Fernandina Beach Restaurants

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It basically is not what it used to be. Besides being a packed hangout for locals and tourists alike to drink and mingle, they had an adjacent steakhouse next door and it had good traditional American food the tasted good and was reasonable. That was 30 years ago for me, though. What changed? Well, now there is a fast food nook at the rear of the bar and the restaurant is closed. That counter food is brought over to bar patrons that order. The menu is limited to hotdogs, brats, hamburgers, and some other short list items. For our lunch, the brats and hotdog we ordered were warm to cool and went into a microwave for a few seconds only. The fries were also tasteless, and came out of a prepared bag of greasy. The brat was $6.50 and hotdog $5, and a beer $3.25 and glass of wine $6.5 for house.
The ambiance is gone-but a giddy bartendress with low cut blouse and short shorts may turn you on? She was mostly mindless. The place dates back to 1903 when it was a draw for ship captains of 20 saloons in town. The building history is from 1878, when it was a shoe store first.. The toilets must be from early 1900's and smell like it, form when they first got plumbing

Favorite Dish: How can I choose not much at all? The brat would have been better if it had been cooked and hot.

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The name of this restaurant is confusing. They are on main street on the other side of the railroad tracks from the marina, but they have no connection with the marina and Brett's is closer. We didn't go here until our third visit, thinking it was too fancy for us. It is definitely a tourist restaurant.

Not only were they closed on Thanksgiving, but were closed the day afterwards too. I understand that the restaurants in this town also are closed on Mother's Day. Now sentiment about family is all very well and good, but it's not very good business to close on the biggest restaurant day of the year IMHO.

We went here again in 2007

The Marina Restaurant menu says (in part) that the town of Fernandina was destroyed twice - once by the Civil War in 1862, and the second by fire in 1870:

which burnt and destroyed the original wooden structures from the docks to 3rd Street...
Major William B.C. Duryee who served with the Occupational Forces with the Union Army returned to Fernandina, purchased property and built a two-story masonry structure, unique in its time due to the fact it was built on pilings sunk into the earth for support. The building was completed in the mid 1880's. The first occupant was Major Duryee's business, which dealt in hay, grain and oats. Also occupying the building was the First U.S. Custom House in the United States. Major Duryee also served as Collector of Customs. The lease was made by the U.S. Treasury for $180.00 per annum. The Custom House occuped this space until the early 1900's
The Duryee Building (Marina Restaurant) was also home of the oldest Newspaper in Florida. A very colorful and flamboyant Major George Fairbanks was the Editor, who recorded Fernandina's life and history during that period of time. The Florida Mirror later became the Fernandina Beach News-Leader. The First Bank of Florida was located in the building. This bank was purchased and later became the First National Bank of Florida.
In the early 1900's a restaurant was established in the Duryee Building...

Favorite Dish: It has early bird specials on weeknights which are quite reasonable (second photo). Dinner for the two of us was $25.33.

When we came back in 2007, we both had the chicken with yellow rice special.

I thought we might have ice cream for dessert from Fernandina Fudge, so we didn't have dessert here.

We wanted to go eat at Bonito Grill & Sushi, but when it turns out they don't do Sunday lunch, we ended up sitting down at the next open place up the road, which happened to be... Jack & Diane's - a small quaint looking place with indoor and outdoor seating, that seemed reasonably well frequented by a few guests.

The first thing I noticed was the peculiar array of facial hair found on all the restaurant staff - each one of them seemed to be a college-age male with some sort of "beard" in various stages of trim, including one with big sideburns.

Our server was very attentive, charming, and seemed almost shy - he really did everything he could to get us what we needed... so far, so good! I ordered the bread pudding bowl special... I love bread pudding, and it's always good - or so I thought.

My wife had a craving for shrimp, so she ordered the crab and shrimp alfredo. Well, that's when things started to go downhill. When we got the food, we already looked at each other - the crab and shrimp alfredo which was going for a hefty $12 showed NO evidence of any shrimp... I don't know about you, but for $12 at lunch, I expect to have at least a handful of nice whole shrimp in the dish... but no - whatever shrimpy or crabby there was, seemed to be ground up with the sauce, and indeed only "salad shrimp" - the tiny variety, which of course drowned in the sea of pasta without chance for rescue.

My wife was mortally disappointed, and I didn't fare much better with the bread pudding bowl - after just a few bites, the bread pudding seemed to come out of my ears... it was just dry, and not very tasty, and it was more a torture to eat it, than a pleasure.

With about 1/4 of each our meals eaten, we decided to call it a day, paid, left, and instead had some ice cream down the road!

Later on, I checked some of the other online reviews, and they are overwhelmingly BAD! So I think it's pretty safe to say... avoid this one!

Favorite Dish: When the ice water is the best item you consumed, there's something wrong with the place!

brett's waterway cafe is located between front street and the intercoastal waterway in downtown fernandina. brett's offers an excellent seafood selection. a nice place to have lunch or watch the sunset over the intercoastal in the afternoons. a nice casual restaurant in the historic district.

Favorite Dish: grouper sandwich

the beech street grill is located in the historic bell house built in 1889. the beech street grill is in my opinion the best restaurant in fernandia. they offer steaks and seafood in a very nice victorian setting. they also have an impressive wine list. a good spot for fine dining in fernandina.

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As a non-coffee drinker I never thought of going to this place and it was completely under my radar. I do not know how long it has been here.

The website says:

This coffeehouse offers fresh roasted, select coffees from around the world, by the cup or by the pound, as well as excellent breakfast sandwiches, muffins, bagels, and croissants and an extensive dessert selection that includes homemade cheesecakes and Haagaen-Dazs ice cream. They are open Monday through Saturday for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and open on Sunday for brunch and dinner.

Favorite Dish: I thought I would have some ice cream for dessert at Fernandina Fudge, but they were closed for remodeling. So we walked across the street and came here instead. Initially, Bob did not think we could get ice cream here. There were a LOT of student types here getting coffee or ice cream, and I could not stand in line because my back hurts me when I have to stand for any length of time. So Bob stood in line for me while I went back and sat down (photo 4).

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I have not eaten here at this restaurant. I took the picture because of the architecture which has been described as a triumph of the Gingerbread Age.

The restaurant website says:
More than 150 years ago, identical twin brothers were born in Cape Fear, North Carolina. They would become seafarers and harbor pilots and rise to serve the Confederate Navy during the War Between the States, receiving commendations for bravery.

William and James Bell made their way to the new state of Florida, to "Old Town" and the bluffs of Egan's Creek on Amelia Island. They piloted their skiffs from the creek for the quickest access to Cumberland Sound and the Atlantic beyond. Skillful and daring seamanship brought rewards: the first pilot to reach a ship would earn the bounty of bringing it into the channel and to the dockside.

During slack seasons and inclement weather, the Bells turned their hands to building a church and homes for themselves and other harbor pilots. After their first simple cottages in "Old Town," the brothers' endeavors became more elaborate and ornate in the new City of Fernandina - a bustling shipping industry.

The Grande Dame of Beech Street is, of course, a Bell Brother's home. Built in 1889 as a wedding gift for the bride of William, the Eastlake landmark is noteworthy for its bay windows and two story verandahs ornamented with Chippendale style balustrades. The home is constructed of heart pine and has a coined-seam metal roof. The marble mantels and fireplace facades were imported from Italy, and finishing touches came from as far away as England and Belgium.

I have not eaten here, as we don't care for sushi - or at least Bob doesn't. I found this photo in the pictures that I took, and the name of it was too hard to read. It would never have occured to me that the name was Bonita.

Even though we don't 'do' sushi, I would probably recommend this to my sister and BIL who like sushi.

Favorite Dish: This is apparently a good place to go for sushi. I saw several reviews and all of them were favorable. This was the most detailed

The sushi is always tasty and fresh, although the rice used could be a bit stickier so the roll doesn't come apart - but I'm not complaining. The ham and brie sandwich is delicious. You would not be disappointed with the Bento Box with fried grouper. I find myself often craving the black bean and rice cake that is a staple in the Bento. The service is always friendly and warm.