April saw the closings of a landmark downtown Jacksonville craft brewery and a neighborhood microbrewery in the city’s Riverside area.
And another Wendy’s fast-food restaurant shut its doors in the Jacksonville area.
Opening was a Boston-based dessert shop, known for delivering decadent “fully loaded, over-the-top ice cream sundaes” late at night, and the first Florida location of a nationwide “build your own” salad and wrap fast-casual restaurant in Nocatee Town Center.
Here’s a recap of notable Jacksonville-area restaurant news in April.
Intuition Ale Works
Intuition Ale Works, one of downtown Jacksonville’s longest-running craft breweries, turned off the taps and closed its doors permanently after 16 years. Established in 2010 at 720 King Street in Riverside, Intuition became the first craft brewery in Florida to can its beers in 2012. In 2016, Intuition relocated downtown to 929 E. Bay St. The closure came after months of uncertainty and the hopes to sell the business, Brad Lange, chief operating officer, previously said. | Read more
The Scoop N Scootery
A dessert shop focused on late-night delivery of decadent ice cream sundaes, The Scoop N Scootery opened its first Florida location at 9734 Deer Lake Court, Suite 5, in Tinseltown on the Southside. The Boston-based chain, a TikTok sensation, is popular for its customizable sundaes handcrafted with premium ice cream and features house-made whipped cream and cannoli cream cones. The delivery area is 10 miles from the store. | Read more
Just Kitchen
After two years, Just Kitchen, a fast-casual Mediterranean restaurant, closed abruptly at 13423 Beach Blvd., No. 104, near Hodges Boulevard in the Intracoastal West area. The restaurant was known for its made-to-order wraps, bowls, and salads. Chef/owner Justin Rohloff told the Times-Union the decision to close was difficult but ultimately pragmatic. He said they needed to concentrate on the restaurant’s streamlined spin-off, Just Kitchen Pita Bar, and Stack’d, his new smash burger concept, at The BLOCK Jax. | Read more
King Maker Brewing
After six years, King Maker Brewing — which survived the COVID-19 pandemic and a car crashing into its taproom — abruptly shut its doors at 720 King St. in Riverside. The craft brewery featured 18 taps offering a rotating selection of draft beers. King Maker was known for its Slow Down on King — a Czech-style Pilsner. The craft brewery was also a showcase for local artists and a neighborhood gathering place. Changing consumer habits as well as economic pressures led to its closure. | Read more
Wendy’s
Wendy’s abruptly closed another Jacksonville-area restaurant, this time at 1616 University Blvd. S. in the city’s Arlington neighborhood. The fast-food restaurant dated back at least to 1997. It was the latest location from franchise owner Wen South LLC of Grand Rapids, Mich., to shut its doors. Wen South also abruptly closed at least seven other Northeast Florida locations in Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach and Nocatee since 2021. | Read more
17 King American Bistro
17 King American Bistro (formerly The Harvest Restaurant), an upscale casual restaurant featuring a curated wine library, an inspired chef-crafted menu and live music, opened at 17 King St. in historic downtown St. Augustine. Signature menu items include the Pan-Seared Crispy ½ Chicken, which is “poulet [rouge] heritage half chicken served over pommes purée and brussels sprouts.” Other top entrees include Duck Pappadelle, Grilled Shrimp Polenta, Seared Scallops with Lemon Risotto, and Tempura Asparagus, according to the menu. | Read more
Salata
Salata, a popular nationwide build-your-own salad and wrap fast-casual restaurant, opened its first Florida restaurant at 641 Crosswater Parkway, Suite B, at the Publix-anchored Nocatee Town Center. Salata emphasizes that its concept “allows guests to create meals that fit their lifestyle.” It offers fresh salads and wraps as well as soups, organic teas and lemonades. Guests have a choice from among a half-dozen salad bases, more than 50 toppings and 11 “house-made proprietary dressings.” | Read more
Maison Louis Cafe
A French bakery and cafe, Maison Louis Cafe, from French-born chef Jérôme Bensimon, opened at 2401 N Ponce De Leon Blvd. in St. Augustine. The bakery cafe menu lists freshly made-from-scratch croissants, pastries such as Le Pain au Chocolat, macrons, baguette sandwiches, quiche and salads. In addition to coffee and espresso drinks, the menu includes teas, matcha and chai.
cafecito
Cafecito opened at 2695 Post St. at King Street in the Riverside neighborhood of Jacksonville, offering espresso drinks, imported Japanese loose-leaf teas, ceremonial matcha, hojicha, beer, and wine, according to a news release. The interior features a modern, Brutalist-inspired design. Coming from Pearl Hospitality Group, in partnership with Tribal Investment, the coffeehouse also features a DJ booth on the espresso bar. It intends to host live jazz performances, book clubs, artist talks, and rotating community events.
Saucy! by KFC
The second Jacksonville-area Saucy! by KFC opened at 194 N. State Road 13, in the Julington Creek area of Saint Johns. It comes less than a month after the first opened in Jacksonville at 4816 Gate Parkway in The Crossing at St. Johns Town Center. The Orlando-based chain, rooted in KFC’s original recipe chicken, converted former PDQ locations into the new concept. Saucy! describes itself as “the bold, flavor-forward concept redefining fast food with hand-breaded chicken tendies and globally inspired sauces.” | Read more
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: 6 Jacksonville-area restaurants open, 4 permanently close in April
Reporting by Teresa Stepzinski, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
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