The Hangar Bay Cafe & Gallery

The Hangar Bay Cafe & Gallery sits at 2294 Mayport Road in the Atlantic Beach area of Jacksonville, a few minutes from Naval Station Mayport and about twenty miles from Jacksonville International.

The name comes from the Navy. A hangar bay is the part of a ship where the aircraft live during a deployment, and where the air department does its maintenance and operations. The room is decorated to match — battleship grey, Navy photographs and models on the walls — which makes sense in a town built around the base.

The food is the interesting part. The kitchen is best known for two things that have no business being on the same menu: fried chicken and Japanese ramen. The Bayou Ramen and the four-piece half chicken are the ones people come back for, and there is a veggie ramen and a chicken strip sandwich alongside them. The restaurant is upfront that it is neither a Japanese place nor a soul food place — the menu is eclectic by design, and the invitation is to try one thing today and something else next time.

The approach has earned it attention beyond the neighborhood, including a spot on a Yelp-sourced list of the best fried chicken in every state.

Open Tuesday through