Gemma Fish + Oyster

We just had our second visit to Gemma and it was just as wonderful as our first visit which was over a year and a half ago. The food and drinks are absolutely delicious, and the service is out of this world. They go out of their way to celebrate special occasions with you and make you feel special. Our server, Autumn, was a dream. She was fun, super sweet, and very attentive. We had the best date night!

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Elegant Setting, Exceptional Flavors Gemma Fish + Oyster offers a beautiful, refined ambience and is an excellent setting for photographs, celebrations, or an elevated night out. The space is thoughtfully designed and creates a memorable dining experience from the moment you arrive. The food was exceptional, fresh, well-executed, and balanced in flavor. Each dish reflected a clear attention to quality and presentation, making the culinary experience genuinely enjoyable. While the quality is undeniable, the pricing does not align with portion size. In the current economic climate, this may be a consideration for some diners, as an evening consisting of a single appetizer, a single cocktail, and one entrée can approach $110. Overall, Gemma Fish + Oyster is best suited for special occasions or guests seeking an upscale dining experience where ambience and quality take priority. I would recommend it with the understanding that it is an investment dining experience rather than an everyday outing.

Gemma Fish & Oyster was fantastic. The food was fresh, flavorful, and beautifully done — exactly the kind of place you leave already planning your next visit. The oysters were top-tier, and everything we ordered felt high quality and thoughtfully prepared. Our waitress, Sidra, was wonderful — attentive, friendly, and made the whole meal even better. Great atmosphere, great service, and an all-around amazing spot. Highly recommend!

Short review of Gemma since we just stopped in for an app and drinks. Pleasantly surprised, enough that I’ll be back for more apps and drinks. We ordered the hummus plate, which came with plenty of colorful vegetables. Definitely enough for 4 people. To drink, I ordered the Nice Coconuts, which reminded me of a pina colada. This would be an amazing summer drink, so the second Jacksonville goes back up to 80 degrees I’d highly recommend ordering this to celebrate. The names of the other drinks — the ex wife, pool boy, etc — are so fun that we just couldn’t decide which to get! We sat on the rooftop, which we were told us first come first serve. I’m a sucker for a rooftop, and we enjoyed this one (shoutout to the heat lamps). Will be back to Gemma once it warms up. 📍Gemma San Marco, Jax, FL 🍴Hummus, Nice Coconuts

This was our first experience at Gemma‘s….But it will not be our last. The service was exceptional , the atmosphere was amazing and warm…and the food was definitely memorable. I will dream of that bread pudding!!! Thank you, Jeff for taking care of us and making our first experience here unforgettable.

A Date Night in November A friend recommended this spot and Gemma did not disappoint. The DRINKS | The two NA were very good: the Not A'Lotta Colada was special and the Fruitquake was nice. The APPETIZERS | Roasted Oysters were ok. The adds/sauce overpowered the oysters. Less is more and that sauce belongs on a protein. The raw oyster were the star: Lady Chatterley of Prince Edward's Island and Cadillac River Maine were umami-y and briny and just good. The ENTREES | Seared Salmon was seared masterfully and came with a not-so-good Pistachio Mole that I could have lived without. The Snapper that was cooked beautifully and came with a delicious Thai Coconut Red Curry. Unfortunately, the sides are where Gemma fell short and flat. Same Jasmine rice and vegetables. At those prices, they have to give more though to curating the sides. The DESSERT | We consider ourselves curators of Bread Pudding. If it is on the dessert menu, we are going to order it. The Fried Apple Bread Pudding was hyped but over fried and we had burnt pieces. The one piece that was edible was quite tasty. I think they over thought that one by frying it and it needs more apple. We told them. The SERVICE | Really made this a good night. Xavier (our server) was good and Mattie/Maddie (the host) was incredible. After dinner, she came by asked us about our meal, sat down, and gave us an Oysters 101 tutorial (why they have the size and flavor profile), and the history of Gemma - the who and how it came to be. Lovely. The VIBE | Upstairs is open to the environment. It was a beautiful night and we could hear the city life while we ate. The decor and ambiance were spot on. That spot must be HOPPIN' during the summer and on a temperate fall night.

Nothing bad to say, besides the seafood smell but what do you expect lol. Everything tasted amazing, the wine, masterful cocktails, the raw oysters, the roasted oysters, the tare tare the red snapper and scallops of course. The fried bread pudding was a perfect ending to a fantasic experience. Servers were on point and worked as a team, i highly recommend anyone to stop by for a memorable experience

Sidra was a phenomenal server and gave us a great recommendation for dinner. My husband and I both had the sea bass over wild rice and broccolini and it was cooked to perfection. She checked on us just enough times throughout our time in the restaurant and made sure that our water glasses were always full. 10/10 Recommend Gemma's and Sidra as a server!

I overly loved this restaurant! The ambiance was amazing! I loved the decor! The owner Brittany and the server Chelby were amazing! I cannot wait to go back for dinner! Food was delicious and unique! 10/10 for sure!

Such wonderful service and ambiance at this gorgeous restaurant! We were greeted and seated immediately, since it was a Tuesday at 8:30 we had our choice of where to sit. We opted for the rooftop because of the fans but half way through the dinner we realized only half the table was cool enough to take the temperature, we recommend sitting inside in the summer if you have the option. It wasn't unbearable but I don't like to sweat while eating such delicious food! The pre dinner martinis were nice and cold but the blue cheese olives were bland. The ceviche appetizer had a wonderful citrus flavor but I wasn't a fan of the chip it was served with. It had a soft pork rind resemblance but it didn't have any flavor. Kind of spongy instead of crisp. The entrees were both flavorful and filling. The red fish with grits was cooked beautifully but was very salty. The snapper curry over rice was yummy, the veggies added a nice crunch and balanced out the flavors. We'd love to return to try the ribeye, the description made my mouth water but we decided to stick with the seafood theme. The decor was fun, it's great for a night out!

The location and ambiance are 5 star! The prices are a little over the top. My daughter had the burger, which was good but definitely not a $27 good! It wasn't Kobe Wagyu beef. It was just Angus. I had a the blackened drum (fish)... It was cooked properly but lacked seasoning In My opinion. My second daughter thought the fish and chips were good and my wife had the whole fried fish which she said was extremely salty and had a very weird glaze.. The appetizers were honestly the only reason I would probably ever return which were the jerk chicken skewers, and the and artichoke dip. I would definitely make my meal out of the chicken skewers next time. Maybe it's just our taste, but we are definitely foodies and this did not live up to the hype in our opinion.

This place is a total vibe. We sat upstairs and it was beautiful, the sun does start to be semi troublesome to the eyes as it sets but you're outside so that's an expected hazard. We were served by Anna and she was on point every step of the way. Everything we had was delicious. We will definitely be back. Now onto the food, I went app heavy and everything had great flavors. The raw oysters were fresh and that homemade hot sauce was great. They rotate the homemade mionette and it for our visit sweet potato cinnamon one, it had great flavor but it wasn't something I wanted on the oysters. The pork belly is drown worthy, the mussels are super good but definitely have spice. The octopus was good but was a little more of a salad than I expected but had great flavor. My favorite was the shrimp appetizer. My husband got the burger and raved about it. The key lie pie is delectable and the seasonal ice cream sundae is a hefty portion. We had a great experience and service, we say give it a try.

This was a 10/10 experience! Service was great- attentive, friendly and helpful with questions. Ambiance was super cute. I could see how the upstairs will be maybe too hot to sit outside during summer. Everything was ordered was SO tasty. The mussels stole the show full of flavor. I would 100% recommend checking out.

I had been wanting to try Gemma after its long awaited opening and our anniversary seemed to be the perfect occasion. I made a reservation online and highly recommend you do the same. Do not try to go without a reservation. Gemma doesn't seem to have a parking lot but they share a (complimentary) valet service with the restaurant next door. Upon arrival - the gentleman working the valet greeted us with a "Happy Anniversary" when we told them our names. This was a really nice start to the evening! We were seated fairly quickly after checking in. The ambiance and decor is lovely but if you're seated on the main "long" bench I think you feel squished. I didn't love sitting 18" apart from two other dining parties. We were greeted by our server and overall the service was fine but that was really about it. It might just be me but our server was just fine and for the price of this restaurant, I expect excellence. She never greeted us for our anniversary and getting menu recommendations out of her was like pulling teeth. Overall our food was good. We both ordered an Ophelia cocktail. If you like to drink vodka this is an excellent choice. We split a dozen oysters which were pricey as expected but very good. We also ordered the crab and artichoke dip which was very tasty. We would definitely order this again if we were to dine here again. The Hokkaido scallops were the winners of the evening and the main course we both choose to order. The scallops were very good. I enjoyed the succotash mix but didn't love the way the hominy had been cooked. The hominy in comparison to the edamame and carrots was chewy and undercooked. Our server did bring out a complimentary glass of prosecco at the end which we enjoyed with the bread pudding. We must have gotten a fresh batch of bread pudding because the dessert took longer than our meal to be served. Overall - we enjoyed our meal but were underwhelmed with the service for the price. This is a one and done for us.

Amazing $8 happy hour for mixed drinks. Dress nicely definitely a fancier restaurant. Super nice staff!

If you want to indulge in the freshest raw oysters you can fathom this is the place to be. Before this restaurant I was always the one to just eat steamed and fried oysters but I decided to be adventurous and try them raw for the first time here. This experience did not let me down. The staff is very welcoming and the esthetic of the place is astonishing. Take my advice and try the oysters and the crab and artichoke dip. The spicy margarita is a great pairing with any seafood option as well.

Made a reservation at their rooftop for their soft opening. First of all, the interior is beautiful! The rooftop has a nice set up but it was a bit loud from the vehicles outside. Service was a bit off, but I understand as they just opened. We were told to wait to be seated and we were just standing there for quite a bit. We ordered their drinks, I got the Annabelle and hubby, a cider, both were good. For appetizer, the pork belly was tasty, just the right amount of seasoning. For our main dish, I ordered the Seafood Pozole. It was a tad salty and the portion was not what I was expecting, same with my husband's Grilled Octopus, they were more like an appetizer plates, definitely not worth the price we paid for. I heard they have great happy hour, maybe we will come back for that.

I finally made my way over to Gemma Fish & Oyster and it is the cutest restaurant! Love, love, loved the decor and location. It is a raw bar so if you enjoy oysters, crudo, ceviche, and tartare, this may be a spot for you! They also have a rooftop, equipped with a full bar, heat lamps, and nice views of San Marco! We were there pretty early in the evening so we ordered cocktails, several apps, and shared an entree. Here's what we ordered: * * Snapper Ceviche-8/10 Roasted Oysters-7/10 Fried Oysters-8/10 Pork Belly-8/10 Grilled Octopus-8/10 Espresso Martini-10/10 Ambiance&Decor-10/10 * Overall, not bad. I think it would be a great spot for Happy Hour, especially with the rooftop space. They don't currently have a Happy Hour but hopefully soon. I definitely looking forward to returning, once they do!

Been eyeing this restaurant before they even opened and I finally got a chance to try it! The inside is definitely a vibe it has a dining room seating and rooftop seating. The food we ordered was so good and packed with flavor! There wasn't anything we really disliked. Our favorite was the gulf roasted oysters.

I love the decor. We started upstairs at the rooftop open air bar. Cocktail menu was interesting. We could snag a table but did sit at the bar for a little while. We later headed downstairs and had oysters, caviar and wine. Restaurant has valet parking.

I usually try to wait until a restaurant has been open for several months before I try it out, but on a Monday afternoon we were in the neighborhood just as they were opening and figured why not? No regrets! First off, I love the decor and ambiance. There is a lot of attention to detail that went into building this place out and you can tell! I love the colors. It is large and everything is spread out enough that it doesn't feel crowded. The service was absolute perfection - from the host to the bartenders (we sat at the bar upstairs - great atmosphere!). They were the right amount of attentive and explained all the food and drink options well and aimed us in the right direction for both food and drinks that we would enjoy. As far as drinks, I started off with The Eleanor. I am a huge fan of a good Aperol Spritz, so since this has Aperol and grapefruit I knew I'd love it. It was very refreshing and so pretty! My friend had the Josephine. I am not a fan of port - so it was not for me, but she liked it, so do what you will with that information. We finished with espresso martinis after dinner and this has to be top 5 espresso martinis in Jax I'd say. For food, I just got Spicy Mussels. I wasn't starving so just an app for me. They were very tasty and not too spicy, but definitely had some heat. My friend got fish and chips. An absolute classic. The fish was perfectly fried and tasted very light and nicely flakey. It didn't taste like just a bunch of grease. Same goes for the chips. I am looking forward to going again to try more food. I love seafood and can't wait to try out the raw bar and caviar in the future. And more espresso martinis.

I love the vibe that Gemma gives. Walking in, the main floor has an Oyster Bar, which is a nice touch. The oysters are visible for you to see. No smellies either. The 2nd floor is a rooftop with a bar of its own as well. However, I still find myself on the fence on Gemma.... Rooftop (2/5) It touts a rooftop which I was expecting an open roof with nice views, but it is not technically a rooftop. It is more of a covered roof with wide open windows where you can see outside. It was not enough to enjoy a "roof top" type view. Additionally, the Gemma is situated in a busy intersection. During our dining experience, we were entertained to the sounds of ambulances, firetrucks, Fast & The Furious Dodge Chargers and amongst other vehicles driving down street. I will just call it "The Gemma Street Mix". On to the food and drinks (3/5) We ordered the Seafood Pozole, Grilled Octopus, the Seafood Tempura (appetizer), along with some drinks. Verdict... The food was okay. I felt like the Grilled Octopus was abit salty. Portion wise, it was not enough especially for the price of the dish. It was an appetizer type portion in my opinion. They do have a nice selection of drinks available. Service (5/5) Our server was Jay (I so loved her name). I knew that she was going to be a great server and she was. She was knowledgeable and attentive. Despite the okay experience, I will make another try and visit Gemma.

We dined at Gemma Fish + Oyster for my birthday last night. It was incredible and it's my new first pick for date night, celebration dinners and really any time I can talk people into going out to eat somewhere nice. They've been open just over a month and it's reasonable to exercise some patience as a diner. I say reasonable and I mean completely worth it. The vibe from staff is warm, invested, caring and professional. The hostess was friendly and chatty, the waitress was warm and excited about the food and interested in our experience of the drinks and food, the food runners were courteous and efficient and the manager was available and did not hover. For all the warmth, it was well balanced with not feeling smothered. It's a delicate balance to achieve warmth, professional and to leave diners alone enough to enjoy each other's company. This restaurant struck that perfect chord. I love to order raw bar and appetizers and make a meal out of it. I'm also gluten free. I also order off menu mock tails. I'm a complicated diner and I never felt like a burden. I felt like my particularities weren't even worth batting an eyelash at. I felt so normal and so taken care of by the staff and menu. It's such a satisfying experience for me at a restaurant to feel like everyone else and not be worried. AND THE FOOD. My mouth is watering as I'm remembering the flavors to describe them. A large selection of fresh raw oysters is how we started, I ordered two of each I liked the description of and came up with a total of 6 oysters. I sampled the mignonette and it was excellent, but when the oyster are that bright and well cleaned I want to eat them by themselves. So I did. I added lemon to my second bite and that was a mistake. These oysters are delectable and need no additions to shine. My favorite was the petite avonlea, although I recommend diners to read the descriptions and choose for their own palette. Oysters by virtue are small things, so this is not a filling plate. The salmon tartar was delicate and balanced. The salmon had mild to moderate flavor by itself and then the salt, good oil, lemon rind, peppers and red onion lifted this flavor profile to bright and crisp notes. Salmon is a little fatty so the citrus was a beautiful choice. This dish was very well done. The serving size of salmon was impressive, I shared with my husband and had plenty to eat myself. The steak tartar is incredible. It's waygu beef (probably Australian, the menu doesn't specify) so it's a very meaty and fatty bite. The fried shallot adds a delightful crunch. It's not a heavy dish but it packs punches of flavor. The portion size again was large. This was an expensive appetizer and I felt the price tag was fair when weighed against quality of ingredients, portion of meat and skill in planning and construction of the dish. My husband ordered the salmon. I took a bite of the rice and mole, which was a very interesting sauce. It finished spicy in the mouth, the kind of spicy that's not overwhelming and allows you to taste all of the food, while providing a moderate level of background heat. That's my favorite spice profile, I want to taste everything and not blow out my tastebuds on a singular note of HOT HOT SPICY. The glazed vegetables were a nice addition. He doesn't eat fish skin so he gave me the fried crispy salmon skin and it was AMAZING. Heavily seasoned, crispy and fatty. It was a really incredible bite. He told me he wish there had been more seasoning to the dish, not realizing he lost a lot of it to me in the crispy salmon skin. If you don't like fish skin then I recommend you ask them to leave it off and season the fish directly. I ordered the lobster pimento last. The chunks of lobster do not get lost in the cheese, they shine sweet and meaty in every bite that's lucky enough to have a hunk of lobster. It's truly hunks, which was a smart way to incorporate it because it adds texture and flavor to bites when you get a chunk and the pimento is delicious and stands up on its own without the lobster. This is a heavy dish and is best shared. I ate until I was full, shared some AND brought home leftovers of the pimento. I ordered a mocktail and gave the instructions "complex, balanced, not too sweet." I received a beautiful beverage with coconut milk, pomegranate and sours/lime. It was fun to drink, complicated and unique in flavor and exciting to see the bar tender's creativity come out. I'd order this way again and be thrilled if the same beverage or a completely new one came out.

We celebrated here for dinner and had a great experience. The restaurant is beautiful and we had great service. We had the freshest cleanest oysters ever! Food was great all around!

I visited last night (Thurs) with no reservation, and was able to grab a spot with my girl friend at the raw bar right away. The restaurant was packed; especially it being prime dinner time slot (6:45-7:15) I've been wanting to visit Gemma based on drinks and ambiance/decor alone - for this place, food came second to me. Usually this is not the case. Normally if I want a good meal out somewhere, I steer clear of a place looking too "insta worthy" for fear the food will not match its phenomenal design or feel the restaurant gives. For drinks and atmosphere, I'd give Gemma a 6/5! There is no happy hour and yes the drinks are pricey, but, c'mon, did we expect anything less? The drinks are 100% worth it. I was eyeballing the Ophelia on the menu, without saying anything, this is the exact drink our server recommended too. We did love our server. Service was a little slow from start to finish but it didn't bother us one bit. This is a brand new restaurant; they were busy, our server was nice, & had good recommendations. The staff we encountered on our visit last night were all 10/10! They did a great job given how new this place is, and how slammed it stays. The raw oysters we tried, all of them were extremely delicious. I would recommend the raw oysters. Were they a smidge overpriced; yes. Especially when other new, nearby restaurants offer very good raw oysters for half off during their happy hour. Raw oysters here ranged from 3.50-4.50 a piece. I was told if you go to a certain oceana restaurant nearby during happy hour, their raw oysters are 2-3 a piece. I was warned by a chef/friend days ahead of this visit to absolutely Not order the crab dip, and he also mentioned the kale salad had no actual kale in it. We did still order the kale salad. And just like I was previously informed, very little kale on the actual kale salad, maybe 4 leaves total. This didn't bother me. It's misleading given the name of the salad but the flavor of the salad was extremely delicious. The lobster pimento cheese dip was very good, I would suggest this dip. Seafood tempura - the birds nest of veggies that come with the large shrimp, so tasty! This appetizer I might skip ordering again. It serves one to two. Two people could share if you order more appetizers with it. But I think it's best served for one. I didn't love it and I didn't hate it, honestly it was just a smidge bland but given that's its lightly fried shrimp, that's kinda what you should expect. This visit of ordering two drinks a person, a salad to share, 3 oysters each, lobster pimento cheese dip, and shrimp appetizer, cost us $65 without tip. Listed this sounds like a decent amount but given that it's "light chick food" it's not filling. Roughly $80 per person if leaving slightly more than a 20% tip. Needless to say, I left hungry. We didn't order hefty items, but I also knew I didn't want to drop over $100 dollars here first visit. My honest feedback is, you are paying for the atmosphere. I know that reads harsh. It hurts me to say that a little because I never want to offend or seem like the infamous "karen" of Yelp. There is no exception to be rude or inconsiderate when reviewing a place you didn't absolutely love. Highlight the good with the not so good - with class. Okay that's my two cents, lol, back to the review. Gemma to me as far as what I've tried food wise, seems overall, average. Would I visit again, absolutely. The service was not bad, very friendly, the design was exceptionally creative, and the drinks and oysters were very delicious. But would I order loads of apps and entrees at Gemma, no. Drinks, hell yes. It is a little loud inside. You will have to talk extremely loud for your party to hear you, even if it's just you and one other person. The valet guys here were so polite. You can also park in the Publix/Foxtail Coffee parking lot. Do check out the rooftop. It's covered, and has heaters. It also has fans for when our temperatures start to warm up quite a bit here.

I have really mixed feelings about Gemma. I'll preface by saying I knew in advance that the folks behind this restaurant are the same as Ember & Iron, which I passionately adore. I had reservations for a large group (9) and we were seated immediately upon arrival. Although I didn't see much of it because we were in a private room right off the entrance, the parts of the restaurant I could see were beautiful. I love the decor and feel of the place. Our server was kind and did a fantastic job at managing our needs. She was flexible and attentive. I started with the spicy mussels which were delicious. I ended up sipping the broth right out of the bowl because it was so tasty. The espresso martini was good too - but nothing to write home about. My friend got a few oysters that she said were very fresh and had excellent accompaniments. And then came the main course. I debated on a few dishes before going with the wagyu flank steak. Upon receiving the dish, I was surprised at the portions as the plate was huge. Admittedly, the fries were quite dry. They reminded me of the fries they serve at E&I so I'm assuming they use a similar recipe. However, Gemma doesn't have any sort of dipping sauce other than ketchup so keep that in mind. The steak was completely disappointing. Maybe I was wrong to expect so much out of flank steak, but this was so chewy and under-seasoned it was hardly edible. The shallot bordelaise (that sold me on the dish) resembled a bland barbecue sauce. I made the rare choice to send the dish back because I couldn't stand to eat more chewy steak or dry fries. The server was very gracious and apologetic, so I hope she forwarded the feedback on. That steak dish needs a lot of work before I'd be willing to try it again. I would definitely give Gemma another try, though, as the high level of effort is clear. It was just the miss in execution that I didn't anticipate.

Had an absolutely lovely experience at Gemma Friday night for Girls Night with two great friends. Our reservation was for 6 but one of the girls was running super late so 2 of us ordered the crab and artichoke dip- it was DELICIOUS. Drinks were served and no one ever made us feel inconvenient for waiting on our friend. Our server Megan was so kind and patient. All three of us thought our dinner was delicious. We were most impressed with their patience with a group of 3 women in desperate need of a girls night who chatted, snacked, and drank at their table for four hours, never once getting impatient with us. Not every night is special to a restaurant- but some nights are so special to their customers. And they seemed to recognize and respect that. I'm so thankful!

Service was excellent. Food was alright nothing different that other place. Pleasant ambiance.

I really hope this finds its way to Brittany and Mike Cooney. I had hoped to love this place as I have seen it open for a few months and had not tried it out til this Thursday July 11th. Since we were off we thought we would try it out for happy hour. The experience started out very well with a very pleasant and hospitable hostess. We decided to sit at the bar and try their happy hour drinks and small plates. We ordered drinks and several small plates. Food and drinks came out and were great. Ordered a second round of drinks and everything changed. Something was off with the drinks. We explained this to the server and he took back. But to our surprise they didn't redo the drinks but just started doctoring up the drinks by adding more strops and mixers. Now understand mine was an old fashioned. Simple bourbon and bitters so I couldn't under why my second drink was nearly filled to the rim since I know there was no more bourbon in my glass. So what was added? Happy hour prices weren't high so we just ordered another round and some more small plates. Still the experience was ok so we were discussing returning in the future for dinner. Asked for our check. It was here that everything went south. I noticed that my two old fashioned were nearly twice the price in the menu and my glass of wine was the same. When I pointed this out to the server, he explained that the happy hour drink was a "gold fashioned" and made with a different bourbon than their old fashioned. Not quite sure what a gold fashioned really is as I know I can't walk into any bar and order one. Further explained that my wine was only $1 off. Which isn't true as it clearly states 1/2 off wine by the glass. He than explained the the sauvingan blanc I ordered had been "86'd" so I was served a different one. Our server Jason snatched the bill from our hand and said he would take it off. I saw him apprising the manager David of the situation and everything got worse. After Jason slammed our new ticket down we flagged down a different Manager who then turned to David for guidance. When I explained that David had been apprised and didn't care, David explained that he is not confrontational and he didn't need us as customers. And we should leave. I'm confused if you don't need as as customers, why would you take our money. Not to mention try to sneak extra charges on the bill. Worth to note the restaurant was nearly empty on a Thursday evening. Clearly I have no intent on returning and I'd strongly encourage anyone else to avoid this place as well. I personally know there are many places in town that would more than welcome you has customers. Mike and Brittany I'd strongly encourage you to evaluate wether David and Jason are what you need in your restaurant. I can promise you I've been in customer service for 39 years. And I would never look at a customer and say they don't need me or anyone as a customer. Sadly this could have been different if David had simply come and addressed the situation rather than "not be confrontational ". Taking to a customer is not confrontational, it's actually what you're paid to do. And to be honest Jason is just too lazy to do his job and expects me to. A simple hey out happy hour old fashion is this. And hey we have two wines on our meme but we've done away with one so we have this one now. You lost 3 customers simply because there was no communication.

First off, the service was wonderful and our server was very attentive. No complaints there. However, the food was incredibly disappointing and lackluster - which is a shame considering the ambiance is wonderful and more modern than most of what Jax has to offer. We started with the grilled shrimp appetizer, which was fine at best. The shrimp had good flavor but the sauce underneath lacked flavor and was really just oil. The crostinis were also bordering burnt and were inconsistent. I ordered the snapper which was very salty with a thick paste on top rather than a nice light white fish. My boyfriend ordered the ribeye medium and it came out raw. He politely asked the server for it to be cooked to medium and it came out well done...20 minutes later. I had finished what I was going to by then. They ended up comping the steak; however, the food does not match the ambiance. This would be great for happy hour and I've heard better things about lunch, but dinner can definitely be skipped.

We really enjoyed the menu choices and presentations. Top notch location and locale. We were well treated and a manager even visited briefly to check on us. Overall a must come back; really nice place to experience on a date or just with friends

3rd try - 3rd bad experience. (1st) overpriced $25 Cod fish stick. (Matthews has $14 Sea Bass fish & chips); (2nd) f'd up my whole order; (3rd & final) Told no chance of 6pm reservation. But was nearly empty from 5:30-6:30. A total of 4 tables sat (see pic). Still no dinner after :45 mins. They charged extra for "Bread service." (Consists of 5 half-slices of dry toast. No spread, no butter, no oil/balsamic. Just dry toast. Apparently, they're not aware that there are other San Marco restaurants that serve seafood.

Tried Gemma Fish & Oyster for our 8th anniversary The ambiance was amazing with chic decor and lighting. They offered complementary champagne to toast to our 8yrs of marriage I had the grilled snapper with green beans and potatoes. It was tasty, but not as TASTY as the ANGUS BURGER (medium) my hubs got with TRUFFLE FRIES !!! Sorry no pic! But definitely would recommend it! The Old fashion was decent, and The Florence was good but wouldn't order again. Our waitress was a sweetie and was very attentive Great place for a date night for sure!

I came here for a lovely birthday dinner for my friend. We sat upstairs and the views and ambiance were nice and laid back. Everyone seemed to enjoy their drinks including me. But for me, it was that Moroccan chicken. Honey, those spices over the chicken, the meat was succulent and juicy with the veggies underneath! I know it's more of a seafood place and everyone that ordered fish and oysters enjoyed them. But listen I'm trying to come back for the Moroccan chicken. Morroccan chicken me please! Thanks!

We sat upstairs at the bar. Beautiful ambiance but very strong seafood smell when you walk in. We ordered the shrimp appetizer that had pieces of bread. It was very oily. The espresso martini was good. A for effort to try to be a high end restaurant in Jacksonville but it falls short compared to other places (ie Orsay, Josephine, Rue St Marc). Would recommend for grabbing drinks for date night but probably not for food.

Went just for a quick drink but end up staying over an hour the bar tender recommend the Florence drink and it was a hit its sweet and does not have a strong liquor taste. Have recommended this drink to others and they have liked it as well.

The food was absolutely amazing. I had been once before for a birthday lunch that was spectacular and this dinner upstairs on the rooftop was so exceptional. We ordered appetizers, oysters, shrimp, and crab and artichoke dip. All three were wonderful. We had Branzino for dinner with The glazed vegetables and cheese grits. it was amazing. We topped it off having fried apple bread pudding for dessert. My friends had a bottle of wine and loved it. All we can say is, this is the greatest new addition to the Jacksonville dining scene. What a great restaurant and a wonderful location with the perfect rooftop bar as well as a beautiful first floor dining room. Congratulations!

Overall the restaurant was very nice, beautiful date night spot. However, the ambiance did not match with the pricing. Plates began at $26. While the food was good, it was a bit salty. The RAW Bar was exceptional, overall best part. I would come back to eat the oysters. We also enjoyed both of our servers.

Ambiance inside is so elegant and vibey ... sat at the bar and still had a great time! Had about 3 different cocktails and each of them FABULOUS! Can't wait to go back.

I can see the vision but it just wasn't serving the night when we went. Poorly execute mains, back of kitchen issues and slow service. Ambiance is nice. We were not seated on time even with a reservation. We ordered a salad to start (Kale and Brussel Sprouts). We noticed that there weren't any brussel sprouts in the salad and asked the server if this was the correct salad. She took the plate away and she brought the SAME one back but now with a few shaved brussel sprouts scattered on top. Strange but it's fine. Onto the mains, they were out of snapper and had the grouper instead. Our server said that it's also very popular and similar to snapper. Decently portion and tasty. $38 for a fish entree, definitely on the pricey side. Pork chop was severely undercooked for a medium well, so undercooked that the texture is red/raw when I cut through it. I think that it's frozen and they didn't let it come to room temp because there is a very obvious ring of cooked meat and then raw in the middle. I did not feel safe eating and I sent it back to the kitchen. They ended up sending the same piece I had cut in half back to us. I thought this was a bit odd but if it's cooked this time, I didn't really mind. Lo and behold, when I cut into the pork chop for a second time, still very very pink, medium rare at best and not the medium well I asked for. They literally threw it on for 2 seconds to get the char and sent it back out without properly reaching the cook temp. At this point, I didn't even want to send it back to the kitchen and decided to just cook it at home. However, the server said it wasn't a big deal and took it back to the kitchen for a 2nd refire. Very skeptical because I knew that this time they would cook it very very WELL DONE, so it cannot be said it's still not cooked enough. Imagine my surprise when they returned with the SAME piece of pork that was originally sent out. They even plated the three sections I had cut it into. nicely on the plate. I've never had a restaurant send out the same plate of food 3 times... As expected, extremely overcooked and definitely very dry and tough. My dinner companion had already finished her main and we were just awkwardly waiting for my entree. My question is why send back the same piece of meat 3 times?? They ended up comping the dish at the very end of dinner but it made for a stressful dining experience. Stick to the seafood and skip the rest.

I'm a frequent, and the team here is WONDERFUL. I normally sit at the bar, and Kevin + Reed have both been so accommodating and attentive when I'm there, time and time again. The food is gorgeous and the menu stays fresh and updated regularly. Never had a bad experience here, it's always a pleasure. Great craft cocktails with clever names.

Love the ambience love the friendly customer service. The decor in this place takes you away from Jacksonville. Perfect for picture taking and situated for big parties. The rooftop . .yes the ROOFTOP lol is cute. Not as opened up as others but it's just right. The only con I have to say is they serve no Cognac and is a Lil limited with liquor choices. There's a beautiful wine cellar upstairs. The Food!!! I had the fried Oysters as an appetizers which was fried with a delicious corn meal batter....I definitely recommend. I tried the grilled Octopus because I LOVE octopus but it was rubbery....they kindly took it back and I ordered the stuffed trout and it was PHENOMENAL...OMG all the flavors made it so special. Washed it down with.....water with lemon lol. I couldn't get my red sangria cause they don't /Can't make it so.....yea

Reservation line is constantly busy. No set up on Yelp or OpenTable. Skip this restaurant until they get their act together.

The food was delicious and excellent service. Our waiter was very attentive. Beautiful atmosphere.

Service, decor 10/10 I had the spicy mussels for an appetizer and the sauce was sooo good! Spicy but not overbearing. My entree was so so, I should have went with my first mind and gotten the snapper but I wanted to try something different. So I had the scallops instead. I dont know if it was the scallops or the sauce but something was overly salty. I also had the hibiscus margarita which was really tasty. If you are going to get dessert...order the banana bread pudding with the sea salted caramel ice cream and you can thank me later! The only true concern was the wait time. I understand they are newly opened, but this was a Wednesday night and it seem like we waited for a significant period of time for anything we order...including the water lol. Our waiter was very nice though.

This is a gorgeous restaurant in San Marco and totally worth going back to visit. We dined in the rooftop area which is more like a large balcony area with a ceiling. There are shutters and rolling shades to protect diners from the elements but we still needed the outdoor heaters. It's a beautifully designed space with a full bar. The downstairs dining is also beautiful with murals and private booths as well as bar seating. Service was very attentive and courteous. Now for the food that we went for. The raw bar had several oyster varieties and we tried two of each to get an idea of taste. They are priced between $3 and $5 which I thought was reasonable for that size in a restaurant setting. All of them were delicious and in my opinion didn't even need the condiments. We did order more of the ones we liked. We also ordered two appetizers and those definitely needed some improvement. The spicy mussels were delicious and brothy but they were served with just two pieces of toast. I'd prefer them served in a shallow bowl with more bread to sop up that broth. The pork belly had a crispy exterior but was overcooked and underseasoned. The shredded cabbage it was served over was delicious. For drinks, I tried a cocktail that had bourbon and port wine in it. It was a sweet sour taste that I didn't care for and I requested they replace it with another drink. They were very gracious about it and the negroni that I requested was well done. It wasn't on the menu but I didn't want to try something else that I might not like. We also ordered espresso martinis just because we order it everywhere we go. It was tasty but not frothy like an espresso martini should be, so it didn't really fill the glass to the brim and looked like we got only half a martini. There is plenty parking on the street, around the square and even in the Publix parking lot which allows parking for east San Marco. For two people, we had a pretty hefty bill for $200 including tip. But I felt it was very worth it for the experience and the oysters. Would definitely go back with more people so we can split the bill

Really good food. Service was great as well. We also enjoyed the atmosphere, will be back to try some more! And I forgot to take a pic of the oysters! They were amazing!!

Walked into this spot...gorgeous! From the beautiful wood doors when you enter to the beautiful lights and decor. We ended up at the upstairs bar and it was beautiful too. The windows were open so you get this amazing summer breeze. The bar tenders are amazing and the food is delish. The manager was super engaging and checked to make sure we were enjoying ourselves. I will definitely be back. I love it here.

Foodie Friday pt. 2 Goid God, Give me Gemma! 1. Ambiance: chic, spacious (but intimate), warm and colorful at the same time and inviting. 2. Service: attentive, kind and knowledgeable 3. Food: Triple D (delectable, divine and different). When you come, get all the oysters and that Florence drink, whew!!!! This has become my new favorite restaurant in Jax! I didn't realize that the owners also own Ember & Iron as well. That explains it all! Cheers, guys

Great vibe. Friendly staff. Great food. Nice rooftop bar. Would recommend this place.

Went to Gemma for our anniversary and let me tell you, the place didn't disappoint! The vibe is awesome, the place is beautiful!! The service was top notch, the servers are attentive and knowledgeable. The bar tenders make delicious drinks! And the food was on point. The oysters were delicious, the scallops were delectable and the stuffed trout was to die for.

Got to experience Gemma! Beautifully decorated, fantastic staff & delicious food! We went on Easter & it made the day so special! If you go please get an expresso martini made by Ray & get oysters from Greg! I had the steak and eggs & cut the steak with a butter knife! I'll definitely be back!

We had dinner at Gemma and the place for sure is a vibe and the drinks we had were very well made. Unfortunately we did have a bad dinner service and unfortunately will not return. To start our server was great and was attentive and very helpful. We ordered the grilled shrimp appetizer which was delicious but came out room temperature. For our entrees we ordered the Snapper and the Ribeye. The snapper was overly salted which i normally would not mind as i prefer flavor over bland, but the toping was sooooo overly salted it overpowered the dish and the flavor profile only hit one note. The steak experience was rough and the reason for the review. We ordered the ribeye to be served Medium, but unfortunately it came so underdone it would be a disservice to even call it rare. Lets say it came out as raw meat. Our server was attentive and said they would fix for us which was no problem. It took around 20 minutes to get a new plate, but the chef decided it would be best to throw the original steak back on to cook and instead of cooking the steak at the proper medium temperature at the least, the steak was burnt, well done and completely un edible. As I said this place is a vibe, but the food surely disappointed and was extremely overpriced for the quality of food served. Would not recommend unless ur going to grab drinks before a proper dinner or event.

Overall, my experience at Gemma Fish + Oyster was satisfactory. While the food was decent, it didn't quite meet the high expectations I had considering the price point. However, I must commend the inviting and well-designed interior, which created a pleasant dining atmosphere. Moreover, the service was impeccable, adding to the overall positive impression of the establishment.

Tried out Gemma's in San Marco last night and.... 6/5! We ended up getting lucky with a spot at the bar, as they've only been open a week and are already fully booked. The service and the raw bar chefs were both top tier. The food was delicious and very filling. We had a dozen raw oysters, from all around the US that were super fresh and tasty. The salmon tartar was a calculated choice, but ended up being amazingly tasty. And the spicy mussels are a must have and came recommended by all the staff. The fried bread pudding was a game changer, and probably my new favorite way to enjoy bread pudding! The ambiance was modern and light, with great music, that didn't overpower the conversation.

The food was good and the service was great, but there was just something about the ambiance that made it less than 5 stars. Possibly the lighting was too bright if we're being picky. Next time we go it will be for happy hour on the rooftop and not dinner in the dining room.

First off the service was amazing, we had a reservation upstairs and were taken care of by a wonderfully bubbly woman. She gave us suggestions, options, and really took the time to explain the differences in the oysters and caviar they offered. The raw oysters themselves however were perfect so we decided to get some fried ones as well which may as well been butter they were so creamy and smooth. We also opted to do more of an assortment of dishes to try more, rather than get big entrees which was definitely the way to go. They really did a good job on the space, it felt very modern, yet old Florida art deco as well. Will definitely be going back to try more.

We pretty much just got in from out of town. I was a little worried the we would be underdressed, so I opted for a root top seat. To my surprise people were in shorts and flip flops, so we blended well. The decor was very pretty. Our Server was amazing! She took her time explaining the menu, and items that were the house speciality. We were given three options for water, which our server never let get empty. Our alcoholic beverage was just okay. They were not stingy with the alcohol to say the least. Our appetizers (the roasted oysters, Brussels sprouts and pork belly) were all really good. The ONLY reason we're giving it a 4 out of 5 is because the quantity of the pork belly was a little disappointing. It was more garnish than meat. But the main dishes, both what my husband and I had (stuffed trout, snapper) were Delicious! I do highly recommend