Kickbacks Gastropub

CampusCrew

Florida

5/5  rDev +11.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

Great atmosphere and an overhwelming selection of beer. They have 60 beers on tap and a new 99 bottles of beer selection. The food is exceptional for a local pub. They refer to themselves as a gastropub because of the high level of food quality. By far the best place in Jacksonville for beer slection. Not even close.... Prices are low to normal. Food is reasonably priced for the quality and they even have a "vintage menu" for fun which shows spaghetti O's, ramen noodles, and fluffernutter sandwiches. Very creative!

This is becoming one of the best beer in the country. Yes.... I said it!

12-01-2008 13:51:36 | More by CampusCrew

Fidel904

Florida

5/5  rDev +11.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

Yum Yums on tap today Aug 7th 2009

Flying dog I.P.A (7.1%)
Hobraü Maibock (7.2%)
Ommegang Hennepin (7.7%)
Mojo Rising (10.5%)
Hebrew bittersweet Lenn'y R.I.P.A (10%)
Cigar City Bolita Brown (9%)
Derailed Black Cherry Ale (5.2%)
Golden Draak Ale (10.5%)
Cuvee van de Keizer Carolus (11%)
Locomotive Breath Porter (7%)
Magic Hat #9 (4.6%)
Old Rasputin (9%)
Lagunitas 2009 Correction Ale
(keggitfied cask 6.33%)

September 2012
Van Diest Fruli Strawberry
Ballast Point Sculpin IPA
2011 Dogfish Head Raison D’Etre
Petrus Oud Bruin
2009 Sierra Imperial Smoked Porter
Dogfish Urkontinent
Terrapin and Shmaltz Reunion‘12
Southern Tier Pumking
Pinglehead Red Ale
Green Room Oh Snap!
Intuition The Siren
Bold City Uncle Ed’s Belgian Pale Ale

08-06-2009 20:34:49 | More by Fidel904

WynnO

Florida

5/5  rDev +11.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

On a Saturday whim (30 October), I drove two hours to reach this place, and I did so solely on the confidence I have in beer advocate reviewers.

Man oh man, was it ever worth the drive. I spent 5 hours there, and I will go back!

I love this place. 84 taps of goodness (minus 5 for domestic swill--this helps pay the bills I hope) and 600 bottles. Due to the mass quantities of beers never tried, probably 50 of the 84, a surprise I did not expect, I decided to do their 4-beer samplers. After five samplers & excellent food, I walked out totally satisfied.

The only unfortunate thing about the day was that 8 taps had various Hebrew varieties that they would not sell. These were reserved for the following night's EIGHT-COURSE Hebrew beer/food pairing dinner, with a guest chef from the Ritz Carlton. Oh well, you can't have everything.

This is not a bar per se, so do not expect to park yourself on a stool and sit for two hours. Yes, you CAN do that (I did for a few minutes), but you will find it difficult to obtain one of the seven or eight barstools. You will also find yourself facing two sets of big old brass bar tap systems. Talking to a server requires bending down and conversing under those taps. This awesome tap system was, I suppose, still too small for the owner. Around the corner you will find two more circular tap systems (also brass) to pull their tap quantity up to 84.

[By the way, regarding the tap arrangement on the bar. Other reviewers found this to be a bit negative. You might indeed feel this way---I did not. Odd as it was at first, once I realized that what I was looking at was part of the "vision" of the place, that is, "Beer and ambiance shall trump the convenience of conversing with a pretty server", the subject was closed with me. As always, YMMV]

So then, my advice is to find a table, booth, or one of the seats outside. Relax, then ENJOY.

The place is fabulously adorned with, I am estimating, 500+ tap handles dangling from the ceiling. Beautiful. Along the back wall are some empty kegs and a few ceramic tap systems from the prior vision (I am guessing---check out their blog---they ramped up their beer selection big time in the last two years). There are a few TV's on the walls for the sporting set.

They also have a neat presentation of consumed bottles. They are hung vertically on several rods along their brick walls. What I could not determine was whether these were the 600 currently on the menu or there for decoration. Heck, I didn't even have time to look at their bottle menu anyway much less think of buying one! That will happen on trip 2, 3, or 4, I hope.

The servers are young, busy, yet quite good. The poor dude who served us and had to endure my 3-person party sitting at his table for four solid hours for a measly $65 bill was tipped $30 by this reviewer. That was probably too little actually, but I enjoyed my stay there that much. We only ate appetizers, and they were excellent. I can only assume their entrees to be awesome too given their name and given their doing 3 or 4 beer dinners per year. Another thing regarding service: I happened to pick Florida/Georgia football game day to go---Rats! You can imagine how busy and loud the place became, yet our guy kept on coming by every few minutes to check on us. Super.

God bless whoever is in charge here, because they do a fabulous job.

I would rank this as one of the top 3 beer establishments I have been visited. I am not a major league pub crawler by any means, but I have been to the best places in the Orlando, Tampa region, and a couple in Boston & Philly. I have also been to Ebenezer's in Maine. Consequently I have faith in my A+ rating.

11-14-2010 03:11:32 | More by WynnO

Renegade919

Florida

5/5  rDev +11.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $

Just finished a business trip, and came back LOVING Jacksonville, thanks to the Beer Advocate and its listing for Kickbacks (910 King Street).

They have over 50 beers on tap, 100's in bottle, and a great atmosphere inside a really cool brick building. They'll be adding another 20+ taps soon.

Our bartender, Kaz, was a real treat - very knowledgeable on the entire tap line, and a lot of fun.

Mentioning I was from the Tampa area and love the Dunedin Brewery and Cigar City beer brought out the owner, Steve Flores. We had a great conversation, and sampled some great beers together.

Kickback's has joined my Mount Rushmore of bars, along with the Dunedin Brewery, and Meg O'Malley's in Melbourne.

THANKS!!!

07-29-2010 13:03:21 | More by Renegade919

Cheesemoose

Florida

5/5  rDev +11.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

This has to be my favorite place to go for food, drink and atmosphere in Jacksonville. I absolutely love this place and dream about every time I have the opportunity to drop in.

Great atmosphere, very relaxed. Lots of TV's on to enjoy what ever game you might imagine. No smoking so no worries about being choked out. They have a very strick "no douchebag" policy that keeps things a lot more chill and relaxing.

Steve Flores, the owner, has a very unique style of managing, where the servers have complete control of the place. No managers, just a collection of people all very interested in serving great food and beer. All knowledgeable in beer, though some are more geeks than others. If you need a recommendation on a beer, they are quick to give you time to decide.

With 615+ beers in bottles, including vintages and one time only's, and with a continuous rotation of 84 taps, they keep the beers fresh and flowing. Steve has a knack for tracking down rare beers, shipping them in, and letting them sit on tap for weeks until everyone has a chance to try them. He is crazy, but in a good way.

The food is better than your typical bar food, with a great selection of entree's and sandwiches, all well portioned and very reasonable on prices.

You cannot go wrong with this place. The best place to try and convert someone, as the wide selection of beers, and a solid happy hour, will definitely help in getting someone hooked on the craft beer train.

Oh and I can not wait for their next beer dinner!

10-11-2010 00:16:00 | More by Cheesemoose

Fieldzy27

Florida

5/5  rDev +11.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

Ok I took a trip from Tallahassee to Jacksonville for a weekend just to go to this place. For the most part I have to say it surpasses its already stellar reputation.

A-First thing you notice walking in is the couple hundred tap handles hanging from the ceiling and the really cool beer related decor. A bunch of beer signs and hundreds of bottles decorate the wall. I went here four nights and saw a stellar variety of different people. College kid types to families to football fans. Very user friendly environment.

Q-All my beers were served in the correct glassware as well as being poured correctly every time. They were all very fresh (unless I purchased a vintage ;-)) and the taps were rotating from day to day.

S- I had 4 different servers over the few days that I was there and all of them were really up to snuff. They were knowledgeable about the beers and the menu and all their recommendations were dead on.

Sel- A huge board on the wall was the tap list of 84. Everything from local stuff from Intuition and Bold City and then pretty much stuff from every brewery available in Florida. CCB was on tap as well as many Sweetwater and terrapin brews plus stuff from Southern Tier and a bunch of belgians....I mean I can do this all day. The bottle selection BINDER was about 60 pages and was arranged by style. At the back there was a specific vintage selection that I ordered a few things off of. I also had a few beers that were extremely rare and had never heard of or seen before. I enjoyed and 08 Insanity that was STELLAR!

F- I wish that I had more time to eat there but I had just about every appetizer they had on the menu and I also had a grilled chicken ceaser salad the last night I was there. All the food was amazing and the menu was really extensive for the size of the place. The food prices were really low for the quality of food and portion size.

V- My beers were all very well priced and the bottles were priced very low for a normal establishment. Only maybe a 1 or 2 dollar markup on large format bottles. Pints were priced lower than most beer places in Florida. Not the lowest I have seen but I will gladly pay an extra 50 cents or so on a pint in exchange for the amazing atmosphere service and selection.

All together if you're going to be within a 100 mile radius of this place seek it out. I drove almost 200 miles to come here and hated every single second of that drive back. Ill be returning for one of their future beer dinners for sure. I did chat with the owner Steve for a while and he really is a great person. Its obvious that he has an unrivaled passion for his business and the craft beer industry and it translates amazingly into his business.

01-29-2011 22:02:31 | More by Fieldzy27

steelersrbrun

Florida

5/5  rDev +11.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

A++!! Beer geek heaven. Owner Steve Flores laid out the red carpet and it was an amazing experience. Hands down the best selection I have been witness to so far. 84 beers on draft. EIGHTY FOUR! Not to mention a book for the bottle list that is 3/4" thick. The quantity is nothing compared to the quality. The beer is treated with love and even given time to age. If you are lucky enough to see the beer cave and what is aging in there,prepare to be in awe. My Girlfriend took a picture of my reaction and if Jesus was in my kitchen cooking me dinner when I get home tonight, I might be able to recreate that expression.

A - Very laid back and friendly. Even when the place gets packed everyone is chilled and kicking back at Kickbacks. I was there on Friday & Saturday night. I witnessed zero instances of douchebaggery, no pushing, yelling or obnoxious drunkards even with all the high ABV brews. Owner Steve and his staff make you feel like family.

Q - Exceptional. Beers are aged. Lines are cleaned by in-house crew...clean enough to brew with. Always a great pour into a clean and appropriate glass.

S - Great. The staff is motivated, fast and friendly. They take the time to make suggestions, get orders right and get them to you a quick as possible. Even with the place at capacity inside and out we never had to wait too long.

S - Beer selection is "stoopid" good. I listed below what was on draft during my visit so you can get some perspective on it. You need a week to really try everything you want to try and then you can get started on the bottle list

F - Phenomenal -The owner bills this as a restaurant first and beer bar second, Food selection is top notch and delicious. Do not miss the Monte Cristo or the sweet potato fries dusted with powered sugar and served with cinnamon spread.

V - Value is great. Food is fantastic at a great price. A rare import at
Kickback's is priced better than some micros in south FL.

O - Overall Kickbacks Gastropub was well worth the 5 hour drive and best beer bar I have visited in all of Florida. If I could list one negative it would be that my overall drinking experience at home is always going to seem so pale in comparison.

Steve thanks for setting the bar so high and setting me up for years of disappointment. Looking forward to going back.

Weyerbacher Insanity
Bell's Expedition Stout
Hacker Pshorr Weisse
Yuengling Lager
Great Divide Tripel
Miller Lite
2010 Fort Collins Maibock
Great Divide Hercules
Anderson Valley Winter Solstice
Tucher Helles Hefe Weizen
Michelob Ultra
Woodchuck Amber
Bud Light
Babycham
Victory Hop Wallop
Weyerbacher Golf
B.F.M. La Torpille
Sam Adams Revolutionary Rye
Rogue Charlie 1981
Wittekerke
DFH 60
Bold City European Street Café Lamp Post Ale
Tommyknocker Oaked Butt Head Bock
Wychwood Hobgoblin
Stone Double Bastard Ale
2009 Weyerbacher Merry Monks Ale
2007 Smuttynose Brett & I (short batch #2)
Ayinger Celebrator
Peak Organic Espresso Amber
Blue Moon
Old Speckled Hen
Boddingtons Pub Ale
Guiness
Left Hand Milk Stout
Young;s Double Chocolate Stout
North Coast Old Rasputin
Lost Coast Tangerine Wheat
2009 Uerige Doppelsticke
Avery Old Jubliation
Intuition Shotgun Schack Black Rye Ale
Sierra Nevada Brown Saison
Chocarrubica
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout
Sweetwater 420
Sam Adams Boston Lager
Stella Artois
Lindemans Framboise
Rogue Double Chocolate Stout
Ettaler Curator (speacial brew 2009)
Lagunitas A little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale
Pauwel Kwak
Ichtegem's Grand Cru
Warsteiner Premium Verum
Birrificio Le Baladin Al-Iksir
Terrapin Monk's Revenge
J.W. Lees Moonraker Ale
Red Brick #'s Ale
Maredsous 8
DFH Raison D'entre
DFH Midas Touch
Birrificio Del Ducato Verdi Imperial Stout
Southern Tier Crème Brulee
Southern Tier Choklat
Saxo
Ommegang Three Philoophers
Magic Hat Circus Boy
Coronado Mermaid's Red Ale
2009 Smuttynose Wheat Wine Ale
Allagash Confluence
Dogfish Head Sah'tea
Unibroue Ephemere
Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti
Schneider Aventinus
Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence
St Bernardus ABT 12
Affligem Blonde
Cigar City Jai Alai
Cigar City Double Cream Ale
Bell's Two Hearted Ale
Boulder Obovoid
De Glazen Toren Ondineke Oilsjtersen
Terrapin Tomfoolery Black Saison Ale
Souther Tier Krampus

02-21-2011 18:22:09 | More by steelersrbrun

goldenpeanut

Alabama

4.95/5  rDev +10.2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$

About a month ago, we decided to check out the beer scene in Jacksonville which is about 250 miles from our house in SE AL. We found a reasonable B&B in the historic St. John's river area close to the Bold City Brewery. First, we didn't know the brewery existed until the innkeepers told us to check it out. We drove a few blocks to the place, but they weren't open till the next day. On our way back, we saw Kickbacks , parked our car and walked the 2 blocks from the Inn. We opened the door and our mouths dropped when we saw the taps. Remember, we live in AL so anything is amazing. However, this was by far, the greatest selection we had ever seen.

We got comfortable and started ordering beers and knew there were too many choices and that we would be there awhile. The waitress was knowledgeable and when she found out how much we knew about beer she sent over Steve, the owner. As has been stated before, he is a gracious host and spent a very long time talking beer with us.

We ordered a few appetizers which were very good and had a wonderful desert. All the food I saw looked great and we were stunned by the 7 page menu. They serve breakfast all day during their long hours of operation.

This was a wonderful place to happen upon and can not wait to go back.

Addendum: Second Visit

Went to Jacksonville again this weekend (7/24-26/09) to judge at a beer competition. Of course, we had to visit Kickbacks again. This time we brought a professional brewer/brewery consultant/close friend with us, the look on his face was precious as we sat down and started or order our first beer.

If anything the beer selection on tap had improved, as if that were possible. We started with a Gouden Carolus on tap - much more delicate than the bottle version. Since the bottle selection is so incredible also we followed with and Amadeus Wit (fascinating ferment character) with dinner/breakfast (they serve both all the time). and ended the evening with a spectacular barley wine. The service was incredible, the wit was served from a corked and caged bottle with the greatest of care and class, the likes of which I thought only occurred in my own home.

Our friend quickly agreed that this was the best beer bar that he or we and ever encountered. We can now say that Kickbacks is consistent, food, beer, service, atmosphere, good time.

Cheers Steve.

06-10-2009 13:27:53 | More by goldenpeanut

jf60657

Florida

4.95/5  rDev +10.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

Atmosphere: Mix between beer bar/Locals hangout. Craft beer is heavily represented and its presence is made aware to all. Clean and dimly lit, the ambience is less stuffy and pretentious than other beer bars in the country. This relaxed attitude supplies the ability to have a good time as opposed to simply sitting around and only talking about beer (which isn't always a bad thing). The customer base is varied and caters to everyone from hardcore beer geeks to nurses unwinding with a BMC after their shift.

Quality: Beer is fresh and kept that way. Food is on par or better than similar establishments and the late hours combat the munchies that would otherwise go unanswered because the whole city shuts down after 11pm.

Service: Quick and efficient. Beer knowledge is insane with some employees and growing past proficient with the others.

Selection: Basically a beer warehouse that pours. 615 unique beers served in the proper glassware make this place a powerhouse. The 60 taps are overwhelmingly craft with a small BMC presence for the palate impaired. The bar mats have more one-offs and rarities soaked into them than most places have in their tap room. The owner is obsessed with twisting arms and breaking kneecaps in order to get the limited edition brews from the stingy distributors. If you hear whispers of some secret one-off, you'll find it here when the smoke clears.

Food: Huge menu with lots of American classics. Vegetarian and Vegan friendly.

Value: Foods cheaper than sit down restaurants and more expensive than subway. Beer is priced fairly and no inflation on rarities or one-offs. There are a lot of kegs and bottles waiting their turn to be sold but their parking fee doesn't show up on your bill. Happy hour helps take the sting out of the more pricey options.

05-07-2010 17:24:30 | More by jf60657

Billsand

New York

4.95/5  rDev +10.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

I have been beer hunting since 1970! I have visited great beer destinations all over this great nation of ours.
If you are anywhere near Jacksonville Florida , you must visit Kickbacks!
Kickbacks allows you to order a sampler of 4 of any of their 84 taps. They are priced according to how pricey your taste is.
My first sampler consisted of; 1-Cigar City Maduro Brown(Cuban Expresso Edition). 2-Stone Epic 09-09-09. 3-Carolus Noel. 4-Terripin Wake & Bake Imperial Stout.
My wife enjoyed her sampler of 4 authentic Belgium Chritmas beers.
The food was very good, with huge servings at reasonable prices. Kickbacks is very family friendly, but does have a neighborhood tavern feel to it.
Kickbacks is up there with the best beer destinations I have visited! My wife and I can,t wait to get back there this December. Other places may have more taps,but Kickbacks has the best beers they can get their hands on!

09-27-2010 16:48:18 | More by Billsand