New restaurants coming to Jacksonville, FL in 2025
Dozens of new restaurants are in the works for Jacksonville and Northeast Florida in 2025. Here are 10 to watch for.
Two popular cuisines ― Italian and Japanese ― will come together in an inspired fusion menu offered at an upcoming, upscale Ponte Vedra Beach restaurant.
Black Pearl hopes to open at 880 Florida A1A N., No. 18B, in Ponte Vedra Pointe Shopping Center by early March just before The Players Championship, co-founder and managing partner Kelvin Ole told the Times-Union.
Ole said Black Pearl will specialize in Itameshi cuisine with a rotating menu focusing on local and global seasonal ingredients.
Itameshi, which means “Italian food” in Japanese, combines traditional Italian dishes with Japanese ingredients, according to Club + Resort Chef, a publication designed for professional chefs.
“I want to bring the experience to the city,” Ole said. “I want people to experience what real sushi is. I want to explain to people … and get people more excited about food.”
He said food should be an experience that goes beyond what is on the plate. It’s not just about grilling fish or frying fish, he noted.
“It’s what is the story behind sushi. It’s what is the story behind pasta. That is what I want to bring to the people here,” said Ole, noting the culture and history of a dish add to the dish and its creativity.
Ole said the restaurant will reflect the spirit and elegance of its namesake.
As described on the restaurant’s Instagram page, black pearls are significant in Japanese folklore and art. Black pearls (kuro shinju) can “symbolize rarity, beauty, value, elegance, and luxury.”
“We are coming to bring black pearl essence with our imagination and creativity to create rare and unique moments for your dining experience!” the restaurant promises.
Black Pearl will be the first restaurant of its kind in the Jacksonville area. Ole said he had been searching for a location for about a year. He chose Ponte Vedra Beach for Black Pearl because he “fell in love with the area.”
Don’t expect sushi pizza at Black Pearl. Instead, think miso carbonara pasta
Eating at Black Pearl, Ole said will be an opportunity for guests to explore the elevated and diverse cuisine that he has experienced during his career.
“It’s not going to be a sushi pizza restaurant. … Black Pearl is going to be something different, something unique,” he said.
The menu, he said, is “going to be sophisticated.”
“For example, I’m going to do something like a miso carbonara pasta. Then probably short rib ramen with garlic parmesan Espuma,” said Ole, citing a culinary technique that creates a light airy foam.
A self-taught chef, Ole has been cooking since he was 14. His mother had a small bakery in their home of Bali, Indonesia. Saying he’s always loved food, he just started cooking, and as he grew older, he developed a background in Italian and French cuisine.
His culinary journey, he said, took him to the Philippines for a couple of years and then Singapore and Europe.
Ole emigrated to the United States four years ago. He spent the first two years in Los Angeles, where he “fell in love” with sushi and other Japanese cuisine.
“It changed my life and my point of view about restaurants, business and hospitality. I think I can bring something unique, bring something rare from my experience to here,” he said.
Two years ago, Ole relocated to Jacksonville, where he became the manager of Sushi Bear Sushi & Grill in the Lakeshore neighborhood.
Black Pearl partner looking to bring first Michelin star restaurant to Northeast Florida
Ole said Black Pearl will have about 100 seats in the main dining area and patio. There also will be a speakeasy-style lounge that will accommodate about 18 to 24 people, he said.
“It’s going to be more cocktail experience with Japanese ingredients and Italian wines. There will be Asian-inspired drinks with alcohol or nonalcoholic beverages.” Ole said.
There also will be eight seats for private Omakase and Italian capo-style dining.
“My big goal is to bring the first Michelin [star] restaurant to North Florida and I want to start from here with this project,” he said.
Black Pearl is building out in a 4,256-square-foot storefront at an estimated cost of $400,000, according to a St. Johns County building permit issued Nov. 12.
Ole said he wants it to become a trendsetter for the hospitality industry in the Jacksonville area.
The new restaurant replaces Mezcal Cantina Authentic Mexican Grill, which relocated and transitioned into Anejo Cocina Mexicana, at 170 Fountains Way, Suite 1, in Saint Johns in November.
Black Pearl will join other restaurants at Ponte Vedra Pointe Shopping Center including McFlamingo, Beach Diner, Bronx House Pizza, I Noodle Ramen & Dumpling, and Flo’s Premium Ice Cream, a Strategic Sites-Clifford Commercial real estate flyer shows.
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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Dining and Cooking