Exploring Jacksonville Restaurants, experiencing Estrella Cocina Rooftop Lounge For the First Time.
In This Article
Restaurant Review, With a Twist.
In the case of exploring Jacksonville Restaurants… I recently had the opportunity to visit a really cool bar and rooftop lounge, Estrella Cocina. It was the cutest little spot and I’m going to give deets about it. However, I would like to try something different with food reviews. I want to offer pieces of life encounters along with insight of the restaurant at hand. Be Sure to keep reading to see what lesson was learned from this dining experience.
Please note that this article may contain affiliate links. You can ready my full disclosure in the about section of this blog.
Estrella Cocina. A Vibe
Estrella Cocina is located in Downtown Jax at 100 West Bay Street. It is one of many hip Jacksonville restaurants popping up around downtown. It is hidden at the corner of Bay and Laura street. It’s one of those places, you have to know about it to be looking for it. To access it you must enter the Vystar Building and take the elevator to the 7th floor.
Walking In
The minute you walk out of the elevator and into the space, you fall into an aesthetically pleasing haven made for a good time and Instagram worthy photos. After walking past a full bar you enter a mid size dining area. Modern high and low furniture, earthy light fixtures, and live plants is the decor.
Views
The decor is all fine and dandy. However, the real vibe is about 30 yards to the right. The entrance to the rooftop dining area. The views are breathtaking. In addition to being fully furnished for outdoor dining, you are treated to live views of the Bank of America building, the Main Street bridge on one side. As you walk around the large deck you catch full panoramic views of The Carling and whatever other buildings Downtown Jax has to offer. This is not something I’ve seen in many Jacksonville restaurants and I love it!
After snapping up tons of pictures like girls do, and sweating like nobody’s business, my girlfriend and I came inside and found a table nestled in the corner with great lighting. It’s Summer in Florida. I wouldn’t be caught dead out in the type of heat we’ve been experiencing. Dining inside was the only option.
What Kind Of Food Is It?
Estrella Restaurant is a Baja coastal Mexican-style, specialty restaurant. They are self titled “Eclectic Mexican Cuisine”. They offer tacos, salads, enchiladas, and bowls. Nothing on the menu is more than 35.00. We visited during lunch which falls between 11:00 am and 2:59pm. Nothing was over 20.00. Very much ball on a budget here.
I always inquire what my server suggests and he instantly pointed out the Gobernador Tacos. Shrimp, guajillo, poblano, onion, crema, all nestled in a grilled flour tortilla. I worked my ass of at the gym about 3 hours prior, I knew I wanted to indulge in something savory and cheesy. That being said, I went with that, a side salad, and the hibiscus margarita on the rocks, skinny.
My lunch date had the Traditional Chopped Caesar Salad with chicken, and she ordered fresh tortilla chip and a trio of salsas for the table.
Ordering Is Modern
Our waiter (Can’t remember his name but he had bright pink hair) was prompt and explained the ordering process. Basically, you have the now normal post-covid QR coded menu. Once scanned, the entire menu is online, bar included. You simply order and checkout online and your food is brought out shortly after. The QR code has your table number, this is how they know who’s is who.
I’ve never experienced this level of fast casual dining but I dig it. No cash, no paper receipts, no orders are taken. I’m pretty sure more Jacksonville restaurants will offer this type of experience. Especially post-covid.
How Was It?
The waiter clearly knew what he was talking about…. my tacos were delicious. I have trained myself to not be so caught up on salad dressings. I won’t say the dressing on my salad was nasty, but it was… different. It was a little sweet. However, it mixed well with the crumbled cheese, red onion, and radish that accompanied my salad. My drink? Marvelous. The Caesar salad was HUGE. It’s no way one person could eat that alone. She too enjoyed her selection.
The chips were interesting a little too greasy but crisp and lightly salted. The three salsa options were good ranging from mild to hot. The hot, was hot. Beware.
Overall Score
Based on my experience… I give this spot at 10 out of 10. Cool views, fast service, and tasty food. I do want to note, the place was completely empty. It was a Thursday at 2:00pm. This is could possibly play a role in how fast we were served. Either way, I enjoyed it.
Making New Friends As an Adult
Time Isn’t Free, Spend It Wisely.
Nowadays when I spend time with people it’s for a reason. Therapeutic breaks needed from the real world, tapping into my creative side, or getting dressed up to have a meaningful conversation over a good meal are just a few to name off the top of my head. I don’t go out with people to hear about their problems, feel irritated, or stressed. My time is valuable and I spend it wisely. At this chapter of life moving forward I choose to spend it in peaceful and nurturing scenarios.
The whole purpose of this luncheon was to spend time with a new friend I recently met. In fact, this was our second girl date.
That’s right, Nikki and I are currently dating. No we aren’t lesbians, in fact, she is happily engaged with a booming career. Nikki is into fashion, building aesthetics, art, and travel. She likes peace, balance, and has a great aura. She is amazing, today was our second meet up since about 4 weeks ago. We have a lot in common especially based off what I just named.
Yes, New Friends
I know Drake had the no new friends moto going with his famous song.
However, more recently in life I have opened myself up to the idea of making new friends who are mentally mature, fulfilling, and nurturing in ways I never knew I needed to be. In the case of Nikki, we met via IG.
Blogging Gets You Chicks
Since starting this blog a lot of dope women have fallen into my lap who inspire me. We all cheer each other on, like pictures, and share each other’s posts. It’s a little network of girl power and I’m here for it. Nikki happens to be one of these people. Her pictures are always cool and well captioned. I randomly commented on a picture “You are so dope”.
Slid In My DM
She kindly responded something similar and proceeded to slide in my DM that she was in Jax. I had no idea!I instantly told her, “We should meet up at a cute place, be cute, and take cute pictures” she immediately responded that she as thinking the same. Haha.
The First Date
Within a week we met up at a swanky restaurant downtown. We hugged, admired each other’s looks, and had lunch like we had been doing this for years. It wasn’t awkward and felt genuine.
After our first meet up I knew we would spend time together again. Even if we only chat during these outings, I’m perfectly okay with it.
Change Is a Part Of Life
Our new found friendship is showing me that when you wish for a certain caliber of people in life, they eventually show up at at the right time, with the right tools. I have long term friends of course, but sometimes friendships are in transitional periods were you look for other people who are on your frequency.
Of course, there is no love lost between you and the ancient friend, but you move on in search of what your soul needs. Sometimes you become close again, sometimes you don’t. This is okay. As long as you’re both growing and moving along in a good direction, who cares who it’s with?
As far as Nikki and I, I’m sure we will be tearing down more than a few Jacksonville restaurants and hot spots with the intent of getting cute, having conversations about life, and snapping cool pics for the gram.
Conclusion
I have been slowly but surely making my rounds to different Jacksonville restaurants. Although Nikki suggested Estrella Cocina for this edition of our girl date series, I had been wanting to try it for a few months now. Based on the aesthetic alone I would certainly return. My next visit would be for dinner. I would love to see the space at night and with a crowd of people.
What is your take on new friendship as an adult?
-Ash
Exploring Jacksonville Restaurants, experiencing Estrella Cocina Restaurant For the First Time.
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