EZ Eatz by Yaya opens restaurant in Jacksonville's Five Points

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Known for its authentic, traditional Moroccan and Mediterranean fare, a popular Jacksonville restaurant has opened a second location in historic Five Points.

EZ Eatz by Yaya recently debuted at 1023 Park St. in the center of the trendy neighborhood’s restaurant and retail district across from FIVE, the live music venue that replaced Sun-Ray Cinema last year. The new restaurant takes over the space vacated by Cuisine 76 and Bar, a Mediterranean restaurant that closed Dec. 17.

The Five Points location joins EZ Eatz’s original brick-and-mortar restaurant at 3520 St. Johns Bluff Road S., Suite 5, on the Southside, which evolved from a food truck that Yahia Zrikem, owner and founder, launched five years ago.

EZ Eatz was the first Moroccan restaurant in Jacksonville. Family recipes are the foundation of the restaurant’s menu.

“We’ll be bringing a lot of traditional Moroccan dishes to Five Points,” Zrikem told the Times-Union in December amid final preparations for its opening.

“I feel like my food will do very well over there. Our food is very healthy … We have a lot of vegan options, a lot of gluten-free options. We do have a lot of meat options,” he said.

Zrikem, a first-generation immigrant from Morocco, notes on the restaurant’s website that he started EZ Eatz “to share how we cook back home — over real charcoal, slow and steady.”

EZ Eatz offers an extensive, scratch-made menu. It showcases traditional tagines — lamb, beef, chicken, seafood, or kefta (Moroccan meatballs) with vegetables that are similar to a stew. Tagines, which can have only vegetables, are cooked slowly in a special clay or ceramic pot with a conical lid.

The restaurant also features MSMen, which is a traditional North African layered flatbread, grilled kabobs, shawarma, couscous, Kefta burgers, falafel, hummus and more.

EZ Eatz in Five Points is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, according to the hours posted on its front door.

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 tstepzinski@jacksonville.com.

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