engle\/Florida Times-Union]<\/p>\n

Paris Baguette, which describes itself as “your neighborhood bakery cafe where smiles are served daily,” opened its first Jacksonville restaurant at 4624 Town Crossing Drive, Suite 125, in St. Johns Town Center. The South Korean-founded chain headquartered in New Jersey is known for freshly made sweet and savory pastries, baguette sandwiches, Mochi donuts, cakes, tarts, breads and other offerings. It also features salads and wraps. Drinks include coffee, hot and cold beverages, frozen drinks, organic milk, and other drinks, according to its website. The Town Center location is expected to be the first of at least three more Paris Baguette restaurants in Jacksonville. | Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

Bold City Wings\"Fresh,<\/p>\n

Fresh, cooked-to-order Southern-style wings and signature Mumbo sauce are specialties at Bold City Wings, a fourth-generation family-owned restaurant getting ready to open in historic San Marco.<\/p>\n

Celebrating a fourth-generation family legacy, their Jacksonville heritage and the community, Bold City Wings opened at 2016 Hendricks Ave. in historic San Marco’s central restaurant and retail district. Bold City Wings specializes in fresh, cooked-to-order, marinated Southern-style wings as well as shrimp and other homemade fare. The restaurant offers three styles of wings: traditional Buffalo wings, which are regular fried wings; Southern-fried, which are floured then fried or grilled. All can be dipped in their homemade sauces, she said. It’s also introduced its namesake hometown to Mumbo sauce, a popular and unique staple at many Washington, D.C.-area restaurants. | Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

The Fly\u2019s TieThe Fly’s Tie Irish pub: A look back at the Atlantic Beach landmark<\/p>\n

1 of 7<\/p>\n

Bob.Mack@jacksonville.com – 3\/10\/15 – Fly’s Tie Irish Pub, at Sailfish Dr. E., in Atlantic Beach, is shown on March 10, 2015.<\/p>\n

After 31 years, The Fly’s Tie closed abruptly at 177 Sailfish Drive in Atlantic Beach. It was one of the oldest Irish pubs\u00a0in Duval County. Longtime owner Ralph Tiernan confirmed the closing to\u00a0the\u00a0Jacksonville Business Journal<\/a>, which first\u00a0reported\u00a0the news.\u00a0Tiernan told the Business Journal that several factors contributed to his tough decision to close the bar. Among them were\u00a0caring for his aging parents,\u00a0focusing on his own health, and\u00a0the changes in consumer habits following the pandemic.\u00a0\u00a0Fly\u2019s Tie was a popular neighborhood bar, a place to drink authentic Irish beer, sample Irish food, watch Ireland\u2019s football teams and listen to traditional Irish music, including live music from Jacksonville\u2019s Celtic Soul,\u00a0longtime\u00a0popular\u00a0Celtic band\u00a0Seven Nations and other touring and local bands.\u00a0 | Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

Jeff’s Bagel RunFirst look: Jeff’s Bagel Run opens in Neptune Beach<\/p>\n

1 of 19<\/p>\n

Anne Millaire, left, her husband Jeff Millaire and their daughter Melia, right, enjoy their bagels at Jeff’s Bagel Run during a soft opening Wednesday March 4, 2026 located at 628 Atlantic Blvd. No. 4 in Neptune Beach, Fla. [Doug Engle\/Florida Times-Union]<\/p>\n

A steady stream of hungry customers welcomed the debut of Jeff’s Bagel Run at 628 Atlantic Blvd., No. 4, in the\u00a0Publix-anchored<\/a>\u00a0Seminole Shoppes\u00a0retail center in Neptune Beach. Jeff’s Bagel Run is an award-winning New York-style bagel shop offering hot, freshly made-from-scratch bagels, boiled and baked about every 10 to 15 minutes throughout the day. Jeff’s Bagel Run also offers about 17 cream cheese spreads, ranging from sweet to savory. The Neptune Beach shop is the first of seven planned in the Jacksonville area by the \u00a0Orlando-based chain founded six years ago by husband-and-wife entrepreneurs Jeff and Danielle Perera in their home kitchen. | Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

Tikka Bowls and Tacos\"Tikka<\/p>\n

Tikka Bowls and Tacos<\/p>\n

After nearly two years, Tikka Bowls and Tacos, a fast-casual Indian-Mexican fusion restaurant,\u00a0closed abruptly at 10131 San Jose Blvd., Suite 8, at Crown Point Plaza shopping center in Mandarin. The restaurant offered build-your-own bowls, tacos, and burritos. Remaining open are the Tikka Bowls and Tacos locations at 4820 W. Deer Lake Drive, No. 13, in Tapestry Park on the Southside; 155 Fountains Way, Suite 4, at The Fountains at St. Johns in Saint Johns; and the Orlando location at 255 S. Orange Ave., No. 109. | Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

Beach Bagels\"Beach<\/p>\n

Beach Bagels<\/p>\n

Beach Bagels, the newest concept from St. Augustine culinary couple chef Peter and Kristen Kenney, debuted at 4255 A1A South, Unit 6, in Seaside Plaza at Anastasia Island. Celebrating a surfside theme, Beach Bagels, which offers breakfast and lunch, takes over the former Purple Olive location. Purple Olive previously relocated to the former longtime\u00a0Gypsy Cab Co. location on the island. Beach Bagels offers “a fresh take on breakfast bagels and a sand-and-surf-inspired twist on lunch sandwiches, salads and bowls,” the couple said in a news release announcing the cafe’s opening. | Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

McFlamingo\"McFlamingo\"<\/p>\n

McFlamingo<\/p>\n

After two years, McFlamingo\u00a0\u2014 specializing in a fresh-from-scratch, gluten-free menu \u2014 shut its doors permanently at 13799 Beach Blvd., Suite 1, in the Hodges Plaza Outparcel shopping center on the Southside. The original restaurant remains open at 880 A1A N., Suite 12, in the Ponte Vedra Pointe Shopping Center. Owner Erik Osol\u00a0told the Times-Union that he closed the Jacksonville location to focus on solidifying and enhancing the concept at the Ponte Vedra Beach location. It features entrees such as grilled chicken, salmon, shrimp, and a lentil patty. It also offers customizable salads, sandwiches on gluten-free bread, snacks and sides. | Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.<\/p>\n

Less than two months after\u00a0Joe’s Crab Shack\u00a0shut its doors following a 26-year run in Jacksonville Beach, it’s been replaced by Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. At 6 Beach Blvd., near the landmark Jacksonville Beach Ocean Rescue Headquarters, Bubba Gump is a popular Southern-style seafood and comfort food restaurant. Its menu includes its namesake shrimp, salmon,\u00a0and\u00a0fish and chips,\u00a0as well as baby back ribs, fried chicken, boneless ribeye, chicken pasta and more. Both Bubba Gump and Joe’s Crab Shack are owned by Houston-based\u00a0Landry\u2019s Inc., a privately held multinational corporation with extensive diversified restaurant, hospitality, entertainment and gaming businesses. | Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

Fatburger\"Fatburger\"<\/p>\n

Fatburger<\/p>\n

An iconic Southern California-based fast-casual chain known as “The Last Great Hamburger Stand,” Fatburger opened its first Jacksonville-area restaurant at 348 Blanding Blvd. in Orange Park. A Fatburger is “100% pure lean beef, fresh ground, grilled to perfection, and built-to-order.” It’s served on a toasted sponge-dough bun. Orange Park is the chain’s first 24-hour Fatburger location in Florida. In partnership with franchisee Whole Factor Inc., based in Melbourne, the new restaurant is also the brand’s third Florida location and part of its ambitious expansion goal of opening\u00a040 new locations in Florida\u00a0over the next 10 years. | Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

Nothing Bundt Cakes\"Nothing<\/p>\n

Nothing Bundt Cakes<\/p>\n

Dallas-based Nothing Bundt Cakes, the nation’s largest specialty cake company, opened its newest Northeast Florida dessert shop at 76030 William Burgess Boulevard, Unit 4, in Yulee on March 16. The diverse selection of bundt cakes is baked fresh daily. Founded in 1997, Nothing Bundt Cakes has about 800 franchised and corporate bakeries in at least 40 states and Canada. The Yulee store is among 56 Florida locations, including three in Jacksonville and one each in Fleming Island and Saint Johns.<\/p>\n

Talkin’ Tacos\"Talkin'<\/p>\n

Talkin’ Tacos<\/p>\n

Fast-casual Mexican restaurant Talkin’ Tacos opened its third and largest Jacksonville restaurant at 9711 Applecross Road in the Oakleaf area. Talkin’ Tacos is known for its fresh, scratch-made beef Birria Tacos, Mahi Mahi Burritos, Birria Ramen, and Street Corn in a Cup. The new 3,200-square-foot Oakleaf restaurant has 58 indoor seats and 60 outdoor seats. Hand-painted murals and craft-made neon signs add to the ambiance. Guests can place orders through self-serve kiosks for a streamlined experience while enjoying Talkin\u2019 Tacos\u2019 chef-driven Halal Mexican menu, restaurant officials said. | Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

Wendy’s<\/p>\n

Wendy\u2019s\u00a0at Nocatee Town Center has closed abruptly after being open for more than a decade. The fast-food restaurant had been a mainstay at 103 Capitol\u00a0Green Drive in the Publix-anchored retail center. The closure came a month after\u00a0Wendy\u2019s closed its\u00a0oldest restaurant in Jacksonville. The chain’s other recent Jacksonville closures included the Wendy’s at 12911\u00a0Atlantic\u00a0Blvd.\u00a0and\u00a07102\u00a0Bonneval\u00a0Road, both in 2025;\u00a0and\u00a014447 Beach Blvd. and 4907 Big Island Drive\u00a0in 2022, according to\u00a0state\u00a0records. | Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

H&H Bagels\"H&H<\/p>\n

H&H Bagels<\/p>\n

H&H Bagels, the iconic New York City brand known for its kettle-boiled bagels, opened its second Northeast Florida shop at 10025 San Jose Blvd., in Crown Point Plaza shopping center in Mandarin. The opening follows H&H’s debut on June 26 at 3735 Longleaf Pine Parkway in Saint Johns. The chain features classic New York-style bagels and breakfast sandwiches. Its bagels include plain, everything, sesame, cinnamon raisin, jalape\u00f1o cheddar, egg and whole wheat. The shop also offers a variety of cream cheese flavors. | Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

Saucy! By KFC\"Saucy!<\/p>\n

Saucy! By KFC<\/p>\n

A KFC spin-off, Saucy! By KFC opened the first of two planned Jacksonville-area restaurants at 4816 Gate Parkway in The Crossing at St. Johns Town Center. The second is expected to open at 194 N. State Road 13 in the Julington Creek area of Saint Johns in early April. The Orlando-based chain \u2014 rooted in KFC’s original recipe chicken \u2014 converted former PDQ locations into the new concept. Saucy! describes itself as “the bold, flavor-forward concept redefining fast food with hand-breaded chicken tendies and globally inspired sauces.” | Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

Graze Craze\"Graze<\/p>\n

Graze Craze<\/p>\n

A popular West Palm Beach-based charcuterie board and catering shop opened its second Jacksonville location at 9960 Southside Blvd.,\u00a0Suite 107, in the Shoppes at Southside\u00a0retail center near\u00a0The Avenues on the Southside. The\u00a0grazing-style dining concept\u00a0specializes in hand-crafted, customizable charcuterie boards and boxes. The shop\u00a0offers specially curated gluten-free options for its boards, including crackers. Boards are available in a variety of sizes, from a date night or small gathering to a large spread fit for parties and events. Custom orders are welcome, and every board is made fresh to order. In-store pickup and local delivery are available, according to a news release announcing the opening.<\/p>\n

26 restaurants are in the works in Jacksonville in 2026. See the list<\/p>\n

1 of 26<\/p>\n

Asado Life
Jacksonville Shipyards, downtown Jacksonville waterfront, asadolife.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Asado Life, a popular live-fire grilling restaurant established in St. Augustine three years ago, is coming to downtown Jacksonville. The concept from Nick Carrera is slated to join the\u00a0Shipyards project\u00a0under construction across from EverBank Stadium, Jaguars team owner Shad Khan\u2019s Iguana Investments announced in September. The 140-seat, full-service restaurant with indoor and patio dining will be part of the development\u2019s marina support building located on the Northbank Riverwalk just west of the\u00a0Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences Jacksonville\u00a0and south of a nearby office building, both taking shape at the site.\u00a0Diners can expect chef-cut steaks ranging from an 8-ounce Hanger to a 36-ounce Porterhouse; fresh catch seafood; grilled vegetables and more, all prepared on a parilla, a traditional Argentinian barbecue grill. | Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

Gary T. Mills of the Times-Union contributed to this report.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

If you’re a subscriber, thank you. If not, become a subscriber<\/a> to get the latest dining coverage.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: The BLOCK Jax, Paris Baguette open, Bellwether closes in Jacksonville<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"March saw the closure of a landmark Jacksonville restaurant that had been a popular downtown dining for nine…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":217133,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[116,2130,39277,118,117,6183,9950,349,30067],"class_list":{"0":"post-217132","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jacksonville","8":"tag-jacksonville","9":"tag-jacksonville-beach","10":"tag-jacksonville-business-journal","11":"tag-jacksonville-headlines","12":"tag-jacksonville-news","13":"tag-mexican-restaurant","14":"tag-neptune-beach","15":"tag-northeast-florida","16":"tag-ponte-vedra-beach"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217132","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=217132"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217132\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/217133"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=217132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=217132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=217132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}