Asian American Pacific Islander Weekend Itinerary

Day One

Morning

• It’s check in time! Whether it’s waking up steps from the sand or near the city’s walkable historic neighborhoods, Jacksonville and its beaches have hotel options that fit every budget.

Afternoon

• Kick off your visit to Jacksonville with a bowl of ramen at Karai Ramen Bistro. Karai is only open on weekdays and is very popular for its traditional Japanese ingredients and broths that are made from scratch.
• For lunch or just the city’s best ensaymada and sans rival cake, Filipino café and bakery Kusina Good Eats is a must.
• For fun just over the bridge in Jacksonville Beach is the newly-renovated Beach Bowl. Roll a few frames and work up an appetite for dinner.
• Did you know that Filipino sailors who manned the Spanish galleons on the trade route from Manila to Mexico brought stills and alcohol production techniques that were used to make mezcal? The bar at The Oaxaca Club in Jacksonville Beach is a beautiful place to order a cocktail and toast to that connection. Tagay!

Evening

• Get a dinner reservation at ABSTRAKT Filipino Essence in Jacksonville Beach. ABSTRAKT is a Yelp Top 100 restaurant that features proprietor and chef Jojo Hernandez’s creative takes on Filipino flavors where comfort food meets fine dining. Chef Jojo is a founding member of Jax Filipino Chefs, a movement to show Northeast Florida that Filipino food is more than lumpia and continue the global Filipino Food Movement on the First Coast.

Day Two

Morning

• Get ready for a day of culinary exploration and head over to the Riverside-Avondale historic district where you can start with coffee at Bold Bean in Riverside.
• You won’t be far away from the Riverside Arts Market, a weekly community market that’s been going for 16 years and runs from 10 AM to 3 PM rain or shine on the St Johns River under the Fuller Warren Bridge.
• Cely’s Filipino Food is a stalwart of the Riverside Arts Market and the combo meal of pancit, barbecue on a stick, and lumpia is locally famous. Don’t be intimidated by the long line, it moves fast!

Afternoon

• If you are a runner or just want to take a nice stroll, RAM is where the Jacksonville Riverwalk begins and you can go all the way into Downtown along the St Johns River.
• Once you’re in Downtown, head over to the corner of East Forsyth and Ocean Street. Jacksonville-based Filipino-American artist Grace Bio’s mural, “The Roots That Ground Us” is on display outside the Jessie Ball duPont Center along with mosaics of civil rights icons with Jacksonville connections by artist Celso.
• Lily’s Asian-American Food is right around the corner from the mural so you won’t have to go far if your walk along the river has you hungry for a snack.
• If you’d rather stay nearby, pop over to the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens which is right next to the Riverside Arts Market, and features permanent exhibits ranging from late Medieval and Renaissance art to a collection Japanese woodblock prints from the 19th and early 20th
  centuries.
• Also in the neighborhood in the CoRK Arts District is The Yellow House, a community-focused gallery that always has thought-provoking exhibits.

Evening

Why not keep it in the theme of markets and culinary exploration and sample the goods at the Asian Night Market?

• Staged on the last weekend of the month at the Asian Square Supermarket on Jacksonville’s Westside and the second weekend of the month at RD International Market on the Southside, vendors offer delights from all over Asia.
• If that’s not an option there’s always Asian-style karaoke at Austin Karaoke on Beach Blvd. Rent a private room, sing your heart out, and have your favorites delivered from Gangnam Korean Restaurant next door.

Day Three

Morning

• Don’t worry about sleeping in a bit after that adventurous second day in town because Purple Roots opens at 11 AM for brunch. You can’t go wrong if you opt for a silog, a savory Filipino breakfast dish that combines a protein, garlic rice, and a sunny side up egg. The tapa, a soy citrus sliced beef brisket, hits the perfect balance of sweet and salty but if you just want sweet there’s tocino, a candied pork belly that’s a crowd favorite.

Afternoon

• No trip is complete without some shopping, so head over to Ebisu Jacksonville, the city’s first Japanese lifestyle store. Ebisu has something for everyone, from Japanese skin care products to shelves and claw games full of the cutest plush toys. Pro tip: This is the place to grab unique snacks for your trip back home; you’re guaranteed to have people asking where you got them and if you’re willing to share.
• Having such a large Filipino population meant Jacksonville was the first place in Florida that got a Jollibee. So for an afternoon meal, try out Jollibee’s signature Chickenjoy fried chicken and be sure to add a couple of peach mango pies to your order.

Evening

• Drink in that view of the Jacksonville skyline from the best spot on the Southbank, St. Johns River Park, and watch the water show at Friendship Fountain.
• The Southbank has a pair of restaurants perfect for closing out your trip, City Grille & Raw Bar and bb’s. Don’t skip dessert, City Grille’s bread pudding is decadent and delicious and bb’s dessert case is not to be missed.