★★★★★
Huge menu — typical Mexican dishes plus a wide variety of fresh seafood. Portions are large and prices are reasonable.
Mexican Restaurants · Southside · Jacksonville
Cielo Azul Mexican Kitchen
and Seafood
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The place
Cielo Azul Mexican Kitchen and Seafood is a family-owned Mexican restaurant at 10300 Southside Blvd, Suite 242, in Jacksonville's Southside neighborhood near the St. Johns Town Center / Tinseltown corridor. The kitchen specializes in authentic Mexican cuisine with a strong focus on fresh fish and seafood, including shrimp tacos, ceviche, and grilled whole fish. The dining room is nautical-themed and the bar pours a full selection of cocktails, tequila, and mezcal. Hours are Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Live music is offered on Friday nights. Cielo Azul holds a 4.5-star rating on Google with more than 500 reviews. Online ordering is available for takeout, and the shopping plaza offers free surface parking.
Tucked into a Southside Boulevard plaza minutes from St. Johns Town Center and Tinseltown, Cielo Azul Mexican Kitchen and Seafood is a family-owned spot that leans into Mexico's coastal cooking. The dining room carries a relaxed nautical theme, and the bar program — heavy on tequila, mezcal, and house margaritas — gives the place a date-night feel that locals know about but visitors often miss.
Order from the seafood side of the menu first: ceviche, shrimp tacos, garlic shrimp, and grilled whole fish are what regulars come back for. The kitchen also turns out a full lineup of Mexican classics — fajitas, enchiladas, carne asada, chile relleno, and a loaded molcajete — with portions large enough that most tables leave with a to-go box.
Seafood-first diners looking to cross the river for a Downtown pick can swap the grilled whole fish for whole fried red snapper, salmon croquettes, and a whiting-and-shrimp combo at Starving Like Marvin on W Ashley Street.
Cielo Azul's coastal-Mexican lineup also earns a spot on our roundup of The 10 Best Mexican Restaurants in Jacksonville (Locals Pick), a food-editor ranking of the spots locals actually return to.
Diners craving more Tinseltown-area Mexican can find similarly bold street-food flavors a few minutes up the road at Cantina Louie (Southside), where the Grave Digger Nachos and ceviche anchor a menu built around tacos, sopes, and tortas.
Northside diners chasing the same tequila-and-margarita energy will find a similar bar program across town at La Catrina Tacos & Tequila Bar in Yellow Bluff, where an extensive mezcal selection rounds out a menu of tacos, fajitas, and enchiladas.
Southside diners drawn to the same family-run, women-owned energy can find Al Pastor tacos, Dinamite Shrimp Tacos, and the signature Fiesta Box a short hop away at Señoritas Mexican Kitchen on Bowden Road.
Lakewood diners on the Southside can scratch the same taco-and-margarita itch a short drive away at Mr. Gordo's Tacos and Cantina, where the menu runs through tacos, enchiladas, burritos, fajitas, and quesabirria on University Boulevard West.
Beach-side diners craving the same coastal-Mexican menu can find street tacos, Carne Asada Fries, and a deep mojito-and-margarita list off Beach Boulevard at La Costa Mexican Cantina in Jacksonville Beach.
Intracoastal West diners chasing that same beach-adjacent taco fix can dig into birria, pastor, and arrachera tacos alongside Peruvian ceviche off Beach Boulevard at La Takeria near Jacksonville Beach.
Riverside diners hunting that same loaded-molcajete experience can cross the river to Don Eduardo Cocina Mexicana on Park Street, where the Volcano Molcajete piles steak, chicken, and shrimp alongside birria tacos and tacos al pastor.
Riverside diners ready to trade tacos for housemade pasta can stay on Park Street and pull up a chair at Primi Piatti, a family-owned northern Italian kitchen known for four-cheese potato gnocchi and mussels steamed in white wine basil sauce.
Beach-bound diners drawn to upscale Oaxacan cooking can pair that coastal-Mexican craving with mezcal flights and Snapper Veracruz at Oaxaca Club in Jacksonville Beach.
Cielo Azul takes walk-ins and reservations, and the shopping plaza has plenty of free parking. Online ordering is available for takeout through the restaurant's site, and the bar stays open late on Friday and Saturday nights with live music on Fridays. The patio is limited; for groups, call ahead to lock down a table.
Family-owned Mexican seafood restaurant
Fresh ceviche and shrimp specialties
Full bar with tequila and mezcal selection
Live music on Friday nights
What to expect
A nautical-themed Mexican seafood restaurant with a full tequila and mezcal bar, large portions of fresh ceviche and shrimp dishes, and live music on Friday nights. Family-friendly during the day, livelier at the bar after 7 p.m.
Then come for the photos
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The shop, in frames
Sponsored · Florida Hidden Spots
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What people are saying
★★★★★
Fresh, well-prepared food in a relaxed nautical setting. The ceviche and shrimp dishes are the highlights.
★★★★★
Live music on Fridays adds a great vibe. Friendly family-owned service and a solid tequila list at the bar.
05
Frequently asked
Does Cielo Azul Mexican Kitchen and Seafood take reservations?
Yes. Cielo Azul accepts reservations and is recommended for weekend evenings and groups of four or more. Walk-ins are also welcome.
Is Cielo Azul Mexican Kitchen and Seafood dog or pet friendly?
Pet policy is not confirmed on the restaurant's website. Indoor dining is for guests only; call (904) 683-4693 to confirm patio pet access before visiting.
Where do I park near Cielo Azul Mexican Kitchen and Seafood?
The restaurant sits in a Southside Boulevard shopping plaza at Suite 242 with free surface parking directly in front of the entrance.
What are the most popular dishes at Cielo Azul Mexican Kitchen and Seafood?
Most-ordered items include the ceviche mixto, shrimp tacos, camarones a la diabla, mojarra frita (whole fried fish), and the molcajete mariscos.
What are Cielo Azul Mexican Kitchen and Seafood's hours?
Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Does Cielo Azul Mexican Kitchen and Seafood offer takeout or delivery?
Yes. Takeout is available by phone at (904) 683-4693 and through online ordering on the restaurant's website. Delivery is offered through major third-party apps.
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Closest spots by distance
Other places to fold into the same trip — measured straight-line from Cielo Azul Mexican Kitchen and Seafood.
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