The local eateries, none of which are chain restaurants, are excellent restaurants that offer a wide range of menus that will suit any palette. Most of the leading restaurant's owners are also the chefs ensuring that every meal is served as the owner intended. The restaurants are quite small and they do tend to fill up quickly, even during the slower months. If you wish to eat at a specific restaurant at a specific time then advanced reservations are recommended. You can contact the restaurants directly or just let your innkeepers know your preferences and they will look after the reservations for you.

The list below contains some of our favorite, recommended restaurants in the Historic Downtown of Fernandina Beach. The first four restaurants in the list are favorites of our guests for those special occasions. Other restaurants on the list are perfect for lighter meals or more casual dinners.

Website links have been provided where available so that you can check out the menus.

España is located within the charming historic district of Fernandina Beach, just a few blocks from the Addison and the shopping, art galleries, lively historic taverns, and much more that the Historic District has to offer.

Roberto and Marina, owners and chef, have over 20 years of restaurant experience in both culinary arts and management. Their paellas are prepared in traditional imported paella pans from Spain. They take great pride in their recipes, taking their travels to Spain and bringing those flavors to your table. They utilize only the freshest seafood, herbs (some grown on premises), and spices for their paellas.

Other menu highlights include varied hot and cold tapas, steaks, nightly specials, and homemade desserts. Accompany your meal with a fine wine from their Select Wine List or try their homemade sangrias.

29 South is a chic, neighborhood bistro perfect for a date, a quick bite, or a casual dinner with old friends and family. This eclectic bistro has it all; great ambiance, fantastic food, an extensive wine list, and reasonable prices. 29 South provides a collection of the chef's favorites; small plates from around the world for sharing, as well as grilled pizza, sandwiches, creative entrees and nightly specials. The menu can best be described as extraordinary casual, farm to table cuisine, where Chef Scott Schwartz paints a playground for the palette using the freshest ingredients sourced from local fisherman, farms, and their own onsite garden.

Joe's Bistro on 2nd Street is a pleasant stroll from the Addison. You can savor a special moment enjoying dinner by the fountain in the New Orleans inspired courtyard or in the restored 1900's home. Watch the sunset from the covered front porch overlooking the scenic intra-coastal harbor that boasts the legends and secrets of 400 years of history.

Living up to many critically acclaimed culinary reviews that exclaim "...masterful, expertly prepared and truly memorable", Joe's creative menus have thrilled his fans from New England to Aspen, Texas and Florida. The New American cuisine with influences from Italian, French, Creole, Asian, and South of the Border will tempt the most discerning guests. You'll love the fresh baked bread, homemade ice cream, sorbets, and signature desserts.

Located just a short walk from the Addison, Le Clos serves delicious Provençal dishes by candlelight in a charming, intimate 1906 cottage. Chef/Owner Katherine Ewing received full degrees in both pastry and cuisine from Le Cordon Bleu and L'Ecole de Gastronomie Francaise Ritz-Escoffier, Paris, and trained at the Ritz Hotel, Paris, France.

The menu items at Le Clos are prepared carefully and presented beautifully with an emphasis on impeccably fresh seafood. The eclectic wine list offers the perfect accompaniment for every menu selection.

Inside a charming historic building on Third Street, in historic downtown Fernandina Beach just a few blocks from the Addison on Amelia Island is the relaxed ambience that is Café Karibo. A large garden patio shaded by huge oak trees invites you to a fun and unique culinary experience in a friendly, relaxed setting. The island's only brew pub boasts an eclectic menu full of soups, salads, sandwiches and lighter entrees.

More than just great sushi, Bonito's has a restaurant in the back with a full menu of seafood, steak and other Asian-fusion menu items.

The recipes used here are from the home, the farm and Papa Luigi's old trattoria in Italy. The best way to describe the menu is Southern Italian Home Cooking. Luigi's has nightly specials of various recipes with veal, chicken, fresh local seafood and pasta and there are always the favorites including spaghetti with home-made meatballs, Italian sausage with ziti, lasagna, veal parmesan, linguini & clams and local shrimp. The restaurant is just two blocks from the Addison and is in a lovely two story brick house with a beautiful Piazza out back for open air dining.

Following an old recipe from one of Napoli's most famous pizzerias, Arte's pizza is light, crispy and full of flavor. They use only the finest flour, imported cheeses, Italian plum tomatoes and burn-cured oak for smokiness. A pizza and a salad from Arte's makes a perfect shared meal for two. They don't take reservations but the food is worth the wait.

Pablo's is well known on Amelia Island as the source for the best margaritas. Pablo himself is always happy to show off his selection of tequila and mix up a perfect icy glass of relief from the summer heat. Dining is indoors or out on their brick courtyard. Open for lunch and dinner, reservations suggested.