The atmosphere was, well it wasn't! We waited for an hour in anticipation for food and they rang a dinner bell and everyone ran to get in line for food that left much to be desired! They were supposed to bring fried shrimp to the table and never showed up. No Southern charm in this restaurant !! read more

What a great way to spend Valentine's Day with my husband! This place is so amazing the fried chicken made my heart happy, and belly full!! The crew and Mr. Art are wonderful we can't wait to come back! read more

Southern Charm - Soul Food Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

Simply good chicken and mac an cheese. Greens. Place needs a make over. Better plates and no plastic utensils.

A hidden gem! Doesn't look like much from the street but once you get inside you are greeted by the witty chef Art. The food was plentiful and so very good. We stumbled upon this place on Friday night which happened to be their buffet night. It was so good! Got a huge plate of food from the buffet line, and then they bring out a huge plate of fried shrimp, blackened shrimp, and homemade cinnamon rolls. On top of it all they give you a to go box so you can take whatever you have left and anything you wanted off the buffet line.. Lastly it is byob. So what I am telling you is go!!! read more

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If you are looking for fancy this is not your place but of you are hungry and want great food and great service then this is your place. It is a small buffet made by chef Art who is one of the nicest guys that you will meet. He greeted me and asked if it was my first time I said yes and he told me he would bring out some fried shrimp Nd green tomatoes. So the fried chicken was hot and juicy all the side were great as I was getting full out came a overflowing plate of shrimp and green tomatoes. The batter was light and crispy i wish i was not so full but they let me take the leftovers home. So if you want some simple great food this is the spot and chef Art is a added bonus. read more

There aren't enough words to describe how amazing Art is and his cooking! After my first visit to Southern Charm during the Tax Slayer Bowl weekend, I was hooked. I have brought so many family and friends to his restaurant since then and everyone LOVES it! Some of my friends have even brought some of their co-workers and told me about their experiences. I am allergic to shellfish, but when I come here, I pop some allergy meds and make sure to have my epipen handy because I cannot resist Art's fried shrimp and I always have to have two or three. I get the buffet, which comes with more food than my stomach can hold. The best part is that Art encourages you to take food home! What buffet ever lets you take food home?!! Art is so much fun and makes your visit so enjoyable and entertaining. I've come back for my birthday, graduation, and will be back for many more occasions. Don't be alarmed from the appearance because it is truly a diamond in the rough! read more

This place is unbelievable. I went with my family for the lunch buffet, where there was a salad, rice, black eyed peas, collard greens, fried pork chops, and some fish wrapped around crab meat. We ordered a plate of fried green tomatoes and a large plate of fried shrimp, which was quickly devoured. Chef Art is friendly and entertaining, and brought a second plate of fried green tomatoes and shrimp to our table (most of which we ended up having to take home). Absolutely delicious; I'm lucky this place isn't close to home or I'd be here far more often than would be healthy. read more

Southern Charm - Fried shrimp and fried green tomatoes - Soul Food Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

We had the pleasure to dine for brunch today after church. The name says it all- Southern Charm. Good food and good hospitality. Here's some of the menu items: fried chicken, ribs, greens, mac and cheese, black eye peas, butter rice, rolls and Christmas salad. My favorites were fried chicken was season just right, the black eye peas had the thickness and the salad-had an array of things like fresh strawberries, pineapples, coconuts, pecans. chef Art stated that he don't use bottle dressing nor can vegetables. If this is your very first time at the restaurant Chef Art has a nice surprise for you. Enjoyed it!!!! Thank you, Gail read more

This is a place for a crazy experience. Chef Art serves great food and in an inclusive and entertaining way. It feels like being at a family barbecue with much better food. The sides are great, but save room for the ribs. That is where it's at. The cinnamon rolls are increíble and made with lllllllove. read more

Great restaurant, great chef. Nice people all around and they make some mean bbq. Portions are huge as well! Would reccomend

Such an experience this place is! Seriously there is nothing like it. It's truly one of a kind and the food is to damn die for! Chef art has a small team of really great folks working with him and it's really just a little hole in the wall but you cannot beat it. You're welcome to bring your own beer or wine if you choose to and the collard greens are out of this world. Last time I went we had fried shrimp and catfish, blackened shrimp, collard greens, cheese grits, friend green tomatoes and at the end they come around with brownies. They usually only serve sweet or unsweetened tea! Definitely must try at least once! If there's enough left over he send you home with so much shrimp and whatever else he has to spare!absolutely worth it! read more

This place is absolutely amazing. Art the cook has the best charm. Very welcoming place. The food is the best southern food in all of the Jacksonville area. A must try!!. read more

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Just go here don't even think twice! Chef Art is one of the most down to earth guys you will ever meet. Wonderful experience here from the food to the service. I wish I had 10 thumbs to give a 10 thumbs up! You will not leave hungry that is a promise! read more

I couldn't understand the good reviews for the life of me. The owner was very nice and welcoming, which is why I purchased the food I refused to eat. This place can't be sanitary. Sorry Mr. ART this place turned my stomach. I threw it all away. read more

Eh this was not good. The fried chicken was the star of the show. The shrimp was hit or miss. Sides were not good at all. Atmosphere? Kinda like eating at ur country cousins house complete with eccentric uncle and questionable kitchen cleanliness.... read more

Great food served with pride and joy. This place is a "must-do" especially if you love real fresh green beans, real fried green tomatoes, really home cooked food. Art is quite the entertainer and you can tell he loves for you to feel welcomed and enjoy every bite. Fresh fried shrimp brought to the table and he even had some amazing fish too. Southern Hospitality overflows here!! read more

Such a wonderful place. Make sure you go HUNGRY! You'll want everything from Trailer Trash to an over flowing Redneck Surf and Turf. We celebrated four birthdays there this evening. The Chef supplied awesome food as well as his colorful and charming personality. He can belt out a mean Happy Birthday, There is a comfort feeling at Checkers, so much so we had no problem offering other customers and the Checkers staff birthday cake. All in all, a great dinner - Great company = a full and happy family. read more

Are you hungry? Oh that's cool- because there's this place called Southern Charm. Simply put; it's one of the most unique, generous, tasty dining experiences this side of the Mason Dixon Line. Now I don't really know what the mason dixon line is- but I do know that Southern Charm is dishing out some of the tastiest soul-food/crack I've ever had. But it's not only the food. It's more. It's all of it. It's the mash-up of decor, it's the byob (we brought cheap champagne ya bish), it's the knowing looks in the eyes of the patrons. It's the fact that for the weekend buffet they do one seating and that's it. It starts at 6:45-it's over by 8:30. Mercurial, fleeting, but while you're in it, you're smiling, as the shrimp is piled higher, as they bring another platter to spoil you, as you finish your first bottle of champagne, you're there. Right where you're meant to be. At the center of it all is the proprietor, Art. Part Ragin Cajun, part chef, all awesome. With a clang of his dinner bell the two rooms converge on the buffet line. Perfectly fried whiting fish, generous crab cakes, fried green tomatoes, fresh collared greens with pulled brisket, scalloped potatoes with the genius addition of actual scallops, cheese grits, ribs. It's all there- take as much as you fucking like sir. Don't worry- as soon as you sit down they're going to bring you a heaping plate of the freshest fried shrimp I've ever had. Finished? I know you're not, but there's more. Oh yes. Much more. How about some blackened shrimp? Bathed in a butter spiced roux- they're there too. Second bottle of champagne. Second round, glancing around the room- everyone collectively exhaling, thinking, 'what the hell is this? and where has it been all my life?' More shrimp, more potatoes. Can't. Eat. Another. Bite. To go boxes are offered. They're not throwing it away. You fill up two boxes. They're in your fridge now. You're thinking; "Not tonight, but tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll be back." They bring cookies to the table. They're delicious. You pay the bill: It's $20 a person. You tip a bunch. It was excellent. And then it's over. The dining room of strangers emerges, strangely bonded. Clutching their Styrofoam boxes. We'll be back. read more

Me and my wife went there for the Saturday get together. Truly a family atmosphere and the food was absolutely delicious and I really enjoyed the fried Shrimp and the scalloped Potatoes and the Fried Whiting. Highly recommended for an enjoyable Saturday evening. Thanks Art and your staff. read more

The wife and I are in town from Baker, LA. We are always searching for the right tasting food while traveling. We read a few of Southern Charm reviews and decide to give it a try. Well we hit the jackpot! We were greeted by the Chef/Owner Art. Art adds the good down home charm in his greeting and explains the menu. The fish and shrimp were hot and delicious. They came with some very well prepared sides I.e. Grits, collar greens, Mac and cheese and coleslaw. All sides were made from scratch. The tarter and cocktail sauces were also homemade and delicious. We are only in Jacksonville for three days but we have to revisit before leaving. This is a wonderful restaurant being ran by one of the Greatest read more

Fresh delicious food. I really liked the family atmosphere. It was my first time here. Art and his staff made us feel very welcome. And OMG the food is amazing. Can't wait to go back read more

Wow this place is awesome! And so is Chef Art! It smells so good inside... Wood fire smoking inside of the restaurant. Everything I've had on their buffet (twice) is seasoned so well. Love the mac n cheese and I've always hated greens till I had them here. They asked me if it was my first visit and then chef Art brought me a full plate of fried fish, shrimp, and fried green tomatoes. Because of this extra plate (probably valued at $15 at a seafood place), I wasn't able to eat much of the buffet food. The waiter asked me if something wrong.... Why I didn't eat much from the buffet.... And What I didn't like. It was only because of the extra food they gave me... Which was too much but I took it home. My second trip there, chef Art happily greeted me, knew who I was, and asked if i wanted the exact seat I sat at before. I'm a conversationalist and he took the time to sit with me and chat for 15 minutes while it's slow. His personality is awesome... I can tell he cares about everyone he talks to, and the food is soooooo good. The one positive thing (maybe negative go some) is that a lot of food doesn't seem salted enough. However restaurants oversalt their food and I'm glad he's giving the option to be healthier, and go let you salt it urself with the salt at the table. Oh and last time I came, they brought cinnamon rolls from the buffet for me to take home. I never like to eat at the same restaurant over and over but this place has addicted me. read more

When you think "Checker", this is not that. Chef Art Jennette is a local icon. There is nothing to compare to what he does in this hole-in-the-wall restaurant. It is a complete dive. But, Art does southern cooking like no other. His "Cracker Cooking" as he calls it is off the charts. His fried shrimp is simply, outstanding! He has a brick oven that he cooks his ribs in and has little more than a home stove that he prepares most of his southern dishes. Fried green tomatoes are awesome, and I don't even like tomatoes. He makes a spectacle on Friday and Saturday nights, ringing a bell and saying, "Dinner is served - Hot shrimp!", bringing out the fried shrimp first, puts a mountain of them on every table, then lays his buffet on the counter. Mashed potatoes with bay scallops and cheese are to die for as well as his stratospheric garlic cheese grits. Greens and slaw are awesome and I don't even like greens. Fried crab balls are fantastic, which look like hush puppies. Homemade cole slaw and everything is.His love of cooking is evident in everything he prepares. His assistant Brandon is a nice guy too and helps Art cook and serve. He comes around and talks with his patrons. Later, he brings by his signature Cajun shrimp in a huge skillet after you have already had enough, slapping them down on your plate even if you beg him not to. Art follows this with his home made cookies and I don't even like cookies. But his are out of this world. Outstanding! If you don't have a gym membership, this place might not be for you. I have lived in the south many years and I am telling you, there is nothing to compare to what Art does and it's not just on the weekends. His "Trailer Trash Special" during the week is a pulled pork sandwich with friend green tomatoes and his so lightly battered local Mayport shrimp that will send you into another world. I couldn't find a dinner partner one Tuesday night so I went by myself. I ordered the fried fish and shrimp dinner. Comes with a couple pieces of whitefish and 15 shrimp and two sides at $9.95. Art told me to order the lunch portion at $7.99, so I did. I got 4 generous portions of fish and I counted 31 shrimp. I can't say more about this place. Bring your own beverage, no matter what it is, because you're welcome to do so. Buffet served on Friday and Saturday nights only. Reservations are required only for those nights. Dress code: Board shorts and a T-shirt. 904-398-9206 read more

This is like the biggest joke in jacksonville ppl. I don't know how in the world ppl give this place anything more than 1 star. The location is the ghetto with the only drinks being available next door at the run down bodega. The restaurant itself feels like it's falling apart. Your being served by what look like the local homeless ppl nearby who are there to just get their money for their next fix. The equipment used to cook the food is falling apart and covered in dirt and grease stains. The food is bland and like your eating fried food you could have made by using store bought box frying mix. The sides are tasteless and scary looking. The only good thing is Art who keeps you laughing so you don't focus on everything else. read more

I made a reservation for 630pm Friday, October 30th, just to be sure we got in, the person that answered the phone was very helpful and friendly. We were there on time and seated on time. We were not impressed with the cleanliness, the tables were dirty and sticky. The head chef/owner greeted guests, including shaking hands while wearing his disposable gloves and headed right back to cooking. Dinner was not ready until 730, the food was tasty but the fried shrimp had not been cleaned/deveined. The buffet line means when you reach the fried fish station and it's empty, it was refilled just as I reached the end of the line. I did get to taste the fried whiting, it was good. The ribs are not true smoked ribs, the sauce was tasty though. The cheese grits were good, would have been better if the blackened shrimp had been served at the same time. If you want a lot of food this is your place, as long as the appearance and smell of the restaurant doesn't bother you. We won't go back based on the cleanliness alone. read more

Went here tonight beause someone recommended this place to us. Had reservations upon arriving but the parking lot was full, You know what they say, if the parking lot is full, must be good. So, that's the place where you want to eat. Friday and Saturday is buffet only. That is usually too much food for me. And, I am not much on buffets. We were about to leave when the chef came over and ask us to stay and give it a try. They had one open table. Stay we did, and were so glad we did. It turned out that this chef was the same chef that had a restaurant on Heckshire Drive that we frequented years ago. He and the restaurant was frequent topic of conversation, wondering what ever happened to Chef Art. Now we know. His Restaurant is called Southern Charm located at 3566 St Augustine Rd.. The shrimp is fantastic and it just keeps on coming and coming and coming. The crab cakes are full of "real" crab. The grits were pretty darn good too. be prepared to leave with a stuffed full belly. You won't leave this place hungry. Don't look at the building, neighborhood or decor, just go in and enjoy. The food truly is 5 stars and the entertainment is fun. P.S. Call for reservations if you want to go on Fri or Sat. Paige and Lloyd McGaughey read more

I feel like I am committing a cardinal sin giving Art a bad review, but our experience this evening at Checker's was pretty bad, Got in at about 6:10 and the place was packed but we got a table. Took a while to get our order taken, about 6:30 but no big deal. Was here for the fish, fried whiting, had it a while back & it was great. So we waited... and waited... and waited. After being there for more than an hour and a half (7:40 - still no food) we were told that the fish had run out & we would have to order something else. I was here for the fish, not something else. Many tables around us had large extra portions brought during our wait. We finally got served an hour and forty-five minutes after we sat down, and not the food we wanted. When we complained they said sorry, we ran out, it happens. Never coming back after this. read more

Chef Art is a Master Chef! I was lucky enough to eat his soul food cuisine as a little girl and this past Saturday night for the first time after many many years! I was browsing yelp a few weeks ago, looking for a good spot to bring my parents for my dad's 73rd birthday and discovered that Chef Art was still up to his cracker cooking (thanks, yelp!). I made reservations at Southern Charm ahead of time (do it to ensure you get a seat) and surprised my parents by not telling them who we would be seeing and what would be eating until we got there. I'm so glad I did - What a treat and blast from the past! When we arrived, we were seated immediately and asked our drink order. Chef Art still had the same gentleman employed (one of his assistants) that he did when I was a child, which I thought was neat! My parents immediately recognized him and they spoke about the good ole days. The restaurant is cash only and BYOB so pack some cash and a cooler. We brought a couple bottles of wine to celebrate our special occasion. As the delicious smells from the fresh cracker cooking/soul food filled our noses to the buffet line, nostalgia ensued! Chef Art is hands down, the best seafood soul chef in Northeast Florida. We enjoyed: crab cakes (with loads of real crab), cracker fried shrimp, fried fish, spicy grilled shrimp, collards, coleslaw, bbq ribs drizzled with delicious sweet sauce, grits, potato seafood casserole, fried green tomatoes (my personal fave), tartar sauce, cocktail sauce and for dessert, he personally came out to our table with sweet Georgia brown assorted cookies (ironically, my dad is a Gaw-GA boy) and had the entire restaurant sing Happy Birthday to him! My dad was so caught off guard that he knew this information (I spoke with Art personally when I made the reservations and told him). The night didn't end there. Chef Art let us take home as much food home as we wanted. We had so many leftovers; we literally ate Chef Art's cuisine for the rest of the weekend and it was awesome! An "inside" and frequent saying in my family is Chef Art's motto: "HOT SHRIMP!!! (you have to hear him say it to understand it)." Chef Art is a kind, animated and awesome soul (check him out on Food Network's Grocery Games, too) with his unique and colorful chef hats! Check out Southern Charm for an extraordinary eclectic one-of-a-kind seafood/bbq experience. Don't let the outside of the restaurant scare you. It's definitely a dive. Next on my list: I want to check out Chef Art's Sunday brunch! I bet his fried chicken is the bomb! read more

Great food.. not the cleanest and a guy in the back was drinking a beer but the chef was amazing and the food was truly southern.

This small, out-of-the-way place is not what you expect coming from the city. Art is a down to earth individual. My colleagues & I were greeted with Art's southern charm. I had the whiting fish with collard greens, cheesy grits, fried green tomatoes, and potato salad. Can you say, DELICIOUS? His authentic cooking is awesome! Keep doing what you're doing, Art. Thank you for the southern hospitality and good food. read more

This is the absolute greatest place I've ever eaten not only because of the food but Art and Leonard were so incredibly kind to me and my family we had never been before so Art came and sat down with us explained the menu and what he had available that day then offered to just cook us our own personal buffet which included awesome ginger cinnamon cookies, the most amazing bananas foster pancakes (syrup and pancakes made from scratch), four huge extremely juicy and flavorful fried chicken legs, between 30 and 40 delicious fried shrimp, hand cut french fries, the best fried green tomatoes, and 6 BBQ ribs three sweet tea's and a coke. The best part our total $22.00! If you've never been please give Arts place a try you will be so happy you did. read more

A unique dining experience. A "family style", southern buffet restaurant. If you are looking for a quite, private, elegant evening out, this is NOT for you. Art, the owner will keep your evening exciting and you will be part of the family! You may have a new friend or two before you leave. The plate is plastic as is the silverware, so be prepared for food that does not need fancy service to make it good. Now that, that is taken care of, on to the food. Everything is made from "scratch", is extremely fresh and is wonderfully delicious. All of the food , including the various meats are on the buffet. Art will make sure you have lots to eat. A plate of extra shrimp may show up at your table. The BBQ ribs are incredible. Art does a blackened shrimp dish that is wonderful. You may see Art serving this shrimp dish to your table direct from the sizzling skillet he just cooked them in. A fun and delicious treat. All of the sides are very good and certainly will have a southern flair. "Simply wonderful" described my dining experience. read more

Make no mistake. This place is a dive. Look/feels kind of dirty...small plastic plates and tiny plastic utensils. The fried chicken is A+. Well worth the drive for the beach. Chef Art was out of town and I hope the shortcomings of the other offerings were as a result. The dumplings were woefully undercooked and chewey. BBQ chicken was good but there was only one sauce and it was very sweet. Collards, slaw and potatoes were good sides but the mac and cheese was runny and bland and really not good. I will go back again. It only to get the chicken in a go box. read more

THIS PLACE DESERVES 10+ STARS!!! The owner and Chef, Art, does NOT disappoint. We were treated like family the minute we walked in the door and surrounded by tons of regulars that referred to themselves as a cult following. The food (potato salad, coleslaw, collard greens, okra, spinach, grits, and fried green tomatoes)...were amazing. And those were just the sides which happen to be bottomless until they're gone. Honestly, this place was just what we needed and we didn't even realize it until we were crawling to the car from our food coma. Thank you, Chef Art, for the amazing food and for showing a genuine interest in every person that walked through your door. We will be back again and again! read more

This is the best southern cooking in Jax! Not up for debate. Anyone who has issues with this place either has issues with themselves, came from a family who can't cook, didn't call to make reservations, or they are Chef Art's competition trying to lower his ratings. The food and service is second to none. Period. read more

Price is high, although, the food quality and service is also top notch, all fresh food that isn't processed. The crab cakes are made of real crab, not fish made to taste like crab. Every friend, family member and coworker who has been to this place loves it. read more

Came to Florida on business and had been reading online about seafood restaurants in Jacksonville and saw the rave reviews for Southern Charm. The reviews were so correct about this hidden gem! Art personally welcomes everyone as they enter this small and unassuming restaurant and he cooks everything with skill and love. Seems as though many of the patrons are regulars and Art seems to know them all. The food is outrageously good and generous portions at a price that seems way too low . Today (Sunday) had the buffet which included my drink and home made dessert, all you can eat fried fish, fried chicken, salads, collard greens, smoked ribs, fried green tomatoes and killer mac and cheese. My first visit on a Friday was all seafood on the buffet line along collards, fried green tomatoes, fried fish and the best cheese grits ever and included my drink and dessert. On neither visit did I have room to sample everything. If you want a real seafood and gastronomic experience you have to give Southern Charm a try. read more

Excellent experience. Delicious lunch today -- "The Trailer Trash Special": pulled pork sandwich with mustard BBQ sauce, fried shrimp (very fresh), and fried green tomatoes. Authentic ramshackle ambience. A real treat. read more

Where has Southern Charm and Art been all my life??? I love this place! We plan on coming back soon for another one of Art's amazing Friday or Saturday night buffets! If you've never been....keep 3 things in mind: come starving (there will be tons of food), make reservations (its a very small place), and its cash only. read more

This place is an experience! if you can get past the hole in the wall look, you will find some of the best southern stile food in Jacksonville. and Friday and Saturday there is a by reservation only event that is to die for. oh It's BYOB. And the price is right. read more