Oceana — Restaurant in Jacksonville

AMAZING happy hour at Taverna Oceana! It's now my new favorite happy hour spot (sorry Orsay) in Jax. It runs from 4pm to 6pm Tuesday through Saturday and all their oysters are BOGO! We made reservations for 5:15pm on Friday, were seated promptly, they were already super busy, and our waiter, Robert, got our drinks rolling very quickly so we could order and take advantage of the happy hour specials. He is an absolute pro and truly one of the best waiters I've ever had. The drinks were SO good! On Robert's recommendation I tried the Mayport Dirty, which is a vodka martini made with a bit of clam juice, vermouth and I forget what else but it was delicious! It's now my new favorite and I see many more of these in my future. 🤣😋🍸 My husband and son got Old Fashions and as you can see they were very generous pours. They were quite happy with them. Now let talk about the food... Those oysters! They had such a great selection (see the pic of the daily oyster menu) and we had the Oishi, the Gigamoto, and the Heart's Desire. They were all so wonderful but I think the Gigamotos were my favorites. It is so hard to pick a favorite of the appetizers we had next so I'm just going to declare it a three way tie between the Smoothered Tater Tots, the Kimchi Brussel Sprouts, and the Ceviche Toastada. I'm seriously craving them all over again as I'm writing this. It was a flavor explosion and we were all raving about them. The Shrimp Cocktail and Peel and Eat Shrimp were also delicious, cooked perfectly and so flavorful, the entire selection was a home run! The timing of drinks coming out, our dishes being brought as they were ready, and how top notch and friendly the service was can only be described as absolute perfection. It has now set the bar so high for what I will hope for at any place going forward. I have to say, as a San Marco resident, this is the best seafood experience in our area. I can't wait to go back and try a tower because this time I was stuffed after happy hour was done, and I will be trying my best to get Robert as our server again. That guy is just the best! Descriptions are on each pic and the happy hour menus are at the end of the pics. Try it for yourself. You'll be so glad you did!...

I swung by Oceana Taverna for Happy Hour, and let me tell you—it did not disappoint. The menu had me questioning why I don’t do Happy Hour more often.

First up, I ordered the Kimchi Brussels Sprouts, and wow—who knew Brussels Sprouts could have a glow-up like that? I also went in hard on the fresh oysters (yes, two orders, because restraint is overrated). The shark bites were my favorite—I assume named for their bite-sized deliciousness, not an actual shark encounter.

Then came the famous Truffle Fries because, let’s be real, you can’t not order them. They were so good I briefly considered writing them a love letter.

For drinks, I kicked things off with a Strawberry Lemon Drop—sweet, tangy, and just the right level of "this will sneak up on you." Once that was gone (RIP), I moved on to a Strawberry Margarita, because when in doubt, double down on strawberries.

Now, here's where things get interesting. We asked about oyster shooters, and while they weren’t on the menu, our waiter—who deserves a raise, a medal, or both—went rogue and made us some with Bloody Mary mix and vodka. Different? Yes. Unexpected? Also yes. But you’ve got to respect the effort, and for that, I give it an A+ for innovation and a solid B for "this is definitely an acquired taste."

Meanwhile, my friend tried the crab legs and gazpacho soup and declared both "amazing," so it’s safe to say she was equally living her best life.

All in all, this was exactly the kind of Happy Hour my soul (and stomach) needed. I’ll definitely be back—possibly just for the fries and some more of those rogue...

Snagged a Saturday evening reservation for Oceana and was NOT disappointed! For only having been open for barely 2 weeks we had a fabulous experience.

We found the ambiance and atmosphere to be beautiful. The wait staff were helpful, kind, and attentive. We had a table next to us who had been seated maybe 5-10 min before us and had nothing but complaints. I was so impressed by how the management team handled them - they visited their table no less than 5 times and offered multiple options to try and make it right. Nice work MOD, Tina!

We didn’t end up getting mains and ate our way through most of the appetizer menu

Food wise: Dozen Pemaquid oysters: these were great! Having family in ME these are our favorite kind to get. It was wonderful to see them freshly shucked at the raw bar. The kimchi sauce really made them shine.

Salmon Roe tater tots: easily our favorite dish! Such a perfect combo of savory yet fresh and just salty enough.

New England Clam Chowder: fresh and GF! Chock pull of clams.

Ceviche Tostada: impeccably fresh. We were impressed with how crispy the toastada was

Lobster burrata: lobster was very good but I think it needed some more acid like like juice. This was the only dish that underwhelmed me.

Nutella Brownie: so good. Try it. Thank me later.

Coconut Cake: also amazing. Don’t...