A new Italian restaurant and pizzeria called Celeno’s Bistro is preparing to debut next month in Jacksonville, located at 3820-1 Southside Blvd.
The new eatery will move into the former home of the original Blue Bamboo Hip Asian Kitchen, which was listed for sale for $1.5 million in 2020. The award-winning Chinese restaurant has since relocated to San Jose Boulevard. Now, Celeno’s Bistro owner George Celen tells What Now Jacksonville that the new restaurant is expected to open by March 15, 2024, possibly sooner. The hours will be from 11 am to 10 pm daily, with a lunch buffet occurring during the weekday from 11 am-2 pm.
When this new Italian restaurant opens next month, customers can expect a variety of pizza options and a handful of Italian classics. Celeno’s Bistro will serve as the area’s new go-to spot for Italian dishes, while the company will have to fight for the title of the best pizza in the area with Stoner’s Pizza Joint across the street. The new restaurant will have no problems getting customers in its doors, considering the majority of Italian restaurants in the area are in St. Johns Town Center.
On top of the limited competition in the area, this will be an excellent location for the new Italian restaurant, considering there is a daytime population of about 132,240 within three miles, including businesses such as Merrill Lynch, Johnson & Johnson, Fidelity, and Blue Cross campuses. What’s even better is that Celeno’s Bistro will sit between two very popular shopping centers: Promenade at Beach Boulevard and Shoppes at Deerwood Lake, and not too far from St. Johns Town Center.
