Jacksonville is Florida’s largest city — and the most populous city in the Southeast, boasting over 500 neighborhoods. Located on the Atlantic Coast, the city has 22 miles of beaches, but people also call it “the River City” because it lines both banks of the St. Johns River.

Named after former US president and Florida Territory governor Andrew Jackson in 1822, Jacksonville today is a major military hub with a deep-water port. The city’s population is about 31% Black, with two African American weekly newspapers. Several authors have ties to this area, including James Weldon Johnson, the writer of “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” who, in 1920, led the NAACP.

This “Bold New City of the South” hosts several sporting events, from the annual Jacksonville Kingfish Tournament with up to 1,000 boats to the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars games and college football staples, the Gator Bowl, and the Florida-Georgia game. The downtown Jacksonville Jazz Festival and “Springing the Blues,” which celebrates blues music, is among the largest music festivals nationwide.

Jax also has a lively street-art scene, eclectic museums, an extensive park system, notable craft breweries like the Jax Ale Trail, and delectable cuisine. Here are our picks for some of the top Black-owned restaurants in Jacksonville, from soul food restaurants to bakeries, seafood restaurants, and more.