Indigenous Florida Keys cuisine typically means fresh fish and seafood harvested from local waters, headlining nearly every restaurant menu. For a delicious bite to spark your taste buds, check out some small, off-the-grid and new-location eateries that Keys locals favor for their flavors.
In Key Largo, diners can kick off their shoes, dip their toes in Florida Bay and have front-row seats for stunning sunsets while enjoying locally caught seafood cuisine for dinner at Playa Largo Resort & Spa, an Autograph Collection Hotel located at 97450 Overseas Highway. Offered at the luxury resort’s signature restaurant, Sol by the Sea, the Water Table is an immersive and exclusive experience with limited seating. Visit playalargoresort.com or call 305-853-1001 for reservations.
Adventure lovers and casual diners are enjoying a bit of a renaissance along Grassy Key in the Middle Keys, with local-centric eateries to satisfy any taste. Not only is the new Grassy Flats Resort & Beach Club adding more rooms, but inside its neighboring The Lagoon on Grassy Key, foodies can seek out the 2,000-square-foot Bongos Café & Tropical Beer Garden and Lagoon Saloon at 59300 Overseas Highway.
Bongos Cafe’s’ weekend brunch, available Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., is growing in popularity with go-to menu items like lobster truffle mac-n-cheese and eggs Benedict — but try the “Pappy Van Waffle,” a buckwheat waffle with crispy Kentucky fried quail and bourbon syrup. Breakfast with uber-fresh items and cage-free eggs is served 7-11 a.m. weekdays, and don’t miss the all-day menu from noon to 7 p.m. with a yummy French onion grilled cheese, full-flavored sandwiches, burgers, vegetarian and vegan bites, washed down with one of the Saloon’s craft brews on tap. Visit RideTheLagoon.com/bongos-cafe.
Unpretentious island cuisine with a Latin flair enhances the adult dining experience at Milagro Restaurant and Bar, now located at 1402 Simonton St. at the Santa Maria Suites Resort in Key West. Milagro means “miracle” in Spanish. Owner-chef Kevin Montoya and wife Maggie both have backgrounds in food service and cooking, and Kevin Montoya is a four-time winner of Key West’s annual Master Chefs Classic. Milagro is open 5-9:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, featuring a menu rich in fresh local fish and seafood items with intriguing bites like grilled octopus over Applewood-smoked bacon polenta. Pork, beef and chicken dishes are prepared on a wood grill, and signature items such as blue corn enchiladas are a don’t-miss. Visit milagrorestaurant.net or call 305-440-3534.
For more information about restaurant options around the Keys, visit fla-keys.com/food-drink/.
Source: Take a Big Bite at Small Florida Keys Eateries | Florida Keys Newsroom