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.
Cedar Key Seafood Festival: Oct. 18-19, 2025
Seafood festivals are common in Florida, but Cedar Key Seafood Festival is uncommonly appealing. Not only is Cedar Key historic and charming, it’s also clam capital of America.
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.
Florida lobster season ends March 31, reopens August 6
The sport mini-season is over and the regular season has begun. We offer hot tips on catching, cooking and eating Florida lobster — and leave some tips of your own in comments!
Claw your way to the 2025 Naples Stone Crab Festival Oct. 24-26
The Naples Stone Crab Festival marks the opening of stone crab season in Florida’s prime stone-crab harvest region.
Cortez Florida: Charming fishing village, perfect place for classic seafood shack
This authentic Florida fishing village near Bradenton is the perfect place to find classic seafood shacks — open air, casual with the freshest fish.
Cortez Fishing Festival: Feb. 14-15, 2026
This tiny fishing village wedged between Bradenton and Anna Marie Island celebrates its rich heritage as a commercial fishing hub.
A Florida delicacy: Invasive lionfish, fresh from the Keys
Lionfish are gobbling up native species on Florida Keys reefs. Now you can gobble them up instead.
Hogfish Grill: Where Key West locals go for fresh fish
Everyone wants to discover that funky inexpensive spot where locals go. In Key West, that would be Hogfish Bar & Grill on Stock Island, which wins raves for fresh off-the-boat seafood.
No Name Pub: Historic spot for funky Keys ambiance, food
No Name Pub has been around since the 1930s, and it looks like it. It offers tasty food in a historic building, but what makes this the king of Funky Florida is the decor: $90,000 (some say) stapled to the walls and ceiling.