Palmer’s Village Cafe

We found Palmers Village Café when looking for a place to eat brunch for a friend’s birthday. Upon arrival I was greeted and given a wait time of 15 – 20 minutes which was to be expected for 12:30 on a Sunday. We ended up being seated in 5 minutes right in the middle of the restaurant. Space is tight, but it made it have a cozy feel. There was a good mixture of home kitchen (the kitchen is in the middle of the restaurant and you can hear and see your food being made) and modern with some stunning light fixtures.
We ordered The Local and Steak and Eggs. My friend did not like the local as she was expecting avocado to be whole and in the omelette, but it seemed to be puréed into the eggs. The server was very kind and got her some grits and fruit instead so that she could still eat. The Steak and Eggs was delicious and the arugula on top was perfect. The steak sauce was delicious and paired with some potatoes that were well seasoned.
There were tons of options on the menu and I wish I could have tried more things. Definitely want to come back when I am in the area again.
The service while very kind was a tad slow and we waited for a while to get our order taken and then when we needed something we would have to flag someone down since we weren’t checked on that often.
Overall I would highly recommend this place for a good brunch option on the island.

What a great place for breakfast! The pancakes were great, as was the service. We would certainly return on our next trip to the area.

The food here is interesting, and you can’t say that about a lot of breakfast places. I had the blueberry pancakes with oats and nuts (pecans) and they were very good. I would appreciate the option of real maple syrup – that would bump them up another star. Also, I disliked the bacon – it tasted like it was marinated in some sort of herbs. My husband had the crabcakes squared and he said it was very good. If you don’t want to wait standing outside on the sidewalk for a table, try to come at the less busy days or time of day.

Palmers is always crowded but very well worth the wait! The food is unique and delicious, the staff are all friendly and did I mention how incredibly delicious the food is? Especially on Sundays I would highly recommend calling in ahead.

If only every day could begin with breakfast at Palmer’s! We dined here 3 days in a row during our vacation for THE MOST delicious, chef-​driven breakfast fare. The kitchen knows what they’re doing: flavors are balanced and nothing is heavy-​handed. Highest marks for the Green Eggs &Ham scramble, topped with half of a biscuit and a kiss of tomato jam. My husband loved his Surf Squared (crab cake Benedict on a Gouda grits cake) and our daughter devoured her blueberry pancake. Service is fast and friendly, buzzing from table to table to replenish coffee cups before you can even ask. And they know the menu. Trust your server to steer you toward a new favorite every day. Palmer himself is a class act, gracious and engaged, and it’s easy to see why this is a local favorite.
We will be back – of course for breakfast, but also for lunch and dinner. It’s that good.

Pretty standard breakfast, nothing to ride home about. Atmosphere was cute and service was attentive.

Great spot in the downtown area to get breakfast though when we stopped for lunch it was an hour wait. Probably because they are so good. Nice home cooked breakfast. Honey on my biscuit, cheese on my grits. Yum. Highly recommend if you have time to sit and enjoy.

Very good food & service. Had the green eggs & ham and The Local and they were awesome. Will add this to my places to come back to when we visit again.

Excellent food. Surf Squared was eggs Benedict on crab cakes and grit cake with hollandaise sauce. Wonderful. Special for the day was steak omelet with provolone cheese on grit cake with Carmelites onions. Amazing. It’s a bit pricey, but with it.

Palmer’s was a fluke that turned into a love affair. We have had breakfast on St. Simons a few times during our annual visit to Jekyll Island but this will most likely be the crown jewel of breakfast locations.
The menu is a healthy mix of upscale dishes and your average café breakfast faire, however they will cook you any combination of whatever you like from off the menu. Note you will have to pay by the market price when you go off the reservation like that but it let’s you make up whatever you want to kill your fast and get the day started! This is especially helpful if you have picky eaters or wee-​ones that only want a pancake or just scrambled eggs.
Don’t misjudge me that you need to make your own meal, the menu is full of delicious temptation that features delicious hand prepared seafood in some cases. Also all of the accoutrements are made fresh daily from sauces to jams!
The staff is laid back and friendly so much so that it wasn’t til halfway through our meal that the gentleman drifting table to table was Palmer himself gabbing and serving locals and tourists alike.
Our meals were hot and delicious, not one not even our two wee-​ones were unhappy with their dish. I also have to mention that we didn’t get the ‘locals only’ vibe like we have at some other locations on St Simons, everyone seemed equal and served on a first come first serve basis, barring large custom orders of course. Sometimes you have to wait if you really want something made yourself!

great staff, great little spot! i cant do much dairy so i try to stay away from creams, dressings, etc. i asked about the potato salad and she said it was very light — it was — but i wasn’t informed that the crab meat salad that i got as an entrée had the crab tossed basically in mayo. it didn’t say in the description either, it was called thyme crab salad or something. it addresses the beans in the salad with a simple dressing or something, but not the actual crab meat. i would have avoided that if told this ahead of time. but i ate it anyways since it wasn’t super heavy and i was seriously hungry. luckily i was fine. but they should include that kind of thing. we probably will never be back to the island anyways, but if we do, we will probably be back for breakfast:)

Great food, great service but we had the misfortune to be seated in the back room next to a deafeningly loud group! The dinner menu looks like it’s worth the visit.

Came right before they closed (2pm) and ordered the local from the breakfast menu. It was delicious. I’m gluten intolerant, the waitress said she wasn’t gluten savvy but what I’d ordered was just good fresh whole foods. My mil enjoyed her soup and crab cake sandwich. Good customer service. Using Unilocal at the last minute saved us $ 10 on our ticket!

Great food and awesome service. Try the French toast and the steak and eggs breakfast.
We shall eat here again.

This is my favorite brunch spot on St. Simon’s Island. The food is perfect. I really can’t think of any other words to describe how amazing the entire dining experience is. It seems so southern and home cooked, yet upscale at the same time and it’s dirt cheap!!! I can’t believe you get such great breakfast food at such an inexpensive price and the service is amazing!
Sometimes there is a wait on Sunday mornings but trust me, it’s WELL worth it!!!
Charming little restaurant.

Such good food! I’ve been twice now and had an excellent experience both times. First I got the chicken pot pie omelette. It is an experience. Absolutely delicious and unlike any omelette I’ve ever had before. It tastes just like a chicken pot pie! My mum got the chicken salad sandwich and it was so fresh and original. Next time I got the crabcakes Benedict, again absolutely incredible. Worth every penny. My sister’s got the burger and veggie omelette and no complaints from them. Next time I’ll try the burger, it looked soooo good!

Ate here for a VERY late breakfast today.
The husband ordered the steak and eggs… we are coming back and I am ordering this next time. There is an enchilada-​like-​sauce put on top of the steak that brilliantly pulled together the arugula and potatoes with the steak and eggs. The flavor on his plate was out of this world.
I ordered the eggs benedict atop gruyère grit cakes… the grit cakes were yummy although very dense (almost like a polenta cake). The crab was deliciously fresh and had none of that fishy taste that I can’t stand. The interesting part of this dish for me, was the way that the smoked tomatoes added a distinct flavor that was a surprisingly pleasant juxtaposition to the rest of the pretty traditional elements on the plate. This is SUPER filling. I couldn’t finish it, and the mister had to help out.
But the winner for me was the challah french toast with candied maple bacon. I am of Jewish lineage and this is the only restaurant I’ve ever eaten at that does challah french toast the right way.
As far as service goes… they are phenomenal. They were slammed when we came in, but never faltered. The owner is absolutely a gem, and our waiter was on top of everything.
We are only here for 3 more days, and I’m already planning on when we will be back for their white table dinner experience.
From one food snob to another– I highly recommend.

First time here… and definitely not the last…
Service was awesome, like being welcomed in my mom’s house for brunch.
Ordered the:
$ 14.95 — Surf Squared (crab cakes over a smoked gouda grit cake topped with poached eggs and hollandaise) — sound like a heaven??? it was.
$ 9.95 — Green eggs and Ham (scrambled eggs — made green with the café’s herb tasty mixture — no need to add anything to it — topped with shaved Serrano ham and a biscuit with tomato jam. It also came with breakfast potatoes, delicious as well). I initially ordered this dish in honor of my kiddos, whom I miss terribly… but it was darn delicious! I would have this on a plane, a train, with a mouse or in a house!
$ 5 — Bowl White Bean and Collard soup.
My date is a fan of collard greens, he ordered the bowl of White bean and collard soup. It’s is a vegetable tomato broth base, with ham, white beans and collards cooked just right. And it came out piping hot — a little detail, but totally makes soups taste that much better.
Great job, Palmers! We would order everything again! Can’t wait to return…

If I could give this place 6 stars I would!
We stopped here before our long trek home from Amelia Island to DC (then my mom and sister still had to drive home to Ohio) for breakfast.
It’s a very small place and we had five people so either be prepared to wait or arrive early. We got there around ⁹⁄₁₀ am (I can’t remember exactly) and waited about 20 mins for a table. But it was so worth it.
I ordered the Surf Squared (as did my mom and sister) which had poached eggs on top of crab cakes which were on top of a smoked Gouda grit cake with arugula, smoked tomatoes, caramelized onions, and homemade hollandaise sauce over the entire thing. OH. MY. GOSH. Delicious!!! Not knowing how large this was, I also ordered a biscuit with sausage gravy because I knew I wouldn’t get another chance once we were up north.
While the eggs weren’t perfectly poached (when I broke them open they didn’t run very much) the entire plate was still amazing.
I’m not ashamed to say I ate every bite (minus some gravy)!
My boyfriend ordered the Challah bread french toast with the maple glaze and bacon. Ah, also delicious and I’m not even a fan of french toast! It comes with a LOT of bacon, so if you’re a bacon lover you’re golden.
The place was packed and I only saw two waitresses and the owner working tables. Our waitress was the best. We hardly had to wait before she refilled our coffee and waters. When the food was done the owner brought it out and he didn’t even have to ask what dish went to what person, so there is some great communication going on behind the scenes. This is definitely a place where locals go as well as tourists.
I LOVE it here and if I’m ever back at St. Simons I’m going to visit again!

I judge all breakfast joints on the tried and true Waffle House standard. As good as WaHo is 3 stars. I order the exact same breakfast at every restaurant: two scrambled eggs, bacon, grits, biscuits, and a cup of coffee.
The eggs were amazing. These were some of the best scrambled eggs I have ever had (including cooking them myself). They were a bit «light» and «fluffy.» They had a hint of cheese. It was awesome.
The bacon is think sliced, maple bacon. They were not too crispy, but they were not limp. It was the perfect balance. They cook to order (so you could ask them to cook it more or less), but there default is really good.
The grits may be the worse thing on my plate, but they were still really good. They were thicker than I prefer. Still, they tasted great!
The biscuits were homestyle, southern biscuits. They were sufficiently fluffy.
The coffee was good too. They used good coffee mugs, which allow you to taste the coffee instead of the cup.
The rest of my party ordered more unique dishes, and they looked awesome. If I come back, I will definitely try one of them!