Key West has so many restaurants that it’s hard to make a decision where to eat. Here’s an intriguing list of restaurants filled with local color and character. It started with recommendations from a fellow blogger who ate his way through Key West.
Florida Seafood

Florida Seafood
Florida’s seafood industry accounts for more than 84 percent of the nation’s grouper, pompano, mullet, stone crab, pink shrimp, spiny lobsters and Spanish mackerel.
Stone crabs right at home in historic Everglades City
Stone crab season starts Oct. 15 and Everglades City, a small, isolated fishing village south of Naples, is a place to feast on this Florida favorite in an authentic Old Florida atmosphere.
Three events kick off Florida’s seafood festivals season this weekend
Seafood festivals in Pensacola, Destin and Panacea kick off Florida’s Seafood Festival Season with fresh local seafood from the Gulf served by local restaurants, charter captains and non-profit organizations.
Florida Seafood Festivals Calendar 2026-2027
Updated and revised for the 2026-27 season, our Seafood Festival Calendar covers every corner of the state.
Florida spiny lobster season opens
Freshly harvested spiny lobsters are already appearing in seafood markets and restaurants. And recreation divers can get back in the water. The season ends next March.
Goodrich Seafood & historic national park site make Oak Hill worth discovering
Driving U.S. 1 north of Titusville, you would never know Oak Hill even existed. But this gateway to the Mosquito Lagoon is worth finding. There’s fascinating history, a great fishing pier and the sort of atmospheric, out-of-the-way waterfront seafood shack that we love to discover.
Tiki bars you’ll love in the Florida Keys
If you want to savor the flavor of the Florida Keys, spend a little time at a tiki bar. Our favorites profiled here are unpretentious waterfront spots where you’ll get good fresh fish, fried everything and a big serving of Keys atmosphere.
Diners & Dive Bars: Favorite pit stops along the Overseas Highway
The best road food along the Overseas Highway is served out of a handful of iconic kitchens, legendary Florida Keys diners and dive bars.
St. Augustine Seafood Fest: March 20-21, 2027
This weekend’s St. Augustine Lions Club Spring Festival has reimagined its seafood festival past.
Marathon Seafood Festival: March 13-14, 2027
The Marathon Seafood Festival calls itself the Original Marathon Seafood Festival to emphasize it’s the real deal – indigenous and authentic. Marathon is a fishing town, and you don’t get fish any fresher than here, unless you catch it yourself.
Four Florida Keys restaurants that are hard to find but worth it
Four of my favorite stops in the Keys are a little hard to find, and that’s part of their charm. They’re off the Overseas Highway in neighborhoods — and they’re worth discovering.
Everglades Seafood Festival, February 19-21, 2027
The Everglades Seafood Festival in Everglades City brings fresh local seafood, country music, carnival rides and arts and crafts to this historic outpost on the edge of the Everglades.
