Remembering Crawdaddy’s, the “Old Florida” Restaurant on the Southbank

In the early 2000s, an abandoned, dilapidated restaurant building sat along the Southbank Riverwalk.

If you’d just moved to the city or were in town on a visit, you’d have been forgiven for thinking the strange-looking building was a product of the 1880s. The building that once housed Crawdaddy’s Restaurant was indeed an ‘80s baby – but it was in fact the 1980s when the anachronistic eatery popped up along the river.

Crawdaddy’s opened in 1983 along Prudential Drive near the St. Johns River. Built to resemble an old – as in, really old – Florida cracker house, its dilapidated, patchwork look was an intentional feature designed to evoke memories of old-fashioned Florida. The commitment to aesthetics continued into the front lawn, where various items you’d find at an “old Florida” property including a coop of chickens roamed the yard.

On the inside, the look could best be described as an upscale Cracker Barrel, minus the shop.

The restaurant sat amongst modern developments, next door to a Radisson hotel, creating quite a jarring juxtaposition of “old” and new. That theme continued when the brand-new Southbank Riverwalk debuted in 1985, carrying visitors right past the unique structure.

Crawdaddy’s next to the new Riverwalk in the ’80s

The restaurant served a menu consisting primarily of seafood dishes. It never quite caught on that well, with some residents considering the building to be far too tacky for the city’s riverfront, and others who just weren’t that into the “old Florida” niche.

Crawdaddy’s operated along the Riverwalk for just under two decades before closing rather abruptly in 2001 and never reopening. The property was purchased by the parent company of the adjacent Radisson, and the restaurant’s strange building was demolished in 2004.

Today, there’s nothing left of what was once Crawdaddy’s. The land on which it sat has since been redeveloped as the Broadstone River House apartment complex. But those who appreciated its quirky aesthetic remember it fondly as a niche restaurant that just never quite found its audience.

The Coastal

The Coastal is a local magazine in Jacksonville, FL, founded in 2015 to bring you stories about the past, present, and future of the First Coast.

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View Comments

Terence Gurr says:

July 21, 2020 at 6:47 pm

I ate there quite a few times and never had anything to complain about. Sunday night's, were bar and restaurant employee night. We got deals on drinks and danced until we dropped! Man! The memories come flooding back!!
Janis says:

September 29, 2020 at 2:35 pm

Next door was a big empty slab of cement that hosted "River Rally", the Friday night outdoor bar/dance/party that was always a fun time
John Saunders says:

September 23, 2021 at 11:18 pm

This was my first job. Started as a dishwasher, moved up to prep cook, done all of the line cook positions, then had the opportunity to be the next sous chef, before moving to Crown Products on Phillips Hwy for more money right then instead of down the road, then Alton Boxboard. This was hands down one of the funnest jobs I’ve ever held. Even after I moved on to other jobs I still frequented it and the Cabaret.
John Saunders says:

September 23, 2021 at 11:28 pm

My first job. Dishwasher, then prep cook, learned all the line cook positions and was the next sous chef before I moved on to Crown products for more money then and not down the road. Ended up at Alton Boxboard. This was hands down the funnest job I’ve ever held. Even after I moved on I still frequented it often, especially the Cabaret.
Catherine McHugh-Goddard says:

December 25, 2021 at 9:16 am

I recall eating there, prime rib, escargot and champagne for dinner then going to the cabaret to dance the night away with my bestie Cissi.
Tory Aunspach says:

August 23, 2023 at 5:19 pm

I was the last manager employeed when we closed. Corporate took the full time, salaried handyman and made him an hourly, part time employee about a year before I started. At that point, Benny was his name, stopped trucking in dirt to fill the bulkhead. The post and beam construction supportes swelled and twisted under the building after the bulkhead washed out. The structural engineer said on a scale of 1,get out now to 10,brand new build it was a 3 and unsafe for occupation. It would have been a 3 million dollar rebuild and Corporate wasn't the strongest at that time so they shut it down. I wanted them to turn it into a seafood shack called Daddy's since the Craw part of the sign on the river side was already falling off.