Oxford Place, a new family‑owned restaurant serving refined Southern‑inspired fare, has opened in Jacksonville’s historic Ortega Village, breathing new life into a 103‑year‑old neighborhood landmark that had stood vacant for four years.
The upscale‑casual restaurant recently debuted in the Oxford and Corinthian Building at 2902 Corinthian Ave. at Oxford Avenue, in the heart of Ortega Village. The storied structure — built in 1924 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places — most recently housed Simply Sara’s, a longtime neighborhood favorite that closed in July 2022 after 12 years.
Oxford Place is owned by Hughes Brown and his father, Jerry Brown, experienced restaurateurs who both live in Ortega. They describe the restaurant as a “neighborhood table,” designed to feel welcoming, family‑friendly and rooted in the community it serves.
“We want this to feel like it’s an extension of our home,” Hughes Brown told the Times-Union. “It’s inviting people over for dinner in the neighborhood. We want people to feel like this is their restaurant. You know, their favorite place to go.”
Ortega is the restaurant’s neighborhood identity, he said, but “we want to pull in from Avondale, Venetia and all the areas.”
“What really inspired us most is that we live in this neighborhood … and we wanted a family-friendly neighborhood dining option in Ortega. A place we felt we could go to once a week and have a good meal,” Brown said of their inspiration to open Oxford Place.
He said they loved the building and its role as a neighborhood touchstone and landmark.
The Browns previously owned the fine-dining restaurant Watermark in Nashville, Tenn., for 15 years before the family moved to Jacksonville.
“With my roots of being in fine dining back in Nashville for 15 years, I wanted to bring elements of that, while not being overly pretentious,” he said. ” I wanted somewhat of a more relaxed feel to it. Welcoming and warm.”
Brown and his wife have two sons — ages 10 and 12 — so the family also wanted Oxford Place to be kid-friendly.
Oxford Place is the Brown family’s third Jacksonville restaurant. They also own and operate two fast-casual hot chicken tender dining spots: Bold Birds Nashville Hot Chicken at 1173 Edgewood Ave. S., in Murray Hill, and another at 5635 San Jose Blvd. in the Lakewood Promenade retail center.
What’s on the menu at Oxford Place
Executive chef Thomas White developed the menu and leads the Oxford Place kitchen.
White joined Oxford Place in December. He previously honed his culinary skills at several well-known Jacksonville restaurants, including Matthew’s in San Marco, as well as Josephine in Avondale, and Rue Saint-Marc and Town Hall, both in San Marco.
“We’re Southern-inspired meets Old World techniques,” Brown said of the restaurant’s menu.
Signature dishes:
Salads range from Roasted Beet Salad with whipped goat cheese, olive oil, hazelnut and basil, to a Caesar salad and house salad comprised of local greens, radishes, cucumber and a choice of buttermilk ranch or Italian vinaigrette.
Topping the dessert menu is Rocky Road, which is chocolate mousse, marshmallow, hazelnut and cornflake; Apple Crumble with vanilla ice cream; and Olive Oil Cake with lemon buttermilk anglaise.
Oxford Place has a full bar with craft cocktails, wine and beer.
Brown said that a nice dinner for two will cost about $50 at Oxford Place.
Reviving a 103‑year‑old Ortega landmark
Jerry Brown said the unique building in the heart of “Old Ortega” has a storied past.
The Oxford and Corinthian Building, also known in the community as Village Store and Oxford Place, was originally designed in 1923 by the Jacksonville architecture firm Marsh & Saxelbye.
Built in 1924, the building stands out for features including tall windows, high ceilings, and “thoughtful craftsmanship.” It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
Over the years, the building had multiple shops on the ground floor. Most recently, it was Simply Sara’s restaurant.
“Everybody has their story to tell: ‘Back when it was the Village Store, my mom used to get her dresses here,’ or ‘I used to get my hair cut in the barber shop.’ They all have their memories,” said Jerry Brown, who researched the building’s history and its role in the community.
Hughes Brown said his mother-in-law saw the building as she was driving by one day, and “thought it was a super cute building.” The rest of their family came over, looked at it, and thought it was such a “beautiful, old historic neighborhood building that would be a perfect little neighborhood restaurant,” he said.
Their company, Brown Family Restaurant Ortega LLC, bought the Oxford Avenue property for $925,000 on May 14, 2025, Duval County property records show.
Jerry Brown said the renovations took a little bit longer than they had hoped, but it was worth the wait.
“It took a while. With an old building, you have a lot of tearing out and starting over, but we said if we’re going to do it, we’re going to do it right,” the elder Brown said. “So, we had good people that we worked with, and we tried to respect the original old building and bring it back to life, so to speak.”
Jerry Brown said residents have turned out in support of the restaurant since the project began.
“We’ve got garden club ladies doing plantings, camellia gardens out there. The response has been overwhelming,” the elder Brown said.
The buildout, including renovations and repairs for the roughly 3,058-square-foot restaurant, was estimated at $169,000, according to a June 23, 2025, city building permit.
“Its bones are so amazing that we didn’t have to do a whole lot to it,” Hughes Brown said. “We pretty much brought it down to its roots. … We pretty much gutted it otherwise, and it’s all rebuilt brand new in that style.”
They put in a new bar, new kitchen equipment, and some flooring, as well as some new paint, but that’s about it, he said.
Oxford Place, which has about 100 seats, is open for dinner from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Happy Hour begins at 4 p.m. Starting May 31, the restaurant will offer Sunday brunch.
The Browns expect to expand the restaurant’s hours in a few weeks.
Teresa Stepzinski is the dining reporter for the Times-Union. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @TeresaStepz or reach her via email at tstepzinski@jacksonville.com.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Oxford Place opens in Ortega, breathing new life to historic landmark
Reporting by Teresa Stepzinski, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
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