Not every place you discover in a new city is a bar or restaurant. Sure, they might serve food or drinks, but that might not be the foot they lead with. I discovered a new unique site and flavor this weekend in Jacksonville: The Sun-Ray Theater.
This old timey theater is in the middle of 5 Points, in Riverside, one of my favorite weekend hangouts. The location is home to Black Sheep, Hoptinger, and this adorable place I want visit called the Derby. The Derby’s bar retro bar stools call my name and suggest spiked milkshakes every time I walk by. The theater is also by Wallstreet, a dive of a bar, and Birdies, which is akin to Orlando’s Eye-spy (or Old 64 I think it’s called now).
My friend and I went and saw a movie last night. Now the movie, The Big Sick, was excellent which probably helped me like this location more but I would like to think that the venue was part of it. We were in a cozy little theater with comfy chairs. To give you an idea of how little it is, my friend and I purchased the last tickets for this movie, which hasn’t been out too long and isn’t that popular. The chairs have a long thin bar in front, so movie-goers can set down food and drinks – which there is quite a selection of.
Eats, Drinks and Cult Classics
When you walk in, you might enjoy how vintage and full of character the place is. The thick walls of the old building must certainly be full of stories. Or you might feel a little cramped and surprised that the air has a faint bit of mustiness to it. There are steps up to the concession area. The menu has a nice assortment of candy, snacks (fries, nachos, pitas and hummus!), and meals. There’s a variety of sandwiches to choose from and even hot dogs. The theater has pitchers and buckets of beer as well as wine offerings. Grown up movie fun!
I ordered the fancy grilled cheese that has swiss cheese, hummus and roasted tomatoes. The bread was super tasty and some artisan home-madey flavor. It could have used more cheese though. My friend had cheese fries which were super yummy. They give you buzzers and bring your food into the theater, so you can get right to the show. This was definitely a one-of-a-kind theater going experience. This seems like the perfect place for a throwback showing of Jaws. The theater only has a few showings, but I think they might be selective about what they choose. Next time I’m eager for nostalgia and a cozy experience I will head back here!