The longtime home of Bistro Aix in San Marco has been transformed into Cafe San Marco and Bar San Marco.
The former Bistro Aix and most recently, Blue, at 1440 San Marco Blvd. is now a multiuse dining spot operated by Daimi Morales.
Morales is a Cuban immigrant who married David Revuelta,a Jacksonville native, eight years ago. They met when Revuelta was visiting family in Cuba.
Cafe San Marco is a breakfast and lunch spot.
“It’s a Cuban thing. There’s always a cafe. That is why in Miami you can get it at every corner,” Morales said through an interpreter.
The restaurant is open from 6-8 a.m., serving grab-and-go items like pastries, coffee drinks and juices. From 8-11 a.m., a full breakfast menu is served with a selection of omelets ($13-$15.50), avocado toast ($9) and a Cuban starter sandwich ($13.50). Breakfast cocktails are available, including Irish coffee, espresso martinis, mimosas and bloody marys ($10-$12).
Lunch is from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and features bowls, sandwiches and wood-fired pizza. Prices range from $11.50-$26.
Desserts include la tarta vasca ($8.50), Cuban flan ($7), tarta de Santiago ($8.50) and turrones ($5.50).
Bar San Marco, the former Onyx Bar and Bar X, will open from 5-10 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. It is a full bar with a 700-bottle wine selection left behind by former operators. Tapas will be served until 10 p.m.
The tapas menu is Spanish-influenced and includes serrano ham croquettes ($12), Galician-style octopus ($11), garlic mushrooms ($10), garlic shrimp ($12), chorizo and mushrooms ($10) and a sampler plate ($18).
There are four charcuterie boards ($14 to $32) and three entrees – pork tenderloin ($26), grilled salmon ($29) and churrasco steak ($30).
Although the cafe closes at 2 p.m., the kitchen does not. Pizza will be sold for pickup and delivery until about 10 p.m. Pizzas can be ordered on delivery apps and on the Toast app.
The idea was to have a small cafe, much like Morales experienced in Cuba. She and Revuelta had looked at several places in the area with little luck.
“It was going to be tapas. Just something small. Not something big like a full restaurant,” she said.
When they found that the former Bistro Aix was available, the couple felt compelled to check it out. When they were first dating, they had a favorite table by a window facing San Marco Boulevard.
The restaurant and bar are a combined 10,703 square feet and were built on 0.63 acre. That includes a parking lot behind the restaurant.
The space is much larger than what Morales had first envisioned. It has two large, fully equipped kitchens. Off the bar there is a room that was used for meetings and private parties. Revuelta said he wasn’t sure what they were going to do in that space.
A wall has been erected in the main dining room to close off the once-exposed kitchen. They’ve removed several of the tables and booths for a more relaxed ambiance. The worn carpet has been replaced by decorative tile.
The Bar San Marco changes are more subtle. The wall of mirrors behind the bar has been replaced by a single large mirror in the middle.
The brick, which had been painted white, is now back to its original red.
Much of the kitchen equipment remained. A new refrigerator unit, the tile floors and the $13,000 coffee maker were the big-ticket items that brought the startup costs to about $60,000, Revuelta said. The contractor was William Cesery, who owns the building.
They have a staff of five but expect that to grow to about 15, Revuelta said.
Morales has some hospitality experience. While Revuelta is involved, he has a full-time job as an information security and privacy professional. They are leaning on General Manager Rene Martinez for restaurant knowledge and experience.