While enjoying a weekend getaway in Jacksonville, we happened upon Uptown Kitchen & Bar--and it turned out to be a great find! We ordered the shrimp and gouda grits, fried green tomatoes, crab cakes, and a couple of brunch cocktails. The shrimp and grits were beautifully presented, creamy, flavorful, and covered in a rich sauce that brought everything together. The fried appetizers were golden, crispy, and paired perfectly with the dipping sauces. Our cocktails were just as enjoyable--colorful, refreshing, and the perfect addition to brunch. Uptown Kitchen & Bar was a delicious surprise during our getaway. If you're in Jacksonville and looking for a good brunch spot with flavorful food and fun drinks, it's definitely worth stopping by! read more

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We came here on Sunday July 26th and there was a 25 minute wait which wasn't bad because it was jam packed inside. We thought for sure they would make us sit outside in that heat but we got a decent table inside towards middle. We arrived there about 11:40am and table was ready at noon we sat at the table after host seated us for 40 mins before even being offered water or anything. Our waiter (Nicole). Came to table when we first arrived just to tell us she would be with us shortly just for us to wait almost an hour. ATP we are starved and super thirsty. 12:38 she came to table to say "I'll be wit y'all in a few" and looked back to see the table behind us was her table too but came after us. So she finally took our order after realizing we were still waiting patiently. The food came out within 15-18 mins and was fresh. We had no complaints on the food at all other than my grits was a little lumpy. But still a great flavor. Everytime our waiter came back she seemed to be irritated or frustrated, but you shouldn't take that out on the customers specifically ones who have been nothing but kind. After we finished eating she brung a payment book with one receipt and said "is it ok that it's all on one receipt?" But it was more like she was telling us and didn't ask before hand and didn't even let us answer. She sat the receipt down and just walked out as we were answering. We planned to have 3 different checks because we were going separate ways. I called the manager over and he fixed it immediately and apologized for that. Some people just don't need to work in customer service. I get people have bad days but that was a bad experience for our first time there. Everyone else was super sweet except her. Atleast our food was good. Her customer service is definitely a 4/10. Even the table behind us was upset and requested a refund on the food. I would definitely go back just wouldn't want her as a server! read more

Uptown Kitchen & Bar - Food was good waiter was horrible! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

Delicious !!! Great atmosphere!!! Great service!!! I would definitely come back!! If you're in Jacksonville Florida come visit read more

Uptown Kitchen & Bar - Catfish and grits - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

My fourth year coming to Uptown Bar & Grill during the Jacksonville Jazz Fest, and every single time there's a long line -- but it is absolutely worth the wait! The food is always amazing, and the atmosphere is energetic and fun. A very special shoutout to Christine, the bartender, who truly stands out. Her personality, speed, and professionalism are everything you hope for in a busy restaurant and bar. She's extremely knowledgeable about the menu, makes fabulous drinks, and still manages to make every customer feel welcomed even during the rush. Also, the dishwasher must be a hard worker because there was never a wait for clean dishes Christine the bartender said that he is also a hidden jewel! But the true hidden star here is Barry -- and although his title may be busboy, I'd definitely call him a busman because of the pride he takes in his work. While waiting, I watched him constantly keeping the bar and surrounding areas spotless. Nothing sat on tables for more than a minute. He stayed moving, organized, and focused the entire time. It's refreshing to see mature, hardworking staff who truly know how to handle large crowds during a huge event like the Jacksonville Jazz Fest. That level of teamwork and customer service does not go unnoticed. Highly recommend! read more

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Very good and the place can get busy. We were able to walk in and be seated promptly. Staff was very friendly. You have street parking so it's easy to access. Great spot for small or big groups, however, if you have a large group, get on the wait list early or call to give them a heads up. Food portions were really good and their waffle batter is different in a great way. They had many meat and I'm glad they had something other than beef and pork. Chicken sausage was very good. When I'm in town again, I will come back. read more

Uptown Kitchen & Bar - Breakfast plate - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

The girls and I headed over to uptown for their Brunch on a Sunday. The mimosas were great, wonderful service and the food was good too. Will def be back. The only negative is that it felt a bit cramped in the restaurant. read more

Uptown Kitchen & Bar - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

The food is a definite, five out of five. Our server was sweet and kept our coffee full and hot. Great southern breakfast place. I had the shrimp and Gouda grits and added a piece of catfish for 9$ extra. Let me tell you that was one of the best fresh catfish I've had it was thick and cooked perfectly!!! My husband had an omelette with veggies. We did order an appetizer a Philly eggroll. That was a creative dish had plenty of meat and it wasn't overly bready. We liked it. The place had a lot of southern food options... such as chicken and waffles , liver and onions, fried green tomatoes, catfish. They also had a full bar with some creative cocktails for mimosas. Seems like a well rounded menu where you can find something old school or new modern dish like the Philly egg rolls. read more

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I was really excited to try this place as it always looks packed when I pass by but the service was not good at all. The hostess was unprofessional and left us standing there for quite some time without even acknowledging us, then seated people that came in behind us before us. We ended up outside, it was chilly but we were hungry and had an event to go to. We arrived around 12pm. The waitress Caroline was sweet and helpful but also moved incredibly slow even after we asked for our ticket when she brought the food out, I thought she quit we waited so long. The food came out and looked good but wasn't as tasty as I had hoped. The salmon was the best but the grits lacked flavor. My friend loved the shrimp po boy though. My other friend enjoyed the waffle but stated the chicken lacked flavor too. Hoping it was just a bad day but for $30 per plate not sure i would try it again read more

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We were in town with the in-laws to go see the Isley Brothers in concert. They definitely put on a great show, but that's not what this review is about, lol. Earlier that morning, we visited Uptown Kitchen. There was plenty of street parking, and we entered and were immediately seated. Our server was interesting to say the least, but she got the job done (with our constant reminders). The food and drinks were tasty and filling. We all enjoyed our respective meals. We will be back to Jax, and when we come back, we'll visit this gem again, for sure. read more

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Some friends and I had lunch at Uptown Kitchen today, which leads me to a mixed review. The good ... lunches were well portioned, and tasty. Their Gouda Grits (I forgot to take a picture) are as good as advertised, items were fresh and plated nicely. Our Server, Caroline was delightful. The bad .... The Hostess was so incredibly rude and dismissive, I considered walking out and going a couple doors down to a different restaurant. From enter to exit was over an hour, with long waits which seem a challenge at lunch when many have limited time. A young woman sat outside near us on a loud speaker phone for 20 minutes, and while I realize we cannot control rude people I could be addressed. I won't say DONT GO, but I will say there are several other tasty options in the area. Customer Service is too important and too easy to offer, to be overlooked as it was today. read more

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Brian & staff thank you for your great hospitality with these amazing dishes *chef kiss*. I can't wait to return. My family & I love to brunch together. read more

Uptown Kitchen & Bar - Catfish, Oxtails & Grits - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

While visiting Jacksonville we decided to stop by Uptown Kitchen & Bar for brunch & we Loved it so much we went twice while there. The drinks , food and customer service were Amazing . We'll def be back. The ambience was busy and loud . Nice music playing inside and a constant flow of traffic . For food we had -Philly Cheesesteak Egg-rolls, Catfish added shrimp & grits, Shrimp & Grits, Chicken & Waffles, Waffle special : Cinnamon Roll waffle & Chicken & Banana Pudding cake. For drinks we had - Breakfast for Dinner, Strawberry Hemingway, & Hennessy Mosa. read more

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Packed on a Saturday morning, I arrived by uber so it eliminated the need for parking. I did notice street parking and parking behind the restaurant. Once the waitress realized I was by myself she immediately sat me at the bar. I ordered a bucket of mimosas and fried catfish (hard) over grits ($60 after tip) . And let me tell you the food did not disappoint. I was joined by regulars who sat beside me , whose conversation kept me entertained while eating. The ambiance was very busy & everyone knows Ryan the bartender who's super sweet and attentive. Overall I would revisit based on the camaraderie of the customers that surrounded me , that spoke volumes. If you haven't tried this place .. please do and if you go pack your patience because this joint stays busy read more

Uptown Kitchen and Bar in Jacksonville was excellent from start to finish. I had the salmon croquettes with grits paired with a Bloody Mary--everything was flavorful and cooked just right. My girlfriend ordered the shrimp and grits, which were rich, savory, and perfectly done, and her daughter loved the pancakes. Great food, welcoming atmosphere, and friendly, attentive service. This place knows how to do brunch right, and we'll definitely be back. read more

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Before I started this review, I read what I wrote the last time I had eaten at Uptown. So, here it is: Five of us showed up at Uptown after an unfortunate experience trying to eat at Tulua Bistro. We walked in, waited about 3 minutes and was seated with no issues. We placed our order and received our food post haste. The food was fantastic. I had the Let's Meet Up and one of my friends had the Shrimp and Grits. It looked delectable and tasted great. What a difference 4 years makes. I will definitely return and bring others. Uptown saved the day and the birthdays we were celebrating. read more

Uptown Kitchen & Bar - Let's Meat Up - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

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I'm here again for the 2026 the food was excellent. I can't complain. The service was prompt and excellent. The ambiance was for everyone and everything was so great. The food was A - 1 read more

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Had breakfast at Uptown today Horrible! I had grits and crab cake. The crab cake was horrible no taste of crab!

Breakfast was amazing as usual. Servers are friendly and take care of you Cinnamon waffle of the month was perfect.

Dining in is a completely different experience than ordering to go. With avocado toast, you would expect the majority of the "toast" to be avocado.. was disappointed when this is what I saw read more

Uptown Kitchen & Bar - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

Dropped in at the tail end of happy hour--great perks like two-for-one wine and dollar-off cocktails until 7pm. Started with the Voodoo Balls--crispy Cajun seafood bites on mixed greens with sweet chili sauce. The redfish special over creamy Gouda grits with spinach and 6 Cajun shrimp was flavorful, filling and a large portion. Banana pudding to-go was light, almost like whipped banana cream. Dinner's as good as brunch--will return. read more

Uptown Kitchen & Bar - Voodoo balls - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

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Uptown kitchen was a decent experience I went on a slow night. Service was really good. The server was really nice. The food I gave a six out of 10 portions were huge, but flavor was lacking. Overall ambience was inviting. read more

Uptown Kitchen & Bar - Delicious - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

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We stopped in here for brunch. There 14 Of us and outside of an hour wait (which is understandable with such a big party without reservations) everything was great! Our party had to be split up with 7 at the bar and 7 at a table, only because we were tired of waiting. The food A+ the service at the bar was great. Ryan although we sat down 25 min before closing, was great. The lemon blueberry pound cake was AMAZING!! The Voodoo balls make you wanna slap the cook they were so good! Fish and grits were the best I've EVER had. read more

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The chicken was crispy , waffles fluffy and service was great. My pup was welcome outside and vibes were great inside and out. read more

Uptown Kitchen & Bar - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

Very good food and great service! Our waitress recommended the Hemingway and it was a definite 10/10. The line was long when we got there but moved very fast. The food was definitely worth the wait. I had chicken and waffles and my date had the Cajun chicken pasta. We loved everything about it and plan to go back soon. read more

Uptown Kitchen & Bar - Mangomosa and strawberry Hemingway - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

I've heard so many great things about it. However, unfortunately. I didn't get to experience the greatness. Flies are constantly flying around inside. One landed on my toddler straw so I had to replace it. One was attacking me for my plate as well so that's pretty annoying. The food was bland. I got the lobster omelette. The Gouda grits was good. Our waiter wasn't so good. She came by twice and the remaining times I hand to waive her down. Probably wouldn't go back read more

Paid another visit to Uptown Kitchen and Bar. If you arrive and there's a wait, just know it's 100% worth it. All the servers are top notch, and I've never had anything but excellent food there. The atmospheric is clean, casual and always lively during brunch. Always generous portions and reasonably priced. The food...excellent. I've lived in the south since 2004 and I've always thought Chicken and Waffles just sounded like a mistake. This weekend, I decided I trusted Uptown enough to give it a try. I'm so glad I did. Either the waffle or the chicken tenders would have stood on their own. When this combination was eaten together with their syrup, just divine, stick to your ribs, comfort food of the highest order. I'll be back, I'll wait if needed, I'll sit at the bar, I'll sit alone, this place is awesome. I highly recommend you give them a try. read more

Uptown Kitchen & Bar - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

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Shoutout to our local community heroes like Kristen K. , Lancie, and staff. We enjoyed our meal here. The atmosphere, hospitality, and food is so great. The entrees are generous, gorgeous, and masterfully cooked. I could really taste the love! Kristen is so radiant and personable. She even let us sample the amazing oxtails ! These are proper!!! Fall of the bone tender, succulent, and unctuous!! We love the batter used on the catfish. The savoriness and crunch is perfect. The grits are the perfect texture and rich. My waffle was huge! And went perfectly with the chicken tenders! White meat tenders with a crunchy coating. Sweet and salty for the win! The berries and whipped cream made it an extra special treat! Lancie took care of us our first at our first visit. She definitely made us welcomed and our visit so memorable that we had to come back! Sweet staff! Bravo read more

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This is my 4th time visiting and they never disappoint. The fried green tomatoes are my favorite. The catfish and Gouda grits are fire: try them with shrimp too. Delicious! The place is always busy when I go so be patience with the servers. Although there's a lot of customers and it can get loud, we had no trouble hearing for the most part read more

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We came on a Friday afternoon for brunch. We decided to sit outside since the inside was a little busy. The outside atmosphere was nice just a lot of flies, but that's a part of eating outside. We started with some cocktails. I tried the I'm on holiday b*****. It was very good as well as the henny margarita. They had oxtail Gouda grits as a special item so I ordered that and it did not disappoint!! Very good portion and very flavorful! read more

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My husband ordered to go before work. He ordered the breakfast plate $15. They put the butter and syrup inside the container of waffles. So the butter melted and not to mention, putting dirty condiment packages on top of the food. People drop condiments, step on them, put them on dirty surfaces and then on top of someone's food????? You know how much bacon you get in an All Star breakfast at Waffle House for a cheaper price? Not just 1 single piece. If your going to up charge people the least you can do is not short them on their servings. And properly plate or package it. And if you want to complain you better go in person because the phone is constantly off the hook. read more

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Had the chicken tenders and waffles...the waffle was huge.. did not expect it to be so big and plenty go chickens te feed around. U fortunately I was so hungry I didn't take a picture of it before eating some. It was delicious and had a Froot Loops whip crème. The good doo doll were kinda like a crab ball.. good too The waiter eases were really friendly, nice and attentive read more

Uptown Kitchen & Bar - Voo doo balls - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

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The shrimp and grits is pretty delicious. I also tried the shrimp po boy- a must have

I decided to go here yesterday for brunch. The food here us always good. Sometimes there may a wait time, depending on the time of the day. The service here was very good that day. Parking is slightly difficult to find, being that they don't have a parking lot. After a few minutes I was able to find a parking spot at an empty lot across from the restaurant. The ambiance within this restaurant is just regular. I decided to order their chicken and waffles. The waffles were fresh and delicious. The chicken was very and flavorful as well. It was served with warm syrup. I added a few drops of hot sauce within the syrup to give an extra kick to it. I will be definitely returning here soon. read more

Uptown Kitchen & Bar - Chicken and waffles - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

The food and customer service were so good the first time we had to go back. Delicious catfish and salmon. Husband had shrimp and grits. The Philly cheesesteak egg rolls are so good just let it cool off a little. The sweet tea is very sweet so I get half unsweetened tea. The banana pudding cake is a customers favorite so they run out fast. Either come before or after the lunch crowd as the place gets really busy. read more

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I was immediately disappointed as my wife, and I exited our vehicle and walked into the recent cloud of Marijuana smoke. We walked in and added our names to the waiting list. We then walked outside and sat at a table on the patio. While we were looking at the reviews, trying to zero in on our meal choices, another guest walked by and sat behind us. And once again, thank you my wife and I were inundated by the strong odor of Marijuana. At this point, we were sickened by the odor and lost interest in having brunch here. We canceled our reservation and left the premises. read more

So first the bad: After waiting several minutes to be seated on a fairly busy Thursday morning around 9:30am, we waited another 10 minutes before our waitress came by and took our orders including our drinks. It took another 12 minutes to get our coffees. (I don't care how busy you are, if you can't sit down and get your drink within 10 minutes, I'm probably not coming back.). Within minutes of receiving our coffee, our meals came out so we didn't even get a refill. Now the good: The food was very good. I ordered the "Two Egg Breakfast" ($12.00), which was 2 eggs over medium, bacon (for my meat), wheat toast, and for my side I chose their "Gouda Grits". My daughter ordered their "Avocado Toast" ($9.00), which was one egg, tomatoes, and Avocado spread over Italian bread with EVOO. I tried a couple of bites and it was delicious! Like I said, the food was very good. Also good: The employees were all very nice and apologized several times for taking so long. The setting is relaxed and laid back and the bar near both entrances / exits seems like a great place to sit and relax aside from the main dining room. Im going with 4 Stars because of the food and employees. It's definitely worth checking out. Hours are 8am - 3pm daily except for Monday when they're closed. read more

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The food was nothing short of delicious. The catfish was fried so crispy and tender. I went on a Sunday morning, pretty busy. They told me the wait time was 45 minutes but thankfully, our table was ready in less than 20 minutes. Super nice vibes. The way the food was plated was so nice. I enjoyed it and will return! If Maddie is available to wait on you, ask for her she's amazing at her job & super attentive!! read more

Uptown Kitchen & Bar - Catfish and grits - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

Decent brunch. Good food comes with lots of attitude and "meh" service. So don't expect service with a smile. Never had a bad meal here and the establishment is clean. read more

I went to this place and I ordered the oxtails and grits, I have had it before and it was delicious but this time I must have gotten leftover oxtails because they tasted old and I'm paying 35 dollars I'm gonna need for them to be on point and the grits was lumpy, I will not I said WILL NOT GO BACK TO THIS PLACE AGAIN read more

Uptown Kitchen & Bar - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

I love that we have a local spot like this downtown! The vibe inside is chic, yet homey. It's everything you would want from a breakfast joint a few notches up from a basic diner. The staff is super friendly and treats everyone like family. The food here is delicious. It's like culinary genius meets southern hospitality. I've had the shrimp and grits, the chicken and waffles, a few omelets, and some breakfast classics and everything's been great! I even brought my parents when they came into town and the quite enjoyed their meal. I have to give a special spotlight to: the Mimosa bucket!! It comes with a whole bottle of champagne, orange juice, cranberry juice, strawberry puree, and peach puree. They bring this all to your table and you get to craft your own mimosas! Plus, you can take the champagne with you if you don't finish! Great deal all around. I'm looking forward to coming back and trying the oxtail which is apparently amazing. If you're in the area and haven't tried this spot yet, you're doing yourself a disservice. You won't regret it! read more

Uptown Kitchen & Bar - chicken and waffles with wings! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida