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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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This local favorite makes big waves with fresh seafood that's prepared with tropical flair. Carnivores can feast on prime-grade beef, which is carved in-house and has the kind of marbling that just melts in your mouth. Gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian dishes are also available.
81671 Overseas Hwy., Florida, 33036, USA
Known For
- Watermelon mint sangria
- Fresh catch "Juliette" with shrimp and scallops
- Intimate tropical dining
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch Mon.–Sat., Reservations essential
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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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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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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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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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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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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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Because of its location where the fast ferry docks, Conch Republic does a brisk business. It's huge, open-air, and on the water, and the menu is ambitious, offering more than just standard seafood fare. Try a Caribbean-style twist on oysters Rockefeller with the baked oysters callaloo, or opt for paella, plantain-crusted mahimahi, or steak. Live music adds to the decibel level.
631 Greene St., Florida, 33040, USA
Known For
- "Royal Reds" peel-and-eat shrimp
- No reservations
- Live music most nights
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
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This no-frills, roadside eatery has a loyal local following, an unfussy ambience, a couple of outside picnic tables, and friendly service. Signature dishes include snapper on grilled rye with coleslaw and melted Muenster cheese, a fried-fish burrito, George's crab cake, and tomato-based conch chowder. Landlubbers can choose everything from burgers and dogs to meat loaf and Cuban pork. Plan to dine early; it's only open until 6:30, but the hours depend on the season.
11711 Overseas Hwy., Florida, 33050, USA
Known For
- Luscious lobster bisque
- Fresh and affordable seafood and meat market
- Affordable specials
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed weekends, Reservations not accepted
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Inspired by an Ernest Hemingway photograph of a family fishing trip in Key West, this oceanfront spot pays homage to pristine seafood that's served alongside views that will make you feel like you're on a luxury liner. While the indoor dining room has a bright and airy feel with nautical decor, the outdoor patio is the spot to reserve, a fitting backdrop to dishes of wood-roasted oysters with smoky lemon, Key West pink shrimp, or grits and vegetable island curry. Don't skip the key lime pie for dessert; this one stands out from the pack.
1435 Simonton St., Florida, 33040, USA
Known For
- Well-trained staff
- Craft cocktails
- Fabulous key lime pie
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This circa-1947 landmark—with its vintage neon sign, wood-paneled walls, and period photos—is a slice of Florida Keys history. Breakfast options include French toast made with challah bread and Captain Morgan batter or Keys Benedict with a blue crab cake; at lunch, opt for lobster mac and cheese. Turtle chowder (don't gasp; it's made from farm-raised, freshwater turtles) is a staple. For dessert, the seventh-generation pound cake gets a standing ovation.
81219 Overseas Hwy., Florida, 33036, USA
Known For
- Excellent conch chowder
- Outstanding pound cake
- Huge homemade sticky buns
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon., Reservations essential
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Smack-dab on the docks, this legendary place gets its name from the oysters, clams, and peel-and-eat shrimp that are the stars of its seafood-based menu. It's not clever recipes or fine dining (or even air-conditioning) that packs 'em in; it's fried fish, po'boy sandwiches, and seafood combos. For a break from the deep fryer, try the fresh and light conch ceviche.
231 Margaret St., Florida, 33040, USA
Known For
- Daily happy hour with food and drink deals
- Few nonseafood options
- Good people-watching spot
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
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This shack-like spot has been the go-to for quick, affordable comfort food since the 1940s. You'll find all the Old Keys staples—conch, lobster tail, fried oysters, and fresh fish—as well as cheeseburgers and filet mignon. Sit at picnic tables on the screened-in porch or inside, where it's air-conditioned. More than 20 craft beers are offered daily, and the entire wine selection is available by the glass or bottle.
6350 Overseas Hwy., Florida, 33050, USA
Known For
- Great craft-beer selection
- Crispy conch fritters
- Good key lime pie
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.–Tues.
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It's worth a drive to Stock Island for a meal at this down-to-earth spot, where hogfish is, of course, the specialty. Favorites include the "Killer Hogfish Sandwich," which is served on Cuban bread (be sure to sprinkle it with one of the house hot sauces), as well as the hogfish tacos, gator bites, lobster BLT or pot pie, pulled-pork sandwich, and barbecued ribs.
6810 Front St., Florida, 33040, USA
Known For
- Pricey fish sandwiches
- A taste of local life
- Fried grouper cheeks
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This is part of the colorful, bustling Old Florida scene at Robbie's Marina, so you know that the seafood here is fresh and top quality. The extensive menu seems as if it's bigger than the dining space, which consists of a few tables and counter seating indoors, plus tables out back under the mangrove trees. Try the Matecumbe fish sandwich with provolone and bacon on grilled sourdough.
77522 Overseas Hwy., Florida, 33036, USA
Known For
- Insanely good Bloody Marys with a beef-stick straw
- Heart-of-the-action location
- Biscuits and gravy
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
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Owned by Bass Pro Shops and housed in an open-air, oversize tiki hut on Florida Bay, this restaurant offers a quintessential Keys dining experience. Menu highlights include cracked conch beaten until tender and then fried, and fresh-catch Portofino blackened perfectly and topped with Key West shrimp and a brandied lobster sauce. There's a small tiki bar if you prefer a stool to a table.
81532 Overseas Hwy., Florida, USA
Known For
- Tourist hot spot
- Great views
- Afternoon fish and shark feedings in its private lagoon
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Don't be fooled by appearances; this waterfront shack takes island breakfast, lunch, and dinner up a notch. Tempting options include the famed "original tuna nachos," lobster rolls, and a nice selection of seafood and sandwiches. Southern-style shrimp and andouille sausage with grits join island-style specialties such as grilled ribs with guava barbecue sauce on the list of entrées. There's an air-conditioned dining room and bar as well as open seating under a vaulted porch ceiling. The outdoor bar hosts live entertainment Wednesday to Sunday. Don't be in a hurry; service is usually slow.
85501 Overseas Hwy., Florida, 33036, USA
Known For
- Eclectic seafood options
- Slow service
- Nice views
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
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Owned by former NFL coach Jimmy Johnson, this waterfront establishment offers three experiences: the best sports bar in the Upper Keys, an all-glass dining room with a waterfront deck, and an enormous outdoor tiki bar with entertainment seven nights a week. There's even a pool and cabanas where (for a fee) you can spend the day sunning. Don't miss the tuna nachos—as delicious as they are artfully presented.
104000 Overseas Hwy., Florida, USA
Known For
- The place to watch a game
- Fantastic bay views
- Brick-oven chicken wings with rosemary
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You can't miss the enormous tiki bar on stilts, but the walk-up window on the ground floor is the heart of this warehouse-turned-restaurant. The huge lobster Reuben served on thick slices of toasted bread is the signature dish, and the adults-only upstairs tiki bar offers a sushi and raw bar for eat-in only.
3390 Gulfview Ave., Florida, 33050, USA
Known For
- Seafood market
- Marina views
- Fish-food dispensers (25¢) so you can feed the tarpon
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
