Guide · July 15, 2026 · San Marco
An Evening in San Marco Square
How to spend a night in San Marco — browse the boutiques and bookshop around the lion fountain, dig for vinyl on Hendricks, then eat and drink your way down the block. All locally owned.
San Marco is built around its Square, where three bronze lions guard a fountain that nods to Venice, and 1920s Mediterranean-revival shopfronts curve around the intersection. It’s compact, it’s shaded, and almost nothing in it is a chain — which makes it the easiest good evening in Jacksonville. Park once and walk.
Start with the browse
Begin while the shops are still open. San Marco Bookstore on San Marco Boulevard is the neighborhood’s independent bookshop and a genuinely dangerous place to “just look.” A few doors down, Rusted: A Vintage Market is a rotating market of vintage pieces, home goods, and local makers’ work — the kind of stock that’s different every visit.
For clothes, Fig & Willow on San Marco Boulevard keeps a tight, well-edited rack, and there’s more of it in either direction along the Square.
Dig for vinyl
Walk over to Hendricks Avenue for Yesterday And Today Records, a longtime San Marco record shop with deep bins of new and used vinyl. It’s a proper crate-digger’s stop, not a novelty rack.
Sit down to dinner
You have options within a block or two. bb’s on Hendricks is the neighborhood institution — a bistro menu, a bakery case, and a room that’s been full for years. Seafood Island Bar & Grille on San Marco Boulevard goes the other direction: boils, island-style plates, and fresh catch in a louder, looser room.
If you want something quieter, Basil Thai & Sushi sits a few blocks down Hendricks — and it’s one of the veteran-owned businesses on our veteran-owned list, which matters in a Navy town like this one.
End with a drink
Close it out at Aardwolf Brewing Company on Hendricks, an independent brewery in an old ice house with a taproom worth lingering in. If you’d rather take something home, The Grape & Grain Exchange on San Marco Boulevard is the neighborhood bottle shop — beer, wine, and spirits picked by people who’ll actually talk you through it.
Every stop here is independent and locally owned. Spend the evening in the Square and the money stays in the neighborhood.
Places in this guide
San Marco Bookstore
San Marco Bookstore is a small independent bookseller on San Marco Boulevard, tucked among the Square's shops and cafes — the kind of neighborhood bookstore where the staff picks are worth trusting.
1971 San Marco Blvd
Rusted: A Vintage Market
Rusted is an independent vintage and gift market on San Marco Boulevard, packed with a rotating mix of antiques, home goods, and locally made finds.
1523 San Marco Blvd
Fig & Willow
Fig & Willow is an independent women's boutique on San Marco Square, stocking apparel, accessories, and gifts with a personal, small-shop touch.
1949 San Marco Blvd $$
Yesterday And Today Records
Yesterday & Today Records is an independent record shop on Hendricks Avenue in San Marco, digging deep bins of new and used vinyl.
1522 Hendricks Ave
bb's restaurant and bar
bb's is a longtime independent restaurant and bar on Hendricks Avenue in San Marco, known for its bistro menu, bakery case, and busy brunch.
1019 Hendricks Ave $$
Basil Thai & Sushi
Basil Thai & Sushi is a veteran-owned Thai and sushi restaurant on Hendricks Avenue in the San Marco area, run by a Navy veteran who spent much of his service in food service.
1004 Hendricks Ave $$
Seafood Island Bar & Grille
Seafood Island Bar & Grille is an independent seafood spot on San Marco Boulevard, serving boils, island-style plates, and fresh catch in a laid-back room.
1959 San Marco Blvd
Aardwolf Brewing Company
Aardwolf brews in a 1927 former ice factory just off San Marco, and the building is half the draw — high ceilings, worn brick, and an adventurous, often barrel-aged lineup.
1461 Hendricks Ave $$
The Grape & Grain Exchange
The Grape & Grain Exchange is an independent shop on San Marco Boulevard for home-brewing and winemaking supplies, craft bottles, and beer-and-wine gifts.
2000 San Marco Blvd
Frequently asked
Is San Marco walkable?
Very. San Marco Square and the Hendricks Avenue stretch beside it hold most of the neighborhood's shops, restaurants, and bars within a few blocks. Park once near the lion fountain and you can do the whole evening on foot.
Where should I eat in San Marco?
bb's on Hendricks Avenue is the long-running neighborhood standby for a bistro dinner. Seafood Island on San Marco Boulevard does island-style seafood and boils, and Basil Thai — which is veteran-owned — is a few blocks down Hendricks.
What is San Marco Square known for?
The Square is built around a fountain guarded by three bronze lions, a nod to Venice's Piazza San Marco, ringed by 1920s Mediterranean-revival storefronts. Today it's one of Jacksonville's best walkable evenings — independent boutiques, a bookshop, restaurants, and bars.