Checked by The Things To Do In Fernandina Beach editorial desk. Hours and menus change; confirm with the restaurant before you travel.
Photo: Historic downtown Fernandina Beach, where PJD's sits just off Centre Street.
PJD's is an outdoor beer and wine garden tucked off South 2nd Street, a few steps from Centre. It is shaded, largely open-air, and it is the downtown spot that people describe as a hidden one even though it is half a block from the busiest corner in town.
The draw is the format rather than a kitchen: a beer and wine list, tables under cover, and a courtyard that stays comfortable in shoulder season when the inside rooms downtown get warm.
What to expect
Order and sit outside. It is a drinking garden, not a restaurant — plan to eat before or after, which is easy given that everything downtown is within four minutes on foot.
It suits an afternoon better than most downtown bars. Between 3pm and 6pm, with the shade and the breeze off the river two blocks away, it is one of the more pleasant places to sit in the district.
Where it sits, and where to park
12 S 2nd Street sits just south of Centre, next to the shops on 2nd. Downtown's on-street parking is changing — the city's paid programme is due to end on 18 November 2026 — so check the parking guide.
It is a minute from the Palace Saloon and two from the Green Turtle, which makes the three of them a natural downtown circuit.
Quick tips
- Almost entirely outdoors — check the forecast.
- No full kitchen; eat on Centre Street before or after.
- Best in the late afternoon, when the courtyard is shaded.