The city issued a permit May 16 for Alien Taco & Tequila Bar to build-out at Shoppes at Village Walk along Gate Parkway in South Jacksonville.
G. O’Brien Construction of Deerfield Beach is the contractor for the $38,500 tenant build-out of 2,605 square feet of space at 7643 Gate Parkway, Unit 105, in the former JJ’s Bistro de Paris.
Doherty Sommers Architects Engineers Inc. of Jacksonville is the architect.
The site is a half-mile north of Ikea.
Father and son David and Jordan Berman are opening the taco restaurant.
“It’s all about fun,” said David Berman, an executive chef and ice sculptor from South Florida who relocated to Jacksonville to join his son, a Navy veteran.
“It will be one of the hottest places in Jacksonville,” he said in March.
He said the bistro closed at the new year and he bought the business.
JJ’s Bistro continues to operate in Ponte Vedra under the ownership of J.J. and Matthieu Vigoureux.
The alientaco.net website says the restaurant is coming in July 2024.
David Berman said in March he expects to hire 26 to 32 employees who will focus on service, including learning their customers’ names.
The restaurant will total about 3,600 square feet with the patio space, seating 168 total.
Berman said hours will be 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and until 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
He expects a strong lunch business and may offer valet parking since the shopping center, with eight total tenants, has strong daytime business traffic.
More parking is available nights and weekends. Berman envisions eventual Sunday festivals.
The restaurant also has upstairs space for storage, employee use and meetings.
A “giant 32-foot-long pounded copper bar” will be an anchor of the fully remodeled space, Berman said.
Design colors are copper and jade.
The décor centers on, as would be expected by the name, aliens.
Look for images of celebrity aliens, working aliens and aliens doing life in Jacksonville tailgating at Jaguars games, fishing near an area bridge and operating a drone, for example.
“We took all of this whimsical artwork and it is scattered throughout the restaurant,” Berman said.
The main feature will be an 8-by-8-foot Aztec hieroglyphic wall with alien spaceships carved into it.
Berman said the food is upscale Mexico City cuisine.
The food includes 12 variations of tacos based on different cuisines, including Area 51 tacos.
Entrees include chargrilled Mexican short ribs, Berman said.
“Our menu is a cosmic blend of flavors inspired by global cuisines, reimagined in the form of delectable tacos and burritos,” the site says.
It says its tapas are cold or hot “with enough options to satisfy any taste bud.”
Tequila sommeliers and bartenders will be versed in the culture of the liquor and develop a drink menu.
The website says the tequila bar is open late and “the party is always on at Alien Taco.”
“Enjoy the live music, extraterrestrial vibe and try one of our signature cosmic cocktails that can only be found in one place.”