15 bars in Key West, editor-picked for bars open late. Bars serving past 23:00. All bars in Key West.
The Green Parrot ★ 4.8
old-town · 601 Whitehead Street, Key West, FL 33040
Hours: Sun-Thu 10:00-02:00; Fri-Sat 10:00-04:00
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.
Tip: There is no kitchen, only free popcorn, and outside food is welcome; soundchecks around 17:30 are a show in themselves.
The Rum Bar ★ 4.6
duval-street · 1117 Duval St, Key West, FL 33040
Hours: Daily 11:00-23:00
The Rum Bar pours one of Key West's deepest rum lists on the Speakeasy Inn porch, an upper Duval house whose basement once hid Prohibition bottles.
Tip: Ask the bartender to build a three-pour flight by island; the porch rockers are the best seats on upper Duval.
Sloppy Joe's Bar ★ 4.4
duval-street · 201 Duval Street, Key West, FL 33040
Hours: Mon-Sat 09:00-04:00; Sun 10:00-04:00
Sloppy Joe's opened with Prohibition's end in 1933 and has held Duval and Greene since 1937, a National Register Key West saloon with all-day live music.
Tip: The operator dates the bar to 1933 and this corner to 1937; July's Hemingway Look-Alike Contest is the rowdiest week to visit.
Schooner Wharf Bar ★ 4.4
historic-seaport · 202 William Street, Key West, FL 33040
Hours: Daily 08:00-02:00
Schooner Wharf Bar has held the old Singleton shrimp-factory site on Key West's bight since 1984, an open-air deck of roosters, rum and live music.
Tip: Breakfast starts at 08:00 Friday to Sunday and 08:30 Monday to Thursday; the bar calls itself a last little piece of old Key West.
Berlin's Cocktail Bar & Lounge ★ 4.4
historic-seaport · 700 Front Street, Key West, FL 33040
Hours: Daily 17:00-23:00
Berlin's hides behind A&B Lobster House above Key West's harbour, a leather-chair speakeasy the operator dates as a local favourite since 1947.
Tip: You can order the full A&B menu at the bar, and the cigar terrace overlooks the marina; jazz nights run in season.
Captain Tony's Saloon ★ 4.3
duval-street · 428 Greene St, Key West, FL 33040
Hours: Mon-Sat 10:00-02:00; Sun 10:30-01:00
Captain Tony's Saloon drinks inside an 1851 icehouse on Greene Street, the Key West bar that claims Hemingway's patronage and a tree through the roof.
Tip: The operator says the building was an icehouse and morgue and that Hemingway drank here; both bars on this block claim him, so enjoy the argument.
General Horseplay ★ 4.3
historic-seaport · 423 Caroline Street, Key West, FL 33040
Hours: Mon-Fri 15:00-02:00; Sat-Sun 12:00-02:00
General Horseplay mixes proper cocktails and pours craft beer on Caroline Street in Key West, with a hidden back bar opening nightly at 19:00.
Tip: The back bar opens at 19:00 and feels like a second, smaller venue; sister rooms include Mary Ellen's and The Roost.
The Roost ★ 4.3
old-town · 508 Fleming St, Key West, FL 33040
Hours: Daily 12:00-23:00
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.
Tip: Happy hour runs 12:00 to 18:00 and the caviar-and-cosmopolitan order is the move; bottles to go from the shop shelves.
Mary Ellen's Bar & Kitchen ★ 4.2
old-town · 420 Appelrouth Lane, Key West, FL 33040
Hours: Daily 11:30-02:00
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.
Tip: Appelrouth Lane is easy to walk past; the kitchen serves late, which makes it the grown-up alternative to pizza slices.
Chart Room Bar ★ 4.2
duval-street · 1 Duval Street, Key West, FL 33040
Hours: Daily 17:00-00:00
The Chart Room hides inside the Pier House Resort at mile zero of Duval, the wood-panelled Key West bar once frequented by Jimmy Buffett and Mel Fisher.
Tip: The keywesttourist guide notes Buffett and treasure hunter Mel Fisher drank here; the room seats barely a dozen, so go at 17:00 sharp.
Tiki House ★ 4.1
duval-street · 203 Duval Street, Key West, FL 33040
Hours: Daily 12:00-02:00
Tiki House shakes zombies and mai tais with fresh fruit on lower Duval in Key West, the island's dedicated tiki room from the Horseplay bar family.
Tip: Happy hour runs 12:00 to 15:00 before the street gets loud; the rum build quality beats the location's spring-break stereotype.
Hog's Breath Saloon ★ 4.0
duval-street · 400 Front Street, Key West, FL 33040
Hours: Daily 10:00-02:00
Hog's Breath Saloon works an open-air corner near Mallory Square, the Key West room of a saloon brand founded in Florida in 1976, with all-day bands.
Tip: Live music runs from 13:00 to close most days; the raw bar side is quieter than the stage side if you want to talk.
The Smallest Bar ★ 4.0
duval-street · 124 Duval St, Key West, FL 33040
Hours: Daily 11:00-23:00
The Smallest Bar squeezes a full Key West cocktail list into 72 square feet on lower Duval, claiming the title of the tiniest bar in the United States.
Tip: The operator claims 72 square feet and America's smallest-bar title; the Key Lime Pie shot is the thing to order at the ledge.
Irish Kevin's ★ 4.0
duval-street · 211 Duval Street, Key West, FL 33040
Hours: Daily 11:00-03:30
Irish Kevin's has run singalong sets on lower Duval since July 1998, a Key West show bar pouring Irish beer with a kitchen that serves until 23:00.
Tip: Entertainers work the crowd hard, so sit back from the stage if you would rather not be part of the act.
Willie T's ★ 4.0
duval-street · 525 Duval Street, Key West, FL 33040
Hours: Mon-Thu 10:00-02:00; Fri-Sat 10:00-04:00; Sun 10:00-02:00
Willie T's papers its Duval Street porch in signed dollar bills and pours mojitos over live music from 11:00 to 01:30, with a full Key West seafood menu.
Tip: Add your own signed dollar to the tens of thousands on the walls; the kitchen serves lunch through late night.