This Hole-In-The-Wall Ecuadorian Spot In Jacksonville Just Earned A James Beard Nod

When you picture a city with a smorgasbord of cuisines, you may not picture Jacksonville, Florida, but it's a city that shouldn't be underestimated. Among the one million people living in the largest geographical city in the United States, there are bound to be some all-star foodie spots. On the border of Florida and Georgia, the food scene is ripe with a mixture of Southern foods, Caribbean and Latin delicacies, and a strong coastal influence. Now, Chancho King is thrusting Jacksonville into the James Beard sphere for the first time with a 2026 James Beard nomination.

Chancho King is a local favorite in the small neighborhood of Murray Hill, Jacksonville, serving a menu of Ecuadorian foods based on the co-owner's family recipes. As the only Ecuadorian restaurant in Jacksonville (which is also home to one of the nine biggest candy stores in the U.S.), Chancho King made it to the finalist round in the 2026 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Award Nominees under the "Best Chef: South" category, thanks to founders and co-owners Maria La Mota and Chason Spencer (the power couple) and Francois Castro. Chancho King beat out another Jacksonville semifinalist for the spot, moving on to compete for the so-called "Oscar of the food world" in June.

Husband and wife duo Maria La Mota and Chason Spencer began Chanco King with an ambition to bring Ecuadorian hospitality and comfort foods to Northeast Florida. The name itself is a play-on of Ecuadorian words, "chancho" meaning "pork," which is the main focus of the restaurant's menu, aka it's "king." Before the cozy storefront opened in 2023, Chancho King opened for business in 2019 by way of tents and food trucks, which easily could have made our list of the best food trucks in every state. For three years, business grew sale by sale, until earlier this year, the brand launched its second-ever location in Jacksonville.

On its expansive Ecuadorian menu, Chancho King prioritizes working with local vendors for its food supplies. Entrées are made fresh in-store, a process that can take multiple days, depending on the kind of meat needed for the recipe. Some of the restaurant's most popular items include the classic pork sandwich, empanadas, seco de pollo, and Ecuadorian ceviche, which might taste different from the coconut-lime shrimp ceviche you're used to. Other eye-catchers on the menu include the choripan sandwich, the fideo verde con carne, maduro con queso, and pan de yuca, among many others.