10+ Best Restaurants in Jacksonville: Upscale Edition

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Restaurants worth the price

We all deserve a fancy dinner full of clinking wine glasses, mouth watering food, so check out these awesome upscale restaurants in Jacksonville!

Salumeria 104

This delicious Italian restaurant offers an amazing ambiance right in Atlantic Beach! From tasty brunch to exquisite dinner entrees, this eatery offers elegant plates and tasty dishes that will impress your date at any time of the day. We recommend finishing the date with something sweet and taking a romantic walk on the beach afterward! Our recommendation: Visit during lunch for their delicious Bloody Mary experience!

Photo credit Taverna Oceana

Taverna Oceana

Enjoy amazing fresh seafood at this incredible raw oyster bar and restaurant! With elegant decor and tasty dishes, this is one of the best restaurants in Jacksonville! Sip on something special from the champagne bar and enjoy great bites at Taverna Oceana. Our recommendation: Try a wide variety of fresh shellfish and seafood on their Raw Bar menu or dine on delicious entrees, like pasta primavera, lobster thermidor, and miso glazed Chilean seabass.

Josephine

This cozy, old-school Avondale Italian eatery is one of the best restaurants in Jacksonville! Offering a delicious menu inspired by family memories, fond travels, and countless conversations, this neighborhood restaurant has incredible plates and creative cocktails. Our recommendation: Enjoy Aperitivo on weekdays from 4 to 6, and grab a delicious Italian dinner at Josephine in Avondale!

Cowford Chophouse

This stylish and modern upscale restaurant is one of our favorite spots for a luxurious dinner. Enjoy incredible high-end dishes in an elegant setting. With a rooftop bar offering stunning city views and incredible steaks, seafood, and more, this iconic location truly is one of the best restaurants in Jacksonville. Our recommendation: Be sure to make reservations to ensure you get the best view in the house!

Cooper's Hawk

While Cooper’s Hawk is a chain, our upscale restaurant list would not be complete without it! With delicious wine and incredible dishes, this modern American eatery is a wonderful spot for an elevated night out. Stop in before your reservation for a $10 Wine Tasting to sample all the best seasonal wines! Our recommendation: Are you a wine lover? Check out their awesome wine club!

Cap's on the Water

Home to the most stunning sunsets in all of Jacksonville, this incredible waterfront restaurant serves fresh local seafood with southern and Mediterranean flair. Enjoy colorful cocktails and a wide menu of beer alongside delicious upscale mains!

O-Ku

Known for its stunning Jax Beach views and delicious sushi, O-Ku is a fabulous upscale restaurant for lovers of Japanese cuisine. Enjoy a fresh and vibrant menu with incredible cocktails at this elegant beachside restaurant – complete with a rooftop bar! Feel a delightful ocean breeze and you dine on traditional sashimi, specialty rolls, and creative entrees. Our recommendation: Be sure to try some of their delicious tapas-style dishes to start your evening off right!

The Capital Grille

Get your taste buds ready for taste to the extreme at The Capital Grille! This chain is a country favorite because each location has a taste that feels intimate and exclusive but familiar to all! Their Jacksonville menu is full of seafood favorites like fresh oysters and classic elegant favorites like a savory porcini rubbed bone-in rib-eye! We love how they make these classic dishes their own with delicious additions like 15-year aged balsamic that is as delicious as it sounds!

Our recommendation: Check out their awesome interactive wine menu online for the best wine suggestions and pairings!

Enza's

Italian food is the ultimate date night for and Enza’s does it right! This place has some of the most to-die-for Italian food around! Add in great drinks and live music and you have yourself a deliciously upscale night! Plus, you can learn how to cook it all yourself at one of their cooking classes and demos to bring the Italian magic to your own kitchen!

Our recommendation: Their creamy pesto sauce and gnocchi dish has our mouths watering wanting more, we love it and we know you will too! Happy hour is Tuesday through Thursday from 4PM to 7PM so head on over on a weeknight for discounted drinks and delicious food!

RH Rooftop Restaurant

Dine in elegance at the RH Rooftop Restaurant in the St. Johns Town Center. Enjoy your meal in a skylit garden surrounded by walls of windows to overlook the wonderful views of Jacksonville among sparkling chandeliers and heritage olive trees. You may also enjoy your meal in the fresh air on their outdoor patio. It is very sleek and modern, perfect for a romantic date for two. With delicious entrees and timeless cocktails, the menu is delicious and the atmosphere makes your evening out well worth the price!

Chart House

For the best seafood paired with the best Jacksonville skyline views, you have to go to Chart House! This modern but elegant and unique looking restaurant is situated right across from downtown Jacksonville on the St. Johns river offering up spectacular night time views with the city all lit up!

Our recommendation: Chart House is known for their delectable seafood options – hello king salmon – but their land options are just as good and have a reputation of their own! We suggest getting a land and sea dish to experience the best of both worlds! If you’re into spice, you have to get some jalapeño garlic bread to start – you can thank us later!

Photo credit Restaurant Orsay

Restaurant Orsay

Are you ready for the most upscale southern style experience of your life? If so, then you need to head over to Restaurant Orsay. Walking into this modern but elegant restaurant, your taste buds will know you’ve arrived! The smell of the lobster pot pie cooking and the sound of the cocktail glasses clinking will make this upscale restaurant worth it before you even sit! And then the taste of their seasonal mule will prove it!

We love how inclusive Restaurant Orsay is to our plant based friends with an entire vegan and vegetarian menu to pick off of – and yes, the vegan bouillabaisse is just as good as it looks and it will get every carnivore’s mouth watering too!

Michelin Bib & more

Check out these Michelin Bib restaurants and recommended spots in the 904!

Hawkers

This delicious restaurant serves up Asian street fare in a vibey and hip setting!

Columbia

From classic 1095 salad to cocktails prepared tableside, enjoy delicious Spanish cuisine.

Domu

The ramen is crafted with true Japanese techniques & you can taste their bold flavors!

Castillo Craft Bar + Kitchen

This elegant dining experience offers meticulously curated plates & refreshing cocktails!

Photo credit Eleven South

Eleven South

Eleven South can be easily summed up as fine dining on the beach – which is basically the best way to indulge! We love gathering at Eleven South with friends on a warm night a cool off with their tuna and avocado tartare and their Eleven South Classic cocktail in hand! The atmosphere is super welcoming and warm making it the perfect place to enjoy an upscale meal with friends! Our recommendation: We suggest getting the most out of their menu and heading over every season to taste Eleven South through the seasons with their ever changing locally produced menus!

Marker 32

For a delicious meal on the water, head to Marker 32. The owner is a Jacksonville native who attended New York’s Culinary Institute of America – he was actually recently named one of America’s Best Chefs! Their menu has fine dining favorites like Salmon or Filet, as well as some Jacksonville touches, like a local catch of the day! Our recommendation: Don’t forget to make a reservation here, Marker 32 is known to fill up fast.. especially on the weekends!

Photo credit Matthew's

Matthew’s Restaurant

Although they may not be Michelin star ranked, Matthew’s Restaurant has been a AAA Four-Diamond award recipient since 1999! This French/Mediterranean fusion restaurant uses classic French techniques to prepare their delicious meals. Their service is impeccable and you’ll swoon over the art of the plating! Our recommendation: For the full experience, try the Chef’s Adventure Menu. This six-course dinner changes each season, your server will walk you through each carefully planned out bite.

Rue Saint-Marc

Rue Saint-Marc is one of Jacksonville’s trendiest restaurants. It offers craft cocktails and delicious dishes in a fashionable environment. They serve local produce and meat that has been sustainably farmed. Our recommendation: Just like Matthew’s, they have a Rue Experience offering, where you’re treated to a chef-selected five-course meal. If you’re not hungry enough for that, snag something from their standard menu, where they offer first, second, and third course selections.

Salt

Salt is located inside the Ritz-Carlton on Amelia Island, and it definitely lives up to the precedent that the hotel sets! If you’re staying at a five-star resort you expect five-star service, right? Salt certainly delivers this. Thier menu is on the smaller side, but each dish is carefully created and packed with flavor. Enjoy a true white tablecloth meal with a stunning view of one of America’s best beaches.

Seahorse Grille

Another restaurant deserving a Michelin star that’s located inside a luxury hotel is the Seahorse Grille which you can find inside the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club. You’ll once again dine with gorgeous oceanfront views, but get an even more up-close look at the marine life… the restaurant boasts a stunning wrap-around aquarium inside! The entrees are beautifully plated with bold, fresh flavors. Our recommendation: Make sure you dress to impress here!

Collage Restaurant

Rounding out our list of Jacksonville restaurants worthy of a Michelin star is St. Augustine’s Collage Restaurant. This spot labels themselves as “artful global dining’. Their food is prepared with fresh ingredients – they source fish from local waters and produce from local farms! The menu is made up of mostly original recipes, so this is sure to be a dinner unlike anything else you’ve had recently! Our recommendation: Try the Maple Leaf Duck Duo, or the Beed Tenderloin served with their signature Collage Steak Sauce!

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Curated by

Becca McCandless

Duval Native | Sunshine State ☀️ | Aspiring Plant Mom 🌱