A no-bake custard of sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks and key lime juice set in a graham or pastry crust, finished with meringue or whipped cream. Key West's argument in dessert form.
Nobody has documented who baked the first one. The Curry Mansion in Key West credits Aunt Sally, the cook for salvage millionaire William Curry (1821-1896), with making the pie in the late 1800s. A competing account, held by local historians, gives it to Key West sponge fishermen, who carried tinned sweetened condensed milk to sea and combined it with egg yolks and key lime juice, the acid setting the custard without an oven. Both stories are told locally as fact and neither is proven; the first written recipes only appear in the 1930s. Florida made key lime pie the official state pie on 1 July 2006.
5 editor picks for Key lime pie in Key West, ranked by editorial score. All Key West signature dishes · Key lime pie across every city.
Blue Heaven ★ 4.8
bahama-village · 729 Thomas St, Key West, FL 33040
Blue Heaven is Key West's chicken-crossed Bahama Village courtyard, Michelin Recommended in the 2026 Florida guide for pancakes, shrimp and key lime pie.
Moondog Cafe & Bakery ★ 4.7
bahama-village · 823 Whitehead Street, Key West, FL 33040
Moondog Cafe & Bakery won the Florida Keys' first Bib Gourmand in Michelin's 2026 guide, an all-day Key West patio of tacos, quiche and charred-meringue pie.
Kermit's Key West Key Lime Shoppe ★ 4.5
historic-seaport · 200 Elizabeth Street, Key West, FL 33040
Kermit's Key West Key Lime Shoppe sells pie whole, by the slice and frozen on a stick at Elizabeth Street, the island's best-known key lime storefront.
Old Town Bakery ★ 4.5
old-town · 930 Eaton Street, Key West, FL 33040
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
old-town · 511 Greene St, Key West, FL 33040
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.