Key West Dining

One of the greatest luxuries when visiting Key West is being able to sip a cocktail and have a delicious meal in the great outdoors, while a gentle breeze causes the palms above you to rustle and the sound of the waves lapping against the sand transports you to a world where deadlines, obligations and responsibilities no longer exist. Although […]

If you step into the walk-in refrigerator at Blossoms Cajun Kitchen at the quiet end of Old Town you would be hard pressed to find any store-bought non-perishable ingredients or ready-made sauces and seasonings. Instead almost everything will have been crafted just hours ago and labeled accordingly in its own reusable container. Whenever painstakingly possible, all that is made at […]

The low ceilings at Lupita’s remind me of a traditional style cantina, but that’s where my amateur comparison ends. When I think of the cantinas I’ve stepped into somewhere down a side street in the remote highlands of Central America I think of dark, rough around the edges places where people went to disappear. But that’s not at all how […]

There are many welcoming mom and pop establishments in Key West and since 2004 the Coffee Plantation on Caroline Street has been a local favorite. Theo and Diane Glorie have transformed a former home into a charming coffee shop and bakery where you will find the owners behind the counter. “It is either Diane or myself or my sister-in-law Loretta,” […]

If you take the bridge across the Garrison Bight marina in the direction of Old Town, the Palm Avenue Causeway seamlessly morphs into Eaton Street and leads you right by the Eaton Street Seafood Market. The Art Deco building at the corner of William Street is decorated with pink neon light trim and block windows. There is an outdoor picnic […]

Here, everyone knows your name. The beers are cold, the booze flows relatively cheaply and the food is the next best thing to Mom’s home cooking. It’s the kind of grub you want to sit down to after a hard day on the job or when you’re looking for a little slice of “elevated comfort.” It feels familiar and unpretentious. […]

Bobby and Michelle Mongelli own Hogfish Bar and Grill and Geiger Key Marina but perhaps their proudest accomplishment is the Stock Island pizzeria Roostica. A favorite restaurant of Key West locals and visitors, Roostica is known for the pizza but also offers an assortment of Italian specialties. However, the pizza it serves is the highlight. In 1998, the Italian government […]

The Dish: Zuppa di Pesce The Place: Antonia’s, 615 Duval St., Key West; 305-294-6565 or www.antoniaskeywest.com. The Price: $30 The Details: Antonia’s has been a mainstay of Duval Street for decades, serving refined, beautifully prepared seafood, pasta and other Italian fare. We started with an appetizer of plump, seared scallops before digging into entrees that included this seafood stew and […]

The Dish: Seared Foie Gras The Place: Cafe Marquesa The Price: $26 The Details: Talk about being lucky — my friend and I had a light, but inconsequential dinner at another restaurant, and I said I’d never been to the restaurant at the Marquesa, long considered one of the finest dining experiences in Key West. We wandered in and they […]

Chapter 1 was all about the dumplings, the shumai and the baos. Chapter 2 was the inclusion of traditional and exotic teas to the well-curated menu. Chapter 3, according to owners Andrew Berman and Keith St. Peter, is the evolution of the House of Wu into what they call the “Shangri-La” edition. “We were making the food we wanted to […]