Start your meal with some of their newest appetizers, like the buffalo chicken croquets ($9) or the housemade chips with creamy bacon dip ($6). The bacon dip is a bestseller for a reason, because it’s one of those creations that’s good on just about anything.

Good day, my fellow foodies. I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend. So last week, I & many other local media, were invited by The Candle Apple Cafe to get a taste of the new Brunch & Dinner Menu. I was really excited to attend this event. Executive Chef Jamey Evoniuk has done a great job with the menu at Cummer Cafe. So when I saw that he was involved in the makeover of The Candy Apple Cafe menu, I was really happy to get a chance to taste the food.

Candy Apple Cafe & Cocktails updated their menu recently, and I was lucky enough to get invited out to taste some of the new items! I was a fan of Candy Apple before, so I was very excited to see what they had on the new menu. I was very pleased to see that they kept a lot of the old favorites while adding a lot of new dishes.

Recently I was invited to try out the new Spring menu at The Candy Apple Café, which is adjacent to Sweet Pete’s candy shop in the heart of Jacksonville’s Urban Core. Featuring farm-to-table French and Southern fusion cuisine and a full bar with craft cocktails and beer, The Candy Apple Café offers a unique dining experience for First Coast foodies.

We’re lucky enough to have traveled to Western Europe, Central America, and South America so we have tasted some amazing food. Actually, its food we’ve never had the privilege to taste here in the States. The spaghetti noodles in Italy were infused with flavor and the pizza cheese was so fresh and melting it was like we had never known pizza before.

In honor of Summer Candy Apple Cafe and Cocktails has added some new additions to their menu and many are gluten-free! In case you are unfamiliar with Candy Apple Cafe and Cocktails- they are co-located with Sweet Pete’s in Downtown, Jacksonville.

When it comes to finding an upscale-yet-approachable dining experience in downtown Jacksonville, you literally have to peer near the heart of downtown, or darn near it, to find the sweet spot. I’m talking about Candy Apple Café and Sweet Pete’s, joined at the hip in the historic Seminole Club on Hogan Street.

Bonjour, y’all! Candy Apple Cafe has rolled out some new delights this season. Their food, if you haven’t guessed from the greeting I’ve stolen from their press materials, is a fusion of down home Southern American and French. We got a taste at their media dinner. Starters include a well-presented and delicious beef tenderloin tartare, buffalo chicken croquettes for those who like it hot.

Bonjour Y’all! Fans of Candy Apple Café & Cocktails have something trés delicieux to look forward to this summer. Known for whimsical décor and Southern fare with French influences, the downtown Jacksonville restaurant is updating its menus across the board in June.

I always get excited when I get the opportunity to venture down to The Candy Apple Cafe. It has become one of my favorite places in downtown Jacksonville! Just being in there makes me happy! I’ve said this before but with it being attached to Sweet Pete’s, it’s like walking into a real-life Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory!

Since opening in 2014, The Candy Apple Café has quickly established itself as a go-to restaurant for both families and date-nighters. The décor is one-of-a-kind and the food is consistently delicious. Building off of their success thus far, executive Chef Jamey Evoniuk has recently taken on the task of updating and refreshing the menu a bit. The Candy Apple Café branding will also get a fresh new look, playing up the French/Southern mashup that they do so well.

Sharing the building with Sweet Pete’s is The Candy Apple Café &Cocktails. Featuring French-inspired fare with Southern influences, a full bar with wine and craft cocktails and happy hour specials, and four private event spaces, The Candy Apple Café serves brunch and lunch seven days a week [see Hours at end], with prices ranging from $5 to $16. The café has earned a devoted following and reservations are strongly suggested.

“Sweet Pete’s and The Candy Apple are better together because the whole is greater than the individual parts,” says Allison Behringer, Sweet Pete’s director of operations. Behringer believes the gestalt of Sweet Pete’s “delightful candy shop and production facility” and Candy Apple’s “top notch dining and catering experience” combine to create something special.

It’s getting late in the afternoon and Elijah Acquafredda-Smith is working behind the bar at the trendy Candy Apple Café & Cocktails in downtown Jacksonville. The place is steadily filling up and Smith is scanning and shuffling — in constant motion. Watch the bartender and you can see that he is paying attention to his customers, but not hanging on their every word. Bar patrons tend to like that.

This amazing, innovative and deliciously sweet restaurant is expected to open it’s doors to the community December 15. Located at 400 North Hogan Street, the former home of the 111-year-old Seminole Club will include three floors of magic. The first floor will feature a 95-seat dining room, which will serve French-inspired fare with Southern influences. Brunch and lunch service will be offered seven days a week, with prices ranging from $5 for steel cut oatmeal to $16 for short rib meatloaf with tomato jam, brown butter whipped potatoes and port reduction. In addition to brunch, the amazing space will offer a full bar with beer, wine and craft cocktails.

I’ve dined at Downtown Jacksonville’s Candy Apple Cafe & Cocktails many times since their official opening in late 2014 and I always have a great experience. With their festive dining room, fantastic menu and a whimsical, yet elegant atmosphere – it has quickly become a local favorite for foodies and families. Here’s a look at what to expect when you visit the Candy Apple Cafe & Cocktails

Across the hall from the candy shop, Candy Apple Café & Cocktails was serving drinks and handing out free samples as workers continued in the background, adding the final touches before the restaurant’s soft opening on Dec. 8. Mother-daughter duo Liz and Jennifer Earnest, owners of Chef’s Garden Catering & Events, partnered with Alan and Ellen Cottrill, owners of River City Contractors and Millwork Design Studio, to build out the restaurant at 400 North Hogan Street.

Beverage Director Marlon Hall shows us some delicious, hand-crafted cocktails that you can find at the Candy Apple Cafe in Downtown Jacksonville.

It’s getting late in the afternoon and Elijah Acquafredda-Smith is working behind the bar at the trendy Candy Apple Café & Cocktails in downtown Jacksonville. The place is steadily filling up and Smith is scanning and shuffling — in constant motion. Watch the bartender and you can see that he is paying attention to his customers, but not hanging on their every word. Bar patrons tend to like that.

Sharing the building with Sweet Pete’s is The Candy Apple Café &Cocktails. Featuring French-inspired fare with Southern influences, a full bar with wine and craft cocktails and happy hour specials, and four private event spaces, The Candy Apple Café serves brunch and lunch seven days a week [see Hours at end], with prices ranging from $5 to $16. The café has earned a devoted following and reservations are strongly suggested.

The Seminole Club has a long history in Jacksonville, Florida. Once a gentlemen’s social club, famous politicos from Teddy Roosevelt to John F. Kennedy stopped in to rub elbows while on the campaign trail. However, those days faded into the city’s memory as the building stood empty for years. Last year, Candy Apple Café & Cocktails opened in the old Seminole Club building, and Marlon Hall, beverage director for the new restaurant, decided to pay homage to the building’s past.

Downtown Jacksonville, Florida, is undergoing a Renaissance, and Marcus Lemonis is leading the charge. Who would have the vision to save a fledgling Jacksonville candy store and acquire the historic downtown Seminole Club building, and turn the candy store business into an international must-see tourist attraction with must-have, one-of-a-kind, all-natural candy selections? THE PROFIT, of course – Marcus Lemonis!

In this fun episode of I Know Jax, we have a lot of different stories for you. Sweet Pete’s: We visit their new location downtown, and check out the Candy Apple Cafe & Cocktails.

“Come for the sweet and stay for the savory” is the slogan for two businesses opening Downtown this month. Sweet Pete’s candy company and The Candy Apple Café & Cocktails have taken over the former Seminole Club at 400 N. Hogan St., offering the combination of handmade candies and French and Southern fusion cuisine for brunch, lunch and dinner.

“Sweet Pete’s success is rooted in quality ingredients, local support, and a passion for creativity,” said Behringer. “With this expansion, we knew that we wanted to keep our focus on our true loves: chocolates and candies, so we quickly decided to collaborate with local restaurant, catering and event company The Chef’s Garden to own and operate both the restaurant and our Sweet Event destination. Liz and Jennifer Earnest of The Chef’s Garden share our same commitment and energy for revitalizing Downtown.

On Tuesday Dec. 2, 2014 media and downtown representatives were given a sneak peek of The Candy Apple Cafe & Cocktails, the restaurant opening in new the Sweet Pete’s building on Hogan Street in Downtown Jacksonville, FL. Sweet Pete’s was also hosting school tour groups in advance of their opening in the next few weeks.