Development Status: Under Construction

The Huguenot is a proposed wine, cheese, and charcuterie bar to be located at 1039 Hendricks Avenue in the Southbank neighborhood of Downtown Jacksonville. The project involves tenant improvements to approximately 2,400 square feet of interior space and a 585-square-foot patio within a redeveloped former Redi-Arts property that was subdivided into four retail bays. The redevelopment of the site created new pedestrian connectivity between Hendricks Avenue and Kings Avenue and added parking, contributing to broader Southbank revitalization efforts.

Asado Life Jacksonville will be a 140-seat, premium-casual, Argentine-inspired live-fire restaurant proposed for the Marina Support within the Sports & Entertainment District.

The project will activate a prominent riverfront location adjacent to the Jacksonville Jaguars’ corporate headquarters and the future Four Seasons Hotel, positioning the restaurant as a signature waterfront dining destination
The concept builds upon the success of Asado Life St. Augustine (opened 2022), which has received regional and national recognition.

The Jacksonville location will feature approximately 90 interior seats and 50 covered patio seats, emphasizing immersive, visible live-fire cooking through traditional Argentine parilla grilling, ember roasting, and wood-fired preparation

Related Group is planning a new 25-story riverfront tower with no less than 390 luxury units, minimum 4,000 SF riverfront restaurant space, and a 9-story parking garage. The development will also include a 1,000 SF ship store that will serve the future restored marina. The City will finance the restoration of a 29-slip marina and boat ramp at the site. The 25th-floor roof level of the high-rise will have a sundeck, sky lounge, and sky bar. In addition, Related will contribute a parcel of about 4,200 SF for an expansion of the St. Johns River Park space and provide $3.98 million over 30 years for park maintenance. The site encompasses the former River City Brewing Co. restaurant and marina, which closed in 2021.

The project received a $39 million completion grant and a $19.79 million Recapture Enhanced Value Grant.

Investment: approx. $200 million
Status: Approved by DIA Board, Incentives Package Approved by City Council

Situated in the ground floor of the Schultz building at 120 W. Adams St, Obscura Ramen is announced in downtown Jacksonville. The ramen-arcade concept by owner Jimmy Blackheart will feature a space “where ramen, gaming, art, and culture collide.” Inspired by South Korean PC lounges, Obscura will offer an evolving ramen and food menu alongside arcade games and associated art.

Tavola Trattoria is bringing an “upscale yet approachable Italian restaurant blending classic cuisine with modern presentation and local Florida ingredients” to 1037 Hendricks Ave.

The restaurant will be open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, serving brunch, lunch, and dinner to a targeted crowd of young professionals, hotel visitors, Downtown residents, weekend diners, and an upper-scale business lunch crowd. Owned by Carl and Lindie Garrett, trattorias are typically casual, family-owned Italian restaurants with homestyle cooking. Tavola San Marco will closely resemble the existing location in Bentonville, Arkansas location with a large menu and a full bar.

It will receive a $135,000 DIA Core Retail Enhancement Program grant. Tavola Trattoria plans to renovate its building at an estimated cost of $600,000. The full 4,500-square-foot renovation would be for the dining room, which includes an open kitchen, a large display pizza oven, and a cocktail bar with seating.

Jacksonville-founded Pearl Hospitality Group is in talks to redevelop the 927 Events building into a Japanese listening bar named Koto.

The concept is still being finalized, but as of summer 2025, Koto would span two stories with a live vinyl listening bar on the second floor and an izakaya — basically a pub — on the first floor. The first floor would have a more casual dining experience with a 1960s- to 1980s-inspired feel and offer drinks with small bites.

Listening bars have been popular in Japan since the 1950s, generally described as cafes with high-quality stereo equipment where customers listen to records from a library behind the bar. In the past decade, the concept made its way to America — sometimes called a hi-fi bar — and several have emerged in New York, Los Angeles, and other cities.

Located in a beautifully restored 100-year-old building with striking art-deco character, Oak Steakhouse will offer an elevated dining experience rooted in tradition. Guests will enjoy Prime Certified Angus Beef®, a seasonally driven menu featuring local and regional ingredients, a world-class wine list, and gracious, attentive service in a space that’s both sophisticated and welcoming. The Oak Steakhouse intends to open on the first floor in the former Jacobs Jewelers space in early 2026.

Charleston, S.C.-based Indigo Road Hospitality Group, which operates the steakhouse concept and Japanese cuisine restaurants O-Ku, including one in Jacksonville Beach, announced the project in November 2024.

New to The Elbow: Dapper D’s Cigars Downtown will transform 11 Ocean St., next to Cowford Chophouse, into a new fast casual restaurant and cigar bar and cocktail lounge.

The establishment will receive a grant from the Food and Beverage Retail Enhancement Program Targeted Retail Activation: Food And Beverage Establishments Grant (FAB-REP) in an amount not to exceed $187,620, supporting the build-out of the new concept.

The Peninsula is undergoing a $39 million improvement project to improve the building both structurally and aesthetically. Standing at 37 stories, the 840,000 square-foot residential tower is undergoing renovation to its exterior and surrounding areas.