Murray Hill's most hard-luck bar corner just got a fresh set of keys. The Forge Restaurant & Bar, a veteran-owned gastropub from co-owners Mathew Bush and Kevin Parrish, quietly opened its doors today at 1198 Edgewood Ave. S., with ambitions to stop the parade of short-lived concepts along the strip. The 3,888-square-foot space in the 1917 building is laid out with a front bar lined with high-tops, a dining room that doubles as game room with a pool table, a stage tucked in the back for live acts, and a covered patio that caters to smokers. The partners say the mix of food, music and late-night hours is designed to build a base of neighborhood regulars instead of chasing one-off weekend crowds.
Owners lean on military discipline
Bush, a Navy veteran and former federal law-enforcement officer, told the Jacksonville Daily Record that he does not exactly plan for a short run. “I'm not used to failing,” he said, a mindset he and Parrish say has shaped everything from staffing to how they carved up the room as they moved from idea to opening night.
Menu, drinks and hours
Chef Eric Hamilton is steering what he calls American gastropub food with some extra personality. The lineup includes a fried chicken sandwich priced at $14, a BLT built around applewood-smoked bacon at $13, and 8-ounce burgers that run $15 for the standard build or $20 with blue cheese. Mac-and-cheese combinations and other entrées land in the roughly $16 to $30 range. On the drinks side, the bar lists 10 wines by the glass at $9 to $13 and seven craft cocktails at $13.
For today's soft opening, the team planned a limited menu, drink specials and a live band from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Regular hours are expected to stretch from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. every day, with breakfast service slated to follow later, according to the Jacksonville Daily Record.
Space, build and local backing
Turning the century-old building into a modern gastropub did not come cheap. The owners put roughly $1 million into the interior build-out, including new electrical systems and plumbing. Starke-based Jeffrey A. Kerr Construction handled the job as general contractor. The property manager's listing shows The Forge as the tenant at 1198 Edgewood Avenue South, and contractor and permit records identified Jeffrey A. Kerr Construction on the project, according to Sleiman Enterprises and BuildZoom.
What it could mean for Murray Hill
Over the past decade, a series of operators have cycled through this same storefront, leaving neighbors used to “now open” signs that do not stay up for long. Bush and Parrish are betting that late-night hours, live entertainment without a cover charge and a comfort-forward menu will finally flip that script and keep people coming back. Landlords and nearby residents will be watching to see whether a veteran-owned, discipline-driven approach, paired with local hiring, can finally bring lasting stability to this stretch of Edgewood Avenue.
