Checked by The Things To Do In Fernandina Beach editorial desk. Hours and menus change; confirm with the restaurant before you travel.
The Decantery is downtown Fernandina's wine-and-cocktail lounge, sharing an address on Centre Street with the Palace Saloon at the corner of Centre and 2nd. Where the Palace is loud, tin-ceilinged and 120 years old, the Decantery is the quieter, more deliberate room next door — wine by the glass, craft beer, cocktails and small plates.
It is the most useful room downtown for a conversation. If your evening needs somewhere you can hear each other after 8pm, this is the short answer.
Photos
What to expect
A lounge format: a wine list with real range by the glass, a craft beer selection, cocktails, and food built to go alongside rather than to be a full dinner.
It draws an older-than-average crowd early and a mixed one later. On a Saturday in season the room can fill, but it turns over steadily because most people are here for two glasses, not four hours.
Where it sits, and where to park
117 Centre Street is at the heart of the historic district — the corner of Centre and South 2nd, in the same landmark building block as the Palace Saloon. Everything downtown is within a five-minute walk, and the district's paid on-street parking applies; see the parking guide.
It works as the first stop of an evening (a glass before dinner on Centre) or the last (a nightcap after the waterfront).
Who it suits
Couples, wine drinkers, and anyone who wants downtown after dark without the volume. For the full picture of the district's bars, see bars and nightlife; for dinner nearby, downtown restaurants.
Quick tips
- The quiet alternative to the Palace Saloon, in the same block.
- Small plates support the wine list — it isn't a full dinner room.
- Good first stop before a Centre Street dinner.