Simply Sara’s

Everyone always brags on this place but I was less than impressed. Owner smells of cigarette smoke and the food wasn’t that great. (I had the shrimp and my friend had the pork chop.) Service was slow and they were out of a lot of things. Maybe I didn’t try what they are known for but when they asked for my honest opinion on the food, they made it seem like I didn’t know what good food is supposed to taste like.

Simply Sara’s is simply fantastic. Happened to be in the area and needed a late lunch. The chicken and dumplings was great. The potato salad was out of this world. The bacon cheeseburger was a delight. The waitress was the one who made the visit an absolute delight. Would definitely recommend this place to anyone in the area.

Simply overwelmed…
We arrived to find no one to greet us or seat us.
We found a table & the server (who at the end of our meal advised us this was her 2^nd day) told us there was no lemonade to make an Arnold Palmer, ok iced tea… We attempted to order & were told to get the 2 for…
She pointed at the middle of the menu & rushed off… We decided on the hamburger steak & vegs.
After a wait we were served & as we were finished with our entre, we were handed our check… I asked what was the 2 for… we were then told it comes with an appetizer (?) & desert .but there were no more deserts (?) And apparently no appetizers either… And… blank stare… it got worse from there… attempting to advise the cashier (as we waited for another check as ours had been comandeered by the server & lost??) We waited at the Cash desk for the person behind the desk as she finished her paperwork, I think the cashier was an owner, she began to explain about the ‘new’ person as if that was supposed to solve everything… I kept attempting to explain that I was NO longer interested to hear that in fact there were more deserts…
I just wanted management to understand I was disatisfied & that they should spend more time & attention in training new wait staff… Baptism by fire was NOT working… I will have to think about ever returning… The food we did get was good. Ambiance: very very loud/​noisy
Management & staff: not so much

As the name implies, simply cooked/​presented food that is very delicious! Went for seafood night and had a delicious Sheepshead (fish) filet. Chocolate chip cookies are very good if you prefer crispy cookies.

This was a great experience. My friends and I were in town and were keen for a local hidden gem, and this place delivered. The menu changes every day a little bit, like the home-​style restaurant it is. The food is delicious and made from scratch daily, and the family that runs it very nice. If you’re in Jax, stop here for lunch or dinner!

Atmosphere is great and the food is delicious. My favorite is the peanut butter cake.

This is a local neighborhood «home away from home» atmosphere if I ever saw one. We met the owner (Sara’s husband) and one of her daughters was our waitress. The menu has a reasonable variety for a neighborhood café. We went after they had been closed for a few extra days for the holidays, so there wasn’t a soup of the day available and they were limited on a few other items, but we were all still able to find something to eat. I had the Grilled Quesadilla with chicken — be sure to ask for what you want in it… if you don’t ask for something, don’t assume it will be in there — it will just be chicken unless you tell them otherwise. Homemade salsa came to the side — it was fresh and good (nothing like salsas I can get in Texas, but I wasn’t expecting that). I got the homemade chips to the side and they had some nice seasoning on them. Had enough to take home for another meal and it was just as good as leftovers. Great to see a local spot in an historic district using homemade and healthy ingredients.

Simply Sara’s has the best chocolate chip cookies in town, hands down. They are crispy and packed full of addictive flavor. They also do good old southern home style meals. We tried the Wednesday night fried chicken. The two piece chicken dinner is served with three sides and a delightful little biscuit. I had the mashed potatoes and gravy with knife cut corn and green beans. Everything was so delicious. The $ 14.99 price may seem a little high for a chicken dinner, but the quality makes it worth enjoying a nice «homemade» dinner you don’t have to cook yourself. The fresh brewed southern sweet tea was perfectly, gently sweetened just right without being overly sweet. The restaurant itself is charming and service was fast and friendly. You can order a nice meal to go, or dine in but whatever you choose, don’t leave without dessert, this is definitely what they do best.

This is a fresh comfort food place. The collards, peas and corn are market fresh and cooked to perfection. I’ve been a repeat customer for years and am very happy with the consistency, have never had a bad experience.
They open for breakfast and lunch, then at 4pm dinner. On Wednesday and Saturday you can get fried gizzards, best I’ve had since my Grandmas. Best field peas I’ve EVER had.
Friendly staff and owners, I always look forward to going.
Desserts are made in house and vary but I suggest you get the cookies to go, a bakers dozen is 15!!!
Over the holiday they had coconut cake with lemon icing between the layers, just like my Great Aunt made. Wonderful place.

Eggplant Fries, so good. I think they may be better than regular french fries. The peach cobbler, with ice cream. So fresh, home made. This is a wonderful place. The owner was so personable and made sure we were completely happy w/​our meals.
Highly recommend.
Will be returning soon.

What an amazing place to eat! Everything is homemade and delicious. We went for seafood night and chose the seafood platter. Crab legs were yummy as well as the squash side. Eggplant fries were heavenly and addicting. The wings were in a ranch seasoning and nice and crispy. Peach cobbler was hot and done just right. The staff and owners provided excellent customer service and were extremely friendly. No doubt I’ll be going here again.

How to sum up my experience at Simply Sara’s…Simply amazing!
We arrived a little before 7 on a Friday night and was seated promptly. The server was friendly and very knowledgeable about items on the menu.
The food came out in a decent amount of time and was extremely fresh.
At the end of our meal the owners came over and asked us how we enjoyed our dinner. We told them that it was fantastic and that we would definitely be back! It’s a little off the beaten path but truly is worth stopping by for.
If I could I would give this place 10 stars!

Nestled in the heart of historic Ortega, Simply Sara’s is a cozy spot with a «home away from home» feel to it. The history is so thick you can cut it with a knife. The food is delicious and the owners are very darling people.
The rustic décor is inviting. The entire place is very clean belying the antique air in the establishment. When you finish eating you don’t want to leave. The view of the surrounding area is gorgeous and an excellent place from which to people watch. I could see myself getting lost in a book there on a lazy afternoon.
No Wi-​Fi so be prepared to enjoy the company of whomever you are dining with.
I am thankful I got to visit this spot and I will definitely be back now that it is on my radar.

OMG! What a hidden Jacksonville treasure. If you loved your Grandmothers cooking you will love Simply Sara’s. If your Grandmother didn’t know how to cook, she should learned here.
Talk about FRESH food. I had the chicken n dumplings, forgive me grandma, it was as good as yours. Gigi had the Ham, it melted in her mouth. As MacArthur said, I shall return!

A delightful neighborhood restaurant specializing in fresh home cook meals, the way they were prepared when we were growing up. James and Sarah work very hard in providing delicious meals using only the freshest ingredients. It is a destination restaurant well worth the effort. We have enjoyed the hamburger, the fresh turkey sandwiches, fried chicken including livers and gizzards, collards, squash casserole, chicken wings, fried pickles and eggplant. Give it a try for a change of pace and be sure to introduce yourself to James and Sarah. Also, try Sarah’s homemade cookies, she will ship anywhere in the US.

Simply Sara’s is southern-​ahmazing. Tonight was my first time dining in, but I have friends who have eaten there nearly nightly and say everything is delicious. They are known for their fried chicken nights on Wednesdays, scrumptious crunchy cookies and desserts. Tonight I had the bacon-​wrapped chicken tenders with a side of the loaded baked potato casserole. The chicken was so tender it melted in my mouth. The batter was crunchy and flavorful and the bacon of course made it heaven. The dish comes with fries, but a part of Sara’s house «ways» is to always meet the customer’ wants and they gladly substitute anything at any time and will also half portion. Make sure to check out the local honeys and jams sold by the register too. Definitely a southern treat not to miss, tucked away in Ortega.

Oh Simply Sara’s.
I had such a positive experience last night at Simply Sara’s. From the beginning, the time traveling, plantation home drive to Ortega, to the ample parking for restaurant guests, to being greeted by Jamie and Sara (the owner’s themselves) at the door, and the delicious home cooked food, followed by the delectable peach cobbler to cap off the evening.
Simply Sara’s is like visiting your grandma’s kitchen. As a transplant to Jacksonville, this is exactly the restaurant I need when I’m feeling a little homesick to my native St. Louis, MO. I love that they offer their lunch menu all day for the little women like myself, but also that they have daily specials that rotate through out the week. They shop at the local farmer’s market for all of their fruits and veggies, so you know you’re getting the real deal. While you should budget to spend ~$ 20 per person, rest assured that you are eating quality food that you can’t find in the can of something.
My boyfriend and I started the night with sweet tea and the eggplant fries, they are just as good as every other review. The spicy ranch sauce that is served with it is a great combination. For dinner, I ordered the Chicken Fried Chicken sandwich, with Simply Sara’s homemade chips. SO GOOD. My boyfriend had the Country Fried Steak with a side of their white gravy. He ordered the knife cut corn, green beans, and mashed potatoes as sides. I would skip the green beans as it was the weakest.
Perhaps the best thing about Simply Sara’s was that Jamie brought our food to our table and even checked in to see how the service had been going. He recommended the fresh strawberry pineapple jelly to go with our biscuits, and boy was he right. Jamie even offered to give us two tickets to the Sharks arena football game after dinner. You just really get the feeling from the moment that you walk in that you are right at home.

This cute little joint is easy to miss, but tough to forget.
We had walked by this gem for almost the last year without ever being able to figure out the hours. Supposedly they have been open for the last two years, but we had yet to see that be the case. Today however was our lucky day. We caught the great white buffalo. We stopped in on a walk for a little afternoon appetizer and tea. Dang. Stuffs delicious.
We got wings and it was like getting pajamas fresh out of the dryer on a cold snowy evening. They warm you up from the soul out. We got half regular, half Greek. Perfectly seasoned with salt and pepper and Greek herbs, we couldn’t have asked for a better snack. The chicken tastes like it was raised in the Garden of Eden. It was flawless. At $ 11 for a dozen wings it was reasonably priced too.
If we lived in Jacksonville, this is where I would be! Delicious, cute, tasty. I’m pretty sure it’s everything you could possibly ask for out of a restaurant…

A little underwhelmed is the best way I wold describe Simply Sara’s for breakfast. We haven’t tried lunch or dinner but certainly would be interested to after reading their menu and some of the other reviews.
As far as breakfast goes the menu is very limited to the very basics. I tried the breakfast burrito and my wife had the biscuits and gravy. Our food came out after a decently long wait of about 30 minutes. There were only a few other tables at that point. Good thing we had a table of four and kept ourselves occupied with good conversation! In all we had two orders of breakfast burritos ($ 5.99) and two orders of biscuits and gravy ($ 5.99).
The breakfast burritos came out and I felt a little sad. I wasn’t expecting some Moe’s style home-​wrecker or anything, but I was hoping for something a little more substantial. Nothing else on the large white plate like an orange slice or even a sprig of parsley to spice up the presentation a little. Just a small burrito. It tasted very good and they were very accommodating with a nice selection of hot sauces.
Biscuits and gravy were very tasty as well and felt worth the price but the burritos fell short.
Like I mentioned I’d be willing to try Simply Sara’s for lunch or dinner but won’t be back for breakfast.

Ain’t nothing like a southern homemade dinner that you didn’t have to cook.
Amen!
Homemade southern fried chicken! Yes! Let your inner fat kid out now! It’s cooked to order so be prepared for a wait. But the wait will be well worth it when you are delivered a plate of golden crispy chicken that is juicy and tender inside. The sides were okay, nothing special outside of the green beans. Something about the way they were cooked gave me images of women sitting on a porch with over sized aprons washing beans. Either way they were delicious.
Plenty of southern charm. When traveling with an indecisive and picky eater, they are still able to deliver great food. If you’re not a meat eater there are vegetarian options. And I was told they will cook for dieters needs. Just let them know your restrictions when ordering.
Authentic southern cuisine from a super sweet staff.