Eat your way through Key West at these local favorite restaurants

Key West isn’t lacking in dining options, from white tablecloth-establishments to pizzerias, delis and an emerging number of hip food trucks. We found 14 of the best places to pull up a chair and order for various budgets.

Hot Tin Roof

Fine dining at its finest, Hot Tin Roof is a charming, upscale spot right on the docks at the Ocean Key Resort and Spa.

0 Duval St.

Key Plaza Creperie

It’s off the beaten path - all the way to the suburbanesque outskirts of Key West called New Town, But KPC is a worthy contender with its sweet crêpes and savory galettes. Well worth the ride from Duval Street.

1105 Key Plaza

Latitudes

You have to call ahead for reservations, which include a short ferry trip from Key West to lavish Sunset Key where private cottages dot the island, but here you will enjoy beachside dining at its best.

245 Front St., Sunset Key

Santiago’s Bodega

This tapas forward spot is a Bahama Village neighborhood staple where small plates live large and the wine menu runs deep. They even make roasted Brussels sprouts taste divine.

207 Petronia St.

Blue Heaven

Famous for seafood and Key Lime pie piled high - very high - with meringue, Blue Heaven is a comfy place in Bahama Village where dogs are welcome to sit beside you in the outside dining area.

729 Thomas St.

Garbo’s Grill

Tacos and burritos and burgers and dogs, this food truck has its bases covered. Try the Yum Yum Shrimp tacos or the 1/2 pound Angus “Umamiburger.”

409 Caroline St.

Moondog Cafe and Bakery

A new kid on the block next door to Ernest Hemingway’s old home, Moondog’s menu offers fancy Angus burgers including a French number with brie and a “godfather” special with mozzarella. Just try to pass by the bakery counter on the way out without indulging.

823 Whitehead St.

Clemente’s Trolley Pizzeria

What started off as a food truck with a wood-fired pizza oven inside now has a brick-and-mortar space downtown. The pizza, in a town not famous for it, never disappoints.

516 Fleming St.

Matt’s Stock Island Kitchen and Bar

Located in the Perry Hotel, Matt’s specializes in “American Coastal Comfort Food,” serving up an impressive brunch on Sundays and breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Try the whole roasted yellowtail for two, black grouper or espresso braised short rib. Dessert includes “beer floats” and a s’mores milkshake.

7001 Shrimp Road, Stock Island

Onlywood

Now with two locations downtown, Onlywood lives up to its name with Italian pizza pies baked only in massive brick oven. They make pizza in the Neapolitan pizza style. Italian dishes - homemade gnocchi and Bolognese sauce - abound. Expect to leave with a to-go box. They even make their own mozzarella.

613 1/2 Duval St. and 725 Caroline St.

Little Pearl

Want seafood? This neighborhood wine bar and restaurant bills itself as offering the perfect intimate dining. Try the Bangkok octopus or sauteed escargots as appetizers. Entrees include local snapper and swordfish daily along with grilled yellowfin tuna or grilled wahoo.

632 Olivia St.

Louie’s Backyard

From wedding receptions to birthday parties and romantic nights out, Louie’s takes the cake for fine dining in Key West. Perched aside a beach, the stately mansion offers outside deck dining, too.

700 Waddell Ave.

The Stoned Crab

Yes, it has delectable stone crab, along with fresh fish daily. The “Stoned Lobster,” inspired by Hurricane Irma, combines stone crab, lobster and Key West pink shrimp. Those are the varieties of seafood found in lobster traps post-Irma. The menu constantly changes based on what’s fresh that day. The restaurant has two private fishing boats that deliver fresh catches to the eatery daily.

3101 N. Roosevelt Blvd.

El Siboney

A classic, family-friendly neighborhood Cuban eatery, the super casual El Siboney will make your mouth water for roast pork, a Cuban mix sandwich, steak or paella valenciana. It has two locations - one in Key West proper and the other on the nearby Stock Island, just north of Key West.

900 Catherine St. and 5501 5th St., Stock Island

This story was originally published March 18, 2019 at 10:24 AM.

Gwen Filosa

Miami Herald

Gwen Filosa covers Key West and the Lower Florida Keys for FLKeysNews.com and the Miami Herald and lives in Key West. She was part of the staff at the New Orleans Times-Picayune that in 2005 won two Pulitzer Prizes for coverage of Hurricane Katrina. She graduated from Indiana University.