Top 10 Restaurants in Key West

I am still in Key West thanks to Hurricane Sandy.  Our flight was cancelled for our return to Philadelphia.  We were lucky that our house up North survived without any damage and just a short power outage.  I hope you all fared as well.

 

Since we are heading home tomorrow, I became nostalgic, thinking about all the wonderful meals we have had here over the years.  It's restaurant heaven. 

 There is everything from fish shacks to  Zagat rated restaurants.  We have been coming here for 14 years off and on, and we have not touched the tip of the iceberg in terms of where we have eaten.

 

 I felt some consolation the other day when I heard a local newscaster on the TV saying that you can eat at a different restaurant every day for a year and not eat at the same place twice. 

 

So I have assembled my top ten favorites, if any of you head down this way.  There was a bunch of discussion among my family members as to which restaurants should be in the top ten, but since this is my blog, it's my list!! I had trouble ranking them because I love them all so the list is random. 

 

1. Southernmost Cafe - One of my favorite breakfast spots on the beach with a view of the Atlantic Ocean.

2.  Blue Heaven - An iconic outdoors breakfast locale with chickens roaming around while you eat.

3.  Santiago's Bodega - great tapas

4.  Marquesa - a white tablecloth restaurant that I've read is Tom Colicchio's (of Top Chef fame) favorite restaurant on the island

5.  Latitudes - a boat ride to Sunset Key adds to the yumminess of the meal.  Throw in a sunset and it's heaven.

6.  Square Grouper - This restaurant is located off the island but it is soooo worth the trip

7.  Seven Fish - A tiny neighborhood restaurant where I had Banana Chicken with carmelized walnuts and I thought I was eating dessert

8.  Sarabeths - great for both breakfast and dinner.  Sunday night's special is old fashioned fried chicken.

9.  El Siboney - a well kept secret, the lines start early for home made style Cuban food

10.  Key West Pinks - This is  not a restaurant but wonderful fresh shrimp that are caught and unloaded daily here from the shrimp boats in the Gulf of Mexico.  You can't get shrimp any fresher than this.