Amelia Island Restaurant Week returns with in-person dining

Looking for something fun to do this weekend for you and your taste buds?

Amelia Island is celebrating its 14th Annual Restaurant Week and you can enjoy dishes some from some of the island’s award-winning and most popular restaurants.

“We’re using some Mayport shrimp with a nice fresh pasta and we make it in house. It’s light and it also has a little spice to it,” Alan Heckman, the executive chef for the Taven by AIBC and the Alley, said.

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Heckman has been cooking for more than 20 years.

He said the brewery has over 20 different styles of beer, so there’s something for everybody.

Right now, he’s getting everything ready for the flock of visitors heading into town for the next 10 days.

A few miles away, southern-inspired Bantam & Biddy is serving up nice warm breakfast.

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“We definitely have our chicken and waffles, one of our staples to our restaurant, we have our banana nut waffle, pecans, something for the kids,” Terrell Webb, the general Manager of Bantam & Biddy, said.

The Amelia Island Convention and Visitors Bureau told us this annual event started as a form of economic stimulus back in 2008 to help keep people employed when the recession hit.

Last year, Restaurant Week proved it could survive even during a pandemic.

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“We had folks that did takeout and curbside delivery, which allowed them to keep their talented people in place, which of course helps us recover as a culinary destination,” Gil Langley, president and CEO of Amelia Island Convention and Visitors Bureau said.

This year, it’s back to normal with in-person restaurant dining and hundreds of foodies and visitors expected as the tradition has grown in popularity during the last 14 years.

“It’s a great way to get out and try new things, if you’re in Nassau County, support local but also anybody outside of that, Duval, Clay County. Amelia Island is a great place to visit,” Heckman said.

Ameilia Island Restaurant Week is January 21 - 30.

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