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What started out as a fish house on wheels appears to have broken down on the corner of Caroline and William Streets and is today one of Key West's junkyard-chic dining institutions. Step up to the window and order a grouper sandwich fried or grilled and topped with key lime sauce. Other specialties include fish nuts (don't be scared, they're just fried nuggets) and cracked-conch, shrimp, or soft-shell crab sandwiches. It's a must-do Key West experience.
801 Caroline St., Florida, 33040, USA
Known For
- Lots of Key West charm
- Friday-night jam sessions
- All seating on picnic tables in the yard
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You'll find seven or more inspired entrées on a changing menu each night, including anything from yellowtail snapper to seared duck breast. End your meal on a sweet note with chocolate pot de crème and homemade ice cream. There's also a fine selection of wines and custom martinis. Adjoining the intimate Marquesa Hotel, the dining room is equally relaxed and elegant.
600 Fleming St., Florida, 33040, USA
Known For
- Relaxed but elegant setting
- Good wine and martini lists
- Desserts worth ordering
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch, Reservations essential
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This is the place to satisfy any French-pastry craving—from the made-from-scratch croissants to the cookies, muffins, coconut macarons, and of course, breads. A lovely patio is the perfect backdrop for breakfasts of brioche French toast, quiches with fresh salads, and a croque madame oozing with bechamel and poached eggs. Look out for the little French bulldog who meanders around the tables and is the unofficial mascot of the place.
1211 Duval St., Florida, 33040, USA
Known For
- Ham-and-cheese croissants
- Friendly owners
- French breakfasts
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.
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Take the short boat ride to lovely Sunset Key for lunch or dinner on the beach, where the magical views are matched by a stellar menu. At dinner, start with the crispy lobster-crab cakes, then move on to one of the creative entrées, such as seared scallops with spiced butternut squash. Choose a table inside looking out over the Gulf or outside beneath the palm trees.
245 Front St., Florida, 33040, USA
Known For
- Amazing sunset views
- Sophisticated atmosphere and expensive food
- Lobster bisque
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations are required for the ferry: no reservation, no ride, Reservations essential
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This casual-yet-stylish haven of "American coastal comfort food" has garnered local and national accolades for its eclectic seafood-focused menu and industrial-cool design. The crab beignets are a must, as is the Southern-style fried chicken with bacon salt fries and barbecue ribs. The brunch here is legendary, and the breakfast with banana-bread pancakes does not disappoint. Craft cocktails like the Key Lime Martini and Hemingway's Daiquiri pair nicely with the seafood feast.
7001 Shrimp Rd., Florida, 33040, USA
Known For
- Fresh catch of the day
- Marina views
- Sophisticated seafood dishes
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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Twinkling lights draped along the lower- and upper-level porches of a 100-year-old Victorian home set an unstuffy and comfortable stage here. If you like to sample and sip, you'll appreciate the variety of small-plate selections and wines by the glass. Starters for lunch or dinner include a cheese platter, crispy duck confit, and a grilled octopus plate. Salads and pastas and a selection of gourmet tacos round out the lunch menu. For dinner, there are also larger plates like "Soul Mama" seafood soup or crispy Florida Keys whole snapper.
915 Duval St., Florida, 33040, USA
Known For
- Fun place to people-watch
- Intimate and inviting atmosphere
- Light jazz during dinner
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch Mon. and Tues., Reservations essential
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Picky palates will be satisfied at this funky, dark, and sensuous tapas restaurant, which is well off the main drag and is a secret spot for local foodies in the know. Small plates include yellowfin tuna ceviche with hunks of avocado and mango or filet mignon with creamy Gorgonzola butter. Waiters recommend choosing three small plates per person, then sharing.
207 Petronia St., Florida, 33040, USA
Known For
- Legendary bread pudding
- Homemade white or red sangria
- A favorite with local chefs
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential
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In a contemporary setting with indoor and outdoor seating, welcoming staff serve original, eclectic dishes that stand out from those at the hordes of Key West restaurants. Key lime–stuffed French toast and yellowtail snapper Benedict make breakfast a pleasant wake-up call; the crab cake BLT commands notice on the lunch menu. Two varieties of homemade gnocchi are a dinnertime specialty along with daily fish specials and steak. Brunch is served daily 9–3.
425 Grinnell St., Florida, 33040, USA
Known For
- Homemade gnocchi
- A nice variety of fish specials at dinner
- Daily brunch
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential
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The sunset views alone are worth a visit, but the food here is stellar as well. Enjoy a key lime martini at the bar or a seafood dinner in the air-conditioned dining room or on the open-air patio. For dinner, try the lobster quesadilla or seafood cocktail as an appetizer before moving on to the shrimp and lobster fettuccine with asparagus and chèvre or crabmeat-stuffed yellowtail. The breakfast menu features a bevy of options from fruit smoothies to lobster Benedict. Creative salads and sandwiches make lunch an intriguing affair.
245 Front St., Florida, 33040, USA
Known For
- Upstairs bar overlooking Mallory Square
- Key West pink shrimp
- Popular weekend brunch
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The outdoor dining area here is often referred to as "the quintessential Keys experience," and it's hard to argue. There's much to like about this historic Caribbean-style restaurant where Hemingway refereed boxing matches and customers cheered for cockfights. Although these events are no more, the free-roaming chickens and cats add that "what-a-hoot" factor. Nightly specials include black bean soup, Caribbean barbecue shrimp, and jerk chicken. Desserts and breads are baked on the premises.
729 Thomas St., Florida, 33040, USA
Known For
- Shrimp and grits
- Lobster Benedict with key lime hollandaise
- The wait for a table and lack of parking
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed for 6 wks after Labor Day, Reservations not accepted
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This little corner of France hides behind a high wall in a residential neighborhood. Inside, French training intertwines with local ingredients, creating delicious takes on classics, including a must-try conch carpaccio and some of the best bouillabaisse that you'll find outside Marseilles. Hog snapper is a specialty, prepared several ways by chef John Correa, including with beurre blanc or red-pepper-custard sauce. From the land, there is filet mignon with a wild-mushroom demiglace.
1029 Southard St., Florida, 33040, USA
Known For
- Hogfish in several different preparations
- Intimate, romantic atmosphere
- Award-winning key lime pie
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential
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Because of its location where the fast ferry docks, Conch Republic does a brisk business. It's huge, open-air, and on the water, and the menu is ambitious, offering more than just standard seafood fare. Try a Caribbean-style twist on oysters Rockefeller with the baked oysters callaloo, or opt for paella, plantain-crusted mahimahi, or steak. Live music adds to the decibel level.
631 Greene St., Florida, 33040, USA
Known For
- "Royal Reds" peel-and-eat shrimp
- No reservations
- Live music most nights
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
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Pop into the bakery for something sinfully sweet, or spend some time people-watching at the sidewalk café next door. You can get breakfast or lunch at the café, and the bakery is open late. Try the eggs brioche with mustard sauce for breakfast. Quiche and savory sandwiches are the standouts at lunch, but you can also get delicious burgers and salads. Finish off your meal with a chocolate Grand Marnier mousse. There's a second location on Stock Island.
816 Duval St., Florida, 33040, USA
Known For
- Gluten-free buckwheat crepes
- Popular with both locals and visitors
- Great coffee and croissants
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$ | Old Town |
If you want a taste of the island's Cuban heritage, this is the place to dine alfresco or in the dining room on refined Cuban classics. Begin with a megasize mojito while you browse the expansive menu offering tostones rellenos (green plantains with different traditional fillings), ceviche, and more. Choose from Cuban specialties such as roasted pork in a cumin mojo sauce and ropa vieja (shredded beef).
410 Wall St., Key West, Florida, 33040, USA
Known For
- Authentic plantain chips
- Latin band during the nightly sunset celebration
- Touristy atmosphere
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This is the place to dine—alfresco or in the dining room—on refined Cuban classics. Begin with a megasize mojito while you browse the expansive menu offering tostones rellenos (green plantains with different traditional fillings), ceviche, and more. Choose from Cuban specialties such as roasted pork in a cumin mojo sauce and ropa vieja (shredded beef).
410 Wall St., Florida, 33040, USA
Known For
- Authentic plantain chips
- Latin band during the nightly sunset celebration
- Touristy atmosphere
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At this family-style restaurant, the dining room bustles, the food is traditional cubano, the prices are reasonable, and the sangria is muy buena. There are well-seasoned black beans, a memorable paella, traditional ropa vieja, and local seafood served grilled, stuffed, or breaded.
900 Catherine St., Florida, 33040, USA
Known For
- Memorable paella and traditional dishes
- Wine and beer only
- Cheaper than more touristy options close to Duval
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
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Inspired by an Ernest Hemingway photograph of a family fishing trip in Key West, this oceanfront spot pays homage to pristine seafood that's served alongside views that will make you feel like you're on a luxury liner. While the indoor dining room has a bright and airy feel with nautical decor, the outdoor patio is the spot to reserve, a fitting backdrop to dishes of wood-roasted oysters with smoky lemon, Key West pink shrimp, or grits and vegetable island curry. Don't skip the key lime pie for dessert; this one stands out from the pack.
1435 Simonton St., Florida, 33040, USA
Known For
- Well-trained staff
- Craft cocktails
- Fabulous key lime pie
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Smack-dab on the docks, this legendary place gets its name from the oysters, clams, and peel-and-eat shrimp that are the stars of its seafood-based menu. It's not clever recipes or fine dining (or even air-conditioning) that packs 'em in; it's fried fish, po'boy sandwiches, and seafood combos. For a break from the deep fryer, try the fresh and light conch ceviche.
231 Margaret St., Florida, 33040, USA
Known For
- Daily happy hour with food and drink deals
- Few nonseafood options
- Good people-watching spot
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
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It's worth a drive to Stock Island for a meal at this down-to-earth spot, where hogfish is, of course, the specialty. Favorites include the "Killer Hogfish Sandwich," which is served on Cuban bread (be sure to sprinkle it with one of the house hot sauces), as well as the hogfish tacos, gator bites, lobster BLT or pot pie, pulled-pork sandwich, and barbecued ribs.
6810 Front St., Florida, 33040, USA
Known For
- Pricey fish sandwiches
- A taste of local life
- Fried grouper cheeks
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If you must have your cheeseburger in paradise, it may as well be here. The first of Buffett's line of chain eateries, it belongs in Key West more than anywhere else, but, quite frankly, it's more about the name, music, and attitude (and margaritas) than the food. The menu has a Cajun-Caribbean flair, and live bands pack the place come dinner and into the wee hours.
500 Duval St., Florida, 33040, USA
Known For
- Pricey Caribbean bar food
- Good and spicy conch chowder
- Raucous party atmosphere most of the time
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
