Key West Has So Many Things I Enjoy

We go to Key West every year in February for a week. While I love living in Ohio with the seasons and the great fall, a break from winter is always welcome. We spend a week in shorts on the water. It provides enough break from the winter that I actually enjoy the snow.

My pooch Maggie perusing the foot of snow that arrived overnight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

By the time we get sick of it we’re heading for the beach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

and the sunsets.

The fishing’s great too. I caught this just off the south eastern tip of the island. We hired a charter on charter boat row for half a day, and had a super time. I couldn’t believe it but the guy who was putting out the bait and casting the rods, had one that just had an aluminum bar about 3 inches long with a bare hook about 2 feet from that. No bait at all, and that’s what the fish hit most of the time. That’s how I caught the 41″ King Mackerel above.

After we got back the captain and his deck hand filleted the fish we didn’t save for the taxidermy folks and we took them to a restaurant just down the street. The restaurant is now a VFW hall and I don’t remember the name, but they fixed each type of 4 kinds of fish by baking, frying, blackening and a couple of other styles. It was a total seafood feast. They know how to cook fish in Key West!

You won’t understand Key West until you learn where the cool bars and restaurants are. Much of the charm is about food, drink, and music. I’m not going to get into all of them here, but I’ve got some info on the best.

Cuban food is a Key West staple. The locals are proud of only being 90 miles from Cuba. A restaurant that is prized by the local population for their excellent food and reasonable prices is El Siboney. It’s named after a Cuban Indian tribe, and it’s located at 900 Catherine St., Key West, FL 33040. Not fancy at all, but once you enjoy their food you’ll be hooked. Check out their Cuban roast pork with yellow rice and black beans.

 

We always have lunch at Caroline’s Cafe at 310 Duval at least once during our stay. There’s a counter overlooking the street where we can watch the Duval Street floor show. It’s always entertaining and the food is very good. The Yellow-fin and greens is an especially tasty salad. They have some excellent sandwiches as well.

The next pic was taken from our perch at Caroline’s.  When we finished lunch, we walked down Duval a bit to see what was going on and ran into these gals again.

 

 

 

 

 

Mangia Mangia Pasta Cafe located at 900 Southard St is one of the very best restaurants in Key West. Featuring Italian cuisine, Mangie Mangia makes their own pasta, and they know how! The wine list is impressive and Mike does a super job finding wines that not only flavor well, but have attributes seldom found in wines of the prices at Mangia Mangia. Don’t miss dining on their patio.

 

 

 

 

Louie’s Backyard  – 700 Waddell Ave Louie’s is all about fine dining in a lovely dining room, or on their deck overlooking the ocean. It’s a unique experience that we try to enjoy every year.

Blue Heaven  729 Thomas St could probably be best described as a Caribbean restaurant. They do wonderful work with seafood and the decor is a lot of fun. I especially like a table on the patio. A dirt floor and roosters running around give it a real island feel.Here’s a pic of Poco playing the steel drums. Pics of blue Heaven wouldn’t be complete without the walkway to the restrooms, especially when you realize that the building’s second floor was a house of ill-repute in earlier times.

Pepe’s Cafe  – 806 Caroline St We love breakfast at Pepe’s and it’s worth the wait, especially when we can enjoy mimosa’s with fresh squeezed orange juice while we’re waiting. They’re the best mimosa’s I’ve ever had. Their fresh baked breads and special omelets make breakfast a feast.

Sloppy Joe’s Bar – 201 Duval St Good bands, great sandwiches, and tasty bar food. We don’t go there often because it is usually very crowded. It’s the first place the tourists and cruisers hit when they come to town.

 

 

 

 

 

Turtle Kraals – Barbecue, Caribbean, Seafood – 1 Lands End Village Known by their turtle races, Turtle Kraals also has some very good cuisine. Mid range in price, the dishes are well thought out and quite varied. They do a good job with seafood, and I just love there plantains and black beans and rice.

B.O.’s Fish Wagon  –  801 Caroline St. B.O.’s is a seafood icon in Key West. Reasonable prices and well prepared seafood is their thing.

Thai Cuisine – 513 Greene St. We don’t get here often because we tend to use our mealtimes up with the seafood restaurants. That said, we have had some memorable lunches there.

Michael’s – 532 Margaret St. A very good steakhouse and seafood restaurant in the fine dining area. We have enjoyed Micheal’s for years.

Santiago’s Bodega – 207 Petronia St. If you’re into tapas, Santiago’s is the place. Their inventive dishes will provide a wide culinary experience. High on our list.

Hogfish Bar & Grill  –  6810 Front St Hogfish is on stock island. Their seafood is prepared in the best Floribbean style. In the evening you will find some of the best music in Key West here.

Latitudes Beach Cafe – American, Seafood 245 Front St The address is the place you grab their launch to take you to Sunset Key, a small residential island just off Key West. Latitude’s provides an excellent, unique fine dining experience.

La Crêperie  – 300 Petronia St We enjoyed La Crêperie  when it was a very small lunch counter on Duval. They moved to Petronia for much better digs, but the food has stayed at the same or better level of excellence. We love to have lunch here in the French style.

Conch Republic Seafood –  631 Greene St. A very large restaurant in the Sandwiches/Subs, Seafood, Floribbean tradition. Noisy, large, and raucous, usually the kind of place we avoid. With the Conch Republic we always have a good time, and they excel in their preparation of seafood. Lots of beers to choose from too.

El Meson de Pepe – Cuban, Seafood, Tapas 410 Wall St – Right off the Sunset Pier, if you go for the sunset, walk back through the restaurant area. They have an excellent Cuban band and the bar specializes in mojitos. If you’ve never had one, this is the place. Very good Cuban fare.

Garbo’s Grill –  603 Greene St. A Caribbean, Mexican, Seafood food truck that has been featured on the many foodie TV shows. Very good lunches.  Here’s an update for you. Garbo’s Grill has opened at Grunt’s Grill at 409 Caroline St. as the chef at Grunt’s is moving to a new location on Duval St.

Schooner Wharf Bar & Galley –  202 William St We usually stop by The Schooner Wharf Bar a couple of times during our stay. Michael McCloud plays there most afternoons, and time spent listening to Michael is time well spent. The food is good, specializing in burgers, sandwiches/subs and seafood. I always order a Dark and Stormy… ginger beer and Gosling’s Black Seal Rum. Be careful with those though.

Hog’s Breath Saloon – 400 Front St We usually stop at Hog’s Breath for a bit, perhaps order an appetizer. It’s usually full of cruisers. American, Seafood, Pub Food are it’s fare. We have had a lot of fun there.

Cafe Marquesa – 600 Fleming St. Cafe Marquesa is all about fine dining at it’s absolute best. The dishes feature international, seafood, modern american. Some of our most memorable dinners in Key West have been here.

Rusty Anchor Fisheries – 5510 5TH Ave This is seafood from the horses mouth so to speak. They have their own fishing fleet and the restaurant is known among the locals for their fresh seafood. On stock island, it is a bit off the beaten path, but worth the trip.

Green Parrot Bar – 601 Whitehead St. This bar has the best blues jukebox I’ve ever seen. Locals and tourists alike hang out here. On the week-ends, they have some killer bands with everything from cajun to funk. Sunday afternoons is a jazz happening. I love their slogan, “No sniveling”.

Smokin’ Tuna Saloon – 4 Charles Street. Super seafood and killer music. Gotta stop if you’re into live music.

Grunts Island Grill – 409 Caroline St. Fine dining alfresco. Featuring caribbean, french, and of course seafood. We’ve only had dinner here once, and it was very enjoyable. I understand the chef is leaving, so there will be some changes over the next few months. Updates to come. See Garbo’s Grill above.

Camille’s Restaurant – 1202 Simonton St. Great breakfast and a Key West Icon. American, modern American style.

90 Mile Lounge – 300 Front St. This is a blues bar with a decent menu. You can have a whole lot of fun here especially if you enjoy blues. they specialize in good cigars and great scotch. This will be my stop for live music most nights.

Captain Tony’s Saloon – 428 Greene St The original Sloppy Joe’s. Check out the story. It’s some cool Key West history. Catain Tony was mayor of Key West for a time and a pal of Earnest Hemmingway.

Rum Barrel Bar & Grill –  528 Front St If you’re into rum, this is the place. Put together a flight of rums from all over. There are 150 rums to choose from.

Island Dogs Bar– 505 Front St mostly American, Pizza, Sandwiches/Subs for the menu. Some of the best musicians in Key West perform here regularly.