Just a heads up...was in San Marco today and noticed The Loop was closed and gutted. I was told they are only going to be closed about 5 weeks for remodeling to coincide with the new Town Hall.
Thanks. I took pictures for January's construction update this morning and noticed work going on.
Glad to hear they're not closing permanently, best burger in Jax, IMHO.
^ It's pretty good, but have you tried Uptown Kitchen, Poe's or Blind Rabbit? They are on another level in my opinion.
The loop is good for what it is, but the best burger in town it ain't!
I haven't tried Poe's or uptown, but tried the rabbit and wasn't impressed. I'll have to try the others though.
The loop isn't fancy or hipster,but always good and consistent. And yes, top 5 in Jax:)
Quote from: coredumped on January 22, 2017, 11:41:42 AM
I haven't tried Poe's or uptown, but tried the rabbit and wasn't impressed. I'll have to try the others though.
The loop isn't fancy or hipster,but always good and consistent. And yes, top 5 in Jax:)
I love Loop burgers. I have found the Loop to have consistency issues in the past, but when they get it right, it's pretty damn good.
I agree. Almost every location I've been to has been inconsistent except the San Marco one. I've been there 20 times or so and never had a bad experience (besides not enough seating).
San Marco Loop definitely has the best and most consistent burgers in town - it seems to be the only place that knows how to cook a burger the way you ask for it. Good flavor without any kind of "modern chef" twist on it. The Loop and Bleu is probably the best burger I've had, period. The one at the Town Center is pretty good too. Baymeadows and Riverside locations are hit or miss.
Poe's is pretty good but overpriced. Same with Uptown and Blind Rabbit - nothing special and overpriced for what you get. Not worth a special trip.
A Loop N Swiss is one of the few burgers that I actually crave in JAX.
Riverside Loop was the one I used to visit the most - like 95% of the time or more. So perhaps that is why I think the Loop is inconsistent.
One thing I used to LOVE was the onion rings. But then they (well, Riverside Loop) seemed to change them and they weren't as good.
A new Loop will open soon across the street (Lakeside Dr.) from my Roosevelt Blvd bookstore location. The old Pier 17 boating supply retail store, operated by Grace Rogers for decades closed several years ago, the building was purchased and renovated to house several retail spaces.
The parking will be a little tight. However, in anticipation of this, the owners of the building have obtained permission from the state to use an area under the Roosevelt Blvd bridge for additional parking.
The Loop and Bookmine, being so close, should add a little synergy to the area, and ultimately be a plus for us. The parking should be okay ... unless Loop customers excessively use our parking spaces, which at times are overloaded. Hopefully the under bridge parking will be used sufficiently so as to avoid causing overall parking problems for the area.
Just as with the downtown parking ... some drivers don't want to walk more than a hundred feet or so to their destination.
A similar impact downtown has been the Jimmy Johns on Laura and Adams. They seem to be doing well. I hope they are able to survive and prosper, and to avoid jumping ship, as has happened to so many new ventures in the core over recent years.
Running out of room, I still plan to expand the Roosevelt store by about 7,000 sq. ft., and that will include a cafe/espresso/Internet ... and of course more parking. Before building the expansion structure, I must finish the current renovation of the 225 N. Laura St.building.
It looks like there is going to be lots of building in the area slightly north of my Roosevelt store. The entire Roosevelt mall area is going to undergo much change during the next two years.
Sbraga had the best burger in town. I do love the Loop and they have had the same burger since my childhood, but I don't know that I'd call it the best.
"Sbraga had the best burger in town." Finally something we agree on Captain. I loved their burger and fries, excellent but it sort of flew under the radar. Really miss that place, I always had a good time there.
What's going on at the M Shack location (i.e food truck) in San Marco? Are they building out a real M Shack there?
Quote from: MusicMan on January 24, 2017, 01:58:21 PM
What's going on at the M Shack location (i.e food truck) in San Marco? Are they building out a real M Shack there?
Last I heard it wasn't to be an M Shack anymore... this is from May though...
"Rue St. Marc, a French bistro, will open this fall at the fork of the San Marco Boulevard and Hendricks Avenue in San Marco. The food will be French-American with craft cocktails, and it will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, seating 150."
http://jacksonville.com/business/2016-05-20/story/more-medures-french-bistro-san-marco-barbecue-st-augustine
Good news -- just looked and they pulled permits for interior improvements in November, and plumbing as recently as 2 weeks ago, so it looks like it's still happening.