Zunzibar Is Coming to Brooklyn: The Riverside Avenue Bar Jobs to Prep For

JACKSONVILLE, FL — Burrito Gallery left its Brooklyn Station corner in the summer of 2025. The next tenant has a lot more going on. Zunzibar, a Savannah-born beach bar known for peel-and-eat shrimp, live music and frozen drinks, is building out its Jacksonville location on Riverside Avenue, and the latest plans call for two levels and a rooftop bar. For anyone who works restaurants in the urban core, that is a new crew to keep an eye on.

No hiring date or headcount yet, but Zunzibar already recruits bartenders, servers, cooks and hosts at its other bars. Brooklyn and Riverside restaurant workers should get ready now.

Work bars or kitchens? Skip straight to the job links and begin searching now →

📍 Business at a Glance

Business	Zunzibar
Address	90 Riverside Ave., Suite 601, Jacksonville (Brooklyn Station at Riverside, former Burrito Gallery space)
Opening	Targeted for fall 2026; no date announced
Concept	Beach-themed sports bar: Low Country shrimp, sandwiches, wings, craft cocktails, live music
Layout	Two levels, indoor and outdoor seating, rooftop bar planned
Owner	Chris Smith, a Florida native
Industry	Restaurant / bar / hospitality
New jobs	Not yet announced

🏆 What Zunzibar Is Bringing to Brooklyn

Zunzibar started in Savannah in 2021 and now runs bars on Tybee Island and in Jupiter, with Jacksonville listed as coming soon on the company's own site. The pitch: Low Country peel-and-eat shrimp, grilled items instead of a fryer, sandwiches, house cocktails, frozen drinks and two happy hours a day.

News4JAX reported that owner Chris Smith grew up in Florida, and the company has framed Jacksonville as a homecoming. The space sits in the Fresh Market-anchored center, a short walk from the Brooklyn apartment towers and a quick hop over to Five Points and downtown.

The timeline has slipped before. The opening was first pegged for December 2025. The most recent reporting from What Now Jacksonville in October puts it in fall 2026, with no exact date yet, and describes two levels with a patio bar and a planned rooftop.

💼 The Jobs a Two-Level Bar Needs

Zunzibar has not announced how many people it will hire in Jacksonville, and its careers page did not list any Jacksonville openings when we checked. We are not going to guess at a number.

What the careers page does say is the kind of people it hires: bartenders, servers, cooks and hosts, with applications handled through its online hiring portal. A place with live music, a patio and a rooftop bar on top of the main room typically needs more than one bar staffed on busy nights, so expect barbacks, food runners, a dish crew and shift leads in the mix too.

New bars usually hire a few weeks before opening, then add a second wave once they see real traffic.

🗺️ Why Brooklyn Is Worth Watching

Brooklyn sits between Riverside, the Fuller Warren Bridge and downtown, and a wave of new apartments along Riverside Avenue has pulled bars and restaurants in behind it. For workers, that density is the selling point: a short commute from Murray Hill, San Marco or the Northbank, and if one room cuts hours, others are close by.

📋 How to Be First in Line

Finish your food safety training now. Florida requires food service workers to complete approved food handler training, and showing up with it done puts you ahead.
Bring bar numbers. If you have run a high-volume bar or patio, say how many covers or tabs you handled on a Saturday.
Know the setup. Zunzibar describes itself as cashless, so point-of-sale and handheld ordering experience is worth mentioning.
Check the careers page every week or two. Jacksonville roles should show up there once the build gets close.

🔎 Search Restaurant Jobs Now

Plenty of rooms in Brooklyn, Riverside and downtown are hiring while Zunzibar finishes its build.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Zunzibar opening in Jacksonville?

At 90 Riverside Ave., Suite 601, in Brooklyn Station at Riverside, the space Burrito Gallery used to occupy.

When does Zunzibar Jacksonville open?

The latest reporting targets fall 2026. No exact opening date has been announced, and the date has moved before.

Is Zunzibar hiring in Jacksonville?

Not publicly yet. No Jacksonville openings or headcount have been posted. The company hires bartenders, servers, cooks and hosts at its other locations, so get your resume ready and watch for postings.

What kind of place is Zunzibar?

A beach-themed sports bar with Low Country peel-and-eat shrimp, grilled food, sandwiches, wings, craft cocktails, frozen drinks and live music.

Get Ahead of the Opening Rush

Create a free LocalJobPage account and set alerts for bartender, server and cook jobs so new Brooklyn and downtown openings reach you the day they post. Browse the Jacksonville Career Center for more ways to plan your next move.

Employers: Opening or staffing up a restaurant in Jacksonville? Post your openings on LocalJobPage and reach local hospitality workers who are already searching.