FLORIDA
Jacksonville's 15 Best Restaurants: From South Indian Spice to French Comfort Food
Written by Maria Rodriguez | July 23, 2025
Norikase
AUTHOR BIO: With a day job that requires constant travel, Maria Rodriguez is likely a frequenter of your favorite restaurant. She’s reviewed restaurants since 2007 in publications from Barcelona to Bakersfield.
For years, whenever I came to Jacksonville for work, I stayed as close to the ocean as possible. My mornings began barefoot in the sand, watching the sun rise like a slow burn over the Atlantic. It was a solid strategy—peaceful, solitary, and about as Florida as it gets.
But lately I’ve started booking rooms in the heart of the city, where the reward isn’t just the view but the restaurants within walking distance. Turns out, the real action isn’t on the shoreline—it’s in the kitchens of some wildly inventive chefs doing things I didn’t expect from this big, underdog city.
So whether you’re searching for “restaurants near me in Jacksonville” or planning a weekend of eating like a local, here are the best restaurants in The River City.
1. Norikase
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Norikase isn’t just Jacksonville’s best sushi, but it’s also the most ambitious tasting menu in the city. Chef Akira Kumira leads the nightly tasting, building each course around what’s freshest from Japan’s Toyosu Market—like jalapeño hamachi with yuzu ponzu or sweet shrimp over cauliflower purée and cucumber gelée. It’s a sleek sushi-making-as-entertainment experience that always feels new, no matter how many times I go back.
2. Mesa
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Mesa feels like the kind of restaurant someone dreamed about for 20 years—because that’s exactly what happened. Chef Saji George finally opened his Fairfax spot in 2021, bringing South Indian dishes like Kerala shrimp and grits and a deeply fragrant chicken curry, each layered with just-roasted spices. It’s cozy, personal, and somehow both a neighborhood joint and a destination.
3. Restaurant Doro
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At Restaurant Doro in Neptune Beach, chef Chris Polidoro—once the private chef to Matt Lauer—has settled into something far more public and far more interesting. The plates are polished but unfussy, with seasonal ingredients arranged in that quiet, confident way that doesn’t scream for attention. It’s fine dining without the stiffness, and exactly what you hope to find near the sand.
4. Orsay
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At Orsay, chef Jonathan Insetta delivers the kind of French comfort food that feels indulgent but never overdone—think duck confit in a cassoulet or mussels steeped in an addictive white-wine broth. The bread pudding, rich and boozy, seals the deal. Sit at the bar, let the team steer, and you’ll get why Insetta’s been setting the standard in Jacksonville dining for more than a decade.
5. Salt
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Salt at The Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island is where you go when you want to splurge—and maybe impress someone while you’re at it. The Salt Kitchen Table, tucked beside the action, offers a front-row seat to a tailored tasting menu built around whatever the chef feels like dreaming up that night. Expect pristine seafood, ocean views, and the kind of service that makes you forget you ever needed a menu.
6. Othello
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Othello is what happens when a father-daughter team channels the flavors of Southern Spain, North Africa, and the Middle East into something both personal and precise. Opened in 2024 by Jeriees and Vanesa Ewais, it’s the kind of place where house-baked bread and local seafood meet natural wine and feel entirely at home. The space in Historic Springfield feels fresh but rooted—just like the food.
7. Catullo's Italian
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Catullo’s Italian made the leap from food truck to full-blown obsession, and Jacksonville’s better for it. The handmade pastas—pillowy, rich, unapologetically traditional—earned it a spot on Yelp’s Top 100 U.S. Restaurants in 2023. It’s not flashy (it shares a plaza with a Walmart), just deeply good Italian cooking that reminds you why you fell for red sauce in the first place.
8. Azurea
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The signature restaurant of the casually chic hotel One Ocean, Azurea offers fine dining with Atlantic Ocean views, something of a rarity in Northeast Florida. The interior is smart and dressed in vibrant blues and soft grays. The menu covers lots of ground, ranging from sautéed Prince Edward Island mussels to pork osso bucco to fried Mayport shrimp.
9. Kazu Sushi Burrito
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With several locations around Jax, Kazu Sushi Burrito is the rare fast-casual spot that manages to be fun without feeling gimmicky. The sushi burritos are hefty and satisfying—try the spicy tuna or shrimp tempura—and the poke bowls don’t skimp on the good stuff. It’s quick, customizable, and just strange enough to keep things interesting.
10. The Bearded Pig
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No list of Jacksonville restaurants would be complete without a nod to barbecue, and The Bearded Pig is where I go when I'm in the mood for slow-cooked meats and big flavors. This is the kind of place where you eat with your hands, and nobody judges you for it. Order the ribs and the brisket, add some collard greens and mac and cheese, and then just sit back and enjoy. Warning: You will leave smelling like smoked pork, but I promise you, it’s worth it.
11. Indochine Downtown
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Indochine doesn’t bother with flash—it just delivers some of the most consistently great Thai and Southeast Asian food in the city. Tucked downtown, it’s the kind of place where chicken laab crackles with heat and the pad see ew hits that perfect balance of sweet and smoky. Six years of “Best Thai” wins feels modest, honestly.
12. Mezza Luna
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Mezza Luna feels like three restaurants in one: a white-tablecloth dining room, a buzzing lounge with live music, and a patio that practically demands a bottle of wine. Executive chef Wade Kirwan, here since 2019, anchors it all with dishes like pappardelle tangled in short rib ragu and crisp-skinned branzino. It’s a neighborhood spot that cooks like it has something to prove—and usually does.
13. Marker 32
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Marker 32 has been around for over two decades, which is practically prehistoric in restaurant years. But there’s a reason for its staying power: seafood, seafood, and more seafood. I always opt for the blackened catch of the day, served with whatever seasonal accompaniments the chef dreams up. The waterfront view is almost as good as the food, but don't get distracted—the key lime pie waits for no one.
14. River & Post
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River & Post is the kind of place that reminds you Jacksonville is a river city first. The menu leans local—shrimp and grits, crab cakes, fried green tomatoes—and the rooftop, with its sweeping city views, is where you want to be when the sun goes down. Order a cocktail, pretend you’re not staring at the pork chop on the next table, and settle in.
15. TacoLu
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TacoLu is loud, beachy, and exactly where you want to be after a day in the surf with sand still on your ankles. The fish tacos steal the show, but the guac and street corn are just as essential—and somehow even better with a round of house margaritas. Bring friends, order recklessly, and don’t bother keeping score.
