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If you're a fan of vibrant coastal decor and fresh local seafood, you'll gush over this restaurant and bar overlooking the water and Hawks Cay Marina. The menu is varied with options that include burgers as well as grilled fish, the cocktails are creative, and there are more than a dozen beers on tap. Live music and comedy nights bring in the locals. The restaurant also offers a "Hook and Cook" option whereby your catch is prepared and served family style with sides.
540 Duck Key Dr., Duck Key, Florida, 33050, USA
Known For
- Locally sourced seafood like grouper cheeks and Key West pink shrimp
- Pricey menu
- Family friendliness
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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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Nestled on the third floor of the main building of Baker's Cay Resort, this waterfront spot offers panoramic views of the Gulf and a creative menu of Creole-Caribbean-inspired dishes. Start off with a round of craft cocktails (the Dark Rum Sazerac is a popular one), and then head to a table on the multilevel balcony for a dinner of Keys pink shrimp and lobster pasta or local mahimahi with miso-honey glaze. The white-chocolate bread pudding with rum sauce for dessert will leave you swooning.
97000 Overseas Hwy., Florida, 33037, USA
Known For
- Spectacular views
- Creative cocktails
- Whole fried fish
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Authentic southern Italian cuisine, with freshly made Neapolitan (Naples-style) pizza, pastas, and desserts is the focus here. A nicely landscaped garden with a cute Fiat decked out in the colors of the Italian flag should alert you to founders Tony and Isis Wright's obsession with detail. All the ingredients are imported from Italy, including the tomato sauce and olive oil, and master pizzaiolo Leopoldo Figlioli churns out pies with chewy crusts that are nicely blistered from the brick oven.
98070 Overseas Hwy., Key Largo, Florida, 33037, USA
Known For
- Friendly service
- Neopolitan pizza
- A second location in Islamorada
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues.
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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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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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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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Dishes such as ahi poke and lobster-crusted mahimahi nod to executive chef Pavy Keomaniboth’s native Hawaii. The spectacular indoor–outdoor setting features coconut palms strung with lights and panoramic sunset views. The extensive cocktail menu carries on the pan-Asian theme by incorporating fresh, tropical fruit with infused liquors that embody the flavors of the Hawaiian tropics. Non-resort guests are welcome, but reservations are encouraged.
1 Knights Key Blvd., Florida, 33050, USA
Known For
- Hawaiian-inspired dishes and cocktails
- Romantic
- Extensive wine list
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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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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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This is the spot you might imagine when you think of dining by the water in the Keys. The Caribbean-influenced menu includes things like lobster and shrimp cakes, fried whole fish (the presentation is a photo op), and catch of the day served with fried plantains and rice and beans. You can't go wrong with the fish sandwich, grilled, blackened, or fried, and key lime anything for dessert.
97540 Overseas Hwy., Florida, 33037, USA
Known For
- Picturesque spot
- Unique key lime dessert
- Caribbean-influenced seafood
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In an unassuming warehouse-like building on U.S. 1, chef-owner Lynn Bell is creating seafood magic. For starters, try the flash-fried conch with wasabi drizzle or homemade smoked-fish dip. While the restaurant earns rave reviews, its name still earns snickers—"square grouper" is slang for the bales of marijuana that were dropped into the ocean during the drug-running 1970s.
22658 Overseas Hwy., Florida, 33042, USA
Known For
- Everything made fresh, in-house
- Long lines in season
- Outstanding seafood
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.; Mon. May–Dec.; and Sept.
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The views are nice at this waterfront restaurant, but the food is what gets your attention. Burgers, fish tacos, and seafood baskets are lunch faves. Dinner is about seafood and steaks, any way you like them. Try the smoked-fish dip, served with Armenian heart-shape lavash crackers. Look for the big signs on U.S. 1 that direct you where to turn—it's worth finding.
21 Garden Cove Dr., Florida, 33037, USA
Known For
- Marina views
- Daily chef's specials
- Sunday brunch with live steel drums
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The restaurant at the exclusive Little Palm Island Resort—its dining room and adjacent outdoor terrace lit by candles and warmed by live music—is one of the most romantic spots in the Keys. It's open to nonguests on a reservations-only basis, but no one under 16 is allowed on the island. If you can get a reservation, go. The oceanfront setting is one that can't be matched, except for maybe in St. Barts or Fiji. Keep that in mind as you reach for the bill, which can also make you swoon. The menu melds Latin and Caribbean flavors, with exotic little touches—think foie gras crème brûlée with mango and toasted coconut, followed by grilled Spanish octopus and corn-jalapeño pudding. The Sunday brunch, the full-moon dinners with live entertainment, and the Chef's Table Dinner are very popular.
28500 Overseas Hwy., Florida, 33042, USA
Known For
- Oceanfront tables in the sand
- Key deer meandering by your table
- Latin and Caribbean flavors
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential
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Calories be damned—the conch fritters here are heaven on a plate. Come early for dinner (Jack's closes by 6:30, when the mosquitos start biting), and come hungry; the free-form fritters are large and loaded with flavor. The crab cakes, made from local blue crabs, earn hallelujahs, too. The conch salad is as good as any you'll find in the Bahamas. This weathered, circa-1950 restaurant floats on two roadside barges in an old fishing community. Regulars include motorcyclists, families, boaters, and the upscale crowd from nearby Ocean Reef Club, including Kathie Lee Gifford, who all come not only for the food but to admire tropical birds in the nearby mangroves and the occasional crocodile and to jam with the bands playing each weekend afternoon. It's about a half-hour drive from Key Largo, so you may want to plan a visit for your drive in or out.
58000 Card Sound Rd., Florida, 33037, USA
Known For
- Heavenly conch fritters
- Unique setting (about a 30-minute drive from Key Largo)
- Live music
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
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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 aroma of rich, roasting coffee beans arrests you at the door of "the Southernmost Coffee Roaster in America." Buy beans by the pound or coffee by the cup, along with sandwiches and sweets. Locals swear it's the best coffee in the Keys and beyond. But there's a whole lot more than just damn good coffee: check out the gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian specialty foods, as well as the assortment of wine and craft beers.
3180 Overseas Hwy., Florida, 33042, USA
Known For
- Best coffee in the Keys
- Gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian specialty foods
- Excellent service
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This tiny counter-service restaurant is the best-kept secret in Islamorada, with the tastiest and most affordable ($11) grouper Reuben sandwich in the Keys. It's a small place—with six tables inside, a bar overlooking the kitchen, and an outdoor patio—and most diners are locals. The menu ranges from fresh seafood to excellent pizza. Don't miss the meatballs.
82758 Overseas Hwy., Florida, 33036, USA
Known For
- Excellent key lime pie
- Microbrews
- Seafood omelets
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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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Authentic French food is on the menu at this supercasual eatery run by chef-owner Michel Bitton. The gelatos and homemade French pastries might be famous, but don't miss the opportunity to savor his daily quiches, fresh salads with Dijon vinaigrette, rustic soups, and French baguette sandwiches. French-press coffee? Just say, "Oui!" You will not be disappointed.
82245 Overseas Hwy., Florida, 33036, USA
Known For
- Oversize crepes
- Freshly made gelato
- Wide assortment of macarons
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner
