What a fun find! My BF and I went to dinner here. Stepping inside, it looks like your traditional seafood restaurant. The hostess said it would be about 10 minutes before we could be sat inside or 20+ minutes outside. She also offered us to see if we could find a seat at the bar. We looked outside and landed two seats at the bar. Triple bonus- there was a band playing, drinks flowing, and a sun setting high in the sky. Everyone like to be smiling and having a great time, even the staff. He ordered the Ahi tuna, I ordered the Thai chili shrimp. Both were amazing and we would absolutely order again. Both plates were well presented, and came out in a fair amount of time. I can't wait to go back! read more

10/10 Happy hour deal everyday at reasonable time? Some of our food didn't make the cut because they lasted on the table for maybe 5 minutes. The blackened shrimp amazing along with the hush puppies. The oysters that had crab on top, absolutely delicious and had a ton of flavor. The staff is SO nice and knew a lot about the menu. She crab soup is a solid 6.5/10 their house salad is very fresh. I'll be back for sure! read more

Down Under Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Fernandina Beach, Florida

Nice establishment, friendly people, neat location ... down under! Food was decent; however, catch of the day was this, not flaky, disappointing. Shrimp and scallops and oysters were delicious. read more

What a hidden gem. I was having trouble finding the place and even went to a VFW hall by mistake and then kept going and found this wonderful cozy outdoor spot. My server was lovely and recommended the grouper. It did not disappoint. read more

The biggest draw of this restaurant is the view - can't be beat! The outdoor seating on the water is a fabulous setting. Service is great, and our food was prepared at the perfect pace. Blue cheese chips with blue cheese appetizer is phenomenal. Meals were all fresh and portions were really nice. read more

See all

My wife and I drove up to Fernandina Bch for our 38 year wedding anniversary and stopped into the Down Under Restaurant for dinner. I ordered the fried shrimp dinner and it was delicious. I also loved the hush puppies! These were the best hush puppies I've ever had. The shrimp and hush puppies were cooked just right. I also had a cup of clam chowder. This was also delicious and had great flavor. My wife ordered the crab legs and cheese grits. She hers was very good and cooked just right! Honestly; everything was perfect with our dinner. Our waiter was great as well and was super friendly. The restaurant is on the water. Some tables have good views and others don't. They do have outdoor seating. We definitely recommend you try the Down Under Restaurant! We will definitely be back in the future! read more

See all

Love this place!!! Such a hole in the wall! It's right on the water, got the coolest decor & great staff! The food is always AMAZING! Today we ordered the fried shrimp, Thai shrimp, fresh catch sandwich and a grilled chicken sandwich. Their hush puppies are possibly the best i've ever had, they're cooked to perfection! If you ever want good seafood, good music and good views hit this place up! read more

See all

TLDR: If you want SAVORY shrimp and grits, look elsewhere because this dish at Down Under is drowning in sweet cream. Sat outdoors to enjoy the view, and it was enjoyable, but the table was sandy. Server was attentive and courteous, but the food was not good. Clam chowder was way salty, and the shrimp and grits were just bad. The shrimp were locally sourced and good, but you couldn't even see/appreciate the grits and their texture because they were swimming in too much cream sauce that was sweet instead of savory. Fresh chives and cherry tomatoes were a nice touch but couldn't make up for that sauce... Nothing like any other shrimp and grits I've had elsewhere in the south and southeast. Very disappointed. Smoked paprika flavor could not come through - only sugar and shrimp surrounded by soup. read more

We always like to try a different restaurant aside of our favorites when we vacation here in Fernandina Beach. We needed to find an alternate fishing spot due to the high winds on the beach not being ideal for surf fishing. Our search took us under the bridge and straight to Down Under . Perfect, we will fish a bit and walk over for a late lunch afterwards. We sat at the bar, nice lady bartending. I had the fish and chips (fries) with cheese grits. I must say every restaurant we have ate cheese grits in the area do them very well. The fish was maybe a bit on the dark (over fried) side but it was delicious. My Fiancé got the fried shrimp and oyster platter. The oysters were about the size of a thumbnail and the seasoning on both the shrimp and oysters totally ruined the whole dish. Not sure what they use in the batter but it is not necessary. His plate was left uneaten except for a few of the fries which were the battered kind and again unnecessary. Our travel buddy had the lunch shrimp and agreed that we three deemed this restaurant not even t-shirt worthy! (They have cute down under t-shirts for sale). I did however enjoy my fish. read more

Down Under Restaurant - Shrimp and oysters platter. Thumbnail size oysters and both had an inedible seasoning in the batter. - Seafood Near Me - Fernandina Beach, Florida

See all

6/14/25 great local restaurant with mostly fresh seafood. We came the night before Father's Day to avoid crowds. They do not take reservations so when we entered and sign up, we went outside to listen to the live music on the deck on the river. We were texted our table was ready and they took us upstairs. We had never been upstairs so it was a nice treat. The food is still fantastic-she crab soup ...the best! Hubby had fried shrimp-local and I had shrimp and grits-delicious! Great even great meal! read more

See all

Nice lunch outside. Good choices. Tacos- flounder& shrimp- delicious , and good crab stew. Fun to watch the boats read more

Down Under Restaurant - Flounder taco, shrimp taco, crab stew - Seafood Near Me - Fernandina Beach, Florida

Seafood was fresh and tasty. Salads were boring and expensive for four slices of chicken. The quality of the lettuce wasn't as fresh as I'd like. Overall if you want seafood then give it a try. read more

Went to DU again yesterday as my good friends wanted to treat me to a birthday lunch. Not crowded on a Friday at lunchtime. Great service. Between the three of use we had steamed oysters, ahi tuna and jalapeno popper appetizers. I had the fish tacos which were very good. I also had a bloody Mary and another person had one as an afterthought and when theirs came I noticed the three olives and realized I didn't get any olives with mine. So I went back to the bar and told the (lovely) bartender and she said "I told her wait! You forget his olives!" when our server grabbed my drink. I said "The olives are..." and before I could finish she said "...the best part of a bloody Mary!" LOL. Cool girl. Have always loved going to Down Under. read more

Down Under Restaurant - Fish tacos - Seafood Near Me - Fernandina Beach, Florida

This was...not good. Not sure how they have a rating more than 4 on yelp. Let's start with the smell. It had just rained but I'm not sure that was the reason. My two daughters complained the whole time about the smell. My oldest also said the water "tastes like the ocean" though she still drank it. I love oysters, but these were...well, bad. They tasted old and musky (not like usual gulf coast oysters) and two that I had were literally chewy - like jerky texture. The server was nice and attentive, but she was coughing the whole time. We used the hand sanitizer at the front multiple times for extra precautions but I still think I'm gonna come down with Covid in 3 days from now since she was serving us our food and drinks. What was good? The grouper, the catch of the day, the salad, the she crab soup. The exterior of the place is cute too under a bridge. Our server was also really nice and attentive, albeit coughing. There's your 3 stars. Still, we came out fearing we had food poisoning from the oysters and Covid from the waitress. read more

Looking for a fantastic seafood restaurant? Look no further! This spot boasts an excellent location with convenient parking. The food is exceptional, and the service is truly remarkable. You won't be disappointed. Also being under the Bridge just makes the place even more interesting and fun. Inside is well appointed with Nautical and beach decor. read more

Down Under Restaurant - The outside view. - Seafood Near Me - Fernandina Beach, Florida

See all

Grilled shrimp... yummy! Makenna was a great server. Sat inside so I couldn't see the water, but that's ok.

Stopped for a few beers & some delicious crab dip with yummy homemade chips. Location is great! Right on the intercostal. Will definitely return. read more

Came to check this place out while I was in the area. Stumbled upon this cute little mom and pop waterfront restaurant. Indoor and outdoor seating decided to eat out on the deck. Even though it was a hot day they had umbrellas and fans so you can sit comfortably and enjoy your lunch or dinner. We mainly came here for apps not really dinner and drinks. We chose the crab dip, wedge salad, down under oysters, crab cake and wings. Overall the crab dip came in first place, following by the wedge salad, and crab cake. The crab dip was so good, it had more crab meat than sauce which is just how I like it. The sauce itself is also delish but I would have went with bread instead of potato chips. No offense but I am a bread girly. The wedge salad was unlike other wedge salads because they had caramelized onions that gave a hint of sweetness which made it different. Crab cake was really good however kind of skinny and needed some thickness lol. The oysters and the wings were ok. I had went with down under oyster since they were out of raw ones. Wasn't a huge fan and changed it for wings instead. I love wings and have to say these just didn't put a touch to my heart. Service was great, and over all I would definitely to try different items on the menu . read more

See all

We Love the food at Down Under!! The Seafood is Always Fresh, Salads, Soups and Steak is also great!! read more

Taken five years, but made it back. This trip was so much better. Great service. Sat outside and had beautiful breeze and great view of the river and surprised to have live music while we ate. Great environment for a meal. We shared the crab dip. Peppery house made chips paired very well with the warm creamy crab dip. Entree for both was catch of the day (grilled corvina) tacos. These are still stellar! Moist flaky fish and the chipotle ranch brings a nice heat. I think it would be better with less greens and more pico but this a terrific dish. Her side was hush puppies which are as good as they were last time. I had sweet potato fries which were fresh made - delicious crisp exterior and warm soft sweet potato inside - excellent. If you have never been, you must come by! And don't worry, GPS is not leading to a desolate place under the bridge where police will find your body . Looks desolate just keep driving to the place your taste buds will love. read more

See all

The food here is really good. I have not had a bad meal yet. The atmosphere is great also. Sitting on the dock near the water is relaxing watching the boats go by. Sometimes they have live music playing. This is a hidden gem read more

Burgers were ok (probably wouldn't get again. Ordered medium well, but they were a little charred on the outside). Fries and hush puppies were really good. Poppers were decent. Potato fries were soso. Fried oysters were meh. Down under tacos were meh. Mule was not great. Service was fantastic. read more

Greeted warmly by the hostess and seated immediately on an early Sunday evening. Chose indoors by a window because it was still hot outside. Our server Hanna was delightful and efficient. My wife loved the blood orange cosmo that Hanna recommended. I went a Murphy Goode Chardonnay. I ordered the pan seared scallops which came with choice of one side. I chose collards which were delicious. My wife ordered grilled shrimp which came with hush puppies plus an additional side. Our meals came out in a reasonable amount of time. There were only six scallops which were tasty but not enough for the $28 price. I had to order an additional side of hush puppies because I was still hungry. The grilled shrimp were small but delicious. Came with two hush puppies. The extra side was a sweet potato. At $20 it was the better value. read more

Down Under Restaurant - Seared scallops - Seafood Near Me - Fernandina Beach, Florida

See all

Super disappointing, essentially sums up our visit here. With 4+ reviews here and on Google, we were looking forward to an exceptional experience. Our server was aloof, a young woman whose persona expressed her less-than-desirable interests in being at work. Peel and eat shrimp. If you like ice-cold, unseasoned shrimp, these are for you. Many reviews raved about the shrimp and grits, so I chose them. Although I have had many varieties of this dish, none were served with the shrimp's tails attached. It made for a very awkward eating experience. Grilled Halibut is supposed to be a clean-tasting fish that adapts to the seasoning unless cross-contamination occurs during the cooking process or is prepared on a dirty surface. Ours tasted like it was cooked next to a hamburger. read more

Stopped on the way home after visiting a client in Jacksonville. The food was good, service was good and the ambiance was good. I thought it was going to be louder, being under the bridge but it wasn't. I enjoyed the shrimp curry dish and the oysters were also good. I wouldn't say it's the best ever but a solid spot to visit. read more

I wished we'd gotten the name of our server because she was lovely, informative, and attentive! The food was great...as usual but the scallops had a little less of the salt and pepper which made it seasoned perfectly! We also had the peel and eat shrimp which is a must have in our opinion. Love the casual vibe, too. read more

See all

Good seafood spot in Fernandina that's worth the try! Standard service, and casual dining experience. It's interesting driving up to the restaurant because it's under a bridge, kind of in the cut. But there's plenty of parking and seating. We came for lunch on a Saturday, so they were busy but not jam packed. We were seated right away. While we chose to sit inside, there was plenty of outdoor seating available and there was even a live performer with a guitar. Even though we didn't hear him, that's always a nice touch during a dine-in experience. The decor is very woody and rustic and gives a very old lake house or fish house feel. The service was standard. The hostess didn't greet us coming in or out, but our server was friendly. The food was good! We started with appetizers, ordering the crab dip and jalapeño poppers. The crab dip was phenomenal, with both the chips and dip being seasoned to the gods! The jalapeño poppers were fried perfectly, but I didn't really like the raspberry soy dip. I could have did without the soy part. My sister ordered the chicken tenders and fries and my mom ordered the iron seared ahi tuna sandwich. They both enjoyed their meals. I had the house salad and added blackened shrimp with the roasted shallot herb vinaigrette. It was so fresh and tasty with all the mix of greens from arugula to spinach, so good! I also ordered a side of baked potato with butter and some cream. I added some crab dip on top of that, and wow, delicious. All-in-all it was a pleasant experience and yummy seafood lunch. I'd recommend this place and will hopefully be back for more! read more

See all

My husband and I were excited to try a new seafood place, and we were encouraged by the menu options and combo of indoor/outdoor seating options. My husband ordered shrimp & grits with sweet potato fries and I ordered the tacos with blackened shrimp and cheese grits. While there were no red flags by any means, there were a few reasons I can't stretch to four or five stars: - The sweet potato fries were room temperature (maybe somehow even colder than room temperature...) - In both my meal and my husband's meal, we were chewing a bite when we discovered an unpeeled shrimp (even though the rest were all peeled) - My husband had to ask the waitress each time he wanted his drink refilled - The cheese grits were overly salty (in my opinion) Like I said, none of these things are red flags, but when combined, they added up to a 3-star review for me. If these minor things wouldn't bother you, then you might love Down Under! read more

Down Under Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Fernandina Beach, Florida

See all

10/10. We were here for a weekend trip and ended up going here two nights in a row for dinner. They don't take reservations so we added ourselves to the waitlist but both nights ended up just sitting at the bar which was first come first serve food and drinks! Highly recommend ALL of the oysters and hushpuppies. AND seafood platter for 1 or 2. Immaculate food. Great service and friendly staff. Outside seating has a great view of the river and marshes/skyline. Live music was the cherry on top. Best place by far for a dinner in amelia island. read more

Down Under Restaurant - Raw oysters and down under oysters. 10/10 - Seafood Near Me - Fernandina Beach, Florida

See all

Recommended by a local gentleman and well worth the visit. We had the pan seared scallops, blackened Mahi, shared some chowder and followed it all up with a piece of Key Lime Pie. Outdoor seating with good weather blessing our visit. Prices on par with other restaurants. read more

Service was good. Food was good and came out quick. A con was with the shrimp and oyster meal, both had to be fried. We couldn't substitute fried oysters for raw, even for an up charge. read more

See all

We'd heard a lot about this place and finally stopped in on a Friday morning. Everything we heard was true. Good service, great environment and VERY good food. We were supposed by how busy it got right after opening on a Friday, but the service didn't slow down even though they got busy quickly. We tried a couple of lunch specials and we were both surprised at how big the portions were. We would stop in here again anytime we're in the area. read more

See all

Pretty location. Good service. Nice seafood options. Kid friendly. Our server was working a lot of tables but still did an excellent job! read more

Down Under Restaurant - Peel n eat shrimp. Oysters. - Seafood Near Me - Fernandina Beach, Florida

See all

Racist bunch of folk. Service was awful, food was ok and ambiance... basic. Drive to Singleton's. read more

Down Under Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Fernandina Beach, Florida

Me and my partner and twin sister went to down under a few weeks ago and were blown away by the delicious fried seafood platter with shrimp, oysters, scallops, hush puppies and slaw. Growing up in Eastern North Carolina the number one seafood destination in the country - calabash restaurant. Well, down under taste almost exactly the same or even better ! 10 out of 10 recommended and we will be back very soon! read more

Down Under Restaurant - Seafood platter for two!!! Amazing and delicious!!!!!! - Seafood Near Me - Fernandina Beach, Florida

This is a very simple and rustic restaurant with outside seating on the water. What ruins it is the boring menu, the rude and inept wait staff and the dried out food. I have given this restaurant many chances over the 6 years I have lived here & finally had to make a review. There is so many better places to go. Nothing special about this place and who needs Nasty servers ? #NEVERAGAIN read more

The view is pretty cool. The food isn't bad either. It is at times hard to get a table though. A lot of tours during the summer.

The food was awesome. Had the steak, crab dip, seafood platter and oysters Rockefeller. Nothing was near to even bad or mediocre. It was all delicious! read more

Down Under Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Fernandina Beach, Florida

Service was awful food was cold and nasty tasting. We join the wait-list ahead of time said our table would be ready when we got there well when we got there we still had to wait an extra 45 minutes for our table well we finally got our table and it was outside ok that's fine we'll there was a man there Play music which was extremely loud we couldn't even hear the waitress ask if he could turn it down a bit and they refused okay then it started to sprinkle and we asked if we can move inside because there are four five tables open and no one sitting there they didn't turn to me said I would have to get back in line and wait again for another hour to get one of those tables fine we open the umbrella and sit outside not a problem took our waitress another 45 minutes to come get our order another 20 minutes to bring us our drinks and then when our food got out there it was wrong it was cold and it was nasty tasted she asked me one to replace it with and then said it would take about 45 minutes to get it I said no never mind just take it off the take off the check well after waiting another hour to get our check she did not compensate us for the food that I was not able to eat and charge us anyway instead there was nothing she can do I will never come back to this place I used to love coming here I don't know what happened to the people or the management read more

First time here today. Sun, live music, and FL coast vibes is just what the doctor ordered. The service from Caitlin was great and the food was even better! Please stop on in and grab an ice cold beverage and some good eats, trust me...you wont be disappointed read more

See all