EUROPEAN STREET CAFE
European Street Cafe’s roots go back to 1980 when Mary Malone and Lew Zarka operated Mr. Dunderbaks’, a German-style deli in the Regency Square Mall. A decade later, a more modern interpretation called European Street Cafe opened in a former service station in Riverside, just a stone’s throw from King Street. The family-owned (and family-friendly) restaurant was the first place in Jacksonville where beer lovers could explore a world of brewing that extended far beyond the Big Three of Anheuser-Busch, Miller and Coors.
Today, E. Street (as the locals call it) offers more than 20 beers on draft and another 150+ in bottles, including rare international and craft beers, an impressive package store, an outdoor beer garden and award-winning happy hour (2–7 p.m. daily).
European Street now has four locations throughout Jacksonville and the Beaches.
THE GARAGE / ROGUE / THE LOFT / BEARDED BUFFALO BREWING COMPANY
Proprietor Scott McAlister started his King Street empire by first eschewing the beer scene, converting a former service station built in 1929 into a wine bar under the moniker ‘Walkers’ in 2009. While McAlister would later shift course and ultimately convert Walkers into a beer-focused bar and restaurant called The Garage in 2012, there is no denying his foresight to see King Street’s potential as a destination called the King Street District that catered to a young, after 5pm crowd seven days a week.
In 2010, he renovated a crumbling laundry facility into a high-energy lounge and dance venue called The Loft- a multi-level structure that mimics the look and feel of old St Louis crate warehouses. In that same year, McAlister would also open Rogue- a long and narrow, prohibition-style speakeasy bourbon and beer bar.
Currently, McAlister is constructing the Bearded Buffalo Brewing Co- a brewpub, pizzeria and bowling alley. Upon completion, Bearded Buffalo will be the fourth brewing facility located along King Street.