Amelia Island is, perhaps, the greatest destination for food in north Florida. It has wonderful seafood with a variety of options: casual eating, fine dining, and exciting events celebrating the local food culture.
The events really cement in Amelia Island as an ideal place for food lovers. Amelia Island Restaurant Week is the most notable. You can’t go wrong spending an entire week breathing in the breeze from the ocean and enjoying plates and plates of some delightfully tasty Amelia Island food.
You can take a quick drive over to any of the participating restaurants from one of our vacation rentals on Amelia Island.
So what is it?
The week-long event is a culmination of the hard work of many Amelia Island restaurants. Despite “week” in the title, the event usually runs about 10 days. A wide number of different restaurants participate. Locals gather to their favorite locations to experience new dishes and special discounts. Visitors also flock to Amelia Island to soak in the sights and select the most recommended dish selections for the season.
When is it?
The next season of Amelia Island Restaurant Week runs January 18 to 27, 2019. Visitors and locals are more than welcome, though reservations are highly recommended. Some restaurants may not take them, so always call ahead to determine the restaurant’s specific policy.
How Much is it?
The most interesting feature of the event is that all participating restaurants provide a special Amelia Island Restaurant Week menu. You can order off this prix-fixe menu for $12 during lunch or $21, $31 or $41 for dinner.
Usually, the restaurant provides an appetizer, an entrée, a dessert, and a drink for the one price. They often tier the selection, offering a $21 menu set, a $31, and so on, with a few varying options within each set. In short, you choose your item in each category and enjoy multiple rounds of food coming your way.
Each restaurant’s menu will feature roughly three to 10 different selections.
Which restaurants are participating?
Restaurant Week is a huge event, and few local restaurants want to skip out on the exposure they can get by participating. They also gain valuable insight into new menu dishes.
There are nearly 25 restaurants participating for the season. They range from coffee shops to fine dining establishments. Below is an overview of some of the restaurants and what their menu will feature.
- Amelia Tavern: Experience the Slow Braised Beef & Tagliatelle Ragu or the A.T. Truffle Fries in this cozy tavern right in the heart of Fernandina Beach.
- Brett’s Waterway Café: Complement your Applewood Bacon Wrapped Halibut with the mouth-watering Lemon Lava Cake from this restaurant right on the Amelia River.
- Amelia Island Coffee: Take a cozy afternoon break and stop by for an espresso and a Classic Reuben at this local favorite.
- Gilbert’s Underground Kitchen: Settle into Gilbert’s with a Duo of Fried Local Shrimp & Two Bone Spare Ribs.
- Espana Restaurant: Espana may have the highest number of dishes available. You can try the Classic Spanish potato “omlette”, the Home-grown Fernandina white shrimp, or the Grilled Petite Chilean Seabass filet among a number of dazzling and fine Spanish-seafood dishes.
The above is only a small sampling of the places you can visit, for Restaurant Week or otherwise. You can never see it all in one trip.
Restaurant Week is by no means the only exciting reason to visit Amelia Island. This northeast Florida nook has an eclectic assortment of places to eat, including cottages in downtown Fernandina Beach and massive seafood restaurants right on the water. Come experience the sprawl of Amelia Island with one of our 163 different Amelia Island vacation rental homes. Join in the excitement and be a part of Amelia Island.