Showing 1-15 of 15 results
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B.O.'s Fish Wagon
This looks like the backyard shed of a crazy old fisherman (but in a good way). De-lish sandwiches, conch fritters and cold beer - not to mention great prices - will win over any scaredy-cats in your group.
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Blue Heaven
Proof that location is nearly everything, this is one of the quirkiest venues on an island of oddities. Customers and a local chicken flock dine in the spacious courtyard where Hemingway once officiated boxing matches; restrooms are in the adjacent former brothel. But Blue Heaven may have become a victim of its own success. It's sometimes uncomfortably crowded, and the food is hit or miss, even on basics as simple as cornbread.
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Café
The Café is the only place in Key West that exclusively caters to herbivores. By day, it's a cute, sunny, earthy-crunchy luncheonette; by night, with flickering votive candles and a classy main dish (grilled, blackened tofu and polenta cakes), it's a sultry-but-healthy dining destination.
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Café Solé
Conch carpaccio with capers? Yellowtail fillet and foie gras? Oh yes. This locally and critically acclaimed venue is known for its cozy back porch ambience and innovative menus, cobbled together by a chef trained in Southern French techniques who works with island ingredients. The memory of the anchovies on crostini makes us smile as we type. It's simple - fish on toast! - but it's the sort of simple yet delicious that makes you feel like mom's whipped up something special for Sunday dinner.
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Camille's
This healthy-and-tasty neighborhood joint is the kind of place where players on the Key West High School softball team are served by friends from their science class, and the hostess is the pitcher's mom. But it's also the kind of place where the homey facade conceals a sharp kitchen that makes a mean chicken salad sandwich.
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Coffee Plantation
Housed in a conch house dating back to 1890, Coffee Plantation has the best coffee in town. And if you need to get online, it's the best internet café around (with free wi-fi).
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Conch Town Cafe
Too many people ignore this walk-up/carry-out, with its plastic patio furniture and scruffy island vibe. It's a shame, as it serves conch - good for more than listening to the ocean - deliciously 'cracked' (deep-fried) with a lip-puckeringly sour lime marinade. You'll be tempted to wash it down with the house-made smoothies, but be warned: they're more milky than refreshing.
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El Siboney
This is a rough and ready Cuban joint where the portions are big and there's no screwing around with either high-end embellishment or a lesser theme restaurant's bells and whistles. It's rice, it's beans, it's cooked with a craftman's pride, and it's good.
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Fausto's Food Palace
Opened in 1926 by Cuban grocer Faustino 'Fausto' Castillo, this grocery store has a well-stocked deli case, making it a good stop for picnic supplies. Second location at 1105 White St.
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Flamingo Crossing Ice Cream
It's fresh, it's homemade, it's the best damn 'scream on the island. The butter pecan and mint chocolate chip (Together. Trust us) are almost as nice as the impeccable service.
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Louie's Backyard
The penultimate fancy dinner spot, with a prime waterfront location, bustles every evening with a somewhat stuffy yet sophisticated group of foodies. You can join them for fresh fish dishes that have a tasty Caribbean twist. A drink at the alfresco bar is also a treat. Reservations suggested.
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Nine One Five
There is a war being raged for Duval St's identity. On the one side: an army of alcoholic aggression and tribal band tattoos. On the other: this immaculate, modern and elegant eating experience, with its creative, New American-dips-into-Asia menu. Korean ribs over pad thai show Eastern promise, but scallops sizzling in black truffle butter are deliriously French. The excellent interior artwork is a nice touch.
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Salsa Loca
Across the Keys, everyone from bartenders to developers to fishermen are swearing by the Mexican food at this colorful spot, with its tropical-night-and-tequila scented backyard patio. Of course, the bucket-deep margaritas probably improve everyone's impression of the place.
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Seven Fish
This simple yet elegant tucked-away storefront is the perfect place for a romantic feast of homemade gnocchi or sublime banana chicken. The dining room might be the zen-est interior in the islands.
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Thai Cuisine
There's surprisingly good Thai to be had here near the top of Duval. It's not Bangkok, but the weather's just as nice and there are no tuk-tuk drivers or ladyboys interrupting your meal.
Showing 1-15 of 15 results
