David's Restaurant & Lounge — Restaurant in Fernandina Beach

Longstanding favorite that disappointed last night. Unsure if it was just an off night or byproduct of the times. Miss the old days of being able to order a whole King Crab but that’s no longer available. Have had other evenings here enjoying various entrees including crab leg & knuckle clusters that were very good. Not the case tonight. For $100 p/lb (ordered 3 lbs or $300.00) I’m unhappy with relatively small, rubbery legs. Server said they were “very large & high quality.” Didn’t want to whine, with friends, just went forward. We were also brought out 1 very small side of mashed potatoes w/3 asparagus spears for the 2 of us. Had to wait & request another. Serving size was stingy IMHO. Taste was delicious. I think I should have been offered more when finishing the sides 5 minutes into dinner. We miss Mark as a server. He would have never seen the meal go south. Other meals at the table, all steak related were reported as excellent.

But now, will respond to the unapologetic, rather unprofessional response from management…..

You call me a “V.I.P.” Customer. And slam me for telling; “the world”. I share with other Google users honest reviews as I appreciate their honest reviews with me. I will ask restaurant staff for a remedy when a steak is over or under cooked, or it comes out cold, or something is amiss, but shouldn’t have to deal with quality or quantity issues in the restaurant. Note I also reported other items as “excellent” & used the description; “delicious”. I’m not looking for any VIP treatment. I expect the same level of service & quality as the next guy. Y’all have done nothing whatsoever in my 15+ visits to denote “VIP” status nor did I ask for it or expect it. So I’ll critique you as anyone else has. Apparently not without disparaging attitude & comment from you. Your crab was not high quality. Your sides were skinny. Price was lofty to be kind. I expected better. That’s my honest review. Other reviews noted exactly the same. Own up to it. Even more appropriate, apologize to your 15x customer rather than slam dunk me to the “world”. 1 time customers gripe, you say nothing. Your 15x & more “VIP customer” has a problem, you bash. With tip I left David’s $400 lighter… for 2 people with 1 glass of wine & 1 iced tea, no dessert. What happened to; “sorry, we’ll look into it & try & make your meal a better experience next time”? Many other choices on and off the island. Combine the dining experience with your lack of any ownership for the above grievances and take comfort we won’t darken your doors in the future. My rating just went from two...

I was really looking forward to dining at David’s Restaurant and Lounge in Amelia Island for our 3-year anniversary, along with my aunt who was celebrating her own special milestone. We chose this restaurant because of its reputation as a high-end, upscale spot, and we were fully ready to enjoy a great evening and spend generously. Unfortunately, the experience was incredibly underwhelming, and frankly, disappointing.

From the start, the service felt dismissive and lackluster. Our waitress treated us with a clear lack of attention or care — meanwhile, we watched her give noticeably better treatment to older guests at a nearby table. It was disheartening and, quite honestly, felt discriminatory based on our age. Being in our 20s doesn’t mean we’re not serious diners — and that bias was painfully obvious throughout the night.

We loved the bread (it really was delicious), but for some reason, it was repeatedly taken away from the table before we could finish it or enjoy it with our entrees. It felt rushed and disruptive. Our wine service was also incredibly slow — glasses sat empty for long stretches, and even when our server came by, she would leave them unfilled. This isn’t what you expect from a fine dining experience with these prices.

To make matters worse, my boyfriend’s meal was genuinely unpleasant — poorly seasoned and nearly inedible. It definitely left a sour note on what should’ve been a celebratory evening. To be fair, after we brought it up at the end of the meal, the manager did step in and comp his dish and offered to replace it, which we appreciated. Still, by that point, the experience had already been soured.

All in all, the ambiance and location were promising, but the service, treatment, and food quality just didn’t measure up. A special night turned into a frustrating one, and we won’t be returning. I hope the restaurant uses this feedback to better train their staff — every guest deserves to be treated with respect and...

Fantastic experience. I will say there might be something off with their OpenTable system. It showed a 7:45pm as the only remaining reservation, I called and adjusted it to 5:00pm. I finished eating by 7:00pm and the restaurant was still mostly empty.

Service: 10/10 I ate at the bar, Sebastien was fantastic. Super friendly and knowledgeable about the menu and his drinks. The staff that brought my dishes were polite and quick.

The Meal ---

Osetra Caviar : 10/10 Treat yourself, you only live once. It was delicious. Smooth, buttery, silky, just the right amount of brine. Ooooh yeah..

Octopus : 8/10 Very nice pairing with the croquettes and sauces. The octopus was just a tiny bit rubbery. Nothing to take back or really complain, but I have had better at a few other locations that had better mouth feel. That being said, I've had dozens that were much more rubbery or mushy. This was delicious and I'd still order again without question. I'm just being picky.

Aged NY Strip: 9/10 Cooked beautifully. Flavorful and juicy. A really wonderful cut of beef. The mushroom risotto I was looking forward to. The flavor was there, the texture was, I hate to say, less than good. There were undercooked grains that were hard sprinkled throughout. I really don't know how that snuck by, but it was enough that every second or third bite I had a few crunches. The asparagus was cooked well and seasoned nicely.

Key Lime Tart: 9/10 Refreshing, citrusy, sweet, and just the right size. This was a perfect cap to a large, somewhat heavy meal.

David's is a wonderful restaurant, and not just for the area. This was one of the best meals out I've had in quite awhile. Don't take my nit picking as a dig not to go here. I was holding them to a high standard for the price and the place they seem to want to be. Go here, your tastebuds...