22 Best Restaurants in The Florida Keys, Florida

What started out as a fish house on wheels appears to have broken down on the corner of Caroline and William Streets and is today one of Key West's junkyard-chic dining institutions. Step up to the window and order a grouper sandwich fried or grilled and topped with key lime sauce. Other specialties include fish nuts (don't be scared, they're just fried nuggets) and cracked-conch, shrimp, or soft-shell crab sandwiches. It's a must-do Key West experience.

Dishes such as ahi poke and lobster-crusted mahimahi nod to executive chef Pavy Keomaniboth’s native Hawaii. The spectacular indoor–outdoor setting features coconut palms strung with lights and panoramic sunset views. The extensive cocktail menu carries on the pan-Asian theme by incorporating fresh, tropical fruit with infused liquors that embody the flavors of the Hawaiian tropics. Non-resort guests are welcome, but reservations are encouraged.

This casual-yet-stylish haven of "American coastal comfort food" has garnered local and national accolades for its eclectic seafood-focused menu and industrial-cool design. The crab beignets are a must, as is the Southern-style fried chicken with bacon salt fries and barbecue ribs. The brunch here is legendary, and the breakfast with banana-bread pancakes does not disappoint. Craft cocktails like the Key Lime Martini and Hemingway's Daiquiri pair nicely with the seafood feast.

This is the spot you might imagine when you think of dining by the water in the Keys. The Caribbean-influenced menu includes things like lobster and shrimp cakes, fried whole fish (the presentation is a photo op), and catch of the day served with fried plantains and rice and beans. You can't go wrong with the fish sandwich, grilled, blackened, or fried, and key lime anything for dessert.

In an unassuming warehouse-like building on U.S. 1, chef-owner Lynn Bell is creating seafood magic. For starters, try the flash-fried conch with wasabi drizzle or homemade smoked-fish dip. While the restaurant earns rave reviews, its name still earns snickers—"square grouper" is slang for the bales of marijuana that were dropped into the ocean during the drug-running 1970s.

The views are nice at this waterfront restaurant, but the food is what gets your attention. Burgers, fish tacos, and seafood baskets are lunch faves. Dinner is about seafood and steaks, any way you like them. Try the smoked-fish dip, served with Armenian heart-shape lavash crackers. Look for the big signs on U.S. 1 that direct you where to turn—it's worth finding.

The outdoor dining area here is often referred to as "the quintessential Keys experience," and it's hard to argue. There's much to like about this historic Caribbean-style restaurant where Hemingway refereed boxing matches and customers cheered for cockfights. Although these events are no more, the free-roaming chickens and cats add that "what-a-hoot" factor. Nightly specials include black bean soup, Caribbean barbecue shrimp, and jerk chicken. Desserts and breads are baked on the premises.

Because of its location where the fast ferry docks, Conch Republic does a brisk business. It's huge, open-air, and on the water, and the menu is ambitious, offering more than just standard seafood fare. Try a Caribbean-style twist on oysters Rockefeller with the baked oysters callaloo, or opt for paella, plantain-crusted mahimahi, or steak. Live music adds to the decibel level.

This circa-1947 landmark—with its vintage neon sign, wood-paneled walls, and period photos—is a slice of Florida Keys history. Breakfast options include French toast made with challah bread and Captain Morgan batter or Keys Benedict with a blue crab cake; at lunch, opt for lobster mac and cheese. Turtle chowder (don't gasp; it's made from farm-raised, freshwater turtles) is a staple. For dessert, the seventh-generation pound cake gets a standing ovation.

Owned by former NFL coach Jimmy Johnson, this waterfront establishment offers three experiences: the best sports bar in the Upper Keys, an all-glass dining room with a waterfront deck, and an enormous outdoor tiki bar with entertainment seven nights a week. There's even a pool and cabanas where (for a fee) you can spend the day sunning. Don't miss the tuna nachos—as delicious as they are artfully presented.

The inviting aroma of an Italian kitchen pervades this family-owned favorite. For lunch there are fish and steak entrées served with fries, salad, and bread in addition to Italian specialties; dinner features veal Oscar and other traditional dishes, as well as specialties like seafood Italiano, a dish of scallops and shrimp sautéed in garlic butter and served with marinara sauce over linguine.

Tucked into Marathon Marina, ½ mile north of the Seven Mile Bridge, this restaurant offers views just as spectacular as its highly lauded food. The offerings at this spinoff of an Islamorada favorite range from fried or sautéed conch and a coconut-fried fish du jour sandwich to seafood pastas and beef tips over rice. Choose a table on the outdoor deck, or inside underneath paddle fans and surrounded by local art.

While local anglers gather here for breakfast, lunch and dinner bring a mix of islanders and visitors for straightforward food and front-row seats to the sunset. Live music seven nights a week ensures a lively nighttime scene, and the menu staves off inebriation with burgers, barbecued baby back ribs, and Parmesan-crusted snapper. Key lime pie comes frozen with mango sauce. Service can be less than stellar and the gathering at sunset is always crowded.

This longtime favorite serves large portions of homemade pastas that can be matched with any of the homemade sauces. Tables are arranged in a brick garden hung with twinkling lights and in a cozy, casual dining room in an old house. Everything out of the open kitchen is outstanding, including the bollito misto di mare (fresh seafood sautéed with garlic, shallots, white wine, and pasta) or the memorable spaghettini "schmappellini," homemade pasta with asparagus, tomatoes, pine nuts, and Parmesan. The wine list—with more than 350 offerings—includes old and rare vintages, and also has a good by-the-glass selection.

This could be the prototype for a Keys restaurant, given its shanty appearance, lattice trim, and roving sort of indoor-outdoor floor plan. Then there's the seafood, from the ubiquitous fish sandwich (fried, grilled, broiled, or blackened) to the lobster Reubens, crab cakes, and coconut shrimp. Burgers, steaks, and ribs round out the menu. Hidden in a grove of banana and palm trees, the place opens for breakfast, lunch, Sunday brunch, and dinner.

Pizzas are the star of the show at this bustling trattoria a short walk from the Duval fray. The kitchen churns out a variety of Neopolitan pies from its 2-ton wood-fired oven made of bricks and stones from Mt. Vesuvius. Pastas run the gamut from gnocchi to buccatini done cacio e pepe (cheese and pepper) style. Antipasti and salads round out the lengthy menu.

Occupying a 1930s conch house with outdoor seating right alongside U.S. 1 under the sea-grape trees, this local favorite is all about the fish: yellowtail snapper, tuna, and mahimahi. Choose your favorite, then choose your preparation, such as the Hemingway, with a Parmesan crust, crabmeat, and key lime butter. A handful of vegan and vegetarian options also make this a good bet for those with dietary restrictions.

Sister restaurant to Blue Heaven, this colorful establishment sits on Higgs Beach, giving it one of the island's best lunch views—and a bit of sand and salt spray on a windy day. The intriguing menu is Italian with a Caribbean flair and will not disappoint. For dinner, popular dishes include linguine with mussels, lasagna, and white bean soup. At lunch the gazpacho refreshes and the yellowtail sandwich will having you singing "Amore."

Named for the award-winning jam-maker and pastry chef Sarabeth Levine, this locally owned restaurant serves all-day breakfast, best enjoyed in the picket-fenced front yard of a circa-1870 synagogue. Lemon ricotta pancakes, pumpkin waffles, and homemade jams make the meal. Lunch offerings range from a griddled smoked mozzarella sandwich to a poached salmon Cobb salad. Start dinner with the signature velvety cream of tomato soup or the roasted red beets and Gorgonzola salad.

In a lively waterfront setting, Snappers has live music, Sunday brunch (including a build-your-own Bloody Mary bar), killer rum drinks, and seating alongside the fishing dock. The crab cakes are famous, as is the Bahamian cocktail sauce that accompanies them. Catch of the day might include yellowtail snapper or seared yellowfin tuna steak with mojo aioli; the options change every day. Don't miss the raw bar or wahoo ceviche.

Treat yourself to a seafood lunch or dinner at this vaulted tiki hut at the foot of the Seven Mile Bridge. For lunch, try the Voodoo grouper sandwich topped with mango-guava mayo (and wear your swimsuit if you want to take a dip in the pool afterward); dinner specialties include a Brie-stuffed filet mignon and coconut curry lobster. This is a popular place to catch the sunset, hence the name.

Restaurants not on the water have to produce the highest-quality food to survive in the Keys. Try fish Matecumbe style—baked with tomatoes, capers, olive oil, and lemon juice—or the buttery pan-sautéed preparation. The side dishes can be bland: boiled red potatoes, a hunk of corn on the cob, or black beans and rice.