Six Awesome Restaurants Opening in Downtown

[thelakelander]

If the Laura Trio magically broke ground today, you're still looking at probably three years of construction....meaning a mid 2018 opening.  So yes, at least a few years indeed.

[mtraininjax]

With only 6,000 - 10,000 residents in downtown Jacksonville, I am being realistic in saying.....this "restaurant revolution" is going to take longer than you think.

[thelakelander]

Gilbert South is out......

Chef Kenny Gilbert has decided against opening a restaurant in the vacant building at 120 E. Forsyth St., next to the Florida Theatre.

Gilbert had said last December that he intended to put Gilbert South, a Southern-themed restaurant, on the first floor of the building.

But he said Thursday that it's not going to work out.

He showed the building to investors, he said, who loved it, but no one was willing to put the money up.

He does have one investor who wants to partner with him on a restaurant in Jacksonville, but not downtown.

"He said downtown is still not ready," Gilbert said, "and he's waiting to see more development there."

He did say he's planning a restaurant somewhere in Jacksonville, but can't say where yet.

Mike Langton, who paid $450,000 for the building last year, said he has two more prospects considering the space.

http://jacksonville.com/business/2015-08-08/story/sunday-business-notebook-bass-pro-shops-still-plans-north-st-johns

[tufsu1]

^ I heard last week there may be another interested party for the space on Forsyth Street

[Ocklawaha]

With only 6,000 - 10,000 residents in downtown Jacksonville, I am being realistic in saying.....this "restaurant revolution" is going to take longer than you think.

I wouldn't bet on that, people will drive 30 miles for a good restaurant, downtown or otherwise. Put another way Alachua, Florida, population 9,378 is home to 15 restaurants at least 5 of which rate 4 stars or more. Likewise St. Augustine Beach, population 6,607 has many, fine restaurants. With the population of our metro, any truly good restaurant downtown should be a smashing success.

[mtraininjax]

With the population of our metro, any truly good restaurant downtown should be a smashing success.

We shall see, downtown is still plagued by a number of problems that suburbanites don't care to indulge in. Many great restaurants go under in Jax, in great locations, because owners are.......idiots.

[vicupstate]

With only 6,000 - 10,000 residents in downtown Jacksonville, I am being realistic in saying.....this "restaurant revolution" is going to take longer than you think.

I wouldn't bet on that, people will drive 30 miles for a good restaurant, downtown or otherwise. Put another way Alachua, Florida, population 9,378 is home to 15 restaurants at least 5 of which rate 4 stars or more. Likewise St. Augustine Beach, population 6,607 has many, fine restaurants. With the population of our metro, any truly good restaurant downtown should be a smashing success.

Well the DT population isn't anywhere close to 6,000 let alone 10,000. If it were actually 10,000 we wouldn't be lamenting about how dead it is there.

A restaurant with a stellar reputation can draw from a big radius but that usually doesn't happen with start-ups, but instead places that have been around a long time, and thus their reputation has grown over a long period.

DT can develop into a restaurant district but it doesn't happen overnight, and it takes several innovative restaurants to build that following.