Came here with friends after my engagement party and staff was very accommodating moving tables to…read moreseat us. Moody interior with nice decor. Everything felt very clean and sophisticated. I was recommended the lemon berry basil martini which tasted delicious. No complaints here :)

Congratulations to corks and barrel for clay's best on bartenders food atmosphere. I love that…read more It's so close to my house. It's always so packed in there . I love the music in the chilled atmosphere and elegance of the decor. Yes, Cork and barrel is a great place.!

Still a great spot... we call it our "cheers" where everyone knows your name. Food is good and…read moreconsistent. No Michelin stars expected but just good comfort food. Service is always spot on and the environment is strip mall warm so perf ever for where it is. !!

This has become a favorite of our family for Tex-mex food made fresh. I always order the steak…read morequesadilla and it never disappoints me. The fries are crispy, and there is plenty of sour cream to dip your quesadilla in. The service can be slower at times, but the servers are friendly and make you feel at home. The prices are decent, and the quality of the food matches the pricing on the menu. I like that the restaurant is tucked away and partially hidden so it seems like it is for the locals only and makes it not crowded.

I've heard numerous times this spot is pretty good and finally had the chance to check it out. The…read morefood was very good and the service was excellent! It's a cute place. A little bit loud so beware if you're looking for intimate conversation you may have to yell a little lol. I had the lasagna. This was my plan B. It was pretty good but I only got it in my devastation that they were out of aglio olio. Also the lasagna was enormous! But another extra bummer.... They were also out of the ravioli (which is what my dinner companion wanted). However both our meals and the service were good enough to still try to go back to try our original cravings! We also did try the garlic Parmesan breadsticks as an app. Pretty good. But so much bread. My own fault for eating more than one lol

Ever get very excited when you finally get back to a place you haven't been in a while? That's how…read morewe were when we finally went back to Picasso's last night. They're located at 10503 San Jose Blvd over in Mandarin. It was a night of firsts! We had an appetizer we've never had before, then we both ordered things we've never had before. We started with the St. Louis Ravioli, which was great. Don't be intimidated by the size on the photo, they just puff up a LOT. Many people have raved about the steak at Picasso's so I finally ordered it last night. Their special was Prime New York Strip and holy cow, it was a big steak! I ordered it medium rare and it was cooked perfectly. Every single one of you who were raving about the steak were not lying. It was seasoned well, juicy & tender...just excellent. My wife tried their Meatball Madness pizza, which she ordered St. Louis Style. She'd never tried that style of pizza before and she really liked it. It's a very thin crust pizza, cut into squares. She REALLY liked the meatballs to the point where she kept saying that the next time we come back, she wants to try their spaghetti & meatballs. We got there right at 4:30 when they open for dinner and they were packed almost instantly. It's worth noting that our server Kelsie was fantastic through the whole meal. One nice touch was that she took our leftovers, boxed them up and brought them back to us. That may not seem like a huge thing but it's a little touch we always like. This review originally appeared in the Jacksonville Fun, Eats & Drinks Facebook group.

Excellent food, phenomenal customer service, and great environment. This restaurant has become a…read morestaple for us! If you haven't been you're missing out!

Food was so good! Customer service was a 10! Family friendly restaurant! So many options to pick…read morefrom.

**Great Experience & Excellent Service!**…read more As a Cooper's Hawk Wine Club member from Virginia, I always enjoy visiting different locations when I travel. This location is fairly new since my last visit to the Jacksonville area, as I usually visit the Southside Town Center location. Heidi welcomed me and got my tasting started. She was warm, friendly, and very cordial. She later handed me off to Isaac, and he absolutely made my visit. Once I shared that I was a Wine Club member who simply wanted to relax and enjoy my tasting, he understood the assignment! He was attentive without hovering, kept my pours coming, and gave me the space to just chill--that was exactly my vibe. Isaac's customer service was genuine, effortless, and memorable. I left feeling relaxed, appreciated, and simply...nice. He truly sealed my trip to the 904! I'll definitely be back the next time I'm in the Jacksonville area. Thank you, Heidi and especially Isaac, for making my visit such an enjoyable one!

Last night, I had an amazing dining experience at Cooper's Hawk. We hadn't been there in a while,…read moreand Macy was such an attentive and friendly server. She checked every box. Her timing was perfect throughout the meal, and she made us feel well taken care of from start to finish. The food was spectacular. My filet mignon was cooked exactly how I like it, and the whipped mashed potatoes were an absolute dream. They paired perfectly with the steak and broccoli. We can't wait to come back!

I decided to give this place a shot while free for lunch one day and was pleasantly surprised. This…read morehas been my favorite restaurant of 2026 so far from the quality ingredients making up the food to the superb service offered by the staff. I got here as they opened on Sunday, and it got packed relatively quickly. I'd recommend having a reservation if you're planning to visit during busier timeframes like this. I was seated promptly by attentive staff, and quickly had both food and drink menus to begin ordering. I was looking for something tasty without being too heavy, and settled on the Little Hans Vienna Lager along with the 8 oz steak burger and fries. The beer had amazing flavor similar to Devil's Backbone Vienna Lager with a good, crisp finish. The burger meal, described with "Tillamook cheddar cheese, caramelized onion & bacon jam, beef fat aioli, grilled potato roll, truffle fries", was arguablely the best burger and fries I've ever had in my life. Everything tasted fresh, and the flavor of the wood-fired grill certainly complemented the meat. The house-made pickles were a great touch to add another layer of complexity to the burger. I could tell the fries were fresh cut and never frozen. The truffle oil made these even more amazing. The manager offered and brought a special sauce to try that they normally serve with their chicken chicken sandwich that was superbly tasty and tangy. More than impressed with my entree, I elected to try a desert and was recommended the S'mores pie by my waitress. The deliciously buttery crust was my favorite part of the ensemble and blended well with the savory chocolate filling topped with a toasted marshmallow. While a bit pricey for lunch compared to most places, I was more than satisfied with the offerings provided here and would love to visit Ember and Iron again. Give my number one choice of 2026 thus far some love!

Great ambiance and service. The cocktails were very good as well. My partner ordered the Filet…read morewhich was a very good piece of meat. She ordered medium rare but it came out medium well. I ordered the rib eye medium. The rib eye was mostly fat. I expect some with this cut but it was too much. The side for both dishes were very good. We ordered the corn bread in cast iron and it was excellent. I hate giving bad reviews but I have to this time. We won't complain during the meal either. I apologize for this review but going out a meal is special and we expected more.

Excellent food and service.The ambiance was rustic. I ate…read moreate the bar and the bartenders name was Blair. He did an excellent job showing me the specials and served a very tasty Old Fashion and asked hiw I like my old Fationed with bourbon or rye. I choose knob creek rye. I then ordered the goat cheese bruschetta and then main course was the pork osso buca which was so tender and filled with flavor. For desert I had the limonchello mascarpone cake. It was also moist and very tasty. I'll be back to this restaurant.

Probably the BEST BIRTHDAY so far that I could wish or ask for. Thank you god for everything that…read moreyou have given me in life. Having said that what an awesome way to end my birthday with this amazing dinner that I had at this place. One of the best Italian restaurants in Jacksonville I must say. As soon as me and my wife walked in to the restaurant we were greeted and sat right away. The ambiance of this restaurant is truly amazing and very Italian vibe. We were greeted by our server MORGAN who was fantastic from beginning to the end. She suggested some incredible stuff that as a vegetarian I tried and was just amazing. For drinks we had mojito and pinacolada which was nice and refreshing. For appetiser we were recommended with Pomodoro Caprese which was amazing especially their Pesto sauce. For my entree she suggested me Luingini Josephine which was unique and nice pasta. Morgan surprised me with a dessert which was very kind of her. Overall this family owned small business is an amazing must try Italian restaurant. I can't wait to back and try more stuff. I highly recommend this restaurant.

The food was incredible 5/5 stars. Chicken was flavorful pico, queso, and guacamole was really goodread more

Big fan of the other people's locations scattered around the St Johns area and HAD to come try out…read morethe new spot. Food, Atmosphere, Service, everything is top tier!! Would definitely recommend

There are certain moments during a meal when you taste something and immediately have to stop and…read moreask, "What did the chef do differently here?" That happened to us at Al Dente's in St. Johns when we tasted the sauce accompanying their short ribs. We have eaten at Al Dente's many times, so we weren't discovering the restaurant for the first time. It has already earned a place among our favorite local restaurants. But on this visit, we came in for a full Culinary Duo review, and the kitchen prepared a tasting that went well beyond what we expected. And somehow, a restaurant we already knew managed to surprise us all over again. We started with the calamari, which is noticeably different from the traditional calamari plate. Al Dente's uses the prime rings without the tentacles, then sautés them with sliced peppers. The result is tender, flavorful calamari with a cleaner and more consistent bite from beginning to end. We were told that when the calamari is featured during happy hour, it can sell out. After tasting it, we understand why. The quality of the calamari and the simplicity of the preparation allow the seafood to remain the focus of the dish. It impressed us enough to earn one of our Culinary Duo Best of the Best Dish Awards. The gnocchi is another longtime favorite and Best of the Best winner. Al Dente's sautés it and finishes it with a white wine bath, creating the texture that has kept us coming back for it over the years. It is a great example of how a little extra technique can make a familiar Italian dish memorable. Then came the dish that may have surprised us the most, the short ribs. We will admit that short ribs are not normally something we get particularly excited about. Too often, the meat is served with too little sauce, leaving you wishing there was something more to bring the entire plate together. Al Dente's completely changed that for us. The beef was exceptionally tender and practically fell apart. But it was the sauce that immediately caught our attention. It had a wonderful subtle sweetness that was different enough that we had to ask what the kitchen was doing. The answer was port. Using port gives the mushroom sauce a slightly sweeter, richer character that works beautifully with the beef. Add decadent mashed potatoes loaded with butter, garlic, and herbs, and you have the kind of comfort food that makes you want to slow down and enjoy every bite. Sautéed zucchini and yellow squash added freshness and helped balance the richness of the plate. The short ribs became our third Best of the Best selection from Al Dente's. Next came the salmon with lobster ravioli, and this was another example of the kitchen going beyond what was necessary. The salmon was a substantial, thick cut, beautifully cooked, moist, and wonderfully tender. It was paired with lobster ravioli and a wine sauce, which would have made a very good dish by itself. But they didn't stop there. They added actual chunks of lobster claw meat over the salmon and ravioli. We love that. If you are going to serve lobster ravioli, there is something special about seeing and tasting real pieces of lobster on the plate as well. It reinforces the featured ingredient and turns what could have been a familiar seafood pasta combination into something much more memorable. The beef tenderloin medallions followed, accompanied by seasonal vegetables and a white truffle mushroom risotto that deserves almost as much attention as the beef. The risotto combined mushrooms, cream, Parmesan, truffles, and white truffle oil, creating a rich, earthy flavor that complemented the tenderloin beautifully. Risotto can easily become an obligatory side dish, but this one was clearly treated as an important part of the plate. Creamy, savory, and full of truffle character, it was an excellent partner for the medallions. One thing we particularly enjoy about Al Dente's is that the tenderloin is offered as a nightly special and the preparation can change. Guests may encounter different interpretations, including Gorgonzola, Marsala, or au poivre. For regular diners like us, that flexibility makes returning a little more interesting because there can always be something different coming out of the kitchen. By this point, we thought the meal was finished. Then the chef surprised us with a Dubai chocolate pistachio tart. It arrived beautifully plated with chocolate drizzle and whipped cream. This is definitely a dessert for anyone who loves rich flavors. A few bites were enough for us because it was incredibly decadent, but the combination of pistachio and dark chocolate was fantastic. It was a fitting ending to an impressive tasting. What stayed with us most about this visit was not simply one great plate. It was the consistency across the entire meal. The calamari showed how ingredient selection can change a familiar appetizer. The gnocchi demonstrated technique. The short ribs showed how one thoughtful change to a sauce can comp

Calamari appetizer is crispy, pairs with 2 sauces, both are good!…read more The mussels appetizer is full of flavors, tangy, creamy, very generous portion for an appetizer. My next favorite is clams appetizer, also big plate and the clams are so fresh & juicy, cooked in white wine!! So so good! Definitely worth a try! Overall.. great ambiance; inviting & casual atmosphere!

Blue Bamboo has been on our radar for years but somehow with all our time in Jacksonville we still…read morehadn't been.. That was till last weekend went we made a reservation a week out and locked in. We came in for dinner and were quickly seated. We started off with checking out the drink menu and I had to try the Asian Whiskey Smash which sounded very refreshing. Once ordered I have never seen a drink come out faster which made me think it might have been premade but it was still good. Of course course also had to get an appetizer and when with a classic for us that being the Crab Rangoon's which are made with actual Lump-Crab and not Krab....I was also a big fan of the sauce it came with since I'm not a huge fan of the radioactive Sweet & Sour Sauce that many come with. I ordered another drink and this time went with Sake. I got the Sakari Demon Slayer which came in a "Juice Box" which was fun. Not the best Sake for sure but fun and cheap. For my entree I went with the Red Curry Shrimp & Grits. Being such a Curry and Shrimp & Grits fan it's just the best of both worlds. Ashley got the General's Chicken and we also ordered the Chow Fun with Beef for a noodle dish to share. The Red Curry Shrimp & Grits was very good and for sure a must try. It was rich and loaded with shrimp, veggies, and those tasty grit cakes. I have only had a Curried Shrimp & Grits once before and this one was for sure better and that one was good too. Now as if I couldn't speak more on thr Red Curry Shrimp & Grits that wasn't even the best dish of the night. That has to go to the Chow Fun with Beef! This was the best Chow Fun I have ever had by far. This is a must get every time you visit Blue Bamboo. The beef was so tender and the Chow Fun was cooked perfectly and so flavorful. We will for sure be coming to Blue Bamboo again!

Trying to be fair here..... we lived in the far east and NYC Montreal San Fran China towns…read more Ambience? Very nice. A five Star. Service? Same. We had curry noodles off the regular menu a four star. However when it came to the dim sum? Does not compare to other Jacksonville dim sum restaurants.....Not many choices. Ribs were terrible we ordered four different dim sums. The sauces with them were blah as were the dim sums A lot more work needed here