Jacksonville-area restaurant roundup: 6 opened, 3 closed in March

March saw the back-to-back closures of a pair of St. Johns Town Center restaurants as well as the satellite location of a third restaurant at the regional shopping center.

Shutting its doors were a gourmet burger-and-milkshake joint that had been at Town Center for a decade, and an offbeat Southern cuisine restaurant that had been there four years.

Both of those Town Center restaurants closed to make way for new concepts.

Opening were a gourmet pizzeria in Five Points, a fast-casual Japanese restaurant specializing in "golden ramen" with real gold flakes as garnish and a cafe specializing in Hawaiian-style doughnuts.

Coming soon: 25 new restaurants are in the works for the Jacksonville area in 2024. Here's a list

More restaurant news: What restaurants opened, closed in February

Here's a recap of notable Jacksonville-area restaurant news in March.

M Shack

After a decade, M Shack at 10281 Midtown Parkway in St. Johns Town Center shut its doors permanently March 17 as it makes way for popular, nationally known rival Shake Shack. The closure comes as the hometown gourmet burger and milkshake restaurant's lease expired, M Shack employees told the Times-Union. The Town Center restaurant is the third M Shack location to close in recent years — following its Five Points location in 2019 and original restaurant in Atlantic Beach in 2021. Remaining open is M Shack Nocatee at 641 Crosswater Parkway in Ponte Vedra Beach. | Read more

Kinya Ramen-Yakitori

With 24-karat edible gold flake as a garnish on its signature entree, Kinya Rame-Yakitori opened March 11 at 415 Durbin Pavilion Drive, No. 103, in The Pavilion at Durbin Park shopping center in Saint Johns. The Durbin Park location is the Japanese restaurant chain's first in the Jacksonville area. Kinya means "gold." The restaurant bills itself as the "home of the Golden Ramen." It focuses on making the guest experience as well as the food "as good as gold," according to its website. | Read more

Ida Claire

A St. Johns Town Center restaurant shut its doors after four years to make way for a new "farm-fresh comfort food" concept from its Texas-based corporate owners. Ida Claire South of Ordinary is being replaced by Whiskey Cake Kitchen & Bar at 10209 River Coast Drive in the shopping center. Both brands are owned by FB Society, a Dallas-based restaurant group that also is the parent of multiple restaurant concepts. Whiskey Cake anticipates a late summer opening at Town Center. | Read more

Rodrigo's Craft Pizza

From hand-crafted "Neo-Neapolitan" pizza to Panuozzos, calzones and more, a new family-owned restaurant serves up Italian specialties in Five Points. Rodrigo's Craft Pizza at 1029 Park St. specializes in hand-crafted, freshly made-from-scratch "Neo-Neapolitan style pizza" featuring a unique and complex dough as well as mozzarella cheese made in-house and seasonal ingredients. The restaurant replaces Crane Ramen, which closed abruptly in November 2022 after four years. | Read more

Mochinut

Mochinut, a Los Angeles-based restaurant chain known for its unique Hawaiian-style doughnuts and Korean hot dogs has opened its first Northeast Florida location in Jacksonville. The cafe debuted at 11757 Beach Blvd. Unit 9 in Beachwood Plaza in the city's Intracoastal West area. Crispy on the outside but light, airy and a little chewy on the inside, Mochi doughnuts are ade with sweet rice flour. Mochi doughnuts typically are fashioned from a connected circle comprised of eight small balls of dough. The doughnuts are fried, glazed or frosted and then garnished with a variety of toppings such as cookies, sweet breakfast cereal, nuts or fruit. | Read more

P.F. Chang's To Go

After two years, the take-out-only P.F. Chang's To Go closed abruptly at 840 Nautica Drive, Suite 121 in River City Marketplace in North Jacksonville. Remaining open is the full-scale, full-service P.F. Chang's restaurant at 10281 Mid Town Parkway, No. 137, at St. Johns Town Center. Licensed in June 2022, the River City Marketplace location was among the chain's first take-out-only restaurants to open outside of New York and Chicago, where P.F. Chang's launched the concept two years earlier in 2020. | Read more

Keke's Breakfast Cafe

An Orlando-based restaurant known for its freshly made-to-order fare has opened its fifth Jacksonville-area breakfast, brunch and lunch restaurant. Keke's Breakfast Cafe opened March 27 at 9570 Crosshill Blvd., Suite 106, in Oakleaf Town Center. Keke's is best known for its large breakfast menu of waffles, pancakes, French toasts and more as well as a lunch menu of paninis, sandwiches, burgers, wraps and salads. The Oak Leaf opening comes after the recent opening of the restaurant's fourth local location at 12959 Atlantic Blvd. Suite 101 near Lowe's in East Arlington. | Read more

Celeno's Bistro

Celeno's Bistro, an Italian bistro offering classic pasta dishes, brick oven-baked pizza and an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet opened at 3820 Southside Blvd. on the Southside of Jacksonville. The menu ranges from wings to pizza, pasta, strombolis, calzones, pita bread wraps, hot and cold hoagies, salads and desserts. The restaurant owner traces his roots back to Naples on Italy's West Coast and has incorporated family favorites on the menu. | Read more

Talkin' Tacos

Talkin' Tacos, opened its second Northeast Florida location at 4853 Big Island Drive No. 9 in Town Center Plaza next to St. Johns Town Center. The South Florida fast-casual Mexican restaurant concept is known for its "chef-driven menu" featuring fresh-from-scratch beef Birria — showcased in a grilled cheese sandwich, ramen bowls, tacos and burritos — as well as Carne Asada, Southwest Chicken, Caribbean steak tacos and more. The new restaurant comes about seven months after Talkin' Tacos debuted in Jacksonville Beach at 1300 Beach Blvd., in Beach Plaza shopping center. | Read more

Teresa Stepzinski is the dining reporter for the Times-Union. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @TeresaStepz or reach her via email at [email protected].

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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville dining: M Shack, Ida Claire close at St. Johns Town Center