If you're up early and want a full diner breakfast, Beach Diner opens at 6 a.m. every day at 2006 South 8th Street, well south of downtown. It's a family-owned and operated restaurant that serves breakfast and lunch only, and the Fernandina Beach diner is one of four, with the others in Atlantic Beach, Mandarin and Ponte Vedra. The company says it has been feeding the Jacksonville beaches area for more than 25 years.
The Fernandina location names its most popular breakfast dishes: Chocolate Chip Pancakes, the Shrimp and Crab Omelette, the Left Coast Omelette (bacon, Swiss, tomato and onion topped with avocado and hollandaise), Eggs on the Bayou, Fish and Grits, and The Healthy Morning, an egg-white sandwich with spinach, avocado and tomato. If you're in before 8 a.m., there's a Sunrise Special on the menu. Lunch shifts to salads and sandwiches, including the Stuffed Avocado, the Tossed Shrimp and Crab Meat Salad, a Mediterranean Salad with tabouli and hummus, a Reuben, a French Dip, and The Godfather on a grilled baguette.
There's a kids' menu for children 10 and under. The kitchen closes at 2:30 p.m. every day, so this is a morning or midday stop, never a late lunch.
For a downtown breakfast instead, Garden Street Bistro does brunch on South 3rd Street, and 1928 Cuban Bistro handles Cuban coffee and pastries closer to Centre on 8th Street. The family-friendly restaurant roundup has more picks that work with kids along.