bellwether image

bellwether

Restaurant American restaurant Vegetarian restaurant Vegan restaurant

Polished eatery with minimalist decor serving thoughtfully sourced, farm-to-table American fare. People often mention service, great, good, amazing, restaurant, Great, time, menu, drinks,


Address

117 W Forsyth St, Jacksonville, FL 32202, United States

Website

www.bellwetherjax.com

Contact

+1 904-802-7745

Price rating

$$ $$

Rating on Google Maps

4.50 (717 reviews)

Open on Google Maps

Working Hours

  • Thursday: 11 am to 2 pm, 4 to 9 pm
  • Friday: 11 am to 10 pm
  • Saturday: 4 to 10 pm
  • Sunday: Closed
  • Monday: 11 am to 2 pm
  • Tuesday: 11 am to 2 pm, 4 to 9 pm
  • Wednesday: 11 am to 2 pm, 4 to 9 pm

Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: service (16) great (15) good (12) amazing (12) restaurant (10) Great (9) time (8) menu (7) drinks (6)
Reviews are sorted by relevance, prioritizing the most helpful and insightful feedback at the top for easier reference.
  • 3/5 Whoami 0. 1 year ago on Google
    Took me a couple days to cool off to be able to do this review. I don’t like to write reviews in the heat of a bad emotion. - This was a girls night and we all left feeling the same and even talked about it a few days later. First the positive: The food was tasty and the portions were a good size for one person but not for sharing unless you have a small appetite. The temperature of food was good. I had the oxtail ragu pasta dish and it was delicious. Now for the bad: as you can imagine it is the service. The place was not very busy and there was plenty of servers. We were seated by the bar area. The waitress brought us water and then took 20 minutes to get our drink order. Then another 30 minutes to get our food order. Never saw her again till the end when she brought our check. There was a food runner who brought our food. We did see her talking to the bar tender often. The bartender did bring us another round of drinks when we ordered through him. At one point we asked for more water and he pointed at a water bottle by the ledge of the window that we could get up and go get to help ourselves. Not quite what I would expect from this kind of dinning. Even at Denny’s they bring you water to your table and don’t tell you to get it yourself. For my first time there I was not impressed by service. Due to the food tasting on point I would give them a second chance to see if service was just off that day. For the cost I expected so much more to enjoy our evening out. I do realize that service industry has had a hard hit and I eat out often enough to make adjustments to expectations.
    15 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Chris B. 1 year ago on Google
    Absolutely amazing staff. Waitress was on point. Pastry chef on point. Food portions was good, which is always my concern when eating at a nicer restaurant. Will return again for sure. Five stars!
    5 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Sung ho C. 1 year ago on Google
    Loved this place! Came for a happy hour Friday and had a great visit. Great staff and good food. I wish there was more healthy choice of food for the apps at the happy hour with my IPA’s. 😅Ill have to make this place my regular hangout since I live so close by. Thanks guys!
    4 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Deep V. 2 years ago on Google
    Great place, very modern interior. Sparkling clean. Good food. New Big menu. Amazing service. Great bar place. Parking is outside not free, street parking requires coin or card. Look for the sheep logo.
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Julie F. 1 year ago on Google
    I cannot tell you what an exceptional dining experience we had. The food was fabulous, the service was prompt and friendly and the vibe was great. It was our first time here but it won't be our last.
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 3/5 Mila V. 1 year ago on Google
    The decor is beautiful but the food is mediocre. I tried dumplings and fried broccoli. I wouldn't order either again. Also, small gnats were flying around the table. On the flip side, the service is good and fast.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Charles M. 1 year ago on Google
    Really good food here. Pleasant service and the food and desserts were top notch. Would recommend for a date night or friends get together.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Shawna F. 1 year ago on Google
    Great downtown restaurant in Jacksonville. Has a nice variety of starters. Smaller dishes and main dishes. It's not one of those places you're going to walk into and have a five page menu. They do a few things and they do them very well. I will admit their poutine wasn't quite Canadian but it was super yummy. The gravy really hit the spot and their french fries are perfect. Great place for lunch if you work downtown or dinner and drinks after work!
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Joe L. 1 year ago on Google
    Great burger, great chicken salad. Make sure to get dessert there, very delicious and decadent. My minor complaint is that they need better ice for their cocktails. I’d definitely visit again.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 A G. 1 year ago on Google
    Fantastic dining for everyone featuring a variety of vegan options and meals from around the world, all made and presented in a modern and unique way.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Todd Yarbrough J. 1 year ago on Google
    Atmosphere is great, very clean and welcoming. Staff was amazing. Matt B. was informative and willing to help us in every way to make our dinner selections. The dumplings came out completely raw, but we had no issues once we brought it to their attention and the second round was absolutely perfect and delicious. The dinner was cooked well, although the NY strip was a bit tough and had a large strip of fat. Dinner prices are a bit high for the quality of the food, but it was still a great experience and we are going to come back again in the near future.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Min P. 8 months ago on Google
    Overall it is an okay place to go and better option than others spots around. They had a cute kids menu.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Yujin L. 3 months ago on Google New
    Great atmosphere, great service and delicious food :)
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Michele D. 1 year ago on Google
    We will be back. The apps and libations were exceptional, as was the carrot cake. The risotto, imo, needs some work. Lots of color, no flavor. It should also be noted that this dining room, as well as the restroom, was spotless. M
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Robert J. 7 months ago on Google
    Nice clean, friendly atmosphere. Morgan was the duel function waitress who explained the bellwether system to both our group and her new friend and assistant. We enjoyed the great choices offered, Korean Short Rib, Short Rib Dumpling, exceptional grits, and HH Syrah Morgan wine. It's also nice to have live music right outside our door. We recommend you give them your business as they try hard to earn it.

  • 5/5 Andrew F. 4 months ago on Google
    I ate at the Bellwether with 2 colleagues from work and their wives. The service was very good, the food was excellent and the atmosphere was relaxed and welcoming, if a little loud because of the open nature of the space. There are parking garages nearby and free on-street parking after 6 pm. The Bellwether is a moderately upmarket restaurant with great food and service.

  • 5/5 Sherri M. 4 months ago on Google
    Do not miss dining at this unique Jacksonville owned restaurant in beautiful downtown Jacksonville. Hats off to such a diverse and creative menu and drink options. I hardly ever have room for desert but have enjoyed them before as well.

  • 5/5 Craig J. 3 months ago on Google New
    After attending an event at the Moran Theatre on Saturday 12/2 we were looking for a place to sit out tornado warnings in the immediate area. We chose Bellwether because it was close. It turned out to be a great find for us. Our waiter Elle was fabulous. She had great personality, knowledge of the menu and was a great addition to our experience....which was wonderful. The restaurant is a modern inviting space. The service is professional and friendly. The food was fantastic. One of our new favorites in JAX. Thanks Elle! Thanks to the staff for making room for us on a very busy night!

  • 5/5 John S. 3 months ago on Google New
    Reliably amazing. One of THOSE restaurants ... where you go because you really enjoy fine dining and they really enjoy making good food. Try it once and don't worry about which dishes you order. They're all incredible.

  • 5/5 Mattho M. 6 months ago on Google
    Great menu. The fried sweet cheese chunks for dessert were surprising!

  • 5/5 Rosen G. 6 months ago on Google
    It was not our first time visiting this restaurant. Friendly staff and great food. We ordered the fried broccoli, the ramen, the risotto, and two desserts. All was great. The staff was very accommodating in terms of dietary restrictions (vegan) and made our visit memorable. I would highly recommend the risotto and the fried broccoli. The ramen was great, but nothing extraordinary. The deserts were amazing as well. It's not the cheapest restaurant but it's definitely worth it.

  • 5/5 Rita J. 1 year ago on Google
    Fast service, great customer service, food was phenomenal. Thanks Carolyn & Shawn for making my date night awesome 👌🏾

  • 5/5 BlackBunkai D. 8 months ago on Google
    Every recommendation the server Chloe made was just ridiculously amazing. The Korean short rib paired with Cabernet was surprisingly good with the creamy grits and kimchi on the side. The Cheesecake Rangoons were amazing. I paired the desert with a warm cup of coffee.

  • 1/5 Bella B. 9 months ago on Google
    Love the overall vibe of this restaurant. The waitress was nice, but the food took over an hour to get for a party of five. Not sure if it’s because they were busy or short-staffed. The quality and taste of the food was not good. Our burger was burnt, one soup tasted weird, the other they put too much truffle oil on the potato soup, and my sheep fries were completely soggy, had extra ingredients like mushrooms and other things that were not listed in the menu. The falafel was extremely dry and over cooked. Overall, I would say the food needs a lot of work, but the vibe and look of the restaurant is amazing. Maybe will try another day to give them a second chance.

  • 5/5 Antonia S. 9 months ago on Google
    This is our second time here and it has been consistently good! The cocktails are amazing! They even have vegan and gluten free options which are delicious! Very impressed! Food amazing ✅ atmosphere amazing✅ service amazingdrinks amazing✅ 👍

  • 5/5 Matt T. 8 months ago on Google
    Amazing restaurant in downtown Jacksonville! Great food and drinks.

  • 2/5 Erik C. 1 year ago on Google
    W o W. Just wow. Only been here a few times and I'm shocked at how bad the service is. I desperately want a good place in downtown where I can get drinks and food, but this just isn't it. This past time (March 10th, 2023 at 8:20 pm) I sat at the bar with my friend and had menus handed to us and then was ignored for quite a while. And we sat there hoping for the best. And then as we discussed our food plans we realized no one was going to serve us, so all Bellweather did was provide a place for us to sit as we looked up where we should go to next.

  • 2/5 Hannah D. 1 year ago on Google
    Food here was…fine. I felt the vegan risotto was way overpriced for what it was ($28). The dumplings tasted like they were from the grocery store. I’d love to hear exactly where the food was from, what local farm etc. drinks and servers were nice

  • 2/5 Kim M. 1 year ago on Google
    Wouldn’t recommend. Coolest thing they got going is the chicken wire pig decor. We opted to get appetizers instead because the entrees were quite high. The waitress was kind and recommended the soup of the day (kimchi based, Korean inspired) and I opted to try it. Bad idea. It was 9PM ish so the soup was nearly gone and you can tell because I got little grains of seasoning… the fries were fine and covered in a mysterious aioli. My husband ordered the falafel which was stupidly crispy, not chewy in the least. It hurt biting into it because it was so hard. His poutine was fine and inoffensive. Similar to other reviews, the place was relatively barren and yet we were seated next to an occupied table (why not give one table space in the same area) which was a couple bickering the whole time and the time between sitting, water, order being taken, food, check was long for an empty place. Think we were out of there at 11:15 / 11:30PM. Not worth the time and money spent here.


Call +1 904-802-7745 Open on Google Maps

Amenities


  • Parking
    • ✓️ Free parking lot
  • Payments
    • ✓️ Debit cards
    • ✓️ Credit cards
    • ✓️ NFC mobile payments
  • Offerings
    • ✓️ Beer
    • ✓️ Wine
    • ✓️ Coffee
    • ✓️ Alcohol
    • ✓️ Spirits
    • ✓️ Cocktails
    • ✓️ Comfort food
    • ✓️ Small plates
    • ✓️ Vegan options
    • ✓️ Happy-hour food
    • ✓️ Healthy options
    • ✓️ Happy-hour drinks
    • ✓️ Vegetarian options
  • Popular for
    • ✓️ Lunch
    • ✓️ Dinner
    • ✓️ Solo dining
  • Accessibility
    • ✓️ Wheelchair-accessible toilet
    • ✓️ Wheelchair-accessible seating
    • ✓️ Wheelchair-accessible car park
    • ✓️ Wheelchair-accessible entrance
  • Dining options
    • ✓️ Lunch
    • ✓️ Dinner
    • ✓️ Dessert
    • ✓️ Seating
    • ✓️ Catering
  • Service options
    • ✓️ Dine-in
    • ✓️ Delivery
    • ✓️ Takeaway
    • ✓️ Outdoor seating

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