We were in Key West at the first of October....drove down from Ft. Lauderdale.

Along US1, there are several options for food. The Islamorada Fish Comapny was good. We were told the 7-mile Grill in Marathon was a must...but it was closed for vacation.

In Key West...the absolute best place we ate at was the afore mentuioned La Trattoria...some of the best service I've recieved...the food was excellent. For a "down home" Cuban food experience, try El Siboney. El Messon de Pepe was also good but a little more touristy since it was near Mallory Square. The Conch Republic Seafood Company was good...nice airy open air atmosphere.

AVOID at all costs, Crabby Dicks...rude people and high prices with not a lot on the menu

The Islamorada Fish Company is hit or miss and expensive. Last time I ate there the food was horrible. A better choice would be the Lorelei, the place with the mermaid in front or Manny & Isa's, great key lime pie.

Go to Louie's for cocktails. Blue Heaven is one of my favorites as is Pepe's for breakfast.

Avoid Crabby Dicks!!! It is horrible!!! Probably the worst there!!!

Is crabby Dicks the big 2 story place on the water???

Wish I could remember the restaurant just South of Ramrod Key. It was on the right hand side going south, it specialized in seafood. It was amazing, and we went back 3 times. The locals told us about it.

Sounds like Monty's. We stopped there also several times and always had a great meal.

I agree with all that suggested Blue Heaven and Pepe's both are outstanding for breakfast, a must!

The drive Tampa/St. Pete is about 8 hours. take the Turnpike from Pensacola unless you want to go over the Sunshine Skyway in ST P. That will add at least 2 hours to your overall trip though. Also, some advice when you just get on Rt. 1 in key largo there is a little stretch of road that has a passing area---use this to the fullest. you should pass as many cars as humanly possible in this stretch (especially if they are towing boats) it can be the difference between a 35 mph trip to KW and a 65 MPH trip to KW, just a suggestion.

Thanks Joebob, that's just what we need here in Largo: tourists going mach 10 on their way down to KW. Hint: US1 through the Keys is a residential highway, there will be many motorists making right and left turns, stoplights, and pedestrians crossing the street; it is NOT an interstate. If you cannot drive the speed limit (45 mph up to 50 in some stretches), I suggest you fly to KW and do us all a favor.
Hey, if you can safely and legally pass someone who is going under the speed limit more power to you, but "a 65 mph" trip to KW is dangerous to you, other visitors, and we who live here; not to mention ILLEGAL. Not only that, it is pretty risky considering the amount of speed traps set along US1 by the State Troopers and the County Sherrifs.

Joebob is an idiot! Slow down and enjoy the trip.

I don't think joeBob was suggesting you speed at breakneck speeds, but you see how the locals are super sensitive.

In any case the road you were referring to is called "Carsound Rd" which is a $1.00 toll road and begins just past Florida City. This is excellent advice and will be the best $1.00 you spend the whole trip. It is absolutely amazing the people who pass on the 1 buck toll, to suffer the extra slow speeds.

As for speeding, be very careful not only from the point of view of the speed traps but to also watch out for the drunks driving. and of course the little key deer, which are very tasty with a little mint sauce I understand.

Jimy-Key Deer are endangered and protected. You even try to eat one you will end up in jail. We here in the Keys take our enviroment seriously and we hate you jackasses who come down here and ruin it and make tasteless jokes.

Tasty deer and tasteless jokes aside, we are planning a trip to the Keys the first week of December. We are flying in to Fort Lauderdale on December 1st and have a car booked, but that is it. A couple of questions for you: First of all, should we book rooms in advance, or do you think we will be able to find places along the way at this time of year? Secondly, we have a week. Where should we spend most of our time, given that we love nature, hiking, snorkelling, but we are not planning on diving or going sports fishing? I was in Key West about 10 years ago and loved the beauty of the keys in general, but it's been a while. Any suggestions would be really helpful -- where to stay, where to eat, what is available to do.

Thanks

I dont know but maybe you should ask the question with its own thread.

Its amazing you were able to book the tickets without any help.

xx --
Thanks so much for your help. Really appreciate the time you took to post your reply.

For anyone else, I'm just looking for suggestions that will make the trip a little more interesting rather than relying solely guidebooks. Input appreciated.

In key West I would definitly book ahead. They are always busy. You could chance it in the other Keys but it all depends on whats going on that time of year. I agree with the above poster, repost this question under its own title.

ttt

My Wife and I were in Key West last week. We stopped in at Pepe's for beer and a snack. My wife had the Grouper Serviche which was very good, I had the Conch Salad which was terrible. The conch was unskinned and not beaten so it was too tough to eat. The waitress said that was a common complaint.

Great place, fun time.

"The Conchless Republic"

The drive is great! Slow down and enjoy it!

I would not recommend Mangia Mangia. We too heard rave reviews before we went, but when we were there, the food was so so and the wait staff was extremely rude. I will never go there again.
Delia