Hi all,

Sorry if this turns out to be a double post, but my first message yesterday doesn't seem to be appearing on the forum.

My husband and I will be visiting Key West for the first time just after Christmas and will be spending New Year's Eve there. I was hoping someone could recommend a really good restaraunt for New Year's Eve, as I'm sure we'll have to make reservations to get a table anywhere.

We've booked a room at Whispers B&B, so any comments there would also be appreciated - along with any other advice about the Keys in general.

Thanks!
Jasmine.

I have stayed at Whispers and liked it a lot. The couple who own the place are wonderful. Make sure you look for Gio the giant cat!

There are so many great restaurants in KW but the first one that comes to mind for me is the Key West Seafood Company on Duval Street. Nice garden seating with pretty lights...very romantic...and the food was great. (not to be confused with the Conch Republic Seafood restaurant by the harbor).

enjoy!

Sadly, I've read some recent negative reviews of the Key West Seafood Company. I can't remember the exact nature of the complaints, but it may have something to do with a restructured menu.

If you want to be on Duval, I can highly recommend Alice's and Antonia's. Another great place is Michael's, though it's not in the thick of activity. All three of those will require reservations.

We were in Key West about three weeks ago. Great meal at Alice's, made even better because we just happened to have a table where we could watch the lunar eclipse. A very enjoyable evening. A couple of nights later, we had a wonderful meal at Seven Fish. My tastes prefer the menu at Seven Fish, but Alice's probably has a better atmosphere. Both of the menus are on the web.

We really enjoyed our dinner at Louis' Backyard. Granted, it was the night we got engaged, but the food was great.

Susan:

I find your note about the Key West Seafood Company surprising in that my sister was just there last month on my recommendation and she loved it too. Where did you read these negative reviews?

And also coincidentally she went to Alice's and had a terrible meal and rude service.

Guess you never know.

YES - SEVEN FISH - great place - the locals go there- so you know its good!

Radiopam - The negative posts I've read about the Key West Seafood Company revolve around its menu change to a tapas restaurant. The people I know who've previously been big fans of this place said that although the service and quality of the food is still good, replacing the size of regular plates with tapas has ruined the value. I have a friend who used this as an example: he got a lobster dinner last spring for $35 that included two lobster tails, veggies and rice. Last month he got lobster for $19 and was served a single tail with no accompaniments. Basically he (and others) said it was difficult to get filled up for a reasonable amount of money.

Speaking of tapas, there's a very popular tapas restaurant on Duval called 915. I haven't eaten there yet but have heard very good reviews.

Thanks for all the suggestions! We've looked at most of the menus on the web and now the problem is choosing between them! Someone else has also recommended Louie's to us, and I think either there or Alice's are looking like winners for New Year's Eve. We'll just have to check the others out over the rest of our trip! Yummy!

We have always loved Michael's but we are steak lovers. I have heard wonderful things about Restaurant 915 so we are looking foward to trying that one next time.

Seven Fish is supposed to be awesome (I have not had the pleasure of dining there yet but friends have) but be aware that it is VERY small so I would make a reservation WAY in advance if they allow you to.

We just got back from Key West and ate at both Alices and Louis' Backyard. Both were great, but Louis' was the best. We were a little wary of Louis' because of some recent bad reviews, but we found the service, food, and atmosphere better than Alices. Eating on the deck overlooking the water is very nice.The food here is more expensive than Alices-entrees start at about $28 here,but portions are good. The food at Alices was good also, but we did not have great service. The waiter actually forgot our salads, and we had to wait until dinner arrived to ask him about them,as he did not come back to the table at all after taking our order. I would chose Louis'. One other consideratoion might be how old you are. The crowd at Louis' on the night we were there tended to be an older crowd-meaning mostly 40 and older.

There ares ome good posts with good advice here. Pick one, make a reservation and if you find something you like better when you get there (and if they have seats) cancel the other. I am a fan of Square One and another great off the main drag place is Ambrosia. the later is not a New Year's Eve place, but they have Great Japenenese food and sushi....make a reservation!!!

I was in Key West two years ago for New Years. It is a lot of fun. Two restaurants to try are A&B Lobster which is nice, but a bit pricey. Also try Alice's La Te Da. The second is a bit more trendy, but also a lot of fun. Don't miss the drag queen dropping from the pump on Duval street. Have fun.