Espana

Wonderful meal and excellent friendly service. I had the shrimp ceviche and portobello tapas and they could not have been any better. My husband had the pork loin entrée and he loved his meal as well.

We dined at Espana on June 1 and had an assortment of tapas. Our favorite tapas included the picadinho, the gambas Mozambique, gambas con curry, papas bravas, and the sangria salad. All were delicious! The desserts were also very good. We had chocolate torte, which was sinfully rich, caramel-​iced tres leches, tiramisu, and and excellent flan. We will be back next time we’re on Amelia Island.

I love the food. Amazing chef but not the service. We travel here 200 miles just for the food. Still worth the trip but hate being ignored during dinner. Great atmosphere and food just service that doesn’t match and drags down the restaurant (justin not so good).!

Everyone kept telling us we had to go to Espana and get the paella and they were right. It was delicious! They had several different kinds and you could ask them to leave out anything you didn’t want.
And don’t forget the sangria (red)!

We had a very nice experience here. It was us plus our four kids. We had the grilled calamari and entremes appetizers and both were very good. For entrees my wife and I had the Portuguese soup, two kids had paella, one had steak, and one had ceviche. The food was all very good. The only reason we gave four stars is the service was pretty slow. We would return.

It was busy, we made a last minute reservation, showed up early, and were welcomed warmly.
After being served some very nice wine in the waiting area, we were served outside. It was nighttime and dark but the lights outside were bright. I requested they be dimmed and they were.
The tapas were excellent: shrimp in garlic, paella croquet special, and pork loin in a delicious brown sauce.
We shared a grouper, shrimp and scallop special dinner and it was wonderful.
The wine by the glass was very tasty and a great value.
The service was attentive and friendly. This is a very good place.

We are from a town with great independent restaurants, and we were very impressed with España!
We had seared calamari, ceviche, a salad and and a yummy grouper entrée. Couldn’t think of a thing we would have changed about our dining experience. We sat in the courtyard which was lovely and the staff was attentive and informative when we had questions.
We like oceanfront and beach view dining which this restaurant does not offer but the food and experience were so delightful, we didn’t miss the waves at all.

Ate here again Easter weekend. Service was excellent in this quaint restaurant. Still the best in Fernandina Beach we’ve found. Portuguese Stew is still the best!

The paella is excellent. Also, my wife and I ended up drinking a full jar of sangria which was just delicious. Definitely a must-​go if you’re in the Fernandina area.

4 stars and not 5 may not be fair considering that I only ate tapas. The food was enjoyable. I will return to try an entrée and definitely return for their flan. I am a self proclaimed flan-​snob because I believe that my sister and I make the best flan — ever… that was until today, the flan here is simple creamy heavenly perfection! I will be in my kitchen experimenting with my recipe this weekend. They were happy to share their recipe and it’s incredibly close to mine. I can’t wait to try it their way. If all else fails, I will not hesitate to pay them a visit.

My husband and I ate here during our honeymoon last year and it was just delicious. The sangria is amazing (not too sweet either) and we had the paella for two. Delicious delicious delicious!

We have never been to Amelia Island before, but when my niece and her husband rented a beach house here, and invited us up for the a few days, we could not resist. On our second night here, we decided to go to Espana, and are we ever glad we did. We started out with a cold tapa, Entremes, (Spanish Antipasto). A nice selection of Spanish cured meats cheese, and marinated mixed olives. Then we moved on to the warm tapas; Gambas Mozambique (Shrimp Mozambique style), sautéed shrimp topped with a spicy coconut milk sauce and fresh cilantro; Calamares Fritos (Fried Calamari), fresh calamari dredged in seasoned flour, flash fried and served with aside of marinara sauce ;Calamari a la Plancha (Seared Calamari), a seasoned and seared Calamari steak topped with capers, olive oil and balsamic glaze; and Chorizo Encebollado (Sausage and Onions), sliced Portuguese sausage sautée with onions and flambéed with brandy, along with two daily special salads, a Goat Cheese salad, with seared Goat cheese and beet chips. Everything was amazing, but my favorite was the Calamari a la Plancha, something I had never even heard of before, much less tasted. Simply divine. This along with a lovely wine list made for a perfect evening out. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the wonderful and attentive wait staff. Next time we are in Fernandina Beach, this will be our go to place.
,

A New Favorite Is Born!
For years now we have been visiting my sister and brother-​in-​law in Fernandina Beach and we always have at least one special evening out to dinner and this year’s was a real treat… Espana. It has a lovely interior, white table clothes, spacious layout and attentive staff. Lovely selection of wines by the glass and bottle. The salad with blue cheese was a great way to start the meal and we shared two and had plenty. We decided to share tapas and two dinners and the four of us were most satisfied. When Espana says «tonight’s specials» they aren’t kidding. So we ordered three of the specials, the mussels were served in a most flavorful broth to dip for, the beef enchiladas tapas were delectaable and the special dinner with fish, shrimp and scallops that just melted in the mouth. We had a variety of tapas and shared the seafood paella. A wonderful dinner and it was our pleasure to pick up the tab. Thank you Espana!

Ahhhh paella, paella, paella! There are a few choices on this famous dish. Each one with its own unique ingredients. Simply mouthwatering.

We made reservations last minute via OpenTable on a Saturday night. To my surprise we were seated right away despite the place being packed upon arrival. The sangria was really nice and the paella was hot and delicious. The space is intimate and romantic but still laid-​back and comfortable– great for date night.

I can count on one hand the number of meals I have enjoyed that much. From service to food; everything was perfect. We ordered the mozzarella special as an appetizer. The balsamic glaze was quality and the star of the show (with the mozzarella as a very close second). Heard about the Calderada de Mariscos (Portuguese Fisherman’s Stew), and I am pretty sure I said I was in love with the stew four times. My wife was supportive. I loved the spice and flavor, but I loved the freshness of the seafood even more. Actually, I loved them all equally like the children I don’t have, yet (maybe with some favoritism that shouldn’t be expressed for the sake of the others since I was obviously the favorite child. I digress). We ended with the Caramel Flan. Decadent and heavenly. Easily should have ordered two. I hear the Tres Leches is amazing, as well. Next time. What topped the experience off was our server’s (Scott) attention to detail. We have had some pretty rough customer service experiences lately. Last night was so refreshing to see the dining experience hasn’t completely eroded away. When we do splurge to enjoy a nice evening, it’s nice to feel like you got what you paid for. We had plans to check out another restaurant tonight, but we so badly want to go back to España. However, the reservation slots get booked up pretty fast, so for those procrastinators: don’t delay!
Thanks, Scott and España for doing things right! I have family coming to this area in a few months and I will be sure to send them your way!

Run — don’t walk to this fabulous restaurant! Loved it so much we ate twice in a week here. The Fisherman Stew was out of this world. The Paella was fantastic!

About a week or two before our wedding anniversary months back, my husband surprised me with a reservation here. Our family friends told us about this place but were out of town when we went. It was so last minute. I had fallen asleep on the couch and was parched when he woke me, stumbling taking 5 minutes to find and throw clothes on to get out the door. I felt like a hot mess but for some reason, once we arrived, felt amazing at the same time. We had patio seating and the weather was PERFECT. The lighting, ambience, spacious table we got sat at, the setting of great conversation and food went hand in hand in creating one of THE BEST date nights we have had in a while. We’ve been back twice and have told everyone they must go.
The grilled squid, escargot, and short ribs empanadas are our favorite tapas. The fishermans stew for two was delicious. Of course, you must top it off with a pitcher of sangria. It’s not too sweet.
It’s a shame that we never manage to get photos of the food (I don’t have a photographic memory, so…), but I’ll try harder to next time!

This is an exceptional place to dine, you will love the food here it is very, very good !
My wife and I will be back — a book mark is well placed for this spot.

Ein echtes Juwel, erstklassige Paella, leckere Tapas, fruchtiger Sangria, schöné Terrasse, sehr aufmerksame Bedienung. Ideal für einen romantischen Abend zu zweit, jederzeit wieder.

I was visiting Amelia Island for business, and of course I relied on Unilocal to determine where I would eat dinner. I wanted good seafood, and Espana fulfilled that want!
The restaurant is located in what they consider the «historic district,» and the building looks/​feels like a renovated home. It was full on a Monday night, and we did not have reservations, but luckily a reservation had just cancelled, so we were able to get a table in the main dining area. (I recommend making a reservation even if you are planning to dine here during the week.) Nonetheless, the hostess was very accommodating and helpful!
Our server was equally friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. They have a couple of your typical beers on a tap and a wine list, but they also offer some various Florida IPAs and brown ales in a can, so if that is what you want, just ask!
Our group ordered a variety of tapas: Gambas al Ajillo, Calamari a la Plancha, and Almejas Borrachas. I’m a sucker for shrimp, so I would say the Gambas al Ajillo were my favorite, but all of the tapas were tasty. There were no leftovers.
For my meal, I ordered the Paella Marinera (my first traditional paella), and it was amazing! They served the paella in the traditional skillet, and it was topped with fresh fish, clams, mussels, shrimp, scallops, and calamari. This is a great comfort dish that is full of flavor; if you are a fan of seafood, it will not disappoint!