Five restaurants set for Village at Seven Pines

Business

Regency Centers has announced the first restaurants planned for The Village at Seven Pines, the Publix-anchored shopping center it is developing at southeast Interstate 295 and Butler Boulevard.

The restaurants — Ember & Iron, Hawkers Asian Street Food, Lynora’s, 1928 Cuban Bistro and Chipotle Mexican Grill — are expected to open in 2027, according to a news release.

The shopping center is the retail component of Seven Pines, a roughly 1,000-acre master-planned community that is also slated for about 1,600 single-family homes, apartments and more than 1 million square feet of commercial and retail space. Regency, founded in Jacksonville in 1963, plans to relocate its headquarters from Downtown to the development.

Gemma Fish + Oyster Chef Mike Cooney also owns Ember & Iron in St. Johns County and was the chef de cuisine at Restaurant Medure in Ponte Vedra Beach.

The restaurants join previously announced tenants, including Chase Bank, RE Spa and retailers Pottery Barn Kids, ToyTopia and Williams Sonoma.

Patrick McKinley, Regency Centers’ senior vice president and senior market officer, said the lineup blends local, regional and national operators chosen to complement one another.

“Our vision is for Seven Pines to become a true dining destination,” he said in the release.

Regency Centers is developing the Village at Seven Pines, which will be anchored by Publix and include tenants 1928 Cuban Bistro, Chase Bank, St. Augustine-based Ember & Iron, Pottery Barn Kids, RE Spa, ToyTopia and Williams Sonoma.

The lineup:

• Ember & Iron: The Seven Pines restaurant will be its second location, according to its website. The first is at the Shoppes of St. Johns Parkway at 60 Shops in St. Johns. Much of the food is prepared over open flame in an 8-foot-wide oak-burning grill. Operators Mike and Brittany Cooney also own Gemma Fish + Oyster in San Marco.

• Hawkers Asian Street Food: The chain’s third area restaurant, joining locations in Neptune Beach and Five Points, will feature a covered patio. It specializes in shareable plates such as bao buns, noodles, and spring and egg rolls, drawing on Malaysian, Chinese, Korean and Thai cuisines.

• Lynora’s: The fourth-generation, family-owned Italian chain will open its first North Florida location at Seven Pines. Its other restaurants are in Boca Raton, Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens, Palm City and West Palm Beach. It prepares family recipes, is known for its “Meatball Mondays” and has a speakeasy.

• 1928 Cuban Bistro: Rebecca and Adrian Gonzalez started the Jacksonville-based family operation in Baymeadows in 2019. It now has eight locations in Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties.

• Chipotle Mexican Grill: The national, company-owned chain is known for made-to-order items such as burritos, quesadillas, and chips and guacamole.