DAHLIAS POUR HOUSE

Opened in 2012 by a former school teacher in a century-old commercial building, Dahlias is lovingly referred to as a ‘clean, hole-in-wall with a great beer selection.’ Dahlias is a beer-centric bar, boasting 85 selections of beer on draft.

Image Credit: Dahlias Pour House

The success of Dahlias led owner Andrea Dahlia to open a restaurant in the nearby Murray Hill neighborhood, called Magnolia’s Pub- whose name is an homage to the magnolia blossom feature prominently in the Murray Hill Preservation Association’s logo.

THE BLIND RABBIT BURGER AND WHISKEY BAR

A family-owned venture, the Blind Rabbit originated from a food truck that hit the streets of Jacksonville in 2012 called The Salty Fig. The food truck served as a test kitchen to try out a self-described ‘New American Southern Style’ menu concept drawn from influences learned during owner Jeff Stanford’s time as a chef in New Orleans.

In 2013, the family would open its first brick-and-mortar location on King Street called The Blind Rabbit: A Burger and Whiskey Bar. The Stanfords meticulously renovated a former Pic N Save location that had been vacant for nearly 20 years, into a 151-seat restaurant that accentuates the fervent commitment to restoring historical properties within the surrounding neighborhood.

Image Credit: Blind Rabbit

The ‘fig’ in the former Salty Fig’s name, was an homage to their grandfather’s fig tree. To continue to pay tribute to this defining symbol, the Stanfords commissioned local artist Shaun Thurston to paint a striking mural of a fig tree that runs the entire length of the building’s exterior.

In 2014, a second location for the Blind Fig was opened in Jacksonville Beach.