Pogo's Kitchen

This is such a special restaurant! My partner and I ate here for dinner and had an intimate, delicious time. This was the best meal we had on the island, and we ate at many lovely spots. First, when we arrived for our reservation we were shown to our table, and the hostess offered that we could dine on the quiet heated patio - turned out to be such a romantic option as it was secluded and had a water feature, good breeze, etc. We loved the unique boiled peanut hummus (with crudite for my partner who is celiac). Dinner was hamachi crudo (so flavorful), spring salad (bright), snap peas (honestly the bomb and apparently not many people order them - a pity!!), and the striped bass which was so so good - served with an asparagus risotto. All of these dishes were gluten free in case you also have sensitivity. Bonus - Pogos has a farmers market setup on Saturday mornings! All of their produce is so good. We came by and got two crustless quiches and oysters. They were also selling pizzas, farm eggs, wine, spices and more. Highly recommended! There was live music and ample seating.

I usually Love Pogo's , but the meal was disappointing this time.The bolognese was watery and my duck was tough The Crudo was great and the beet salad was good but had too much dressing Server seemed a little busy.I really hope this is not the new norm!

Saturday night, late August, with reservations, four Fernandina Beach 50-Somethings decided to give Pogos a try. Parking was easy, the ambience of the restaurant was wonderful, and the service by Kayla, was great. They even started us out with a wonderful complementary hummus dish that was perfectly paired with some sliced pita. Ordered was the Seabass, the lamb chops, and the Bolognese. During the meal, everybody at the table reported it unenthusiastically as "OK... Good". After the meal, in the car, all four reported sort-of the same stating that it was "all right". All agreed that there was something lacking in the food. It was not portion size, except for the lamb dish. The sea bass was reported as a tad salty and rubbery. The lamb was eaten by a fellow who believes that if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.... but he did say he wished there was more because he remained hungry. The bolognese that myself and another had was alright but lacked a robustness for what was expected for a $30 plate of pasta. It was hearty with meat and the pasta was cooked nicely... it's just that there was no wow-factor flavor-wise. But I will say the shaved Parmesan cheese on top was delightful. I write this after I just had my left over Bolognese the next day and I can confidently report the same.Now, like I said, the ambience is wonderful. They've put a lot of thought into making this classy. It is. The drinks were fantastic, the bar is beautiful, and they were extremely attentive. But if I wasn't being honest about the food, I would be doing everybody,to include the owners and management of Pogos, a disservice. There should be a line out the door for this place but the restaurant wasn't even half full. I think we decided that we will probably go back and give a brunch a tryin the future in that maybe we just hit an off night on the food.

I am torn about my review. Our only complaint was the wait time for our food (I will include the time stamps from my phone). Other than our wait time, we thought everything else was great. The restaurant is beautiful, and service was great. We sat outside; the heaters made it feel very comfortable on a chilly evening. Our food seemed fresh and was very delicious!

I was in the area with some old friends and Pogo's came recommended from a friend of a friend. We couldn't resist the opportunity to get snazzed up and go out for an evening of good drinks, good food, and a whole lot of catching up. The weather was not the best and we were running a little late. The restaurant was understanding and helped us shift our reservation to accommodate our late arrivals. Once there, we ordered a round of cocktails and then some shareables. My very favorite was the boiled peanut hummus served with grilled pita, which had strong pad Thai vibes. It was delicious! My second favorite was the calamari. It was well flavored and perfectly cooked. The group also tried the cheese board and burrata. Some in the group weren't a fan of the mortadella on the cheese board. For dinner, I had the lasagna. It wasn't a traditional, casserole-style dish. It was rolled up layers and then grilled/sautéed on the ends to give a nice sear. Then it was served on a big schmear of sauce. It was very fresh (had farm to table vibes) and I could taste the vegetables in the rolls (yum!). Sadly, we didn't try desserts because it was late and we were stuffed. Goals for next time ...

Pogo's Kitchen is a hidden gem located at Amelia Island. I found out about this restaurant when I was looking for a venue place and this place pop up on zola, i was intrigued so I told my husband I want to go visit this place and the rest was history. Pogo's Kitchen is in the middle of Oak trees when you are driving around Amelia Island, It is closed to Omni hotel, they have plenty of parking spots so it's a win win already on that part.Food: Highly recommend, went here this past Saturday evening to have our food tasting (yes, we booked Pogo's Kitchen) for our appetizer we tried the oysters, we picked the Pogo's version and the regular version which was both pretty good! Oysters was so fresh and the seasoning they put in there was fantastic! we also got the chance to try the she crab soup which was creamy and the lump crab on the middle was perfect! as for dinner we had the braised beef, char grilled fillet and the pan seared halibut as for our sides we had fingerling potatoes, mashed potatoes, mushrooms, asparagus and we added broccolini. the favorites was the char grilled fillet and the halibut. ohhh you know the chef knows what they are doing if they did not ask you how you want your steak but when it came out it was AMAZINGLY PERFECT!, the Halibut, the freshest and juiciest fish I ever tried! as for the sides winner was the mashed potatoes, asparagus and the broccolini, but of course we have to try dessert we had the berry cobbler and the pecan tart... I was obsessed with the pecan tart! I can eat that everyday lol. all in all, i love Pogo's Kitchen, the staff are always on point. Wade did a marvelous job serving us and he was very attentive! also, this place gives a very romantic and yet elegant vibe! they have outdoor seating as well not much but they do.

Without question, Pogo's is our favorite restaurant on the island. Exquisite seasonal offerings and an impressive wine collection. Indubitably the best espresso martinis north of Miami and south of Atlanta. I highly recommend the "Insomniac" - also available in decaf, so one can enjoy this whipped adult milkshake anytime. The staff are delightful and trained in sommelier style. Amanda, their mixologist-in-residence, is a marvel at her craft. Whether you're coming for cocktails, dinner or brunch, you're always in the best hands with her. Tip: Make a reservation.Easily 5 stars.

All in all, I had a very lovely evening at this more upscale restaurant. The atmosphere was nice and inviting. We ordered the charcuterie board and the grilled octopus as our appetizers. Unfortunately, we thought that the octopus was far too chewy and not flavorful enough. Also, the charcuterie board was "skimpy" to say the least.... We were expecting more meat than four of the most thinly sliced salami pieces. However, our entrees were much better. Especially delicious was the pappardelle! It's the perfect portion size, in my opinion. Our server was friendly as well. If you order the right things it's a really good deal and experience.

My wife and I recently visited Pogo's Kitchen for dinner and had a nice experience. The meal started with complimentary Boiled Peanut Hummus. This was a great way to start the meal. The hummus was creamy with a rich peanut flavor and bits of crunchy peanuts. Warm soft toasted pita was perfect for scooping up the hummus. Next we had the Chef's Selection of Oysters (Pogo's Style). The oysters were fresh, briny, lightly spicy and topped with crisp caviar and flavorful cucumber juice. This was followed by the She Crab Soup which was my favorite dish of the meal. The soup was super flavorful: rich, milky, creamy and briny and filled with tender crab, sweet crunchy pickled celery and juicy roe. For my entrée, I had the Frutti Di Mare. Savory, peppery and briny al-dente pasta was mixed with melt in your mouth scallops and tender shrimp. My wife enjoyed the Roasted Duck. Finally, for dessert we split the Pecan Tart with Fig Ice Cream. The tart was filled with sweet, soft and caramelized pecans in a crisp tart.

Frozen cinnamon buns. Very different experience this time. We decided to go back for Sunday brunch again but something was different. Not really sure what happened in the kitchen but I have a theory. First my theory then the experience. Theory: Someone got sick or drunk or something, but someone forgot to prep for Sunday brunch. In a panic, Pogo tried to use older frozen products from last week. See, this place is only open for brunch one day a week. So if you don't prep, you're left with only frozen items from the last brunch or items that can be cooked fresh. Experience: I was really looking forward to the cinnamon buns that we enjoyed last time. So we ordered one as an appetizer and then our meal. After a while of waiting, the waitress came to tell me that the breakfast churros I ordered as my meal weren't available. Mind you, we were one of the first tables of the day, so they didn't run out. I thought it would be ok, I substituted the eggs Benedict and I was still looking forward to my cinnamon bun. Eventually the bun arrived. It seemed much larger than last time. The pan was sizzling hot, but once I cut into it, I noticed it was super dense. I cut it apart and felt that the inside was ice cold, not cool and uncooked, ice cold from being frozen. We told our waitress who said she'd fix it. 5 minutes later she came back with the exact same cut up cinnamon bun. I took one bite just to check how bad it was. It was terrible, dry, stale, and remarkably still cold in the middle. The Benedict was similarly disappointing. Biscuit base was just as stale as the cinnamon bun. The small specs of bacon were ultra salty. The hollandaise was actually pretty good and so was the poached egg. Honestly though, the bacon was sooo salty it affected the whole dish. So I was kind of insulted that this place would try to pass off a frozen cinnamon bun. When it got sent back the first time, the chef should have offered us an apology and an explanation. Obviously he doesn't have to, which results in this post. I would have felt embarrassed to serve that breakfast at my own house let alone a nice restaurant. Alternatively, maybe they thought everything was great, maybe they always serve frozen cinnamon buns, and I just didn't notice last time I don't think that's the case, but maybe. The lack of churros, cinnamon buns, and biscuits, which is every baked/pastry dish on the menu, tells me someone f'd up.