#EatUpJax

  From shows at the and the , to lively productions at the or , the First Coast is a vibrant metropolis that never sleeps. Whether you’re into country western or comedy, rock-and-roll or jazz, Broadway musicals or pop, Jacksonville offers something for everyone. How many times have you asked yourself after a show, where can we get something good to eat late in the evening? We’re starved! And no matter your tastes, there are many late night hangouts offering inspired dishes and cocktails to keep the festivities going after the show. Here are a few late night favorites in …

#EATUPJAX is a monthly column featuring restaurant openings, closings, new locations and other food news in the local Jacksonville food scene brought to you by GastroJax, Inc. Native Sun, Bread & Board, Pizza Cave and Pizza Vending Machine We were all sad to hear that our home-grown, green-conscious grocer Native Sun, shuttered their locations in August 2019. There’s some good news on that front, but first, a little on our grocery store situation and their history. Opening in the 19997, Native Sun filled a need–namely the desire for an organic, sustainable, large-scale grocer, and this being sprawling Jacksonville, they had …

We’ve written about closing his restaurant, and assured you that your gift cards could be spent at his restaurant, . That WAS true, for a few months, but it isn’t true any more. Seems that Kenny Gilbert is pulling up stakes entirely and moving on from the First Coast to North Carolina. He opened the Fernandina restaurant in 2015. Over the holidays in St. Nicholas, a drunk driver plowed into the neighborhood watering hole . Nobody was hurt and business resumed the next day! In early December, the of Jacksonville let it be known that they had bought the old …

There are more than a few buzz-worthy restaurants to try scattered around Jacksonville. Sometimes we get caught up in staying in our own neighborhoods–I’d bet there are people in who haven’t left in years except for road-trips, vacations, and possibly their commutes. Here are three newer places you might not have been to, some of which are in less-trendy neighborhoods. Pink Salt Well-priced and delish, Pink Salt in the Lakewood neighborhood on St. Augustine Road, serves up an excellent breakfast and lots of Caribbean and Caribbean-inspired dishes, such as oxtail and Jamaican fruit cake, but they also serve a mix …

GastroFest, which takes place on Saturday, March 23 from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. at Friendship Fountain and The Museum of Science and History (MOSH), remains committed to their goal of giving the First Coast a food-oriented festival. “People come to GastroFest because they love food,” says GastroJax Executive Director Erin Thursby. She helped found the organization which runs Jacksonville’s annual premier food festival— GastroFest—in 2014. “We’re very selective about our restaurants, food trucks, and marketplace vendors. Even if they’re selling t-shirts or candles, they need to be food or beverage oriented.” She points to Hopcloth who is back at …