4th Street Deli and Salads — Restaurant in Fernandina Beach

We were traveling up from St. Augustine to scope out some kayaking routes. One of the kayak guides recommended this deli for their awesome salads. And the salads definitely turned out to be awesome. They are colorful and fabulously displayed in large wooden serving bowls in the deli case. I got a salad trio so I could try out as much variety as possible. 1) The kimchi salad: has bok choy, carrots, red onions, green, and red peppers. The vegetables are snappy but not too crisp. They are slathered in a mysterious red paste with some sesame seeds. The whole thing seems slightly sour (in a good way)/vinegary? and garlicky and red peppery, but it doesn't overpower with heat like you might think. Something like a fresher cabageless version of the kimchi you'd use more as a condiment. 2) unknown salad with strawberries stacked up on top: inside there are a variety of greens, pecans, GIANT SUPER CHUNKS of bleu cheese (it would be insulting to call them mere "crumbles") sliced apples, avacados, maybe even more. The dressing is I don't know what (fig? Balsamic? ) but it fits the salad perfectly. 3) mozarella and tomato: this salad is far less complex than the others, some simple herbs, cheese, and tomato wedges, probably olive oil - but has good flavor nonetheless. We would love to come back for salad trio again to sample more flavors. The owner?/co-owner Jay (sp?) set us up for our trip back to North Carolina with a portable salad trio , a bunch of great sandwiches, and a complimentary fruit salad! We were so lucky to find out about this place, the only negative is we live...

Overall it was a less than great experience. I ordered a Tuna Melt ($12.99) and my wife ordered a salad (2 types and turkey $16.99). My sandwich was just that, a sandwich. They're was a language barrier. My wife asked some questions and she didn't seem to understand. The Tuna melt was nothing special and was missing the cheese. I never send food back.(fear of bodily fluids) I make a better tuna sandwich at home.

My wife's salad was however better than average. It was plentiful and was fresh. I would highly recommend if you visit this establishment, get a salad.

Another small rub on this place. You order at the counter and then they turn around the payment tablet for you to select a tip. I thought there was going to be additional service that they were going to provide, so I tipped. They yelled my name when my order was ready for me to retrieve. Then after we were done, we were expected to throw our trash away on the way out. Again, I have no problem doing that, but why ask for a tip? A tip to me is for good service. There was no service. Comparable service...

If I could give 4th Street Deli and Salads and the women who run it 10 stars, I would! Let me tell you why: First, we needed sandwiches and salads for an 11 a.m. sail and they didn't open untill 11. After a phone call, they agreed to let us come by before they officially opened and they'd make the two sandwiches. Their attention and service was impeccable. They were friendly. They were kind. They paid attention to detail. If I lived on Amelia island, I'm sure I'd visit them once a week, if only to chat. Now ... let's talk food. E.X.C.E.L.L.E.N.T. The salads - kale with mango, apple and almonds; Asian coleslaw; black bean and corn; and cucumber - were fresh and reallyvery good. We both had the Italian sandwich - mine on ciabata, his on marble. They also were good. Very. If I just HAD to say something negative, it would be that they don't have key lime pie. Because if they did, I would bring a pillow and blanket...