Eat in Old Town, Key West

El Meson de Pepe

• ★ 4.3
• Cuban
• $$

Order Ropa vieja with black beans and plantains

El Meson de Pepe plates ropa vieja and lechon asado beside Mallory Square in Key West, run by the Diaz family with salsa bands playing at sunset.

Two Friends Patio Restaurant

• ★ 4.0
• Seafood
• $$

Order Basin Street broiled oysters, then a Bloody Mary on the patio

Two Friends Patio Restaurant has poured Bloody Marys and broiled oysters under a covered Key West patio since the saloon days, with live music from 08:00.

Thirsty Mermaid

• ★ 4.5
• Seafood
• $$$

Order The daily oyster selection with local ceviche

Thirsty Mermaid runs a jewel-box raw bar on Fleming Street in Key West, rotating daily oysters beside local ceviche and pan-sauteed yellowtail snapper.

Azur Restaurant

• ★ 4.4
• Mediterranean
• $$$

Order Brunch on the terrace, then whatever pasta is on that night

Azur Restaurant cooks Mediterranean dinners and one of Key West's favourite brunches from a shaded corner of Grinnell Street, a few blocks off Duval.

Latitudes

• ★ 4.6
• $$$$

Order Red snapper at a sand-side table before sunset

Latitudes seats you on Sunset Key's beach after a short ferry from Key West, plating snapper and lobster bisque with the Gulf horizon as the back wall.

Little Pearl

• ★ 4.8
• Seafood
• $$$$

Order The four-course chef's tasting built on the local catch

Little Pearl runs a four-course local-seafood tasting menu from a corner cottage on Olivia Street in Key West, with a deep cellar and three set seatings.

Cafe Marquesa

• ★ 4.7
• $$$$

Order Crispy yellowtail snapper with shoestring potatoes

Cafe Marquesa is the Marquesa Hotel's 50-seat dining room in Key West, where chef Travis Lee crisps yellowtail snapper and plates oysters nightly.

The Flaming Buoy Filet Co

• ★ 4.5
• $$$

Order Yellowtail snapper with banana salsa

The Flaming Buoy Filet Co plays retro supper club on Eaton Street in Key West, searing yellowtail snapper with banana salsa under Star Wars memorabilia.

Frita's Cuban Burger Cafe

• ★ 4.3
• Cuban
• $$

Order The traditional frita with its crown of fried potato strings

Frita's Cuban Burger Cafe keeps a Key West lunch under $15 with Havana-style fritas, tacos and yuca fries on a bright patio just off Southard Street.

5 Brothers Grocery & Sandwich Shop

• ★ 4.7
• Cuban
• $

Order Cuban mix pressed hot, plus a bag of bollos

5 Brothers Grocery has pressed Cuban mixes and poured con leche at Southard and Grinnell in Key West since 1978, a family corner store with a bench crew.

Amigos Tortilla Bar

• ★ 4.2
• Mexican
• $$

Order Baja fish tacos and the fire-roasted corn

Amigos Tortilla Bar folds its signature square tacos a block off Mallory Square in Key West, with fire-roasted corn and carne asada nachos to match.

Mr Z's

• ★ 4.1
• American
• $

Order The classic ribeye cheesesteak with white American

Mr Z's has griddled Amoroso-roll cheesesteaks and pizza on Southard Street in Key West since 2002, the counter the bars empty into after closing time.

Mary Ellen's Bar & Kitchen

• ★ 4.2
• American
• $$

Order A grilled cheese from the nine varieties, with the dipping sauces

Mary Ellen's serves grilled cheese down an Appelrouth Lane alley until 02:00, the late Key West kitchen that beats a pizza slice after Duval Street.

First Flight Island Restaurant & Brewery

• ★ 4.2
• New American
• $$

Order The local catch with a Main Squeeze citrus wheat ale

First Flight serves chef-driven plates and house beer in the 1927 building where Pan Am sold its first tickets, under a Key West garden tree canopy.

Date & Thyme

• ★ 4.4
• Café
• $$

Order An acai bowl and a cold-pressed juice on the deck

Date & Thyme runs an organic cafe and market out of an old Key West petrol station on Fleming Street, pressing juices and building vegan-friendly bowls.

Glazed Donuts

• ★ 4.5
• Bakery
• $$

Order The key lime doughnut with torched meringue

Glazed Donuts fries small-batch rings on Eaton Street in Key West, glazing them with hibiscus, guava and key lime and pouring Red Buoy house coffee.

Old Town Bakery

• ★ 4.5
• Bakery
• $$

Order A sticky bun in the morning, a slice of key lime pie after

Old Town Bakery laminates croissants and pulls baguettes from a conch house at Eaton and Grinnell, and turns out a key lime pie the neighbourhood rates.

Key West Key Lime Pie Co

• ★ 4.3
• Bakery
• $$

Order Key lime pie in a cup to walk with, or the chocolate-dipped bar

Key West Key Lime Pie Co bakes its family-recipe pies on Greene Street, selling slices, frozen chocolate-dipped bars and mini pie-making classes.

Red Buoy Coffee

• ★ 4.2
• Coffee roaster
• $$

Red Buoy Coffee roasts street-named house blends inside Glazed Donuts on Eaton Street, pairing Key West espresso with the key lime doughnut counter.

Cuban Coffee Queen Roasters

• ★ 4.3
• Coffee roaster
• $

Cuban Coffee Queen Roasters supplies the beans behind Key West's favourite con leche windows from a courtyard roastery off Southard at Key Lime Square.

The Green Parrot

• ★ 4.8
• Dive bar and music room
• $

Drink Cold draft with free popcorn

The Green Parrot has poured at Whitehead and Southard since 1890 by its own count, Key West's open-shuttered dive with free popcorn and nightly bands.

The Roost

• ★ 4.3
• Cocktail bar and liquor store
• $$

Drink Wednesday old fashioneds

The Roost pairs serious old fashioneds with caviar service half a block off Duval in Key West, doubling as the neighbourhood's corner liquor store.

Southernmost Pint Brewpub

• ★ 4.1
• Brewery
• $$

Order A Save the Day IPA flight under the projection screen

Southernmost Pint pours up to 18 house taps from its Blast Beer Co brewery on Front Street in Key West, brewing every beer gluten-reduced or removed.

Truman Waterfront Farmers Market

• ★ 4.2

Truman Waterfront Farmers Market fills Key West's harbour park every Thursday with fresh produce, local seafood, baked goods and island-inspired hot bites.

Sugar Apple Organic Cafe & Market

• ★ 4.2

Sugar Apple runs Key West's organic grocery shelves next to a fully plant-based cafe and juice bar on Simonton Street, the market open later than the kitchen.

Date & Thyme Market

• ★ 4.3

Date & Thyme's market half stocks organic produce, superfoods and grab-and-go vegan meals in a converted Key West petrol station on Fleming Street.