Dinner recommendation

Taking a land vacation to KW...interested in a great place for dinner that won't break the bank..would esp like to hear from the locals as to their favorite places....

Also, a great place for drinks...

thanks in advance!!

Taking a land vacation to KW...interested in a great place for dinner that won't break the bank..would esp like to hear from the locals as to their favorite places....

Also, a great place for drinks...

thanks in advance!!

Suggestions...

1. Columbian Grace, a relatively new restaurant on Petronia for spicey food. Sit upstairs but outdoors on the veranda. (yellowtail! platter)

http://www.colombiangrace.com/About_Colombian_Grace.html

2. Pepe's on Caroline, one of the oldest restaurants in Key West. Sit in the small dining garden and take note of the lighting.

http://pepescafe.net/

3. El Meson de Pepe just of Mallory Square for Cuban food. They have two Cuban samplers which are good enough to share (#81 or #82). Sit outside on their veranda and listen to the live music

http://www.elmesondepepe.com/

Note that El Meson de Pepe adds an 18% automatic tip to the bill.

Pjk

You know, I agree that Columbian Grace has really good food. Sadly, the owner is not so nice, so I have taken my dining dollars elsewhere...

That said, two of my absolute favorites are Azur (http://www.azurkeywest.com) and The Flaming Buoy (http://theflamingbuoy.com). Flaming buoy, especially, is quite reasonable. It is a little hard to find, but wherever you are staying can direct you easily.

Enjoy!

http://FloridaKeysGirl.com

One more on the drinks side...

great places include Cork and Stogie (on upper Duval) for nice wine on the porch; The Porch on Caroline Street (it is behind door number 2, once inside the building) for an awesome beer selection; and Orchid Key bar, for one that is near-impossible to find!

http://FloridaKeysGirl.com

Thank you both so much! We will be there 5 nites for the poker run.. never been to KW so we are staying after the bikers leave to enjoy your beautiful island. What are some of the MUST DO things? And do you recommend a beach day say on Mon? So many things I have read say the beaches are not very good. Should we just spend time exploring the island? Again...thank you both so much!!!!

Been to KW more than a dozen times. Here are our dinner favorites that won't break the bank:

Rooftop Cafe, Abondazza, Columbia Grace, El Siboney, Seven Fish, Blue Heaven.

More $$--Louie's Backyard, Cafe Marquesa

Been to KW more than a dozen times. Here are our dinner favorites that won't break the bank:

Rooftop Cafe, Abondazza, Columbia Grace, El Siboney, Seven Fish, Blue Heaven.

More $$--Louie's Backyard, Cafe Marquesa

El Siboney is good - but it is super casual... more of a diner than anything else. It is really good, though. Good suggestion!

Seven Fish has excellent food. They tend to rush you a bit, but the warm grouper roll is truly amazing!

Blue Heaven is always great. Be prepared to wait a long time. Have a snack before you go, especially if it is for breakfast (yes, the wait can be 90 minutes. yikes)

The Upper Deck at Louie's is also amazing and won't break the bank!

You can never go wrong with cafe Marquesa.

personally, I would pass on abbondanza - too many other good places for their mediocre (at best) service!

Do report back what you plan on trying, and after you have tried them!

http://FloridaKeysGirl.com

Since you asked for a local's advise, here it is: Go to Santiago's Bodega for great food at great prices. I also agree with Azur and Flaming bouy. 7 Fish is OK, but far to rushed to enjoy. Finally, there are many tourist traps in Key West often recommended by frequent visitors. Avoid them, and stick to recommendations from Locals. For good drinks, try the outside bar at La Te Da, or for a good wine bar, head to Vino's on Duval. Enjoy!

Since you asked for a local's advise, here it is: Go to Santiago's Bodega for great food at great prices. I also agree with Azur and Flaming bouy. 7 Fish is OK, but far to rushed to enjoy. Finally, there are many tourist traps in Key West often recommended by frequent visitors. Avoid them, and stick to recommendations from Locals. For good drinks, try the outside bar at La Te Da, or for a good wine bar, head to Vino's on Duval. Enjoy!

Agree about Vino's, 100%

http://FloridaKeysGirl.com

Muah! Thank you all so very much. Love it!! I definitely want to try where the locals go...tourists places are everywhere..me, I want to go somewhere else. Definitely will map all the recommendations and try to try them all, at least for a drink and/or appetizer.

Thinking of staying at the Key Lime Inn on Truman Ave...they seem to have the best parking option and it looks like a nice place, close to most things...Any opinions on that?

We won't be there till Sept but will definitely report back. I over research everything.....not sure how we ever took a vacation before computers...LOL

Thanks again!!!!!

We are local - have stayed at Key Lime Inn and it was nice. Parking - well that all depends on how booked they are. We pulled in on a crowded weekend only to find that they don't have ample parking. Unfortunately they don't tell you that when you book.

We were able to find street parking, but it was annoying.

Parking is troublesome in KW.

The good news is that you can walk to almost everything from that spot, so once you find a spot you can stay put.

Enjoy!

Key Lime Inn is in a central location and gets good reviews.

I love El Siboney -- it's one of our favorites and we eat there almost every time we visit Key West. We like Pepe's Cafe for breakfast and lunch and Blue Heaven for breakfast only (I wasn't impressed with the lunch we had there). Finnegan's Wake is another favorite of ours -- great food and lots of different beers on tap.

A new restaurant I can't wait to try that is getting very good reviews is Sweet Tea's on Upper Duval. The menu has a lot of southern style comfort food on it and the prices are very reasonable.

Thanks everyone...definitely calling Key Lime today! Sounds like the best fit for us.

Going to try a lot of the restaurants recommended. We are only staying 5 nites! How are we gonna try them all?:confused: That is one of the things I look forward to most on vacation is eating out!

Have read great reviews on Sweet Tea...hoping it is still there in Sept!

I looked at the menu for El Siboney...never eaten Cuban food before and wouldn't know what to order...Help!

Have read great reviews on Sweet Tea...hoping it is still there in Sept!

 

I looked at the menu for El Siboney...never eaten Cuban food before and wouldn't know what to order...Help!

Sweet Tea's nothing short of terrific in both price and food quality and Tom Luna makes it even better, don't miss it.

At El Siboney you must try the Ropa Vieja or the ultimate. . . Paella to die for.

Mike:)

At El Siboney you must try the Ropa Vieja or the ultimate. . . Paella to die for.

 

Mike:)

Be sure to order the yellow rice and bean sides at El Siboney, instead of the more American options. That's my favorite part of the meal. I sometimes just order those and take a few bites of my DH's main dish---portions are large. Dishes also come with yummy fried plaintains.

We're actually going to stay at Key Lime Inn for a few days next week. Never stayed there before as we usually go for longer and stay in a condo, but several people recommended it. Will tell you what I think when we're back.

At El Siboney you must try the Ropa Vieja

 

Mike:)

My absolute favorite item on their menu. I like their Cuban Mix sandwich with a side of black beans, too. YUM

This is the latest I could find mentioning Columbian Grace. It closed last year (or the year before) but Zulma, the owner, is back. Her new restaurant is called Bliss with the same menu as Columbian Grace and the same hours, only serving breakfast on the weekends. She is close to her old location on Petronia but where Better Than Sex used to be at 411.

Pjk

Another vote for El Siboney. I like the Siboney Steak. It's so good, I never have ordered anything else! Also agree to get the rice, beans & plantains with it.

Agree with the previous poster on Finegans Wake as well. Great beer selection according to my husband, (I don't drink beer, but I do like their Woodchuck Pear Cider). We really like the hot wings at Finegans. They seem bigger than most wings.

We like to go to Happy Hour at Alonzo's Oyster House. They have a great selection of Happy Hour Food - one whole page of their menu. We also enjoy Happy Hour at The Boathouse. Not as much seafood offerings as Happy Hour at Alonzos, but, I enjoy the occasional Happy Hour Filet Mignon KaBob and my husband loves their Happy Hour Lamb Chops. And the bread. You MUST have the bread at the Boat House!!

If you want pizza while you are here - try the pizza and the Gelato at Duetto's. Not many places to sit, and not formal at all - but a great lunch! My husband is Italian, and he claims this is the best pizza on the island.

Garbo's Grill is yummy - however - now that Guy Fieri has featured them on Diners Drive Ins and Dives, sometimes the wait can be long. But worth it! The best fish tacos you will have!! This is a food cart - there are a few benches and coolers to sit on, and they are only open for lunch.

Last, if you want some good Thai Food - try Thai Island on Palm Avenue. We like to sit outside and enjoy the water view.

We aren't fancy folks - so none of my offerings are very "fancy" - but as locals, it's where we like to go!

Have Fun!!

Sweet Tea's nothing short of terrific in both price and food quality and Tom Luna makes it even better, don't miss it.

 

At El Siboney you must try the Ropa Vieja or the ultimate. . . Paella to die for.

 

Mike:)

Mike, what is Ropa Vieja??

Mike, what is Ropa Vieja??

It is a shredded beef with a tomato sauce served over rice, quite tasty.

Mike:)

Try Amigos for fresh and tasty Mexican food. It is reasonably priced and casual.:cool:

Used to live in KW, go back once or twice a year. At 4 pm you will always find me at Two Friends Patio Bar on front Street, where it's Happy Hour for appetizers and their massive steamed shrimp are an amazing deal. Another place I still enjoy is Antonia's on Duval. I've never had a bad time (or meal) there.

We're not locals but a place we think is great for dinner is Michaels, in Old Town. I beleive it is frequented by many locals. We've have several excellent meals there. If you like fondue, they have some great ones.

We're not locals but a place we think is great for dinner is Michaels, in Old Town. I beleive it is frequented by many locals. We've have several excellent meals there. If you like fondue, they have some great ones.

Another vote for Michael's. It might be higher priced than the OP was asking for. THe OP wanted places that wouldn't "break the bank." It is hard to know what price point they prefer for a meal.

As an aside Key West has so many interesting restaurants, that we can't mange to eat at all of our favorites on our typical three or four night trips to the area. I do not consider our favorites to be tourist traps per se. If the food is excellent, the service is excellent and the setting is enjoyable, I don't call that a tourist trap.

I can think of a particular tourist trap (a chain) on Duval where the price is low to moderate. It is always packed with tourists. I ate there once and would not eat there again no matter what the price of the meal was.

I just got back from my usual May vacation in Key West and had dinner at Bliss, formerly Columbian Grace, at 411 Petronia St. It is a good as the former restaurant was, serving the same foods and with a glass of free Sangria with dinner.

Another nice dinner was at the Rooftop Café sitting outside with a good view of the Wrecker's tower.

Pjk