Fannie's on the Beach, Tybee Island: A South Beach Regular

There is a stretch of Strand Avenue where the island stops being a town and becomes a seaside. The road runs along the back of the dunes, the sea oats lean over the curb, and one building after another faces the water instead of the street. Fannie's on the Beach is one of them. It has the address everyone on South Beach eventually ends up near: 1613 Strand Avenue, across from the beach, a short walk from the pier.

We are a hotel at 16 Tybrisa Street, steps from South Beach, and a beach-facing meal is an obvious thing for guests to want. Fannie's is one of the places we point to, for a plain reason. It is a restaurant that faces the Atlantic on the stretch of Tybee where most visitors spend their days, and it serves lunch and dinner seven days a week. This is the profile: what it is, what it is good for, and how to fit it into a day that doesn't involve moving the car.

A note before we start. The image at the top of this post is a category photo of an open-air beach bar, not a picture of Fannie's. Everything below about the restaurant comes from its own published information.

What Fannie's is

Fannie's is an oceanfront-facing restaurant on Strand Avenue, in the South Beach end of the island. It serves lunch and dinner seven days a week, according to its own website. Hours change with the season, so check fanniesonthebeach.com on the day you plan to go.

There is a second floor, and on weekends it has live music. If music is the thing you are after, check the venue's own site before you go.

One more fact worth having: the Bloody Mary is the drink people mention. It is a good sign when a restaurant is known for a single drink, and it tells you the kind of room this is. People come here to sit down, look at the water, and order something cold or something with a kick.

That is the spine of it. The rest of this post is about where the place sits and how to use it.

Why the location is the point

Most of what makes a South Beach restaurant worth visiting is geography. Fannie's is on Strand Avenue, which is the street that runs along the beach side of the pier area. Tybrisa Street, the main run of restaurants and shops, ends at the pier, and Strand picks up where it meets the water. So the walk from the central restaurant strip to Fannie's is short, and the walk from Fannie's to the sand is shorter. It is across the street.

That matters in a few ways.

You can eat without losing your spot. On a summer weekend, the beach fills from the pier outward. Lunch at a place across from the sand means you don't pack up the umbrella and the cooler, drive somewhere, and then circle for parking. You cross the road, eat, and cross back.

It faces the water. We say this carefully. Fannie's is a third-party restaurant, and its deck and dining room facing the beach are its own. They are not a feature of our hotel. No room at Sea and Breeze has an ocean view, and we are steps from South Beach, not on the sand. When you want a seat with the Atlantic in front of you, Fannie's is where you go for it.

It anchors the day. A good South Beach day has a few fixed points: a sunrise walk on the pier, a morning on the sand, a meal in the middle, an evening that ends somewhere with music. A beach-facing restaurant that serves lunch and dinner gives you the middle and, on weekends, the end.

How a day around Fannie's might go

We have written a full one-day plan for South Beach, and Fannie's fits it well as the long lunch or the early dinner. Here is the short version of how we would stack things.

Start early. The Tybee pier opens at 6 a.m., and as we explain in our local's guide to the pier and pavilion, it faces east, so the sunrise is the show. Walking out costs nothing. The company at that hour is a few anglers and almost nobody else.

Spend the morning on the sand. South Beach is the widest stretch of beach on the island, and it is the busiest, so the early hours are the good ones, especially in summer when the afternoon heat and the afternoon storms both arrive on schedule.

Then walk to lunch. Strand Avenue is a short stroll from the pier, and Fannie's is at 1613. If you are choosing between several, the question is what you want from the meal. A restaurant on the beach side of the street is for sitting and looking. The Tybrisa Street strip is for variety, with a row of kitchens a short walk from the sand, and our block-by-block guide to Tybrisa Street covers it.

Come back to the room afterwards if you want a break from the sun. The pool is saltwater and unheated. After a swim, you can head back out for dinner the same way you went to lunch: on foot.

Practical notes

Address. 1613 Strand Avenue, Tybee Island, across from the beach.

Hours. Lunch and dinner, seven days a week, per the restaurant's own website. Hours change with the season, so check the site for the day you are going.

Reservations. For a group on a busy weekend, check the venue's website before you leave the room.

Parking. If you are staying with us, you don't need it. Parking at Sea and Breeze is free, one car per room, and Fannie's is a walk from our door. If you are driving in for the day, remember that public parking on Tybee is metered. The city enforces the meters near the pier from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day of the year, and payment is by app or kiosk rather than cash. A long lunch on a meter adds up, which is one of several reasons that staying within walking distance of South Beach is worth the room.

Dogs. Dogs are banned on all of Tybee's beaches year-round. Ask the restaurant directly about its own pet policy.

Tips for using it well

These are habits of the street rather than secrets from the kitchen.

Go at an off hour. Beach restaurants fill on the same schedule as the beach: noon to two for lunch, and dinner from about six. An early lunch around 11 or a late one after the rush gives you the better table and a calmer room. This is the oldest tip in any beach town and it still works.

Plan the weekend evening if music matters. The live music upstairs is a weekend feature, so check the venue's own channels before you commit.

Bring a layer for the evening, even in the warm months. A table facing the water gets a breeze off the Atlantic, and an October evening after sunset is cooler than the afternoon suggested.

Walk home. That is the real advantage of this part of the island. You can have a second drink without doing arithmetic about who is driving, because you are not driving.

What pairs well nearby

Fannie's sits in the middle of the most walkable cluster on the island, so there is plenty within a few minutes on foot.

• The pier and pavilion. Free to walk, open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., with the covered Tybrisa Pavilion beside it. It is the natural place for a walk after a meal.
• Tybrisa Street. The restaurant and shop strip, and the street we are on. Our free things to do on Tybee Island list is built mostly around it.
• Other Strand Avenue kitchens. Tybee Time is at 1603 Strand Avenue. Pier 16 Seafood is a block off the pier at 1601 Inlet Avenue. If your group can't agree, all of these are close enough to look at the menus on foot.
• The sand itself. Across the road, which is the whole idea.

For a wider look at where to eat, our dining page lists the places we recommend around South Beach.

Is it worth it

We put a place in this series only if we would send a friend there. Fannie's earns it on location and on hours: a restaurant that faces the beach, serves lunch and dinner all week, has live music upstairs on weekends and is known for a good Bloody Mary.

It is an easy yes for a South Beach day. You don't need a car. You don't need a plan. You walk out, cross the road, and sit down in front of the Atlantic.

Staying near it

Sea and Breeze is at 16 Tybrisa Street, steps from South Beach. Fannie's, the pier, and most of the restaurants we have mentioned are a short walk away, and parking at the hotel is free, one car per room, so the car can stay where it is for the length of your trip. Guests must be 21 or older to book and check in, and anyone younger is welcome with a 21-plus guest in the room.

Planning your trip? Check availability and leave the car parked.