Has anyone heard that the Skyline Cafe is doing after hours drinks on Wednesday's and Friday's? I was told about it but haven't read anything about it here...
QuoteJoin us on every Wednesday & Friday from 4:30pm to 7:30pm in our new cocktail lounge on the 42nd floor!
We will have wine, beer, cocktails, and light appetizers for sale as you enjoy the view.
http://www.aramarkcafe.com/layouts/classic_new/locationhome.aspx?locationid=3466
Hmm, maybe this could be the beginning of a full-time establishment.
The place does have great views!
Nice, has anyone been there yet?
Went to the initial opening of the happy hour thing (last week or the week before, twas a foggy Friday evening to try to remember ;D)
Cool little place to have a drink and a view before heading out to Dos Gatos :)
I took my dad up there for lunch a few weeks ago and its a pretty decent lunch fare(one of his fondest memories as a kid was eating lunch at the old Embers). When my sister comes in town from Seattle in a few weeks, it will be one of the many spots she'll be required to visit on her 'This is the New Jacksonville' Tour ;)
That's what I was thinking fielda, although I probably have no business getting started that early...
What building is this in?
Bank of America Tower
QuoteRestaurant Review: The Skyline is cafeteria dining with stellar view
Destination dining is something of a rarity in Jacksonville. Scenery here rarely makes an impression. Until now.
One has to be a person of means or work for a bigwig corporation to dine in the sky at the River Club in the Modis building. There, you can take in a view of downtown Jacksonville and the mighty St. Johns River.
But I've found a place where mere mortals are invited to dine that is so high that you can look down upon the Modis rooftop.
And this lunch is within most budgets.
http://www.jacksonville.com/entertainment/dining_out/2009-11-12/story/restaurant_review_the_skyline_is_cafeteria_dining_with_ste
went there last night. the view is spectacular during the sunset , and the service is decent also. definitely recommend to everyone!!!!
I like that! Cool discovery
Sounds great! I definitely plan to go do lunch.
And we'll be checking out the happy hour/sunset views. Thanks for the info!
How long is their happy hour til? I'm asking because as time goes on, sunset will be getting later and later, about a minute every day or two.
Anyone go tonight?
I had a chance to take my daughter to Skyline Cafe today for lunch. Although it was overcast, the views were still really cool with some great vantage points. The place itself is rather vanilla, but it's sort of what I expected. There is plenty of space to meander around, & you can even pop into some of the empty conference rooms for different vantage points. The manager was very accommodating & apologized for not having more of a "kid friendly" menu & offered to whip up a PB&J or grilled cheese for her. For $12, we had Southwestern Steak (from the carving station), Spanish rice, grilled cheese & chips, 2 drinks, & the best view in downtown! Parking was a snap ($2.50 within the tower) - the security guard even advised as to where the vacant spots were. I would certainly go back - that said, I could still imagine them (or possibly another private ownership group) putting additional creativity into the space to make it a true signature restaurant and/or bar with late night hours. Realistically, THAT is where Ruth's Chris, Morton's, or III Forks should be.
Is this place still open Wednesday and Thursday for drinks??
This is one of my favorite downtown places. Lunch is a very good deal.
The view is awesome. A great place to take a spouse or significant other
for an inexpensive drink during the Happy hours they have. Also a great place for Urban Planners. This gives by far the best vantage point of how the city is laid out along the river, with the faults and pluses very easy to see.
Highly recommend!
Anybody know??
I believe they are open for happy hour tomorrow (Wednesday) based on an ad I saw in Folio.
Quote from: Captain Zissou on September 28, 2010, 11:26:16 AM
Is this place still open Wednesday and Thursday for drinks??
Yes
Wednesdays they usually do a rotating 4 drink special with light fingerfoods for $20... like 4 glasses of wine, 4 margaritas, etc
Thursdays is just basic drinks.
Damn.
QuoteSkyline restaurant in Bank of America Tower Downtown closing March 20
By Max Marbut, Staff Writer
After March 20, eating lunch Downtown 42 stories above the sidewalk won't be an option.
The Skyline Dining and Conference Center on the top floor of Bank of America Tower is closing.
"It is purely a financial decision," said Jenny Wilkes, property manager for Hertz Investment Group, which purchased the building in July.
The restaurant, operated by Aramark since it opened in October 2009, was an amenity for people who worked in the building, although it is open to the public as well, she said. It was opened to provide a location in the building that offered good food at reasonable prices.
After more than five years, the numbers didn't add up for sustainability.
Full story: http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=544996
There could be a reason for this: people don't know it's there.
This is unfortunate. I love eating there and my kids think it is great as well. Its a hidden gem many people don't really know about, I guess that's the reason it's closing however.
^That and the food is nothing to brag about. I go there, only to expose new visitors/guests to the views.
I gotta check it out before it closes.
The food was ok, the views were awesome.
I haven't been in awhile. It was my goto place when working downtown.
I enjoyed their sandwiches and the random cooked to order stuff. Priced reasonably.
The food is nothing to brag about but it's better than many places downtown. I was surprised Aramark was managing it.
Any chance someone reopens this soon? It's got such amazing views, it could be a really great restaurant.
Quote from: johnnyliar on March 03, 2015, 12:54:10 PM
Any chance someone reopens this soon? It's got such amazing views, it could be a really great restaurant.
no. The building's owners got a much better lease deal from another tenant...most likely a law firm or similar
The numbers didn't add up? Possibly because it had bad food, totally lacked marketing, and did not at all utilize its amazing space? Open that thing up Fri and Sat night, and Art Walk, the added revenue will more than pay for keeping the lights on and probably adding a few extra security guards.
This reminds me of the Skydome Lounge in Crystal City. Amazing view of DC, but completely cheesy dining experience and total absence of marketing.
(http://instantgrativacation.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Skydome-Lounge.jpg)
Has anyone ever been at the restaurant back in the days (when it was the called Barnett Center)? I heard that it was fancy and high end, but the economy took it's toll, thus bringing the Skyline Cafe.
I don't remember there ever being a restaurant at the top of the building before the Skyline Cafe. When it was Barnett Center, that space was the executive offices for Barnett. I got to tour it once.
I think there was a higher-end restaurant on a lower floor? The only high-end observation deck-type restaurant in Jacksonville - other than the River Club/University Club - that I can think of was the Embers in the Universal Marion, now JEA, building.
^^^According to this archive below, it was called the 'Skyline Dining & Conference Center' in the early BOA days, and a 'fancy dining room' in the Barnett days. I guess I was recalling the Skyline Dining & Conference Center.
http://jacksonville.com/entertainment/dining_out/2009-11-12/story/restaurant_review_the_skyline_is_cafeteria_dining_with_ste
Quote from: Wacca Pilatka on March 03, 2015, 02:19:40 PM
I don't remember there ever being a restaurant at the top of the building before the Skyline Cafe. When it was Barnett Center, that space was the executive offices for Barnett. I got to tour it once.
I think there was a higher-end restaurant on a lower floor? The only high-end observation deck-type restaurant in Jacksonville - other than the River Club/University Club - that I can think of was the Embers in the Universal Marion, now JEA, building.
It's not high end but there's a lunch spot on the 10th floor of One Enterprise Center.
The former building owners were subsidizing the operation of the restaurant, the new ones have chosen not to continue that arrangement. The food isn't as good as it used to be.
Quote from: I-10east on March 03, 2015, 02:31:59 PM
^^^According to this archive below, it was called the 'Skyline Dining & Conference Center' in the early BOA days, and a 'fancy dining room' in the Barnett days. I guess I was recalling the Skyline Dining & Conference Center.
http://jacksonville.com/entertainment/dining_out/2009-11-12/story/restaurant_review_the_skyline_is_cafeteria_dining_with_ste
That was the cafeteria in the mid rise building next door that they're referring to. The skyline cafe space was formerly the C-suite for the Barnett Bank. If you ever walked around and poked your head in some of the doors, the big office with the burl walnut paneling and the fake books on the shelves attached to a conference room was Charlie Rice's office. The big long empty room with doors at both ends and the middle was the board room. The desk in the middle where the stairs are was reception and waiting. The other corner offices on the top floor were CFO, etc.
Quote from: thelakelander on March 03, 2015, 02:33:20 PM
Quote from: Wacca Pilatka on March 03, 2015, 02:19:40 PM
I don't remember there ever being a restaurant at the top of the building before the Skyline Cafe. When it was Barnett Center, that space was the executive offices for Barnett. I got to tour it once.
I think there was a higher-end restaurant on a lower floor? The only high-end observation deck-type restaurant in Jacksonville - other than the River Club/University Club - that I can think of was the Embers in the Universal Marion, now JEA, building.
It's not high end but there's a lunch spot on the 10th floor of One Enterprise Center.
There is a cafeteria on the 4th floor of the DCPS building overlooking the NEW Southbank Riverwalk 2014-190.
Per the T-U, the new building owners had a tenant ready to take over the 41st floor (and maybe part of the 42nd), so they chose to end the relationship with Aramark.
They are, however, planning to re-open the long-dormant cafe on the 1st floor.
Personally that place was nothing special other than the view. And to me better for downtown to have the street level cafe open back up.
Well it opened with a bang, I think it was Thursday or Friday morning, I saw on the news there was a fire in it.
My mom and I went on the last day. My mom is leary of heights, and was pretty scared on the elevator ascent & descent LOL. We were expecting Friday fish & chips, but they served some kinda meat pita; One bag of Baked Lays potato chips and one peach Lipton iced teas for us wasn't exactly much of a lunch, Aramark was in 'shut it down' mode. The food didn't matter, it was all about those awesome vantage points. I took a good amount of cell pics of the surrounding towers the river and the Southbank. Maybe they could make it an observation area, just a thought.