HAPPY TOMATO CAFE, Fernandina Beach - Restaurant Reviews, Photos & Phone Number

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PRICE RANGE

$9.00 – $21.00

CUISINES

American, Cafe, Barbecue

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Gluten free options

Meals

Lunch

FEATURES

Takeout, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Wine and Beer, Accepts Mastercard, Accepts Visa, Accepts Credit Cards

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4.5

560 reviews

Excellent

354

Very good

154

Average

33

Poor

13

Terrible

6

krickett904

Jacksonville106 contributions

Adorable cafe with delicious food

May 2020 • family

My husband and I visited the Happy Tomato Cafe today with our two young sons, and we loved it! The staff is friendly and helpful, and the patio seating is a lovely change from crowded indoor seating. Hubby ordered the rib and chicken plate, and his food was delicious - especially their spicy BBQ sauce, which the owner was kind enough to give us the recipe for! I had the chicken salad sandwich, which was divine. I didn't choose my side dish, but asked the nice lady at the register to surprise me. She selected the veggie pasta salad for me, and it was perfect! Even my youngest son devoured several spoons of the veggies. I feel the pricing is very reasonable, too. Can't wait to visit Happy Tomato again soon! Great job, y'all!

Written May 23, 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lauren H

Jacksonville149 contributions

Tasty pleasant experience.

Jul 2020 • couples

Tasty pleasant experience. Order at the counter and then find a seat on the courtyard. It was noon in July outside and with all the umbrellas it was actually quite lovely. Friendly service no complaints from us. We ordered one pulled turkey sandwich, one pulled pork sandwich, one giant cookie, two drinks and EVERYTHING was good hot and fresh. And it was tons of meat! Way more then I could eat on one sandwich.

Written July 25, 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Emily M

United States1380 contributions

Good food

Jun 2021 • none

Food was great (we had pulled pork and ribs). Nice outdoor atmosphere. Table delivery was a bit off (two consecutive orders with friends), came 10-15 minutes apart - would recommend the whole table be on a single order. Would go back.

Written July 11, 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

j w

13 contributions

Not so happy anymore

Dec 2021 • none

At one time we considered this establishment to be rather good. Not any more. Lets first start with fact the sides are all unimpressive packaged items as far as we can tell. No French Fries, baked beans out of a can, with other items also appearing to come right out of Cosco. We shared some shredded pork. The first clue was that it had a weird smell. No apparent special prep. The supplied BBQ sauces also appeared to be think off the shelf stuff, not all that good. The pork was nothing to write home about at the best. We did eat most of it, not worth saving the rest. Look - this is a low overhead operation - I get it. Only thing they have to offer of any value is the BBQ meats. The ribs are now priced so high as to warrant taking a mortgage on your home before venturing in. They did not look all that good the other weekend. Save your appetite, save your time, save your money. There a few other BBQ choices in the area that far more reasonable, and the food is actually good.

Written January 8, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

57Horses

Atlanta208 contributions

Very Good. HUGE servings!

Oct 2022 • none

The happy tomato has been one of our go to lunch places for several years. Just a block South of the busy main downtown street in historic fernadina beach, place your order inside and then find a comfortable shady spot at a small table in the courtyard, and your lunch will be brought out to you. The photograph I will attach shows the largest shrimp salad croissant sandwich I have ever managed to eat (most of – it was just too large). It's a monster and would easily serve two people. Right behind it you see a large salad plate with one scoop each of pimento cheese, tuna salad, and chicken salad, again more than enough food for two people to eat on that plate. An excellent place where you can have a couple of iced teas and a lunch like this for 30 bucks, and that's pretty good these days. Well heck I guess I can't attach the photo. Bummer.

Written October 29, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

LucyLoveJoy

35 contributions

Rude cashier

May 2022 • friends

Placed sandwich order and asked to have it lightly warmed in the microwave. Cashier snidely stated “ I bet you’re a lot of fun when you order at Burger King”. Then, put the wrong bread and condiments on each of our sandwiches. Cashier needs to find a job where she doesn’t have to deal with the public.

Written May 4, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Judy S

Fernandina Beach5 contributions

Rude service

Nov 2022 • couples

Food has always been good…..but the service we received on November 16, 2022, was so rude, we may never return. The lady who took our order must have had a bad day and decided to take it out on us. That’s NOT the way to run a business.

Written November 17, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

searlwyn

Amelia Island58 contributions

Don't miss this treasure just off Centre St in Downtown Fernandina Beach

Apr 2020 • none

Eaten here many times. Always a consistent great BBQ sandwich. Relaxed outdoor seating atmosphere. Perfect size meal. Great counter service, always greeted with a smile. Be sure to get a cookie too, you'll be sorry if you pass it up.

Written May 3, 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lady D

34 contributions

Happy Encounter

Jan 2022 • none

My husband and I were actually in search of another restaurant in the area when we came upon the Happy Tomato Cafe. The name caught our eye and the charming setting of the venue invited us to explore further. However, the menu is what sealed the deal. Although we are huge fans of Florida seafood our palates were ready for something different. The large rib/chicken combo plate was not only different but also delicious. We were also pleased with the tasty sides and YES, we ordered the potato salad, cole slaw and baked beans, YUM YUMMY! Shout out to Chef Richard (owner) and his awesome crew for making us feel right at home. WE had enough food to fill us up and have a carry out which we devoured as soon as we got home. My only regret is that we didn't order more food to go. I would definitely recommend this restaurant and I look forward to our next visit. Unfortunately, we don't have pictures due to our immediate chow down once the plate hit the table. NEXT TIME!

Written January 7, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kathryn V

Savannah15 contributions

Had a great lunch at the Happy Tomato Cafe

Nov 2023 • couples

This was a great place for a casual but great lunch in Fernandina Beach. I had a salad plate of mixed greens, tomatoes, cumber and hard boiled egg., with their homemade chicken salad, that was very good. My husband had a roast beef sandwich that had a generous portion of beef. You can customize what you want kn the sandwich. Lots of choices on menu. The pulled pork and ribs that the was served family style to the family next to us look yummy too!

Written November 11, 2023

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Luvdessert

Vero Beach56 contributions

Smoked Turkey

Feb 2020 • couples

Had the turkey with pimento cheese on fresh soft wheat bread. Added hot bbq sauce & it was great. Wished the turkey was more shredded vs bigger chunks. Cute little outside seating area. They messed up our order a little bit, but were friendly. We would try them again.

Written March 3, 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

birminghamcorbiere

Powys229 contributions

Very pleasant lunch

Feb 2020 • none

This little place has a shaded courtyard, with trees and shrubs, and sun shades, so a very nice spot for a casual lunch. We shared a sandwich with salad, which was generous enough for 2 people. A popular spot with locals.

Written February 22, 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ontheroadagiain

65 contributions

Not as happy tomato

Sep 2022 • none

At one time this was a very good BBQ place. The last 3 times (over about a year) were disappointing at best. Not sure if suppliers no longer the best cuts, the food prep is off, the staff less motivated, or what. Definitely better pulled pork out there. Definitely a condescending attitude on the staff's part. It is not cheap, but the last 3 times the food was average at the best. Do not think we will return.

Written October 3, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Laura L

Webster259 contributions

Lovely Courtyard BBQ

Jan 2020 • family

Just stopped in for lunch and the courtyard to be charming. Unfortunately for me they do not have Gluten Free bread but they have options and the courtyard is dog friendly. Wine choices were weak but they gave a few beers. Pulled pork was very good.

Written January 14, 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Garam

Alpharetta308 contributions

Great Lunch Spot

Apr 2022 • couples

Nice outdoor courtyard for lunch. We had the Happy Tomato Special Salad with Shrimp, and a BBQ turkey sandwich. Order at the counter and they bring it to the table. Both items were very good. Long line for ordering during lunch rush, but quick service.

Written April 28, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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