July saw a dozen new restaurants open in the Jacksonville area including a highly anticipated fine dining restaurant offering a sophisticated menu featuring caviar, prime steak and decadent desserts on the downtown Southbank.
Two Italian restaurants — one homegrown and the other Texas-based — welcomed customers to their respective tables.
A California-based artisanal waffle and ice cream shop opened its second St. Johns County location. In addition, a locally owned gourmet ice cream parlor opened its seventh and eighth Jacksonville-area dessert shops. And a gelati and Italian Ice-focused shop opened in Julington Creek.
Here's a recap of Jacksonville-area restaurant newsin July.
Caviar and prime steak:New Jacksonville fine-dining restaurant promises 'sophistication'
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Jacksonville-area restaurant roundup:8 opened or closed in June
City Grille & Raw Bar
Caviar, prime steak and decadent desserts top the menu of highly anticipated fine dining destination City Grille & Raw Bar, which opened July 25 at 1314 Prudential Drive on the Southbank. Shaded by the broad, Spanish moss-draped limbs of a 300-plus-year-old oak tree, City Grille & Raw Bar replaces the landmark Wine Cellar, which closed permanently after 47 years on Oct. 16, 2021, when its owners retired. City Grille & Raw Bar showcases a sophisticated dinner, lunch and brunch menu while also promising impeccable service amid warm hospitality. The restaurant also offers unique dining spaces, a raw bar and the Velvet Room — a speakeasy-style lounge. | Read more
Mandola's Italian Kitchen
The first of as many as six Mandola's Italian Kitchen restaurants planned for the Jacksonville area opened July 12 at 11112 San Jose Blvd. atMandarin's Claire Lane Center in Mandarin. Mandola's is known for its antipasti, chicken, salmon and beef entrees, pizza, panini and especially its homemade desserts: Italian cookies, cakes and gelato, all made on-site in the restaurant's bakery and gelateria. Based in Austin, Texas, the restaurant is from Carrabba's Italian Grill co-founder Damian Mandola. | Read more
Players Grille
A Jacksonville couple who bought the original Players Grille late last year opened the second of at least four of the family-oriented sports bar concepts they initially plan in the Jacksonville area. Players Grille opened July 27 at 10149 San Jose Blvd. in Mandarin. Celebrating the philosophy of "Where the neighborhood meets," as well as the Jacksonville Jaguars, the restaurant specializes in smoked wings as well as regular and boneless wings, burgers, sandwiches and appetizers such as pretzels and dips. It has a full bar. Family-friendly games and activities are a focus as well as big-screen televisions for watching football, baseball, basketball and other sports.
Dolly Llama Waffle Master
An artisanal waffle and ice cream parlor with the cool, zen-like llama mascot, The Dolly Llama Waffle Master opened its second Northeast Florida dessert shop July 22 at 170 Fountains Way, Suite 4 at The Fountains at St. Johns in Saint Johns. The location is the first of up to four Dolly Llama shops that franchise owners Stacy and Anthony Searcy of St. Augustine plan in Northeast Florida. The Dolly Llama Waffle Master features two styles of made-to-order waffles: Bubble and Belgian OG Liege. It offers at least 16flavors of ice cream including four that are vegan, as well asnine sauces and 19 toppings. | Read more
Catullo's Italian
Catullo's Italian, known for its fresh-from-scratch, innovativeItalian cuisine handcrafted from authentic family recipes, opened its second location July 10 at 100 Marketside Ave., Suite 305 in Nocatee Town Center. Catullo's signature dishes and customer favorites include Gnocchi Catullo, describedas "fluffy little potato pasta pillows, cooked in our fresh sage and Calabrian chili alfredo sauce";Chicken Capricciosa, described as the "closest thing you’re gonna get to anything 'Parm' here!"; andPear Fiocchi, made with egg pasta filled with fresh pear along with three kinds of Italian cheesetopped with a cream sauce including caramelized pear, Gorgonzola and goat cheese and fried Prosciutto di Carpegna.| Read more
Jon Smith Subs
A West Palm Beach-based sandwich shop featuring made-to-order subs and french fries opened its first Northeast Florida restaurant July 17. Jon Smith Subs — known for "The Steak Bomb" — debuted at 4765 Hodges Blvd. in the Publix-anchored Windsor Commons shopping centernear Butler Boulevard. The sandwich shop is the first of at least three that franchise owner Solomon Jones plans in the Jacksonville area. The Steak Bomb and Chicken Bomb sandwiches are customer favorites. Respectively, they feature grilled marinated sirloin steak or grilled marinated chicken breast trimmed, sliced, seasoned andmarinated at the restaurant. | Read more
Insomnia Cookies
Downtown Jacksonville just got a whole lot sweeter with the opening of Insomnia Cookies — a nationwide dessert shop known for its late-night delivery of warm, freshly baked cookies plus fudgy brownies and more sweet treats. The cookie shop opened at 41 W. Adams St., in the Elks Building. The bakery will deliver "to insomniacs throughout Downtown Jacksonville and surrounding neighborhoods" as well as students at Florida State College at Jacksonville, Jacksonville University, and UF College of Nursing, Insomnia Cookies officials said in a news release announcing the opening. | Read more
Parlor Doughnuts
After debuting in Northeast Florida a little over a year ago in Fruit Cove, Parlor Doughnuts opened its fourth area shop July 14 in Fleming Island at 1524 County Road 220, No. 4 in the Publix- and Target-anchored Fleming Island shopping center.Parlor doughnuts are layered doughnuts, made with layers of buttery dough fried to be crisp on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside.The doughnuts are made-to-order in small batches and customized with a variety of toppings, yielding more than two dozen doughnut flavors. | Read more
Teriyaki Madness
A Denver-based, fast-casual Asian-themed restaurant concept opened the first of three Northeast Florida restaurants in northern St. Johns County. Teriyaki Madness opened at 140 Little Cyprus Drive, Suite 106, in Grand Cypress Marketplace shopping center near U.S. 1 and Race Track Road in Saint Johns. The restaurant focuses on freshly made-to-order bowls featuring teriyaki chicken, steak, salmon and tofu. Stir-fried veggies, Japanese-style yakisoba noodles, brown and white rice and appetizers such as chicken eggrolls, potstickers, crab rangoon and edamame also top the menu. | Read more
Mayday Ice Cream
Locally owned and operated, Mayday Ice Cream opened its seventh and eighth Northeast Florida gourmet dessert shops in Northeast Florida. Opening July 10 was the ice cream parlor at 2400 Third St. S., Unit 202 in Jacksonville Beach. Then on July 29, another Mayday Ice Cream shop opened at 4853 Big Island Drive No. 3 near St. Johns Town Center. There, the restaurant will share space with DOS Coffee & Wine, which expects to open soon. Mayday offers a variety of classic and innovative handcrafted ice cream flavors, including customer favorites Queen Salted Caramel, Blueberry Toast Crunch, Cookie Crush, Coffee + Donuts, and Ice Box Lemon. | Read more
Kravegan
A Jacksonville plant-based restaurant founded by a self-taught chef who propelled her homemade vegan Southern soul food from her home kitchen to a food truck then a shopping mall food court is now a brick-and-mortar bistro. Kravegan opened at 1520 Hendricks Ave. in San Marco. Kravegan is known for its signature beefless KravyBack Ribz, fried Chik'n, KraPhilly Cheesesteak and more. Kravegan smokes its plant-based meats. No artificial additives or preservatives are used. | Read more
Cool Eddy's
Cool Eddy's, a locally owned ice cream and Italian Ice shop, celebrated its grand opening July 8-9 in Julington Creek at 2750 Race Track Road, No. 306. Cool Eddy's offers 24 flavors of Italian Ice, soft serve ice cream and 16 flavors of milkshakes. The shop's Gelati combines Italian Ice and creamy soft ice cream. Available toppings include Gummy Bears, Reese's, brownie bites, sprinkles, and more.
Times-Union writer Gary T. Mills contributed to this report
Teresa Stepzinski is the dining reporter for the Times-Union. Follow her on Twitter @TeresaStepz or reach her via email at tstepzinski@jacksonville.com.
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