Is Key West a late night town? Are the bars open really late and do people dine late or on the early side?

Can't give you the exact time the bars close down, but yes, Key West would qualify as a late night town. If you want a drink at midnight or later you shouldn't have a problem.

Many of the bars close at 2am or 4am during season. During slower times many might close around 12am or 1am.

If I recall correctly the bars are open until 2 AM and there may be a dance club or two that stay open later serving juice. Late dining options are few. I arrived there late on a Thursday night last winter and found almost nothing open except take-out food (e.g. pricey pizza by the slice) and Denny's. There are a few casual restaurants with open air seating on Duval that serve food late - I tried one (sorry I can't recall the name) and it was okay but nothing special - had conch fritters and a salad. the nicer more upscal places don't seat after 10 PM and many arte already close to being closed by then. Coming from NYC where late dining is routine it was a bit of a shock. I did find that I tended to have a larger and later breakfast than at home and generally skipped lunch, thus earlier dinners worked out nicely.

In addition to what Grgl said dinner times are much different. They seem to go more with the sunset times. During the winter months when the sunsets early people dine after. The reverse happens during the summer. There are many places that serve food late but none of them are anything fancy. PT's is a popular choice but it is just a sports bar with good food. Finnagans Wake is an Irish Pub with late hours. There are several spots along Duval Street too. Your best bet is to talk with the front desk or concierge at the hotel and ask what is open because it varys so much throughout the year. Overall many places to dine stay open till 10:30/11:00pm. Many bars do stay open and serve alcohol after 2am. There are no "juice bars/clubs" down there like they have in the bigger cities.

We were thrilled that one of the fast food chains down here started to stay open 24/7 not too long ago. Another option is Damn Good Food To Go. They deliver 24 hours a day and the food isn't bad (especially after a night on the town LOL!)

TTTT