It seems many have suggested fine dining places, but KW has many fun places too. On the waterfront: Turtle Kraals was fun with turtle races as well as good food, Conch Replubic Seafood has a great grouper sandwich, A & B Lobster or Alonz's Oyster Bar both had good meals. 2 Friends Patio Resturant, if you get an outside table, is fun for people watching from an elevated view. While Redfish Bluefish has had mixed reviews, the seafood combination plate was excellent when there in Dec. The net net of KW dining is there are many choices, and while some were excellent, none I tried were less than OK. Enjoy Key West!

Thanks for all your suggestions everybody! I can't belive how many responds I got.

<b>Jose's Cantina</b>

It's casual, extremely low-key, family-owned -- located on White Street. I've only been to Jose's for lunch, and the cubanos are extraordinary!

Seven Fish was our favorite restaurant in Key West. You will need reservations, as it is a popular place. Have a great time!

OK. I've gotta ask. What happened at the side table?

ttt

This past November I tried a couple of new places and naturally went back to older ones.

The Banana Cafe has re-openned one block farther south, from the 1100 block of Duval to the 1200 block, and the food is as good as ever. And while they no longer have the small veranda with two tables on Duval, they've added a rooftop area with umbrellas. As of last month they have not openned for dinner yet and you will still have to wait for Sunday brunch if you get there latish. There is a review with some photos here...

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...s_Florida.html

I've passed La Creperie a number of times and based on the smell wanted to stop in to try something but never did until a friend invited me for lunch there. It was great. If you want a light lunch or breakfast, stop at 512 1/2 Duval and say bonjour to Sylvie and Yolonde.

And I had one dinner at the new New Life Cafe. It's on the corner of Virginia and Packer which is off Truman. This is where Ambrosia used to be and you will probably not stumble on it yourself. I had one of the specials, the grilled mahi mahi, and it was great, and they have a very good selection of wine, either by the glass or by the bottle.

http://www.thegoodlifekeywest.com/

Everything else was same-old, same-old.

Pjk

topping for jo

We liked A&B Lobster House too.

Avoid Turtle Kraals - since their renovation, it is really terrible (the food sucks and they got rid of the turtle races and all of the good bartenders and waiters have quit).

Blue Heaven is probably still my favorite place for dinner on the island (or breakfast or lunch for that matter) - it was closed last week to give the staff a break, not sure when it is planning to reopen (soon, I suspect, given Fantasy Fest). The Meteor was also closed last week (really good BBQ).

Other places:

915 is excellent (great wine list, great tapas).

Seven Fish is one of our favorites (I dream about their gnocchi).

For a special night, we also love the Cafe Marquesa.

As much as I dislike the Disney-fied atmosphere of Conch Republic Seafood, the food is always really good.

Jack Flats is owned by Mangoes, so if you need a sports bar the menu is pretty good and they have the Mangoes chocolate cake available (I know from experience...).

Thanks SAnParis! I'm heading to KW to celebrate a big milestone birthday and need all the help I can get!! Trying to enter a new decade with a tan and a good meal!!

A Milestome birthday should be celebrated in style. book a table at Lattitudes. It's on Sunset key and a shuttle boat will take you there in 5 min. from the Mallory square area An excellent dinner on the beach - can't beat it in KW!

topping

I didn't read through everything but my new favorite restaurant is Columbian Grace on Petronia, just past Blue Heaven. They (she, Zulma) specializes in spicier S. American food and everything I've had there is great. Try the avacado appitizer with a glass of Sangria, and she makes a coconut crusted yellowtail platter that is tasty and could be shared by two. I've also gone there just for glasses of wine and appitizers, tapas-stype. She also does breakfast but only on Fri, Sat, Sun...9"00 a.m. Try the "Grace" special which includes eggs on plantains.

And I've started having dinner at the Half Shell Raw Bar. I never used to. They have a small "catch-of-the-day" menu tucked inside the bigger one which lists all of the possibilities - grouper, yellowtail, mahi-mahi, etc., but not everything is available every day. Only fresh c-o-t-d. With a choice of two sides and fries, it's a tasty value.

Pjk

Oh, and for the Half Shell, I always sit at the bar just inside the door, even for dinner. Some people probably don't usually do this but all the regulars do.

Pjk

Oh # 2. I've heard Jose's Cantina, over on White Street, has closed.

Pjk

Bookmarking, although things have probably changed!