Mary Ellen's Bar & Kitchen ★ 4.2
$$old-townDaily 11:30-02:00
Mary Ellen's serves grilled cheese down an Appelrouth Lane alley until 02:00, the late Key West kitchen that beats a pizza slice after Duval Street.
Tip: Appelrouth Lane is easy to walk past; the kitchen serves late, which makes it the grown-up alternative to pizza slices.
The Green Parrot ★ 4.8
$old-townSun-Thu 10:00-02:00; Fri-Sat 10:00-04:00
The Green Parrot has poured at Whitehead and Southard since 1890 by its own count, Key West's open-shuttered dive with free popcorn and nightly bands.
Tip: There is no kitchen, only free popcorn, and outside food is welcome; soundchecks around 17:30 are a show in themselves.
Sloppy Joe's Bar ★ 4.4
$$duval-streetMon-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
$$historic-seaportDaily 08:00-02:00
Schooner Wharf Bar has held the old Singleton shrimp-factory site on Key West's bight since 1984, an open-air deck of roosters, rum and live music.
Tip: Breakfast starts at 08:00 Friday to Sunday and 08:30 Monday to Thursday; the bar calls itself a last little piece of old Key West.
Hog's Breath Saloon ★ 4.0
$$duval-streetDaily 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.
Irish Kevin's ★ 4.0
$$duval-streetDaily 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.