Brewery$$stock-islandTue-Thu 11:30-21:00; Fri 11:30-22:00; Sat 14:00-22:00; closed Sun-Mon
Cayo Hueso Brewing pours El Hemingway pale ale in a Stock Island beer garden near Key West, a Brewers Association certified-independent taproom.
Why locals love it: Stock Island's back-street taproom pours for shrimpers and marina workers a bridge past where most Key West visitors turn around.
Tip: Roostica's wood-fired pies serve the beer garden, and dogs are welcome outside; it is the locals' taproom of the four.
Cocktail bar$$old-townDaily 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.
Why locals love it: Half a block off Duval behind a liquor-store front, it pours caviar-service cocktails for locals while the crowds walk past.
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.
Cocktail bar$$duval-streetDaily 17:00-00:00
The Chart Room hides inside the Pier House Resort at mile zero of Duval, the wood-panelled Key West bar once frequented by Jimmy Buffett and Mel Fisher.
Why locals love it: A dozen seats buried inside the Pier House Resort, unmarked from the street and easy to miss even when you are looking for it.
Tip: The keywesttourist guide notes Buffett and treasure hunter Mel Fisher drank here; the room seats barely a dozen, so go at 17:00 sharp.
Coffee roaster$lower-keysDaily 06:00-17:00
Baby's Coffee has roasted 100% Arabica beans since 1991 and works from mile marker 15, the road-trip espresso stop on a Key West run up the Overseas Highway.
Why locals love it: It sits at mile marker 15 on the Overseas Highway, so only drivers and cyclists heading up the Keys ever find the roastery.
Tip: Look for the painted eye on the building at mile marker 15, about 20 minutes from Old Town; parking is easy.
Israeli$$bahama-villageSun-Fri 09:30-18:30; closed Saturday
Mam's Best Food is the Florida Keys' one kosher kitchen, an Israeli tented counter on Petronia Street under Florida Keys Kosher supervision.
Why locals love it: An Israeli grandmother's tented falafel counter on Petronia Street, known mostly to kosher travellers and Bahama Village neighbours.
Tip: It closes for Shabbat every Saturday and queues build in Jewish holiday weeks; the falafel and shawarma are made to order.
Mediterranean$$white-streetDaily 11:00-22:00
Oasis Mediterranean Cuisine hand-folds Turkic manti and khachapuri in a garden room on White Street, Key West's Central Asian outlier worth the detour.
Why locals love it: Hand-folded Uzbek manti and khachapuri on White Street, a Central Asian kitchen no cruise-day itinerary ever reaches.
Tip: The lush back garden is the seat to take; the somsa pastries and baklava travel well for a beach picnic.