The Tavern by AIBC — Restaurant in Fernandina Beach

This was by far the worst dining experience I've had on Amelia Island in my 10+ years of visiting. Overall, two stars.

Let's start with why the rating is not lower.

First, we were seated promptly in the 'outdoor' area up front, and our table was bussed/clean when we sat down.

Second, our waitress Jackie (I think, sorry if that's incorrect) was fantastic. It was quite obvious that she knows what she's doing, and loves her job. She was prompt, attentive, professional, knowledgeable, and very accommodating. She was everything you'd want a waitress to be. In hindsight, we should have tipped her more, that's our fault.

Third, the food was delicious. My wife and I ordered a side of truffle fries to share for an appetizer. For our entrees, I had the Brewer's Salad with a Canary Cross Amber beer, while my wife ordered a medium House Burger with their house-made chips and a Raspberry Summer Shandy. The only feedback for any of the food was that it seemed the burger/chips sat in the back a bit too long before it was brought out to us, because the food temperatures were not as high as you'd expect (we were given a 10% discount for this even though we didn't mention it to our waitress). Sorry, we forgot to take pictures.

Now for why the rating is not higher.

First, it was clear from the start that the staff was overwhelmed and had insufficient management support. Prior to our arrival, we tried to call multiple times but no one answered the phone. Except for our waitress, the staff we observed were teenagers whose inexperience and lack of professionalism were on full display. They were rude to one another, one kid openly mocked customers, and only one (besides Jackie) was really working while the rest seemed to just shuffle around. The host stand was left unattended multiple times, and there were three conversations held within easy earshot of customers about staff frustrations with their working environment/conditions.

Second, we counted four tables that were sat and not provided with silverware until the customer got up and asked the host for some (in two cases after their appetizer/food has been delivered). We also counted three tables that customers had finished/left, but were not bussed/cleaned until the host needed to sit another customer at that table.

Third, the family seated next to us was served a still-frozen corn dog for their child, which was taken back to the kitchen but a replacement was never served. My wife's review covers that, but what she didn't mention is that no manager ever spoke with the family to apologize or compensate them for their horrible service. The restaurant didn't seem to really take ownership of their mistake here.

So, while our specific waitress and food were great, the quality of the overall dining experience and restaurant management were severely underwhelming. Considering the plethora of other superior dining options on the island, I cannot recommend The Tavern by AIBC, and will not...

My first visit was ok, I mean the food was awesome but service was super slow & I never got the refill that I had ordered. My second visit was much better as our server Zack was amazing! He was always there whenever we needed anything & just to make sure everything was good. I had the key lime martini (picture) and it was sooo good, it was like dessert in a glass, all creamy & delicious with graham cracker crumbs on the glass to complete the image. Other than specialty drinks, there is a wide selection of different beers you can try(try for for only $9), but my favorite was Grace. The truffle fries were decadent and the burger I had was the best I have had at a restaurant as it was not just juicy, it was full of flavor with every bite. My daughter was in love with the tuna she ordered & actually cleared her plate for once. My younger kids, who are extremely picky eaters, actually ate everything they ordered as well. My son loved the pepperoni pizza he ordered while my 4 year old ate every bite of her buttered noodles off the kids menu. The menu, while compact, offers a great range of variety so there is something for everyone including a giant pretzel on the appetizer menu. They also offer a military discount and have brewery tanks on site so you can actually see some of the process that goes into making beer. My 4 year old daughter really enjoyed watching a man who was working on one of the tanks. The atmosphere is laid back and you can choose to sit inside at a table or at the large, well stocked bar. But we enjoyed sitting outside on the shady patio where we could catch the breeze. Truly a great place to relax & eat at, then you can walk off your meal as you stroll down the picturesque street enjoying the variety of shops that include local souvenirs, a Celtic shop, fudge & ice cream shops, and my favorite, The Book Loft. At the end of the street is the pier where you can walk around & watch the tour boats as they pull in/leave. Truly a great location to eat &...

Updated 5/15/2022. Had to drop rating to 2 stars. Service was just terrible today. Stopped in on a Sunday afternoon around 1:45 for late lunch. Most tables were full, but we were seated immediately. Got our drinks right away, put our order in. Simple order, Rueben with fries and fish and chips. And then we wait. After 15-20 minutes, waitress comes by to apologize for wait, says they just dropped the fries in the fryer, should be out shortly. Then she disappears. Meanwhile, the crowd starts to thin, now the place is about half full. After another 15 minutes we ask hostess to find our waitress, she finally reappears, and we ask about food. She apologizes again, says manager will come talk to us, offers to comp a beer. We decline. Another waitress comes by to talk to us, says manager asked her to talk to us. While she’s talking to us, guy brings food out. We’ve been seated for almost an hour. I said those fries better be hot, they’ve been in the fryer long enough. He’s the manager, says it’s not about the fries, they’re short staffed, and orders are taking an average of 35 minutes. I ask why tables seated after us got their food before we did. I also ask why waitress told us they were just waiting on the fries. He just keeps going on about the 35 minute average ticket time and it’s not about the fries, but admits our ticket was 40-45 minutes from being put in to served. I told him he needs to communicate to staff about ticket times so they’re not giving customers bad info. Offers to take something off bill. He leaves, we start eating, it’s now 2:45, full hour since we sat down. Food is fine, definitely not hot. Waitress comes back, apologizes again, and then says she is picking up the bill. Hard to recommend this place to our out of town guests, this is not the first time we’ve had slow service. It’s just bar food, it’s not that complicated. I think this visit finally broke us. Too many other restaurants around Fernandina where I’d rather...