Amelia Island Eats
Heading there for the weekend, staying at the Ritz, but wondering if there are any worthwhile spots to eat-open to anything-inexpensive or pricey, breakfast, lunch or dinner. Have never been to Amelia Island before so I thought I'd start here. Thanks in advance!
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MMUCH,
Lots of places to choose, especially given you're in a small town. I agree with the previous poster...Bonitos is one of our favorite restaurants. Sushi is awesome. Also try the gyoza or calamari. Request David for your server.
Here are a few more to choose from:
Breakfast: Miss Carolyn's, located in a small strip mall on 14th Street, just up the street from the Publix Grocery. Family run. Eggs Bene to die for. Where all of the locals go for breskfast.
Lunch: Litttle place called the Happy Tomato, located behind Centre Street Treasures off of Centre Street in the downtown historic district. Very casual, outside picnic-style. Great pulled pork sandwiches that are smoked on site. Suggest the yellow barbeque sauce. The shrimp salad is also top-notch. If it's a nice day, you can also order-to-go and take it down to the river and enjoy dining on the small baordwalk while watching the boats come in or head over to Fort Clinch (1200 state park).
Gourmet Gourmet: Lunch is gourmet deli style. Just down the street from the Ritz.
Cafe Karibo: Located downtown where you can dine in a tucked-away garden. Great tofu-veggie wrap and ruebens.
Brett's Waterfront Cafe is a local favorite. The view of the waterfront gives it number one vote for ambiance. Our favorite is lunch or drinks and appetizers at sunset from the front porch rocking chairs. They have awesome calamari. Ask for it even if it's not on the menu. Sean is our favorite server.
Dinner: Horizons Restaurant located on the south end of the island, not far from the Ritz. The owner/chef , Courtney, is a former Ritz chef and has had a restaurant on the island for years. Quaint, intimate restaurant. Food is fresh, creative and memorable. Servers are very friendly and welcoming.
A couple of other restaurants worth noting:
Joe's Second Street Bistro-great outdoor ambiance-lush garden patio with market umbrellas, water fountain and italian twinkle lights. Recommend the lobster bisque or gumbo.
Le Clos-intimate French restaurant located in one of the historic district's vintage houses. Food is very good, but a bit pricey. Noise level can get loud if the restaurant is full.
The Ritz is a great hotel. One of our most memorable dinners was the dining experience the hotel offers in their kitchen, "A Seat in the Kitchen". SALT, their fine dining restaurant is pricey, but certainly memorable; the views are spectacular. The breakfast buffet in The Cafe is a feast! The executive chef there is Chef Thomas Tolxdorf, originally from Germany and also worked in Asia. He is awesome! The staff of the hotel is what makes the hotel truly special.
Hope this helps. Enjoy your stay on the island!
~3irishvikings
Amelia Island, Fl›2 Replies-
re: 3irishvikings
WOW! That was a great post for recs. Thank you! :) I appreciate all the little details. We're really looking forward to it and will have to let you know where we went and how everything was. BTW, are you familiar with a fabulous Mexican restaurant on the island? Have heard a few recs for this as well.
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re: mmuch
Mrs. Crew and I travelled to A.I. this past Saturday. Unfortunately, there was a squall/tropical distrubance in the area, so it was too windy to hang out at the beach. We drove and took the south route into the island via the Mayport/St. John's Ferry. Lunch at Singleton's Shack next to the Ferry dock. Very rustic. Sheephead sandwich was the daily special and was lightly battered and very fresh tasting. A kick-ass sauce "Colon Cleaner" made with Scotch Bonnets added a bit of fire to the fish. The drive along the coast was pleasant enough. Just too windy to get out and enjoy the beach. Downtown historical area was charming but quickly gets the "seen one store seen them all" feeling. Stop in at Fernandia Fudge and have a Working Cow Ice Cream. But get it in a cup as it melts quicker than you can lick in a cone.
We wanted to try Espana for tapas (maybe an alt to Mexican?) but didn't want to hang around for 3 hours until they opened, so we shortend our trip and headed home. Will try again as some of the rec here look very interesting Hope your trip is better than our mmuch.
crew
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