After 37 years, a landmark Jacksonville Beach seafood restaurant plans to close "indefinitely," while its popular fish market will remain open.
Beachside Seafood Restaurant & Market expects to "wind down" operations at 120 Third St. S. in October, but its owner, Pearl Hospitality Group of Jacksonville, hasn't determined the last day of service.
The date for the restaurant's closure "will depend on operations, community response and the transition schedule over the coming weeks," Pearl said in a news release announcing the decision.
The closure is intended to give it "the ability to properly evaluate the restaurant space rather than continuing to operate while attempting to piecemeal improvements." No final decision has been made regarding the long-term
use or identity of the restaurant portion of the property.
Beachside Seafood Market on the first floor of the two-story building will remain open, becoming the primary focus of the Jacksonville-based hospitality group that owns both sister businesses.
Established in 1989, Beachside Seafood Restaurant & Market is a Jacksonville Beach mainstay. The restaurant on the second floor featured a straightforward menu specializing in fresh, locally caught seafood and fish.
Launched in 2025, Pearl is a partnership of six entrepreneurs that owns outright or is in partnership with 12 area restaurants that range from fast-casual to upscale dining destinations.
Led by managing partners Raymond De Pauda and Jeremiah Carolino, the hospitality group most recently acquired Bellwether, a prominent downtown Jacksonville restaurant. Pearl is revitalizing Bellwether, which had closed in March. Bellwether is among three concepts Pearl is developing downtown.
Beachside was one of Pearl's first acquisitions. Pearl, via affiliate AR & JR LLC, acquired Beachside for $1.2 million in May 2025, according to Duval County property and court records.
The acquisition's goal was "preserving a longtime local business while improving operations, consistency and the overall guest experience," Pearl said in the news release.
Multiple challenges led to 'difficult decision'
De Padua said in the news release that multiple factors contributed to the closure decision, which comes after the group made multiple cosmetic improvements as well as other upgrades to the restaurant.
"Over the past year, rising operating costs, increased competition throughout the Beaches restaurantmarket and slower-than-anticipated growth in new customer traffic have changed the equation," De Padua said.
Keeping the doors open meant physical improvements had to be completed incrementally and withinnarrow construction windows. The experience ultimately reinforced that the restaurant's next meaningful step requires the ability to address the building and overall concept more comprehensively, according to Pearl.
Pearl noted that Beachside Seafood Restaurant continues to have an extremely loyal base of longtime customers. But efforts to introduce the restaurant to a broader and newer audience have not grown quickly enough to change the trajectory of the existing restaurant model.
Pearl said it believes that continuing to make incremental changes without addressing the larger physical space, restaurant identity and overall guest experience "would not be a responsible long-term strategy."
De Pauda said "there comes a point where continuing to make small changes is no longer enough."
"Beachside has history, an incredibly loyal customer base and a team that has given many years of their lives to thisbusiness. That makes this decision much harder. At the same time, we have to be realistic about what the restaurant needs in order to compete for the next five or 10 years," De Padua said.
Potential Beachside Seafood Market expansion
The hospitality group said it plans to "redirect resources toward improving the market, expanding its offerings and exploring new prepared food, grab-and-go and retail options. It's also evaluating additional concepts and improvements.
"We are not walking away from Beachside," De Pauda said. "We are giving ourselves the ability to figure out what this property and this brand need to become for the next generation, while protecting the part of the business that has always been at the heart of Beachside: the market."
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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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: After 37 years, Jax Beach seafood restaurant closing 'indefinitely'
