The Hangar Bay Café and Gallery — Restaurant in Jacksonville

This place is awesome. That's the short review. Go get some. Great flavor and value. If you're interested in more, read further.

Atmosphere. I walked into this place, and it felt like you're walking into history. There are so many cool things around to look at. If you're a Navy buff, it's like a museum. The seating is quiet and comfortable. Everything I saw was spotless clean. So ambiance gets a 5/5.

Service. The owner was manning the register when my friend and I walked in. He greets you in a way that makes you feel instantly at home. Not overly nice like "customer service voice." It's more like you stepped in your uncles house, and he just asked if you ate yet. The way it works, you pay at the counter, and they do the rest. Bringing food, clearing plates. The food came out in a timely manner and was obviously all fresh. You can just tell by the smells, the textures, and flavors. None of this was made by chef mic lol.

Food.

The Sando. I got a sandwich called the MK50. Holy cow, was there so much flavor going on. A little bit on the spicy side. I am a spice nut, I am that person who orders the hottest thing on the menu most places. That said, this had a little heat, but more importantly, a lot of flavor. There is a beautifully seasoned smokey sausage as the centerpiece of this sandwich. Then there's hell fire pork, which is a spicy umami ground pork that adds a nice depth of texture and flavor. Add some remoulade sauce to add some creamy and more savory. A cheese sauce to add a little comfort food flair to a super savory sandwich. A lite refreshing slaw, scallion, and fried garlic to add crunch and a punch of flavor. Finally, the bread, it's big but light and fluffy. Overall, the MK50 has a lot going on, and it's all well thought out. It was easily one of my favorite sandwiches I have ever had.

The Chicken. The star of the show at this amazing hidden gem. I got a 2 piece and some biscuits. When my teeth first sunk into the wing I got, I actually paused mid-bite as I was wowed by the amount of flavor I just had. It's not over breaded. It's not fried too hard or too soft. Seasoned to perfection. The juices tasted like an amazing chicken stock. It wasn't just grease. Fried golden brown perfection. I will also add that this delicacy came in at about half the price of your average fast food chicken. That's the only way anything at this place could be compared to anything fast food. The fried biscuits are little tringle pillows covered in butter and honey. The best method we found was to rip a piece of chicken off and place it on the biscuits, then take a bite. Together, they make a truly simple but special experience.

So, to wrap up. I am so glad I stopped by this place for lunch. Hands down best chicken in jax. That sandwich is something to write home about. All of this combined with it being a locally owned and operated business. I can not recommend this place high enough. Get there before this place blows up when people find...

Friendly, clean, simple, generous portions, and delicious! This was my first time eating real ramen. Now I'm ruined! 😊 The Tonkotsu broth was hearty and rich without being too salty or greasy. It was the kind of healing bone soup I want when I'm too sick to cook. The noodles were firm, tender, and delicious in their own right. The egg was perfectly soft cooked. There was a great balance of flavor between the sweetness of the corn, the richness of the chasu, and the bitter greens. My partner had the Fried Cod and French fries. There's a LITTLE bit of black pepper (akin to KFC level) in the breading so, if you are completely intolerant like my husband, ask whether they have something with no spice, or peel the breading off. From my perspective, since he also peels the breading from KFC, this was to be expected and is not a downside. It was tasty, tender, juicy. The French Fries were amazing! Crispy outside and fluffy inside! Profoundly NOT greasy! Best. French.Fries.Ever! The Bourbon baked beans were flavorful without a hint of remaining alcohol- only the flavor. The Asian Slaw was KILLER! Slightly sweet, crunchy/crispy, with just the right amount of ginger- flavorful but not overwhelming. The portions were generous and ramen soup does not reheat well. I finished mine, with difficulty. So, regrettably, no room for dessert.

Re: owner's attitude. I was curious given a few outlying reviews about the service. But I love good food. At one point, I was chatting, got distracted, and left some personal items on the counter. The owner brought them back with a gentle reminder to hold on to my stuff. He was not harsh, rather, he was supportive and kind. I was not the least bit offended. He was kind and teasing to the crew of young men who came in. One of them, in my observation, had a ketchup addiction. He gently teased him- and then brought him more. I asked the waitress who brought our food what he was like to work for. Essentially, tough, but she has learned a lot. This was said with respect. Wish I'd had managers like that back when I was waiting tables. This is a leader. He is not some hateful A-Hat DI that you see in the movies. My sense is it is in his DNA and internalized training to help people do better- for their OWN good and survival. His approach is with gentle humor and he is self-effacing when praised. This is a man, rightly proud of his military service, as he should be. He has wonderful, interesting memorabilia that both adults and children can learn from- if you take that opportunity to ask. If you want a place that is dumbed down and as child-proof as possible, rather than a great eatery with an opportunity for supervised learning, go to McD's. You will miss out. I can't wait to go back. Nom!...

So I know a picture says a thousand words, but when I tell you my stomach refused to wait for a photo op when the food comes to the table at Hangar Bay, I mean it.

My partner and I have been here twice now, we attempted a third time between visits but they were closed for a private party which was a huge bummer but obviously didn’t keep us from going back again today.

When I say we are foodies, I mean it. No day or night or vacation or errand is done without thinking about what the best place to eat would be while we are in that area. We happened to run an errand near San Pablo and it was the easiest decision ever (literally we debate for hours sometimes on where we will go) to hit up Hangar Bay.

When we had been there previously there was a very energetic and friendly lady at the counter taking our order, but today was different. As we walk in, the man at the counter was talking to an obvious regular sitting at the bar. He paused his conversation to let us know to order whenever we wanted and to ask any questions we needed. I love not feeling rushed so this was a great start, once again.

When we first went to Hangar Bay we tried the Gyoza Puffs, the Curry Ramen, the fried chicken 2pc ( dark meat ) and the t bourbon teriyaki pulled pork sandwich with slaw. And all things were amazing. If i had any notes on that visit it would be that the pork on the sandwich was a tad too salty and that it is a pro move to order the extra honey for the fried biscuits.

Back to why today was different….

As we were placing our order I happened to glance to my left and noticed that the man taking our order was none other than the same man whose image was on the photo on the wall in his Navy uniform. Whom I am also guessing is the owner of the company. Also taking from the pictures on the walls inside of the restaurant, I’m assuming he was stationed in Japan, which is where his love for the fusion of Japanese ramen and Southern fried chicken came together.

Putting the pieces together while being there today made the food taste even better. Today we ordered the Hellfire ramen with chicken tenders added. A two piece chicken ( I ordered the dark meat but received the white meat but figured I’d give something different a shot). Two fried biscuits with extra honey. The fry appetizer. Bourbon baked beans. The carrot cake and the Oreo cheesecake.

I’d give everything five stars except the fries. While the fries were crinkle cut and perfectly crisp and salted, I liked the same hellfire ground pork in my partners ramen better than I did on the fries. But would I order the fries again, without the pork? 100%.

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