Last week I met up with some friends for dinner at one of Jacksonville’s most popular breweries, Wicked Barley. I suppose if I make this a blog series, this would make this Chapter Two of my journey through Jacksonville’s breweries. This restaurant and brewery sits on a creek near St. John’s River and offers both indoor and outdoor seating. The weather had a slight chill, but it was quite crowded inside, so we opted for picnic-style seating outside near a heater.

My friends and I like to order a bunch of appetizers and small plates; it makes deciding easier and allows us to try many options. That night we opted for fried pickles with two ranch dipping sauces, pork belly kimchi fries and buffalo chicken wings. I try to avoid eating red meat as much as possible (even though beef and pork taste amazing), so I mostly stuck to the fried pickles and chicken wings.

We all also chose to enjoy our own beer flights instead of a single pint of one drink. Wicked Barley really knows how to cater to indecisive customers! A beer flight is $9 and includes four drinks (4 ounces each) of your choice. Wicked Barley regularly changes out its menu as local beers and new concoctions come to fruition.

For this visit, I chose Blood Orange (a blood orange IPA), Lifted (a West Coast IPA), Big Red Monkey (an Imperial Red IPA) and All Blue Inside (blueberry ale). I wanted a wide variety of beers, as well as one unusual one I might not normally order in a larger size. My favorite was the Blood Orange, as it was light with the right hints of orange. The drink wasn’t sweet and wasn’t boozy either, making it a great complement to the main meal I ended up ordering, as I was hungry that evening.

I ordered the restaurant’s Impossible burger and was pleasantly surprised how tasty it was. I get nervous around products trying to imitate meat, as I have tried some and found the texture off-putting, but this burger was tasty, with all the expected toppings of a burger.

Wicked Barley is a fantastic place to go with family and friends. The outdoor area in particular features a deck and lines of family-style tables under white tents, all set along the banks of the creek. Whether you’re a beer lover or simply looking for a place to eat with classic American comfort food, Wicked Barley is a promising choice.

— Aoife O’Riordan, associate editor