The wait is over. After building a large and loyal food truck following for its award-winning smash burgers, Hard Pressed Burgers has opened its first brick-and-mortar restaurant in the heart of historic San Marco.
The highly anticipated restaurant from veteran local chefs Eddie Evans and Justin Pa’ala debuted May 13 at 1636 Hendricks Ave. The 45-seat restaurant took over and renovated the roughly 1,460-square-foot space vacated by Good Dough, an artisan doughnut shop that closed in 2025 after eight years in business.
The new restaurant joins two Hard Pressed Burgers food trucks. One is permanently parked at Ink Factory Brewing, 602 Shetter Ave., in Jacksonville Beach, while the other is at 845 Edgewood Ave. S. (behind Catbird Coffee Roasters) in Murray Hill.
“The idea is, this is a burger joint. Come in if you want to have some lunch or just have some drinks. You can set up shop over here; there are enough table tops up here so that you can plug in your laptop, trade stocks, or do whatever work from home that you’ve got to do and be in a cool work environment,” Evans said.
Pa’ala and Evans said the San Marco location won’t be the only Hard Pressed Burgers brick-and-mortar restaurant.
They’re already exploring potential sites for the next one. But for now, the focus is on San Marco and the food trucks.
Expanded menu at Hard Pressed Burgers San Marco
San Marco guests will find some new options, but the core smash burger menu remains the same.
“We’ve added a chicken sandwich and a variation of a Buffalo chicken sandwich. We’ve also added a fish sandwich and some hot dogs,” Evans said.
Additional new items might be added as “specials” to the menu, they said.
“If we have anything that sticks really well, then we’ll probably incorporate it. But for now, we’re just going to figure out how to run this [core] menu,” Evans also said.
Signature smash burgers and fries:
The restaurant also offers beer and wine.
The road from pop-up to food trucks to brick-and-mortar
The San Marco restaurant is the next step in Hard Pressed Burgers’ evolution.
Although a little nerve-wracking to be the owners of a newly minted brick-and-mortar restaurant, it’s also exciting, they said.
“On a scale of 1 to 10, I’m nervous and excited at 100,” said Pa’ala, noting that his nerves are settling down and “I’m ready to get going.”
Overall, there’s not much difference between running a brick-and-mortar restaurant and multiple food trucks, he said.
“You’ve got your team. You make sure your team is delegated and told and understands their job and their responsibility, both back and front of the house,” Pa’ala said. “Make sure the teamwork is there and we’re all helping.”
‘Unreasonable hospitality’: The philosophy of treating guests well
Hard Pressed’s goal is an unreasonably high level of hospitality, they said.
“Most of all, what we grow at Hard Pressed is ‘unreasonable hospitality.’ Not only do we have good food. That’s the easy part. … Let’s be more personable,” Pa’ala explained. “Of course, this is a counter service, but as soon as customers sit down, of course, they can get their own drink. But take it a step further and go ask your customer, ‘Do you need a refill?’ And say, ‘I can do that for you,’ so they don’t have to get up from their meal.”
Hard Pressed Burgers began as a dream shared by Pa’ala and Evans — both chefs who worked their way up the kitchen ranks. Pa’ala has worked in restaurants for 20 years, while Edwards is an 11-year veteran. Both have extensive experience in fine-dining restaurants.
Evans and Pa’ala were coworkers at The French Pantry before striking out on their own in a partnership to launch Hard Pressed Burgers.
Encouraged by colleagues, including James Beard Award finalists chefs Chason Spencer and Maria de Mota of Chancho King in Murray Hill, Pa’ala and Evans found their niche with smash burgers.
Although popular on the West Coast, smash burgers were uncommon on the East Coast back when they started doing smash burger pop-ups in Jacksonville.
They launched Hard Pressed Burgers in late 2021, doing pop-ups throughout Jacksonville. In 2023, Ink Factory Brewing became its permanent food truck location. Last month, they established the Murray Hill location.
Their goal is straightforward and unwavering: ensuring the best flavor in every bite, they previously told the Times-Union.
“It’s a very simple product, but we’re both chefs and all the techniques that we use are chef-driven techniques,” Pa’ala has said.
One measure of its success, Hard Pressed Burgers was featured in a segment titled “The Story Behind One Of America’s Best Burger Pop-Ups” on the Yucking YouTube Channel.
In addition, Hard Pressed Burgers was voted Folio Weekly’s Best Food Truck in Jacksonville in 2024 and 2025.
Where to park
Hard Pressed Burgers is on a major thoroughfare in San Marco, where parking can be challenging at times.
“We do have one parking lot that is right behind the VyStar, saying that these spots are reserved for 1637 Hendricks,” Evans said of the designated parking spaces behind the VyStar Credit Union branch at 1600 Hendricks Ave.
After 5 p.m., when VyStar closes, Pa’ala added that there is more parking available.
Hard Pressed Burgers in San Marco is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. The restaurant is closed Tuesdays.
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: First a food truck, Hard Pressed Burgers opens restaurant in San Marco
Reporting by Teresa Stepzinski, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
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