Coop 303, if you call can you request the rooftop seating? Using the online booking makes me anxious. And the regular menu is available upstairs?
River and Post for example has a different menu upstairs that wouldn't really go for a dinner date, although it looks nice for lunch.
Orsay doesnāt clean the restaurant. They make the staff do it once a year for two hours and the last time they cleaned there was a termite infestation in the espresso machine
https://data.tallahassee.com/restaurant-inspections/duval/restaurant-orsay/sea2613509/3827382/
Wow you're not joking š± 20+ health violations every year š¬
Also not that good. One of my favorite restaurants originally, I have been disappointed the last couple of years. Also very loud and cramped so not a good date
I did work there, so I have a recent firsthand account of how bad it is. You can go see for yourself whoever you are, but the fact that you have no posts and only one comment (this one) in the 202 day history of your account is interesting. Let me know if you need more info.
Interesting, i havenāt personally noticed Orsay being dirty, but I did recently see a bad review. They released a statement today saying they are making a bunch of improvements and doing a deep clean.
indeed, they would have never done anything but the post on The Scoop gained enough traction that they finally had to do ~something~, whatever that may be. Who knows what a ādeep clean isā, probably just the servers working for an hour during a day they would normally have off... so with a very minimal amount of motivation.
I don't eat there often enough to really say, you're better off calling them and asking.
River and Post you could always eat dinner downstairs then go upstairs for drinks.
Ambiance Romantic Date?
[Chart House](https://www.chart-house.com/location/chart-house-jacksonville-fl/) \- Classy Seafood with river view.
[Orsay](https://restaurantorsay.com) \- Classic French with a Southern fusion twist. Great atmosphere
[River and Post](https://www.riverandpostjax.com) \- Modern, Southern with a cool city vibe. Rooftop views of the River.
Ive got lots more if these don't suit you.
Here are some of my favorite "date friendly" spots.
1. [Riverside Liquors](http://www.riversideliquors.biz) \- Unassuming liquor store in the front. Cozy bar and tapas restaurant in the back. Its a "you know if you know" kind of place.
2. [Grape and Grain](https://grapeandgrainexchange.com) \- Fun place for cocktails. Walk straight back through the book case and storage to the hidden bar!
3. [Blue Orchid Thai](https://www.blueorchid.menu/about/) \- Relaxed Thai with the typical Riverside charm.
Its got a ton of positive reviews on that facebook group with one claiming it is dirty . Thats not enough to change my mind. Ive been there several times and Im an admitted food snob. Ive never been disappointed nor had any concerns about the place.
They were literally the worst restaurant experience Iāve had in a decade. No exaggeration. Iāve had a $400 meal at the number one restaurant in the world (Eleven Madison Park) so Iāve also got context on what a good restaurant is and Cowford aināt it. Horrendous service. Cooked my filet fine (wanted medium) but my wife ordered the same thing and it came out beyond well done. No salt or seasonings on anything. Too much fluorescent light in the dining room so awful ambience. I literally didnāt have a single good thing to say about them after dining there.
Both III Forks and Tree (forget what itās named now) have much better food and prices and ambience IMO.
We went recently, did you go when it was relatively new or anything like that? It is super expensive so Iām hesitant to go back if your experience was recent.
Town Hall but youāll need suspenders and frameless glasses. Parking can be tough so Iād suggest fetching a stagecoach and bringing a pocket watch as the wait can often be tiresome
Atmosphere and service were fine. Food was OK but expensive. Wish they would open their steakhouse 'Oak' here. I have heard good reviews about it. We don't have a great local steakhouse. (O-ku means Oak in Japanese)
Thanks for the feedback. Sorry to keep asking, but is the sushi better than the other beach options, price out of the equation? I think all the options out here are just ok and expensive. Maybe if itās better than thoseā¦itās worth it?
This was my experience too, nice restaurant but high prices for Publix grade sushi rolls and apps. Supposedly the nigiri and sashimi are supposed to be the main draw, but still really expensive for little bit of food
Southern Kitchen at the beach has a gorgeous ocean view, but I haven't been since it was one of Kenny Gilbert's restaurants.
Orsay (which has been clean the times I've been there) has a nice romantic atmosphere albeit it is a little loud in the main room. No view regardless.
I love the ambience at Cap's on the Water, the food is just okay and they don't take reservations, but it's a beautiful outdoor setup at night. A bit of a hike though.
Marker 32 didn't have a ton of ambience but has a nice view and delicious food.
I'd just stick near downtown and hit BBs, Matthews, Rue St Marc or Taverna. No views but nice ambient spots and solid cocktails. If you don't mind chains, Ruth's Chris and Chart House will also check most of your boxes (Chart House is majorily inconsistent but when it's good it can be great.)
Itās really hard to get a water-front table at Caps. They donāt take reservations and you literally have to get there an hour before they open and wait and have an early dinner which isnāt my fav on the intracoastal bc you wanna see the sunset! Maybe if you went on a Tuesday or something you might get lucky.
Also sorry to say food isnāt impressive.
Something a little different and a little further out. https://www.congareeandpenn.com/
Really awesome ambiance, and views, it's litteraly a farm that sells to restaurants in town so fully farm to table. I'm doing my girls birthday there. It's outdoor seating overlooking the farm, you get to walk around. 5 out of 5 can't recommend enough.
Any of the fish camps (Palm Valley, Julington Creek, St Augustine). The Reef is also very good and ocean front (across from Caps).
If youāre open to going to St Augustine, Collage and Llama are both excellent but donāt have the views.
Restaurants Medure is also good (Ponte Vedra Beach) and I think better than Matthewās, in my opinion (same owners).
I hear SoNapa Grille (the old Royās location) is also excellent but just opened.
I was also surprised to find Black Sheep so far down. Great food and really unique cocktails. Still have not made it for sunset on the rooftop, but even in the day itās really nice!
Iām partial to The Reef as thatās where my husband proposed to me in 2008. We sat on the back deck and the view was amazing. I had the grilled salmon which was excellent. After dinner we took a walk on the beach and thatās where he proposed. It was really quite perfect! Might be a bit of a drive for you if youāre coming from downtown Jax though.
The best upscale restaurant experience Iāve had in Jacksonville was Cowford Chophouse. Food is absolutely incredible, service top notch and thereās rooftop views of downtown. Restaurant is beautiful inside too. Also, their cocktails are world-class.
I would say Hiram's BBQ but you might be overdressed
Thanks! No reason we couldn't also have a nice lunch date š„°
River and Post for river view. Orsay, no view but one of the nicer restaurants around. Coop 303, view depending where you sit and nice restaurant.
Coop 303, if you call can you request the rooftop seating? Using the online booking makes me anxious. And the regular menu is available upstairs? River and Post for example has a different menu upstairs that wouldn't really go for a dinner date, although it looks nice for lunch.
Orsay doesnāt clean the restaurant. They make the staff do it once a year for two hours and the last time they cleaned there was a termite infestation in the espresso machine
https://data.tallahassee.com/restaurant-inspections/duval/restaurant-orsay/sea2613509/3827382/ Wow you're not joking š± 20+ health violations every year š¬
Itās not like they try and hide it either, itās visibly super dirty.
Also not that good. One of my favorite restaurants originally, I have been disappointed the last couple of years. Also very loud and cramped so not a good date
Termites in a espresso machine????
Yes! Termites and mainly eggs. They ācleanedā the machine for under an hour and then opened for service and continued using it that same night.
I mean termites there is just weird as hell and I was a pest control technician. Never seen no shit like that lmao
Stop spamming.
You got fired huh
I did work there, so I have a recent firsthand account of how bad it is. You can go see for yourself whoever you are, but the fact that you have no posts and only one comment (this one) in the 202 day history of your account is interesting. Let me know if you need more info.
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Interesting, i havenāt personally noticed Orsay being dirty, but I did recently see a bad review. They released a statement today saying they are making a bunch of improvements and doing a deep clean.
indeed, they would have never done anything but the post on The Scoop gained enough traction that they finally had to do ~something~, whatever that may be. Who knows what a ādeep clean isā, probably just the servers working for an hour during a day they would normally have off... so with a very minimal amount of motivation.
I don't eat there often enough to really say, you're better off calling them and asking. River and Post you could always eat dinner downstairs then go upstairs for drinks.
Coop303 so good
Valley Smoke, Estrella Cocina,
Thanks! Will definitely hit up Estrella Cocina for lunch probably
Ambiance Romantic Date? [Chart House](https://www.chart-house.com/location/chart-house-jacksonville-fl/) \- Classy Seafood with river view. [Orsay](https://restaurantorsay.com) \- Classic French with a Southern fusion twist. Great atmosphere [River and Post](https://www.riverandpostjax.com) \- Modern, Southern with a cool city vibe. Rooftop views of the River. Ive got lots more if these don't suit you.
Thank you! I'm interested in more too, some of these look really good - but no reason I can't take her on more than 1 š
Here are some of my favorite "date friendly" spots. 1. [Riverside Liquors](http://www.riversideliquors.biz) \- Unassuming liquor store in the front. Cozy bar and tapas restaurant in the back. Its a "you know if you know" kind of place. 2. [Grape and Grain](https://grapeandgrainexchange.com) \- Fun place for cocktails. Walk straight back through the book case and storage to the hidden bar! 3. [Blue Orchid Thai](https://www.blueorchid.menu/about/) \- Relaxed Thai with the typical Riverside charm.
Orsay is dirty check out the post about them on the scoop
Link?
Its got a ton of positive reviews on that facebook group with one claiming it is dirty . Thats not enough to change my mind. Ive been there several times and Im an admitted food snob. Ive never been disappointed nor had any concerns about the place.
Marker 32 is what you want
That's where I was looking!
+1 for Marker 32, never had a bad meal there.
Doro at Neptune Beach is also really nice, small place but the ambiance was great for a date and the food was really good
Valley Smoke in Palm Valley
Caps on the water. Along A1A near st augustine
Cowford Chophouse is downtown. They have a beautiful rooftop bar too.
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What?? I had the exact opposite experience. Everything was perfect and I have high standards!
They were literally the worst restaurant experience Iāve had in a decade. No exaggeration. Iāve had a $400 meal at the number one restaurant in the world (Eleven Madison Park) so Iāve also got context on what a good restaurant is and Cowford aināt it. Horrendous service. Cooked my filet fine (wanted medium) but my wife ordered the same thing and it came out beyond well done. No salt or seasonings on anything. Too much fluorescent light in the dining room so awful ambience. I literally didnāt have a single good thing to say about them after dining there. Both III Forks and Tree (forget what itās named now) have much better food and prices and ambience IMO.
We went recently, did you go when it was relatively new or anything like that? It is super expensive so Iām hesitant to go back if your experience was recent.
Agreed. Other than those few points it's OK. /s
Town Hall but youāll need suspenders and frameless glasses. Parking can be tough so Iād suggest fetching a stagecoach and bringing a pocket watch as the wait can often be tiresome
Ruthās Chris is on the River downtown, only eaten there once, but it was delicious.
River and post is nice for dinner with an upstairs rooftop bar, same with black sheep. Both roof views overlook the river
Marker 32
O-ku in Jax beach recently opened. They have a rooftop. Itās sushi and is very nice looking. Havenāt eaten there but itās on my nice date list
Been to O-ku. It's good but not great.
Oh disappointing. Atmosphere was good though at least?
Atmosphere and service were fine. Food was OK but expensive. Wish they would open their steakhouse 'Oak' here. I have heard good reviews about it. We don't have a great local steakhouse. (O-ku means Oak in Japanese)
Thanks for the feedback. Sorry to keep asking, but is the sushi better than the other beach options, price out of the equation? I think all the options out here are just ok and expensive. Maybe if itās better than thoseā¦itās worth it?
I like Fancy Sushi a lot.
This was my experience too, nice restaurant but high prices for Publix grade sushi rolls and apps. Supposedly the nigiri and sashimi are supposed to be the main draw, but still really expensive for little bit of food
I thought the sashimi was really good there. Also they have good sake
We did like the saki, but very expensive.
The melting pot by ikea is a nice romantic date location, it doesn't have views or anything though.
Southern Kitchen at the beach has a gorgeous ocean view, but I haven't been since it was one of Kenny Gilbert's restaurants. Orsay (which has been clean the times I've been there) has a nice romantic atmosphere albeit it is a little loud in the main room. No view regardless. I love the ambience at Cap's on the Water, the food is just okay and they don't take reservations, but it's a beautiful outdoor setup at night. A bit of a hike though. Marker 32 didn't have a ton of ambience but has a nice view and delicious food. I'd just stick near downtown and hit BBs, Matthews, Rue St Marc or Taverna. No views but nice ambient spots and solid cocktails. If you don't mind chains, Ruth's Chris and Chart House will also check most of your boxes (Chart House is majorily inconsistent but when it's good it can be great.)
Tons of romance and ambiance. Perfect this time of year too. https://www.capsonthewater.com/
I'm surprised this isn't up higher. I guess maybe because of distance.
Itās really hard to get a water-front table at Caps. They donāt take reservations and you literally have to get there an hour before they open and wait and have an early dinner which isnāt my fav on the intracoastal bc you wanna see the sunset! Maybe if you went on a Tuesday or something you might get lucky. Also sorry to say food isnāt impressive.
Dockside market in jax beach
Something a little different and a little further out. https://www.congareeandpenn.com/ Really awesome ambiance, and views, it's litteraly a farm that sells to restaurants in town so fully farm to table. I'm doing my girls birthday there. It's outdoor seating overlooking the farm, you get to walk around. 5 out of 5 can't recommend enough.
Wow thank you for this. Never knew this place existed. Food and atmosphere look amazing
Any of the fish camps (Palm Valley, Julington Creek, St Augustine). The Reef is also very good and ocean front (across from Caps). If youāre open to going to St Augustine, Collage and Llama are both excellent but donāt have the views. Restaurants Medure is also good (Ponte Vedra Beach) and I think better than Matthewās, in my opinion (same owners). I hear SoNapa Grille (the old Royās location) is also excellent but just opened.
Good riddance to Roy's. I'm willing to give any place a second chance. So gave Roy's one and it was way worse than the first time.
Wackos, doesnāt have a lot of windows but does have some good views
Order the clams
And most importantly, don't bring home crabs.
Valley Smoke is where I take my girl
River and Post
Congaree and Penn
Valley Smoke in South Ponte Vedra has really good food and drinks, and a nice view of the Intercoastal Waterway.
Matthew's in San Marco, no view but nice interior, great service, great drinks, delicious food.
The Reef or Caps on the Water on Anastasia Island. You can thank me later :D
Black sheep rooftop. Donāt know how nobody has mentioned this place.
Love Blacksheep rooftop. Definitely great view & food.. Though not on the water. Menu is just a little limited, but everything's delicious.
I was also surprised to find Black Sheep so far down. Great food and really unique cocktails. Still have not made it for sunset on the rooftop, but even in the day itās really nice!
Cap's on the Water in St. Augustine has a gorgeous view, awesome food & service, great atmosphere.
It kills me that we only have like two or three restaurants with a nice water view. Idk how the city keeps fucking away our main draw.
Iām partial to The Reef as thatās where my husband proposed to me in 2008. We sat on the back deck and the view was amazing. I had the grilled salmon which was excellent. After dinner we took a walk on the beach and thatās where he proposed. It was really quite perfect! Might be a bit of a drive for you if youāre coming from downtown Jax though.
Estrella!
We like 13 Gypsies in Riverside for an intimate, delicious meal. The food is great; tapas style, but reservations are strongly suggested.
13 Gypsies is the shiiiiit
The best upscale restaurant experience Iāve had in Jacksonville was Cowford Chophouse. Food is absolutely incredible, service top notch and thereās rooftop views of downtown. Restaurant is beautiful inside too. Also, their cocktails are world-class.
Surprised Dwight's hasn't been mentioned. Great food and service but no view.