The 11 Best Key West Restaurants On The Water, According To A Floridian

No trip to the Keys is complete without a memorable meal at a waterfront restaurant

There’s waterfront dining—and then there’s a table outside in the Florida Keys, where views of the surrounding sapphire-hued water are served up alongside some of the most flopping-fresh seafood in the country. A trip to Key West, at the end of the road in the Florida Keys and America’s closest-to-the-Caribbean vacation destination that can be reached overland—isn’t complete without a memorable meal at a waterfront restaurant with something frosty in hand and the prettiest tropical scenery all around.

Bring your appetite (and your sunglasses) and read on for some of the best Key West restaurants on the water to be sure to book during your next escape to the southernmost locale in the continental United States.

Related: The 20 Best Things To Do In Key West

One Duvall

Part of the Pier House Resort and Spa, this all-day restaurant is right on the Key West Bight Marina, where diners can enjoy interrupted views of the water, including some epic sunsets. The indoor dining room is more formal than the patio with its umbrella-shaded tables, but the menus are the same for both areas. Enjoy fish tacos with yellowtail snapper for lunch, and lobster and shrimp linguine at dinner.

Half Shell Raw Bar

No frills Florida seafood—much of it best served on the half shell and raw atop piles of ice—steals the show at this rustic restaurant in the Key West Historic Seaport, a short stroll from Duval Street. Pull up a seat at a picnic table at Half Shell Raw Bar and dig into oysters served raw or Rockefeller style, clams on the half shell and peel and eat Florida shrimp. The Half Shell Conch Ceviche is another must-try if you can’t get enough of everything from the ocean. Fishing boats bob in the marina out front, where tarpon often lurk in the shallows waiting for handouts. So be sure to stroll out on the docks for a closer look after your meal.

Hogfish Bar & Grill

It’s a short drive from downtown Key West to Stock Island, the key just east, where one of the best waterfront restaurants in all of the Florida Keys awaits at Hogfish Bar & Grill. Fronting the working shrimping docks on this island known for angling, this restaurant has become a fast favorite for sampling a Florida Keys delicacy–diver-speared hogfish, a light and flaky fish that comes served here fresh atop Cuban bread as a sandwich or in Baja-style tacos. Don’t miss trying the local Key West pink shrimp, too. Every Sunday, there’s a shrimp boil that serves up mountains of them alongside ample andouille sausage, red potatoes, cornbread, and corn on the cob.

Latitudes

For the most romantic waterfront restaurant in Key West, catch the private boat shuttle to reach the exclusive island of Sunset Key and dine at a table angled perfectly for sunset and set right in the sand at Latitudes on Sunset Key. Sweeping views of the Gulf of Mexico at tables illuminated by flickering torch light are the backdrop for enjoying island classics for lunch and dinner that might include chargrilled octopus, pan seared yellowtail snapper or Key West pink shrimp carbonara.

Related: 15 Of The Best Hotels In Key West

Salute! On the Beach

Within steps of the famous Southernmost Point buoy that tells visitors they’re roughly 90 miles from Cuba, Salute! On the Beach is a longstanding favorite Key West restaurant right on the water and beach. Italian cuisine that imparts influences from the Caribbean and tropical island lifestyle is the calling card here, with things like Caprese salad and cheeseburgers with prosciutto chips on the menu. Be sure to make it a sweet finish with a slice of Key lime pie from Salute!’s sister restaurant, Blue Heaven, which can be ordered off the menu here, too.

Southernmost Beach Cafe

This popular Key West waterfront restaurant at the Southernmost Beach Resort serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner with the beach as a backdrop. Key West-style comfort food stars, with tons of fresh seafood and dishes like Key West conch chowder, conch fritters, whole snapper, and the "Drunken Scallops" among the standbys. Don’t miss the spiny lobster when it’s on the menu. And come from the fabulous fruity cocktails at Southernmost Beach Cafe—like the Key Lime colada—too.

Four Flamingos: A Richard Blais Key West Kitchen

Key West’s newest celebrity restaurant opened on the waterfront in May 2023 and is helmed by the first-ever winner of Bravo's Top Chef All Stars. Come to Four Flamingos: A Richard Blais Key West Kitchen to indulge in the fresh catch from local waters prepared with his signature salt-lime dust topping as well as the cheerful cocktails, made with nostalgic ingredients, like cotton candy. The restaurant’s dockside location at the Hyatt Centric Key West Resort & Spa puts waterfront views all around you as you dine for the ultimate Florida Keys meal with a sense of both place and taste.

Louie’s Backyard

Gourmet meals—served within the surrounds of an erstwhile Victorian residence on the water near the Southernmost Point—make for a special night out in Key West at Louie’s Backyard. This is the spot to try some of the most typical Key West seafood, including freshly-hooked snapper, grouper and hogfish, all with panoramic ocean views from multi-level decks. The restaurant’s beloved watering hole, the Afterdeck Bar, sits right alongside the Atlantic Ocean and is a prime spot for a rum-spiked cocktail with views.

The Docks Stock Island

This relatively new Key West waterfront restaurant on neighboring Stock Island is a must-try for sustainably-sourced seafood proffered with seriously sublime views. Overlooking Stock Island’s working marina, The Docks Stock Island shines a spotlight on locally-caught fish from the Keys Fresh Seafood Market and serves up incredible craft cocktails, too. Open for lunch and dinner, the restaurant skews upscale with its vibe and offers outdoor seating with some of the best sunset views in the Florida Keys.

Hot Tin Roof

Ocean Key Resort and Spa’s signature waterfront restaurant beckons for alfresco dining on a sublime veranda overlooking the harbor right in the heart of downtown Key West. Perfect for a romantic dinner in Old Town within stumbling distance of all the bars on Duval Street, Hot Tin Roof's Latin vibes are complemented by a menu that mixes Caribbean and Floridian flavors, dubbed “conch fusion.” Among the must-try dishes are the blackened shrimp mac and cheese and crispy yellowtail snapper with maduros and cilantro dipping sauce. Save room for the ridiculously rich Cuban bread pudding for dessert. 

Bistro 245

This all-day restaurant at Opal Key Resort & Marina is in Key West Harbor, right in the middle of the action. But when you're looking out at boats on the water with a tropical cocktail in your hand, you'll feel instantly relaxed. Bistro 245's menu is naturally heavy on seafood, with dishes like Garlic Shrimp Flatbread, Southernmost Crab Cakes, and Truffle Crusted Grouper.

Another option at the resort is the Sunset Deck, which offers the same great views with a more casual vibe and smaller menu.

Related: The Best Key Lime Pie In Florida, According To Our Readers

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