Gateway Jax, the Jacksonville-based developer behind one of downtown’s biggest projects, has revealed the initial lineup of dining and other tenants coming to Vandeveer, the first mixed-use residential building at Pearl Square, the nine-block, nearly $1 billion project in downtown Jacksonville.
Among the bars and restaurants set to open this fall and into early 2027 are a St. Augustine restaurant recently awarded a Bib Gourmand distinction in the 2026 Florida Michelin Guide and a beer garden from Murray Hill’s Buchner’s Bierhalle.
Also coming is the city’s second location of a Connecticut-based bagel shop known for its fresh-baked bagels and Florida’s third location of a California-based authentic yogurt bar and cafe.
The ground-level restaurants, which open to a pedestrian corridor, will be part of a walkable dining and retail district within Pearl Square, which will also feature a Publix supermarket.
“Downtown Jacksonville is emerging as one of the Southeast’s most closely watched urban markets,” said Bryan Moll, CEO of Gateway Jax, in a news release. “Residents, visitors and companies will be drawn here by a growing ecosystem of retail, hospitality and public green space where the neighborhood itself is the amenity. The retail mix at Vandeveer has been intentionally designed to bring daily life to the Urban Core, encourage everyday activation and support the kind of walkable, connected environment essential to Downtown Jacksonville’s continued evolution.”
Here’s a closer look at the tenant lineup, announced July 22.
Bar Citra
Just 18 months after making its debut in St. Augustine, the restaurant from husband-and-wife restaurateurs Andrew Deming and Rachel Gant earned Bib Gourmand honors in the prestigious Michelin Guide’s inaugural Florida Michelin Guide in May. Known for its coffees, house-baked pastries, seasonal plates and natural wine list, Bar Citra will bring the concept to Jacksonville’s downtown.
Buchner’s Biergarten
A fixture in Murray Hill for seven years, Buchner’s Bierhalle will debut Buchner’s Biergarten this fall as Vandeveer’s first dining tenant, on the Porter House Lawn outside the historic Thomas V Porter Mansion. There, it will offer a selection of signature German beers served from a vintage-inspired Citroën truck and a menu of small plates.
PopUp Bagels
Known for its bagels – soft and fluffy on the inside with a crispy outer crust – served warm, PopUp Bagels is planning its second area location at the downtown development after making its Northeast Florida debut in December 2025 at St. Johns Town Center. Served hot from the oven, the bagels are served whole and intended to be torn apart and dipped into one of its classic or rotating lineup of schmears.
Go Greek Yogurt
Offering a menu of authentic Greek yogurt, Greek bowls, smoothies and frozen yogurt, Go Greek Yogurt is planning its third Florida location at Vandeveer. Choose from house flavors Classic Tart, Greek Honey and Chocolate, or a rotating selection of Rose, Hazelnut, Mango and more.
Other tenants announced July 22 include JetSet Pilates and Pearl Street Nails.
Also coming to Pearl Square: Colletta
In addition to the previously announced Publix, the new restaurants will join Colletta, a from-scratch Italian restaurant coming soon to Hotel Merrydelle, the restored former Ambassador Hotel, which dates back more than a century, in downtown Jacksonville.
With restaurants in Atlanta, Cary, North Carolina, and Vail Valley, Colorado, Colletta features a menu of house-made pastas, hand-stretched wood-fired pizzas and entrees, including Pork Chop Milanese, Chicken Zafferano, Hanger steak, Chicken Parmesan and more, according to Colletta’s Atlanta menu. Dessert selections range from the classic Tiramisu to Spumoni Semifreddo Alaska as well as gelatos and sorbets.
Offering lunch and brunch, too, Colletta is part of The Indigo Road Hospitality Group, which includes O-Ku in Jacksonville Beach and the planned Oak Steakhouse on the ground floor of the nearly century-old, 12-story Greenleaf & Crosby Building in downtown Jacksonville.
Building on its experience at Water Street Tampa and National Landing in Arlington, Virginia, Gateway Jax, along with The Urban Division of Colliers and OP Place, “worked collaboratively on a comprehensive retail strategy for Vandeveer’s ground floor that reflects both the character of Jacksonville and the standards of the nation’s leading urban districts,” Gateway Jax’s Moll said in the release.
Gary T. Mills is the deputy managing editor at The Florida Times-Union. He has led the newspaper’s dining coverage since 2010.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Gateway Jax reveals first restaurants for Pearl Square’s Vandeveer
Reporting by Gary T. Mills, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Gary T. Mills, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union | USA TODAY Network
