Places to eat in Florida Keys

As far as restaurants, Keys Fisheries in Marathon is a fun open air restaurant that is famous for their Lobster Reuben sandwich. When you order, you will be asked to name your favorite singer, movie, or movie star or choose a name from another category for the day. You will never be asked your real name, so be sure you remember the name you've given. That is how you know your order is ready. Relaxed atmosphere on the Bay side. For something a little more upscale and refined, you might want to consider Butterfly Cafe at Tranquility Bay. The food is delicious, and you can dine on the porch overlooking the grounds and pool. It has the feel of a great Southern mansion. For more information on the Florida Keys, you could check out the website that a local family writes called,

www.fabulous-florida-keys.com

Enjoy your stay. You will find the Keys to be a friendly place. Locals are happy to share info with you, so don't be afraid to ask.

Favorite Dish: Favorite dish at the Fisheries: Lobster Reuben. It is large enough to feed two. Sloppy and good!

Favorite dish at Butterfly Cafe: Blackened Dolphin Sandwich with potato salad. The potato salad is called sparky for a reason. It has a delightful "bite" to it.

ENJOY!

Excellent location on the harbour. Lots of seafood options. Exactly what we were looking for: ocean view, sunshine, seafood, and cold drinks. Waitress wasn't the friendliest though. Still recommended! Menu available online. There is also a gift shop and fish market onsite.

Favorite Dish: Pina Colada was fantastic - just what I'd been craving for weeks before this trip! Ceviche was pretty tasty too, though still not the best I've had.

A great place to to stop for a coffee and a slice of Key Lime Pie or a conch fritter lunch is Brian’s in Paradise - in Marathon at mile marker 53. (Places along the overseas high are found by what mile marker they are closest to) It’s a family type diner serving everything you can imagine. Their seafood is great and I am a huge fan of their meat loaf sandwich! Do you know what meat loaf is? It’s an American thing… ground beef, eggs, seasonings, onion etc. formed into a loaf and baked – yummy!

I love out of the way places. This little pub/pizzaria is located on No Name Key, which is off the Key Deer Refuge in Big Pine Key.

Pizza was good, but probably the greasiest I've ever had. I went through ALOT of napkins! Staff is super friendly and there is a little gift shop.

You will find the decor interesting....the walls are lines with dollar bills that people have colored/signed/etc. My husband joked that defacing money was a felony and that it would be interesting if someone from the FED stopped by for a bite.

Favorite Dish: Pizza!

Wonderful diner that serves a great range of lunchtime dishes with very friendly service. If you enjoy relaxed simple dining this if for you.

Car parking space not plentiful so lunch time can make parking difficult. Closed on Sundays.

Favorite Dish: Great sandwiches with plenty of filling, good range of salads too!

A traditional Key West building with a huge seating area in the garden. This friendly restaurant offers a varied menu and even as a vegetarian, I found that there was plenty of choice. Seating and tables are old and painted and add to the laid back atmosphere. Service was excellent. My only tip is to make sure that you are wearing some sort of mosquito repellent, otherwise you could, as I did the first time, become their dish of the day!

Favorite Dish: There is a varied menu but I used to enjoy sampling the delights that were on offer on the varied daily options.

Other people recommended this place for breakfast but unfortunately I didn't get there, maybe next time!

I'll give specific examples on my individual Keys pages, but its worth noting here that there are several things you must try while visiting the Keys. The first is conch fritters. Many people may feel squeamish about eating these mollusk type animals, but I'd recommend giving it a go. Absolutely fantastic.

The next is fresh fish. If you don't catch it yourself (see Local Custom tips) definitely go for the catch of the day. This is not quick frozen and quicky shipped to the destination food. In the Keys, catch of the day means you are eating fish that was swimming in the ocean that very same day. Most restaurants will prepare the fish anyway you want it. My personal recommendation is almondine.

Last but not least is Key Lime Pie. This is a combination of fresh limes mixed into a creamy base and placed on a graham cracker crust. This dessert is a fantastic combination as it is neither too sour nor too sweet. Nearly every restaurant will have their own version of this dessert. All are fantastic. Even if you've had Key Lime Pie before, if you haven't tried it in the Keys, it does not count.