Key West, Florida is a beautiful vacation destination known for it's warm weather and tropical vibes. With plenty of site-seeing to do in this charming island city, you will definitely work up an appetite and want to check out this collection of restaurants that are some of the best in the area, according to Yelp reviewers.
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These restaurants are known for the best locally caught seafood, delicious key lime desserts and fun fruity cocktails. Find the spots that even the locals love and watch the beautiful sunsets on the sandy Key West beaches.
Kaya Island Eats
Kaya Island Eats is a good restaurant around Key West, Florida. The restaurant is family-friendly. They also have a happy hour for adults having a night out. You can enjoy the cozy vibe inside or the outdoor seating. The best part? Dogs are allowed, so you don't have to worry about your fur baby!
Customer Review: The food was really good! Our party had the Beach Burger, Bang Bang Fish, Reggae Fish, and the Kahlua Pork, we also had the daily special apps: crab cakes and buffalo fried cauliflower. Every single thing we had was delicious. The drink pours were generous too!
Our server, Maria, was wonderful as well. Very attentive and helpful answering questions.
There was also a very talented mentalist who entertained us while we waiting for our apps.
Lastly, I want to make a special shout out to chef owner Scott. I called to ask if there was close parking, as we had someone in our party who has limited mobility. Scott recommended we drop them off at the patio and then park around the corner. He reserved a table for us right by the patio entrance so that we didn't have to walk far, and then he even sent me pictures of the patio, where to park, and our table. It was so helpful and really made it easy for us.
Click here to learn more about Kaya Island Eats
Latitudes
Make the most of your vacation by having a dining experience at a beachfront in the Latitudes. From here, you can see the view of the Gulf of Mexico. While having a great view, you can enjoy freshly cooked local seafood or steak and pair it with a glass of wine. Make sure to dine when you can watch the sunset.
Customer Review: If you are looking to have a very special celebration or a special date, then you need to make a reservation to come here to this spectacular restaurant on Sunset Key island with ocean view and a gorgeous sunset while having a fabulous Latitudes dinner experience. You will be taken by boat to Sunset Key where you will be welcomed by a friendly professional staff to give you a day to remember whether it's for breakfast or dinner.
We chose to make a dinner reservation outdoors and we were seated right by the water side with a great view of the sunset. It was so relaxing and peaceful.
Our dinner consisted of Carribean Lobster Risotto and Shrimp Carbonara with cocktails. Absolutely delicious. It was a fabulous dinner in a beautiful restaurant with an incredible view! We hope to visit again soon.
Click here to learn more about the Latitudes
Blue Heaven
Blue Heaven is a restaurant in Key West, Florida, with a cozy and relaxing vibe. It is perfect for dining as a group or with kids. They have good food, from appetizer to dessert!
Customer Review: Great service and great food . Very rich flavors no matter what items you order. Carrot curry soup is a must. Fresh seafood beautifully adorned by pretty veggies and sauces make presentation wonderful and an over abundance of flavor on all entrees. Make sure to save room for desserts
Click here to learn more about the Blue Heaven
Santiago's Bodega
Enjoy a timeless dining experience at Santiago's Bodega, savoring delicious and visually appetizing meals. It is excellent for groups or for spending your "me" time with soul food.
Customer Review: This was a wonderful experience! Great menu, terrific service, beautiful ambiance, and tasty Sangria! The server and team are wonderful at explaining each dish and making recommendations, and the food is prepared beautifully with wonderful flavors.
We particularly loved the Spicy Shrimp Bisque (note that it IS spicy) and the Roman meatballs. The brussel sprouts were also amazing. The Saganaki was a show as well as tasty which was fun (flambeed cheese).
Note that all dishes are Tapas size (small plates) so it's a chance to order many different things.
Recommend as a fun place to try when in Key West!
Click here to learn more about Santiago's Bodega
Atlas Izakaya
"Izakaya" means "stay drink place," perfect for enjoying slow days and experiencing Japanese flavors. Atlas Izakaya is in the heart of Key West, Florida, offering small plates of Japanese cuisine. Dining here could make you feel you are in two places at once!
Customer Review: This place Rules! All the food I had was incredible. The hot karagee, bahn mi buns, crispy rice W/ tuna were all fantastic to name a few. All taken care of by a great, friendly staff that explained all the food and sakes. I love the space the restaurant is in, not too big not too small. We will definitely be coming back soon.. make sure to buy a round for the line.
Click here to learn more about Atlas Izakaya
Seven Fish
Seven Fish lives up to its motto, "simple good food." Its cozy vibe makes you feel at home away from home, and its good food will make your journey in Key West, Florida, more memorable. In 2020, it won a Diners' Choice award. Try dining in here and see for yourself what it has to offer!
Customer Review: We were able to have a Fabulous Birthday Dinner for my mom! I came here years ago absolutely loved it. So I wanted to celebrate my mom's birthday here and she loved it. We ordered the seafood ceviche to start and it was a good portion to share with multiple people. I also had a rum runner that was delicious and for our main dish we decided to order the chefs feast for two. That dish was perfect to share and the seafood was delicious. You get a grilled filet fish big enough to share and nice size scallops with grilled shrimp skewers for each person. I enjoyed the sushi sticky rice with grilled vegetables. For dessert we had the key lime pie and the staff put a candle as sang happy birthday to my mom. I would definitely recommend this restaurant as well as special occasions.
Click here to learn more about the Seven Fish
Blackfin Bistro
If you are looking for a place to have a wine night in Key West, Florida, Blackfin Bistro is the place to be! They have a wide selection of wine that pairs perfectly with local seafood dishes and classic bistro cuisine. It's a must-try and one-for-the-books experience.
Customer Review: The food was delicious, the service was fabulous, and the ambiance was exactly what we love and appreciate . We ordered two bottles of wine and enjoyed those with some delicious crusty bread. I ordered the Wagyu burger with truffle fries. It was delicious, but for some reason, I did not take a picture of it. My daughter got grilled tuna and loved it. My husband got the seafood pasta, and he told us countless times how delicious it was. My daughter really enjoyed her shrimp pasta. I highly recommend Blackfin Bistro if you are in Key West.
Click here to learn more about the Backfin Bistro
Louie's Backyard
Louie's Backyard is an oceanfront Victorian-style house turned into a 12-seat restaurant. As of today, Louie's Backyard is a cafe and bar restaurant with an oceanfront setting, making it more romantic as it is. They have good food and drinks you can enjoy.
Customer Review: Fantasy setting a beautiful Victorian home and terrace on the beach, excellent service with superb food
Click here to know more about Louie's Backyard
The Flaming Buoy Filet Co.
Make memories at one of Key West, Florida's most unique dining experiences—at The Flaming Buoy Filet Co. They curated a menu that showcases locally caught seafood and fresh produce and offers vegan-friendly dishes, which makes the dining experience excellent as they can accommodate you even if you have diet restrictions.
Customer Review: We were in the mood for Grouper and came here for dinner one evening because their menu showed them having Grouper in a couple of styles. We actually walked past it, because the signage is basically just a sandwich board outfront, which we overlooked when walking by, but then we walked in... isn't this place interesting?!?! A Star Wars theme with eclectic décor and an interesting version of Urban Gothic of the owner on the wall.
We were quickly checked in and given a table in the window... nice view to see all the folks on Eaton near Duval enjoying the evening.
The menu is extremely interesting, we later learned from our server (sorry for not remembering, but I think his name is Neil?) that the majority of the recipes are from family and friends. They had everything from Cincinnati-style chili on hot dogs (I saw them, they're "Skyline" style too!!) to Italian to Thai... Normally I don't do Pan-Asian joints, let alone joints that make and server everything, but this place seemed like the place to give in.
We started with their trio appetizer (which seemed popular this evening, as other tables ordered it too) and I have to say that everything in it was excellent! The flavors of the lobster mac were the most robust of the three, but each were fresh and very nicely created. For my fav, it was a toss up between the lobster mac and the chimichurri shrimp... that chimichurri was excellent and the shrimp perfect flavored and grilled!
Dinner for me consisted of their Thai red chili curried black grouper - Awesome! Such a huge portion too!! The Thai red chili curry was excellent and had one heck of a kick to it (then again, I asked for the kitchen to spike it up!) and the grouper was fresh and nicely brought to temp! The veggies, specifically the snow peas were so very good!! Wifey ordered the seafood marinara, as she loves a really good gremolata and this one not only didn't disappoint, she fell in love with it, INSTANTLY!! She couldn't stop enjoying it, even though there was so much food, half was all she needed... she kept on going!
We both really enjoyed everything about Flaming Buoy - The service, the menu, the food, and most definitely the wine list! They have a very nice wine list, which isn't too excessive with the mark up, but no cocktails... We do enjoy a nice cocktail before dinner, but we also enjoy wine to a greater extent, so we were disappointed. (I did hear the server at another table inform the patrons there they could bring cocktails from Tempt across the street over to enjoy with dinner - which is a great idea too, as Tempt is an AMAZING cocktail bar!)
We definitely plan on visiting The Flaming Buoy Filet Co. when back in town next time... this place was so good, it's worth visiting more than once to try so many more of their amazing menu!
Click here to learn more about The Flaming Buoy Filet Co.
Sunny Eggs
At Sunny Eggs, you will indeed have a sunny and brighter day. They have different dishes that go well with their pastries, from salads to drinks. The cozy place makes it perfect for a chill day and relaxing vibes, alone or with friends.
Customer Review: Sunny Eggs 517 Fleming St., Key West, FL 33040
5 Stars
This place shines brightly like the proverbial light in the darkness of a morass of tourist traps. On a side note, I accidentally jumped the service line. No one said anything, but I got a few glares. My apologies!
This is a quaint little hole in the wall (literally). Vasily is the server today and nailed it in every way a server can. I ordered their Nixon Smoothie and a chorizo Kokot as I had never heard of anything Kokot before I asked my editor to do some research. He came up with a village in Poland. Other than that, it is close to the French word Cocotte and as it does involve eggs cooked in a small dutch oven (cocotte), I'm going with that.
I began with the Nixon Smoothie. Named after our 37th President, Richard Milhous Nixon, it was a delicious smoothie of Apricot, Orange, Almond Milk, Yogurt, Honey and Maple Syrup. Sans 18 minutes of recorded conversation (coincidence or just good food prep? You be the judge). I have to say that this was a delight on the palate in the balmy temperatures of Key West. It was light, hearty, and crisp on the palate.
Moving on to the chorizo Kokot. As previously mentioned, this was the first I had heard of this; however, looking at the pictures on the menu, I had a good idea about what it was I was ordering. I was not disappointed. This lovingly prepared dish is made of three eggs cooked in a small "kokot" with Creme Fraiche, Dijon mustard, Chorizo paste and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Pyszny! One does not need to apply any heuristic to conclude that this is NOT a tourist trap. It is a place with GREAT food.
"The Big Boy says, "If you're in Key West and you don't eat here, you wasted a trip to Key West."
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