Firebirds Wood Fired Grill — Restaurant in Jacksonville

Disappointing Value Despite Good Service at Firebirds Wood Fired Grill – Jacksonville, FL

We recently visited Firebirds Wood Fired Grill in Jacksonville, Florida for a Friday night dinner, hoping for a high-quality steakhouse experience in a warm, inviting atmosphere. While there were a few positive elements to our visit, overall we left feeling underwhelmed and dissatisfied—particularly when factoring in the cost of the meal.

Let’s start with the positives. The restaurant itself was clean, well-maintained, and attractively designed. From the moment we walked in, the ambiance gave the impression of a higher-end dining experience. The lighting was soft and inviting, and the seating was comfortable without being too cramped. The layout offered a good balance between open space and a cozy

intimate dining feel.

Service was another high point. Our server was attentive, polite, and well-informed about the menu. Drinks were delivered promptly, and our server checked in regularly without being intrusive. Special requests were handled without any issue, and we never felt like we were being rushed, even on a busy Friday evening. The staff, from the host at the door to the busser clearing the table, all seemed to take pride in their roles. That level of service is increasingly rare, and it was certainly appreciated.

Unfortunately, the food—particularly the steaks, which are the centerpiece of Firebirds’ menu—did not live up to expectations. We ordered two different steak entrees, both of which were cooked beyond the doneness we had requested. While the seasoning was decent and the char from the wood-fired grill added some nice flavor, the overcooking resulted in a noticeably dry and chewy texture. A good steakhouse should be able to consistently nail a medium-rare or medium steak, and in this case, both came out closer to well-done. Sides were fine, but nothing memorable. The loaded baked potato was lukewarm and the vegetables lacked seasoning.

Given the price point—comparable to or even exceeding other established steakhouse chains—we expected a much better culinary experience. The quality just didn’t match the bill. When you’re spending upwards of $30–$40 per entrée (not including drinks or appetizers), the expectation is for a perfectly cooked steak, generous portions, and standout flavor. Instead, we got average fare at a premium price. There was no “wow” factor to the meal, and certainly not enough satisfaction to justify returning.

In summary, Firebirds Wood Fired Grill offers a clean and comfortable dining environment with very solid service, but the food quality—especially for a place that brands itself around steaks and wood-fired cooking—just didn’t meet the standard. While we appreciated the professionalism of the staff and the overall ambiance, the overcooked steaks and lackluster value made this visit a one-time experience for us. There are simply too many other restaurants in Jacksonville offering better food at equal or better prices.

We won’t be returning, and we wouldn’t recommend Firebirds to those seeking a truly satisfying...

As our stomachs start to grumble, at 5:43 a server arrives with our Salmon and 10oz Medium Prime Rib. I was still waiting for my 18oz Medium-rare prime rib to arrive. This was brought out moments later and I was surprised when the server who dropped it off was reaching over me to serve me and then still put the plate down with the protein away from me; that's not what I would have expected with a $40+ meal.

As I cut into the steak, it was more medium-well than medium rare. Prime rib is a delicious and very tender cut of meat. It was my assumption that since it was early in the night, we would have gotten a nice bloody prime rib, but this was very dried out and disappointing. At 5:45 I let Nikki know that this was overcooked and she immediately agreed and asked if I wanted to get another piece. I said I would take a few bites more and let her know.

After another nibble, I couldn't eat the Prime Rib at this overcooked temperature and then waited for Nikki to come back around. At 5:50 I asked another patio server to grab Nikki for me. At 5:51 she was promptly there and offered to take it off my check and bring me something else as a replacement. Within 30 seconds, she had brought me a new menu, taken my order, and cleared the overcooked food from the table.

It was unfortunate that my family had finished their entire meal and my food had not arrived. What was even more unfortunate is that a manager did not stop by and apologize for the mishap that happened. Normally at upscale dining restaurants, a manager will come by and ensure that the guest is having an adequate experience, this was not the case here.

When my food finally arrived at 6:09, it wasn’t a manager or Nikki that brought it, it was a random server. Nikki was by moments later to make sure that my experience was good and I assured her that this steak was delicious and it really was. The Cajun ribeye was heavenly and the flavor of the cajun butter was delicious. Unfortunately, I had lost my appetite and my family was ready to move on to the next course, so I couldn’t enjoy my meal like I would have liked to.

What surprised me further was that Nikki saw that everyone was done eating and didn’t apologize or offer to buy my drink or buy us dessert. We were also celebrating a new house and would have liked to feel special because of that as well, thats why we wrote it on Open Table. (this was never acknowledged at all)

At 6:46, we asked for the check and got it immediately and when we put our card down, that was brought back fairly immediately as well. We left at 6:55, almost two hours later, having had some delicious food but a sad experience. We wish the manager would have come by and apologized, we would have also liked to have had either our drinks/appetizers/deserts comped in some way for the inconvenience and the celebration.

Unfortunately for us, the service and the experience are more important than the taste of the food and despite us leaving a good tip for the waitress, our qualms are with the fact that a manager never showed up. We will...

Overall, we had a very nice dinner with excellent service with a few things to point out. I'd probably go 4.5 stars if that was possible.

First off, the service at the table was impeccable. Alexis went above and beyond in keeping our drinks fresh, being there when we needed her, and not interrupting when we didn't.

The food was very good, but not quite at the level I'd expect at an upscale steakhouse. I did not get a good essence of the woodsmoke I expected and this was disappointing. My filet was not quite as tender as some I've had in the past. For the price point I'm okay with this and overall enjoyed my meal.

Everything at the table was very good, and my daughter loved the Fuego Mojitarita. It was a little frustrating when I tasted the woodsmoke in the included jalapeno lacking in my steak.

The interior is lovely. It is spacious and well decorated, with a very nice bar.

Nits: Our meals arrived while we were still eating the appetizer. In fairness, we ordered the appetizer shortly after we ordered the meals after a last minute family conference so I can forgive the bad timing, but still....

We arrived 10 minutes before our reservation and were told the servers haven't arrived yet for the next shift, so we would have to wait to be seated. On one hand I appreciate the honesty, but on the other...paints a very strange image of the restaurant, especially considering it was out first visit.

My advice here is for them to say something along the lines of "we are still getting the tables ready for dinner service, you can wait here, we can call you, or you can sit in the bar area and enjoy a drink while you wait." The hostess was pleasant enough but like I said, it was very strange.

We ended up being seated about 10 minutes past our reservation time. As mentioned, once our server took over the service was phenomenal, but a poor first impression to be sure, and possibly a loss of revenue for the bar.

My other suggestion, just seat us and bring some bread and let us know the server will not be with us for another 10 - 15 minutes for whatever reason. No hungry person will be upset when there's bread to enjoy.

We weren't the only ones, another 5 or 6 parties arrived right after us and also were informed of the same.

My final thoughts are I'd be willing to return and try again, but with so many other restaurants to sample it...