This brewery name was associated with the Bearded Buffalo which went under and the moved the name…read moreto the Phoenix bowling alley but have never brewed anything yet. I hope the do get all their permits and license approved so the can get this up and running. I am looking forward to seeing a successful brewery there! This is a prime location that the owner just bought the adjacent Procyon the water.

***This review is from their soft opening. I will update when they are fully open.***…read more IN SUMMARY: to quote my 10-year-old, "I want to come here every day and eat these nachos and go bowling!" Our experience at the soft opening was great and we are glad to have The Phoenix/Jacksonville Brewing Company finally open! IN DETAIL: The Jacksonville Brewing Company is in the old Phoenix Lanes on Blanding, right by the Cedar River. You know the giant bowling pin on a stick right near the boat on a stick? That's the place. It was closed for about five years and sat empty for far too long even after JBC/Bearded Buffalo bought it. It now has a rusted out old truck up front to mark the driveway entrance, and nice red, lighted lettering on the building letting you know you've found THE PHOENIX. BOWLING I'm pretty sure I heard an employee say the lane wood is new, but all the machinery is pretty vintage and classic. Some hiccups are to be expected. The only problems we had in two games of bowling were that some strikes were not counted as such (we just mentally added on the points at the end, but I think they do have a strike button on the key pad) and the lanes seemed a bit uneven in places. We were just playing a friendly game so this didn't bother us. The bowling shoes are new! That was a nice experience we've never had before. They are vintage-looking, and pretty cute for bowling shoes. Interesting fact from their menu: the bar tops are made from the old bowling lanes. FOOD They were on a limited menu for the soft opening, so we ordered a 14" pizza (pepperoni), 5 buffalo wings (medium), and the BBQ nachos (pork). + The pizza was quite good. Not the best I've ever had, but definitely tasty - and by FAR the best in the Lakeshore/Cedar Hills area! Down side: they forgot our pepperoni! We just had them take off that charge. The bartender was very apologetic. + The wings were a nice size and had good flavor, but the breading was soggy. It would be nice if they'd offer non-breaded wings to keep that from happening. The wings were served with several pieces of celery and some ranch for dipping. + The BBQ nachos were really tasty. I wasn't expecting much from these but they ended up being my favorite thing. Really good flavors and a huge portion size. These could definitely a meal for one person. The food was kind of slow to come out, but I do expect that to get better as they get more in the groove. Also, many of the options they have on the menu that weren't available at the soft opening sound delicious! DRINKS We ordered a margarita on the rocks and a whiskey sour, both wells. The margarita was good; the sour was meh. Just not a lot of flavor. They do not have their beer taps setup yet, but one of the employees said they thought they would be ready by the end of this week. There were several local options setup as well as others. They had cans too. This is going to be a brewery eventually. We asked one of the employees and she said that's supposed to happen by/in December 2018. We're really looking forward to that! You can see them getting it ready to the right of the bowling alley. AMBIENCE/SETTING Really cool and fun decor. It has a cool/hipster/vintage/dive bar feel. I know that sounds weird, but it's really all those things. There are old road signs and old telephones and old beer cans and skeletons riding cycles and that rusted out old truck outside - and a taxidermied buffalo. Inside. It's eclectic and I like it. They are going to be adding a whiskey bar and a karaoke bar to the current beer/cocktails bar and "outdoor" bar area - which is actually indoors but with big garage doors that they can bring up to take the walls away. This area is really nice but may get pretty smoky sometimes. (It is sealed off from the rest of the place, though the rest of the place does smell like cigarettes until you get used to it, likely thanks to the decades being a dive bowling alley. I hate the smell of cigarettes, but this wasn't awful.) There are also tables and high top tables with stools inside and out. In addition to all the above, there are some vintage arcade games and darts. SERVICE Everyone we talked to was super friendly and helpful, and I think we probably talked to at least five employees. The bartender had a little trouble entering our order, but I'm pretty sure that's just because it's all new in there right now. I don't expect to have that problem in the future. SUMMARY I think we're going to become regulars here, especially once they open the brewery portion and the whiskey bar. The food was good enough that we would come just to eat and drink; the bowling is just a bonus. I think Jacksonville Brewing Company/The Phoenix is a great addition to the Westside, and to Jacksonville as a whole!

First time here-- had an assortment of arcade games, dart boards, air hockey, etc. All ages are…read morewelcome before 9:00pm and then it becomes 21 and up after that. We liked this place better than the neighboring Keg & Coin. This location was more open and spread out. Had a good selection of draft beer, seltzers, etc. Bartender was friendly and attentive. I think I would go back as a fun date thing vs going back with my young kids since the games are more for older kids and adults.

Ive been and now cant wait to come back. After being on their social media I knew I would like this…read moreplace but its so much more than I imagined. My fav games like darts and pinball and the beer on tap made my night here incredible. They are so much roomier than I thought. This place just yells FUNTIMES..

Stopped by Kingmaker Brewing to try their cider and eat food from El Cubano Jax. Kingmaker and El…read moreCubano Jax have teamed up, and I am thrilled about that. I got the High N Dry which is a Dry Apple Cider. I don't drink beer so I like to find a brewery/bar that has a good Cider. I will definitely be back.

King Maker is such a dope spot! The Lemon Pepper Shandy is perfect. The Cuban food truck is…read moregreat. The bartender on Friday night is cool as hell. Overall, great place.

This is a Private Members Only Club. Membership is $175 a year for a couple; or $135 for a single…read moreperson. This place is amazingly beautiful sitting right on the St. John's River in Orange Park! They have live music on Wednesday and Friday nights. Members can also rent the place for parties. Come and have a cocktail, but then you must either join or leave.

Had the opportunity to visit this venue as a guest. It was just what hubby and I needed after a…read morevery long, emotionally stressful trip to spend time with sick family member. The evening setting with the St. John's River literally lapping below our feet listening to dear ol' friend from way back in the day sing a few rounds. Also met a few members, quite pleasant folks. Told hubby that if we ever moved back to Jax we would be living further out but close enough to become regular members at this tucked away gem!

There isn't much to dislike about Keg & Coin. I came in yesterday for my kids friends birthday…read moreparty. I had never been but it was awesome. I appreciate the cramped setup and darkness that made me feel like I was in a 90s arcade. I was also pleasantly surprised to see all the free games for Mondays. Tetris, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Time Crisis 3 were all free to play on Monday. In addition there are a ton of other great old games. Killer Queen was cool and I liked some of the other more obscure games. I also noted they had a lot of different beers and a pot vending machine that is also only available after 9PM. This place is awesome!

I love this place and feel like it's such a King Street staple. I attended their second annual…read moreSour Fest recently and thought it was such a fun event, filled with a great variety of sours. Most games are 50 cents to a dollar, and they do a good job about getting newer machines. They recently put in a new Pokémon pinball machine and a Star Wars shooting game that I'm excited about! Staff are fast and friendly. The beers rotate and they do a good job about getting a variety, too. Overall, it really feels like Keg & Coin makes an effort to do community events to bring people in.

A neighborhood gem! A welcoming place for all. Can't say enough good things about the staff and…read moreownership as well. Check them out you won't regret it.

YALLLLL this place is awesome. I'm an alcohol free girly and they have a lot of Non-alcoholic…read moreoptions. Also have great beer and wine that my husband loved. They have sooo many games too - we played battleship like we were kids again and it was so fun. Courtney the bartender was so nice too. They even allow dogs!! We didn't bring our pup this time but definitely will next time. I'm a bit of a homebody but this place was so chill and welcoming and I even ended up chatting with a few other people who were so nice. We will be back SIlver Cow!!!

Had a fantastic experience at Hoptinger! The food was delicious, the drinks were amazing, and the…read moreatmosphere was fun and lively. We loved sharing several appetizers with the table, and everything came out quickly and fresh. A special shoutout to Michael for providing outstanding service. He was friendly, attentive, and made sure we had everything we needed throughout our visit.

Stopped in here on a day date with my wife after touring the USS Orleck (go check it out)…read more First time stop in and it was awesome. We were seated immediately and the staff was quick. The food was amazingly priced, delicious and came out prompt. We will be back and you should be too.