Do(n't) be Grumpy's. It'll be O-Ku. Pete's Bar won't be closed forever.
In 2012, Daniel DeLeon became Metro Diner’s first franchisee, opening the third location of the restaurant that, thanks to Guy Fieri and his “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” helped draw national attention to Jacksonville’s dining scene.
Now the Jacksonville diner that traces its history back to 1938 has more than 50 restaurants across a dozen states.
DeLeon has since moved on from Metro Diner. Four years ago, he and his wife, Morgan, bought Orange Park’s Grumpy’s Restaurant, another diner with a recognizable name and history – and on the brink of closing permanently after years of changing hands and menus.
Four years later, the DeLeons have revived the restaurant, restored its reputation and replicated the concept, opening additional locations in Middleburg and St. Johns, and announcing plans for a fourth location at Yulee’s Wildlight development.
Could Grumpy’s, with its marketable "Home of the Bad Mood Dude" motto and cranky-looking chef logo, be the next Metro Diner? Perhaps. But for now, it’s becoming a favorite go-to breakfast and lunch spot for more and more of us in Northeast Florida.
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O-Ku is a go (newsletter exclusive): Promising a “fresh and innovative take” on traditional Japanese sushi and cuisine – and an ocean view – O-Ku is set to open in Jacksonville Beach early in the New Year.
The restaurant, the seventh for Charleston, S.C.-based O-Ku, will open next to Lynch’s Irish Pub, at 502 First St. N. The modern, two-story building designed by Cronk Dutch Architecture includes a rooftop bar with a view of the Jacksonville Beach Pier and Atlantic Ocean. It’s part of the larger, multi-structure, mixed-use project known as The Gallery, which includes the former J. Johnson Gallery, from the Trevato Development Group.
It represents the first restaurant in Florida from Charleston, S.C.-based Indigo Road Hospitality Group, which operates O-Ku locations in Charleston, Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville and Washington, D.C. as well as seven Oak Steakhouse restaurants in many of the same markets.
"Once we visited Jax Beach, it immediately felt like home for O-Ku," said IRHG founder Steve Palmer in a Tuesday news release announcing the restaurant. "We are always looking for vibrant coastal communities to plant roots in, and what could be better than fresh sushi among a beautiful beach view?”
On the menu, expect sashimi and specialty rolls, with seafood sourced from Tokyo and Hawaii, as well as local fisheries. In addition to a variety of locally inspired chef’s specials, O-Ku offers Chicken Teriyaki, Coconut Curry, Braised Beef Short Rib, lobster, Wagyu beef and more.
The 4,400-square-foot restaurant with seating for 165 plans to initially open for dinner and cocktails. Lunch is expected to be added in early spring.
Last call? Pete’s Bar, which has been serving drinks in Neptune Beach since serving drinks was legalized, has closed – at least temporarily.
The Jensen family, who first opened Pete’s Bar predecessor Jensen’s Market at the 117 First St. site a century ago, has sold the bar to a new owner, former Neptune Beach Mayor Harriet Pruette confirmed to reporter Matt Soergel. After some improvements, Pete’s is expected to reopen under the same name in the coming days.
Known for its cheap drinks, 25-cent pool and neon lights, Pete Jensen in 1933 opened the bar, the first to open in Duval County with the repeal of Prohibition. Son William Jensen ran the bar along with his wife, Clara, until his death in 1979, and she continued for another 20 years before handing the reins over to Pete’s granddaughter, Nancy Jensen, and her children.
As for what’s next, we’ll keep you posted.
Bono’s is back: Just as the COVID-19 pandemic was taking hold in Jacksonville, Bono’s Pit Bar-B-Q near the St. Johns Town Center was destroyed by fire.
This week, a rebuilt Bono’s is open again and serving its signature Southern Pit barbecue fare from the 10065 Skinner Lake Drive location. But it’s doing so from what owner and CEO Joe Adeeb and president Josh Martino told reporter Teresa Stepzinski is Bono’s restaurant of the future.
The prototype restaurant’s design is a product of the pandemic, with an emphasis on more takeout, drive-thru, curbside pickup and third-party delivery, a trend the pandemic hastened. For customers who want to slow down and dine-in, though, the restaurant has added 1,000 square feet of outside patio space in addition to its traditional inside dining space.
Gone, but not forgotten (newsletter exclusive): Deerwood Deli and Diner, a fixture in Baymeadows for decades, quietly closed over the summer, Dining Notes reader Jarret Brothers notes.
Known for its Reuben sandwiches and classic ‘50s diner décor and menu, the restaurant opened in 1983 at the Publix-anchored Deerwood Village Mall, according to the restaurant’s website. But its history stretches back nearly a decade earlier, when it first opened as a Jewish delicatessen, offering freshly sliced meats. At the time, it was one of the first restaurants in the Deerwood/Baymeadows area.
Salem and Donna Ghanayem owned and operated the restaurant from 1983 until 2010, when Richard McCann Jr. took over. (McCann also owns Arlington landmark University Diner at 5959 Merrill Road.)
The Ghanayems, though, continue to operate popular retro-style diner Johnny Angels, at 3546 St. Johns Bluff Road at The Shoppes at East Point Landing, which they bought in 2008.
What restaurants have closed in your neighborhood in 2021? Let me know via Twitter (@garytmills) or email (gmills@jacksonville.com). We’ll share those before the end of the year. And if you see something new coming to your neighborhood, I’d like to hear about that, too.
Restaurant owners: If you're planning to open on Christmas Day, we'd like to share your plans with our readers. (Submit those here.)
For more dining news, keep reading using the links below.
Cheers!
Gary Mills
Deputy Managing Editor
The Florida Times-Union
Email: gmills@jacksonville.com
Twitter: @garytmills
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville restaurants: Grumpy's expands; Pete's closes; O-Ku coming
