Veterans Day 2024
Tulips & hyacinths at City Hall
Dorothy, we’re not in South Philly anymore
Italian Market Fire Barrel
Mummers 2024
D&K Key West dining guide
Key West restaurants, visited over five seasons, January 2019-January 2023
Near Bahama Village
Blue Heaven, everyone’s favorite place, all outdoor seating in a walled compound, Bahama Village area, reservations recommended. there’s a bar and live music. expensive.
Santiago’s Bodega, our first year we heard all kinds of raves for this place, we thought it was OK, nice rustic atmosphere, a small amount of porch seating, Bahama Village area.
Firefly Key West, southern-inflected place we were at in 2021 for brunch. I had a giant biscuit breakfast sandwich, Kris had shrimp & grits. had airs of being a gourmet place but the lunchtime counter crowd on their cell phones didn’t impress me.
Moondog Cafe & Bakery, one of our faves, diverse menu and sunny seating indoors and out.
Rams Head Southernmost, outdoor bar/restaurant at Whitehead & Petronia, Bahama Village, became our favorite place in 2022 as covid eased, as we could sit outside at the bar, watch the Olympics on the video screens, listen to the evening’s performers a few feet away. also three sets of of corn hole boards. above-average bar food, good happy hour.
On or Near Duval
Sloppy Joe’s Bar, the famous Hemingway joint, lively with bands and crowds and bar foods. we’ve had fun there, but this trip had not bothered to go in–then slipped in near the end of the month and had a fine time sitting at the bar, listening to the music and the interplay among the colorful day drinkers.
Clemente’s Trolley Pizzeria, excellent pizza, limited seating inside but this table outside. we’ve gotten carry-out a few times.
Carolina’s, at Carolina & Duval, busy place where we like the salads. outdoors, and some of the seating is cramped and noisy if you’re next to a large group.
Pincher’s, highly visible place on Duval, we had a fine time seated outside on the rail overlooking Duval one afternoon, having drinks. the food is just bar food, but the second-floor vantage point is worth a try if you go when it’s not packed out with the party crowd.
Onlywood, we love the pizza and salad here. two locations, the one we prefer has the Duval address, tho it’s down an alley and out of the pedestrian storm. indoor seating, but also a little outside courtyard with maybe 10 tables, which we prefer. large caesar salads, we order one for four people. (A second, larger Onlywood is near the marina area.)
Onlywood is right next to Cuban Coffee Queen (downtown location, Key Lime Square), our go-to place for cafe con leche and Cubanos.
Old Town Mexican Cafe, on Duval, decent if predictable Mexican in a covered open-air setting. festive during peak periods.
Mr Z’s, just off Duval on Southard, the owner’s wife is from Philly (or something like that) and has real cheesesteaks, grimy kitchen, and a bit of philly attitude. it also has sports front pages of the Daily News and Inquirer on the walls.
Banana Cafe, on Duval, despite the goofy name it has crepes and other french nuances and we’ve had several good meals here. also had a killer banana split. rooftop deck available.
Frenchie’s Cafe is a much-loved joint that is, indeed, Frenchy, with the kind of culinary care you expect from a French-run establishment. For peak dining periods you probably need a reservation, and we found the closing time differed from some of the published listings, either 2 or 3 p.m., so it’s a breakfast and lunch kind of place.
Kaya Island Eats, two entrances, one off Duval, one off Angela. the Angela entrance is an open-air, less formal. polynesian theme, friendly service, good value, and we find the fish sandwich is bigger and better than anywhere else we’ve been. (the bbq sandwich lacked flavor tho.) good for happy hour.
Jack Flats, salads and bar food on Duval, nice setting for a sports bar. we went off-hours and it was fine but packs out during peak periods.
Louie’s Backyard, one of the town’s oldest, reliable esp for lunch, indoor and outdoor. PLUS an outside deck bar popular for sunset. adjacent to the narrow Dog Beach.
Ocean Grill & Bar, Duval at Virginia, for two visits were stayed in a condo above this seafood restaurant and came to like the place, tho because of covid we’d order carry-out (loved the shrimp & grits) then carry it up to our deck and enjoy from above. crowded at brunch and other prime times.
Southernmost beach cafe, if you follow Duval all the way down toward the Southernmost Point, you’ll come to this resort-attached cafe that has a beach and a good view out over the water. I had brunch there once, remember it more for the vista than the meal. a few other eating places near this same site, including the Seaside Cafe at the Mansion, which touts its lobster pizzas. again, I remember it more for the view than the food. but the view is worth it.
Lobster Shack, best place for lobster rolls, near the Southernmost point. expensive.
Waterfront-Marina/
Mallory Square area
Sunset Pier, our sentimental favorite place for sitting outside on a pier overlooking the water, watching boats go in and out, planes on final approach, sometimes a cruise ship sitting nearby. bar food, but usually fresh. stage that often has a musician, including at 1pm. afternoons, might be better to go when there’s not a cruise ship in port. usually the cruises depart by 5pm. the place fills up for sunset.
Hot Tin Roof, 2nd floor of resort adjacent to Sunset Pier, fancy, prime dining and good to reserve outside for sunset. often live music bleeding up from the Sunset Pier below. best key lime pie we’ve found. expensive.
Waterfront Brewery, large, modern restaurant on the marina, a good fallback if everything else seems full. we liked the Crazy Lady Honey Blonde beer.
The Chart Room is small and historic dive bar embedded in the bowels of the ritzy Pier House Resort & Spa on the waterfront near Mallory Square. It did not exist during Hemingway’s time, so he was never a patron. However, just about every one else who had a hand in Key West’s development as a tourist mecca did. Including Jimmy Buffett. The Chart Room is off the radar of most tourists, but if you have an interest in dive bars or the history of Key West, don’t miss this. Free popcorn and hotdogs.
B.O.’s fish house, this looks like a ramshackle beach shack, hard to believe it’s a real restaurant but it is, on a busy corner near the marina. good place to have a drink while pondering the food. we’ve eaten there three or four times, nothing special.
Half Shell Raw Bar, on the marina, in a building that used to be a shrimp-processing plant, so lots of provenance. a surge of customers when it opens at 11, wanted to sit on the boardwalk rail I guess, but seemed that about 12:30 the crowd had thinned. first day I had a stuffed half-lobster special for $22, tasty. also has an atmospheric bar and, of course, happy hour with fresh oysters, $22 per dozen.
Schooner Wharf Bar, at the marina, a thriving, cobbled-driftwood atmosphere with terrible bathrooms but good music and Conch ambience, you get the feeling the boat crews hang out here. a wooden stairway leads up to a deck with maybe a dozen tables, which takes you above the fray but within earshot of the music. fun to be up there when the sunset cruises are departing the marina. food average.
Pepe’s Cafe, founded 1909, is a classic worn-around-the-edges but popular spot that fills up at peak periods but we never waited more than five minutes the three or four times we ate here in 2023. Extensive menu, something to scratch your itch whatever it may be. Breakfast, oysters, barbecue, salads, soups, chili, steaks. Inner dining room dark wood, like the inside of an old schooner. We liked the booth seating.
Wahlburgers, in the marina area, the only Wahlburgers I’ve ever tried.
Other areas in or near Old City, within 20-minute walk of Duval
Incas restaurant, Peruvian, which our Peruvian son-in-law gave a pretty good rating to. I had the Inca Trio, which was very good. tho the Peruvian paella was bland.
Eaton Street Seafood Market, it’s a small market but also a restaurant where you order inside then carry to a picnic or other table out front. old gas station. popular place, limited seating.
Sandy’s Cafe, a casual walk-up place on White street, with an ordering window on White and an outside laundromat on the opposite side. yes. quirky but the Cubano sandwiches are very good. there is a counter with a few bar stools. very informal. across the street from Fausto’s Food Palace, one of two locations for a small grocery store that the locals love. the other Fausto’s is closer to Duval on Fleming Street.
Cafe Solé, ate here once with Ann K, it’s in her ‘hood. tidy and upscale, meal was good but didn’t blow us away.
Saluté! On the Beach, good setting overlooking Higgs Beach and affiliated with Blue Heaven. good food, moderate prices.
Sarabeth’s, local branch of the nyc restaurant. refined ambience, with patio seating out front as well as indoor.
On the Water Smoked BBQ, a moored floating BBQ joint with very decent BBQ, on Garrison Bight not far from Bayview Park. Been there three times, never crowded. The barbecue scene in Key West is oddly thin.
Little Pearl, excellent seafood. expensive.
El Siboney, Cuban sit-down restaurant. we haven’t eaten here yet but looked in and it looked very promising. lots of customers, been around for a decade at least. still on our list to try.
Seven Fish, well-regarded for seafood, we found it well-run and nice setting, but it was all over quickly. we enjoyed what we had but did not have that “got to go back there” feeling.
Witt’s ice cream across from Green Parrot 🦜
Flamingo Crossing ice cream on Duval
Green pineapple sez Ann
Maifest on South Street
Broad Street Run
Lucy lookin’ good
Twilight in Center City
