NEW RESTAURANT AND SPEAKEASY PLANNED FOR DOWNTOWN JACKSONVILLE

JACKSONVILLE, IL — A new restaurant and companion speakeasy are planned for downtown Jacksonville, bringing a multicultural dining concept and an intimate cocktail bar to the historic Hockenhull building.

On Rice is planned for 66 E. Central Park Plaza, in the space formerly occupied by Green Haven. Owner Conner Meek says the restaurant will feature a small, rotating menu built around rice dishes with influences from Indian and other international cuisines.

Planned menu ideas include dishes such as dirty rice, gumbo and Mediterranean-style bowls, with the concept designed to offer food that feels both upscale and approachable.

Meek plans to open a test kitchen before the end of 2026, with full restaurant operations targeted for the first or second quarter of 2027. Initial test-kitchen hours are expected to focus on lunch.

A second concept, a speakeasy called Malabar, is planned for the rear of the building and is expected to open during the first half of 2027. The name is drawn from India’s Malabar Coast.

Plans call for Malabar to operate as a reservation-based cocktail bar with a low-key atmosphere. Customers would be able to enter through On Rice or through an alley entrance using a code. Evening hours are expected to run roughly from 5 p.m. until 11 p.m. or midnight.

A liquor license is still pending. Jacksonville city officials previously considered an increase in the city’s liquor-license count to accommodate Malabar and On Rice.