|
First Trip to Key West
Making my first trip next week to KW 11/4 - 11/12, looking for any advice on must places to have a drink or eat?
|
You will figure it out real soon
Duvall street is the party place Thursday night will be the OSO party at sandbar grill Friday night will be off the hook all the race boats will be lined up on Duvall every night at one point or another a lot of peeps from OSO will be hanging out in front of Ricks tree house on duval its across from Sloppy Joes be ready to Party |
1 Attachment(s)
|
Was there once a few years ago, Garbo,s grill for tacos, heavy handed with cilantro which I like (drove by it 3 times before spotting it) and Sandy's cafe for breakfast and coffee
|
|
You driving, flying, or boating down? That's gonna be a helluva trip at just over a week. Might want to bring a spare liver!
Food and drink? You'll figure it out once you're there pretty quick. But for food we always like to hit Half Shell Raw Bar at some point to get some tasty Stone Crab (we can't get it on the west coast). My Blue Heaven off of Duval is a great breakfast spot but it's usually packed and there's a wait. Carolines on Duval has good food breakfast, lunch and dinner. Downstairs at the A&B Lobster house next door to the Conch Republic (where the FPC headquarters / Poker Run Village is), has the absolute best buffalo fried shrimp I've ever had in my life and this thing called like a key lime cheese cake martini (I know, I know, sounds weird but trust me...Get one and it'll turn into 5!). Upstairs at the A&B Lobster house is a traditional high end steak house. Great steaks and oysters. Difficult to get sushi in KW but if you're craving some, the Thai Cuisine & Sushi on Green St off of Duval actually has some pretty good sushi. The Conch Shack (stand) on Duvall in front of Hogs Breath has great Conch fritters and Bacon wrapped hot dogs. At some point you're bound to end up standing in front of Ricks Tree Bar / Naked Bar (we'll get into that in a minute), do yourself a favor and order a pizza from Angelina's Pizza (most on here probably have eaten there a bunch of times and don't even know that's the name of the place LOL), across the street from Sloppy Joes, INSANELY good, simple pizza. Just tasty goodness. And, don't forget to get a hotdog at one of the various Hotdog carts that roll out around midnight on the weekends after you've had 100 drinks. Nothing's better....Except maybe some pizza from Angelina's! ;) There's really a ton of great places to eat but that covers the gist and a variety I think. As far as drink....You could most likely drink at a different bar every hour you're in Key West and never hit the same one twice. And funny thing about bars in KW, every bar I've ever been to there has been awesome for different reasons. But most likely, it's due to having been drinking all day and night with great friends in an awesome location surrounded by a hobby we're all passionate about. But I really like the various bars along the north end of Duvall like Sloppy Joes and Irish Kevins with the stages and usually great live bands playing and the crowd singing along to "sweet caroline" or other ballads. Those are the givens you have to visit, like the Naked Bar (yes, clothing's optional and yes, it's usually the people you don't want to see naked with out their clothes on). Ricks Tree bar is where you'll see EVERYONE at some point during the street party on Friday night. Hogs Breath is a cool hang-out, I like to swing by for some day drinking there. Louie' Backyard bar at the South end of Duvall is a great spot to catch the sunset and have a cocktail right on the water. Fat Tuesdays on Duvall is great to get a slushy / rum colada during the day to cool off and listen to some good (non-live) music. Once the poker run gets rollin, sitting at the Conch Republic next to Poker Run Village is cool to watch all the Poker Run participants roll in and out and party on their boats. Place also attracts huge crowds checking out the boats. And don't forget, since you're in Key West to swing by the 801 Bar (at 801 Duval), it's a drag bar and has a great show upstairs plus the little bar downstairs upfront is a quintessential divey bar where a lot of locals hang. Good music (LOUD dance music) usually pumping out of the stereo, strong drinks and decent prices...Just don't go back into the back bar behind the curtain :eek: I'm a big fan of the fact you can stroll around, especially on Duvall and the liquor stores and some of the bars sell beer out of ice cold buckets right on the street for a couple bucks and then you can keep on strolling. Now, mind you, open containers there are technically illegal but they do not enforce it. Go figure. :D In the end, you'll be there for a week, go explore and find the little bars in the back alleys and streets off the beaten path. I've been to quiet a few that I can't remember where the hell they're at but had a spectacular time! If you think you can swing it, Thursday the 7th FPC's biggest group will be making their way down to KW from Miami. They stop at Gilberts Tiki Bar in Key Largo at the top of the keys around 11.30. It's always worth it to stop in and hang out for lunch and see the gobs of awesome boats tied up together. It's about a 2 hour drive from KW but again, the drive is beautiful. Thursday night is the OSO / Speed On The Water party at the Sand Bar and I gotta say, it's become one of the "can't miss" events. The Sand Bar is behind Sloppy Joes off of Duval. Greg, Matt and Jason have really made this event a staple for the weekend and it brings EVERYONE together in one place (which, is a good and a bad thing since the event has outgrown the grounds, but I hear they're working on hat this year ;) ). Friday night is the street party with all the race boats lining up on Duval. Literally Thousands of people converge on Duval to look at the boats, hang out with friends, talk to racers and of course, abide in some adult beverages. Every year at that time, I think to myself, "this must be every person on the whole island here right now!". Saturday is usually the impromptu boat run out to the sand bar with many of the poker runners. Saturday night is Stu's big party at Poker Run Village next to Conch which is always a fun time to hang out and see everyone. There's also always break out lunch runs various days like the Mystic and Outerlimits owners runs. Oh, and there's races hahaha....There's that too. ;) find the race schedule online and cruise down to Mallory Square or one of the restaurants at the north end of the island like the pier house to watch the boats scream by so close to you, you'd think you could reach out and touch them. It is pretty freakin' cool. Ok, I think I've covered most of it for you LOL hopefully it helps. We'll be there Wed around 7. Hope to see you down there! Tank |
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...553bbcd0c7.png |
Have fun Jimmy. We are planning the trip for next year - have a few more gigs to get done this year, then we out!
|
Originally Posted by Jim Diesel
(Post 4713007)
Making my first trip next week to KW 11/4 - 11/12, looking for any advice on must places to have a drink or eat?
|
There are plenty of great restaurant off of the main strip
Mangia Mangia Blue Heaven Fish Taco truck on Front street Enjoy |
I won't burn up the space on here to quote Tank but judging from his post you almost get the feeling he's been there before :drink: |
Originally Posted by H20 Toie
(Post 4713015)
You will figure it out real soon
Duvall street is the party place Thursday night will be the OSO party at sandbar grill Friday night will be off the hook all the race boats will be lined up on Duvall every night at one point or another a lot of peeps from OSO will be hanging out in front of Ricks tree house on duval its across from Sloppy Joes be ready to Party
Originally Posted by thisistank
(Post 4713024)
You driving, flying, or boating down? That's gonna be a helluva trip at just over a week. Might want to bring a spare liver!
Food and drink? You'll figure it out once you're there pretty quick. But for food we always like to hit Half Shell Raw Bar at some point to get some tasty Stone Crab (we can't get it on the west coast). My Blue Heaven off of Duval is a great breakfast spot but it's usually packed and there's a wait. Carolines on Duval has good food breakfast, lunch and dinner. Downstairs at the A&B Lobster house next door to the Conch Republic (where the FPC headquarters / Poker Run Village is), has the absolute best buffalo fried shrimp I've ever had in my life and this thing called like a key lime cheese cake martini (I know, I know, sounds weird but trust me...Get one and it'll turn into 5!). Upstairs at the A&B Lobster house is a traditional high end steak house. Great steaks and oysters. Difficult to get sushi in KW but if you're craving some, the Thai Cuisine & Sushi on Green St off of Duval actually has some pretty good sushi. The Conch Shack (stand) on Duvall in front of Hogs Breath has great Conch fritters and Bacon wrapped hot dogs. At some point you're bound to end up standing in front of Ricks Tree Bar / Naked Bar (we'll get into that in a minute), do yourself a favor and order a pizza from Angelina's Pizza (most on here probably have eaten there a bunch of times and don't even know that's the name of the place LOL), across the street from Sloppy Joes, INSANELY good, simple pizza. Just tasty goodness. And, don't forget to get a hotdog at one of the various Hotdog carts that roll out around midnight on the weekends after you've had 100 drinks. Nothing's better....Except maybe some pizza from Angelina's! ;) There's really a ton of great places to eat but that covers the gist and a variety I think. As far as drink....You could most likely drink at a different bar every hour you're in Key West and never hit the same one twice. And funny thing about bars in KW, every bar I've ever been to there has been awesome for different reasons. But most likely, it's due to having been drinking all day and night with great friends in an awesome location surrounded by a hobby we're all passionate about. But I really like the various bars along the north end of Duvall like Sloppy Joes and Irish Kevins with the stages and usually great live bands playing and the crowd singing along to "sweet caroline" or other ballads. Those are the givens you have to visit, like the Naked Bar (yes, clothing's optional and yes, it's usually the people you don't want to see naked with out their clothes on). Ricks Tree bar is where you'll see EVERYONE at some point during the street party on Friday night. Hogs Breath is a cool hang-out, I like to swing by for some day drinking there. Louie' Backyard bar at the South end of Duvall is a great spot to catch the sunset and have a cocktail right on the water. Fat Tuesdays on Duvall is great to get a slushy / rum colada during the day to cool off and listen to some good (non-live) music. Once the poker run gets rollin, sitting at the Conch Republic next to Poker Run Village is cool to watch all the Poker Run participants roll in and out and party on their boats. Place also attracts huge crowds checking out the boats. And don't forget, since you're in Key West to swing by the 801 Bar (at 801 Duval), it's a drag bar and has a great show upstairs plus the little bar downstairs upfront is a quintessential divey bar where a lot of locals hang. Good music (LOUD dance music) usually pumping out of the stereo, strong drinks and decent prices...Just don't go back into the back bar behind the curtain :eek: I'm a big fan of the fact you can stroll around, especially on Duvall and the liquor stores and some of the bars sell beer out of ice cold buckets right on the street for a couple bucks and then you can keep on strolling. Now, mind you, open containers there are technically illegal but they do not enforce it. Go figure. :D In the end, you'll be there for a week, go explore and find the little bars in the back alleys and streets off the beaten path. I've been to quiet a few that I can't remember where the hell they're at but had a spectacular time! If you think you can swing it, Thursday the 7th FPC's biggest group will be making their way down to KW from Miami. They stop at Gilberts Tiki Bar in Key Largo at the top of the keys around 11.30. It's always worth it to stop in and hang out for lunch and see the gobs of awesome boats tied up together. It's about a 2 hour drive from KW but again, the drive is beautiful. Thursday night is the OSO / Speed On The Water party at the Sand Bar and I gotta say, it's become one of the "can't miss" events. The Sand Bar is behind Sloppy Joes off of Duval. Greg, Matt and Jason have really made this event a staple for the weekend and it brings EVERYONE together in one place (which, is a good and a bad thing since the event has outgrown the grounds, but I hear they're working on hat this year ;) ). Friday night is the street party with all the race boats lining up on Duval. Literally Thousands of people converge on Duval to look at the boats, hang out with friends, talk to racers and of course, abide in some adult beverages. Every year at that time, I think to myself, "this must be every person on the whole island here right now!". Saturday is usually the impromptu boat run out to the sand bar with many of the poker runners. Saturday night is Stu's big party at Poker Run Village next to Conch which is always a fun time to hang out and see everyone. There's also always break out lunch runs various days like the Mystic and Outerlimits owners runs. Oh, and there's races hahaha....There's that too. ;) find the race schedule online and cruise down to Mallory Square or one of the restaurants at the north end of the island like the pier house to watch the boats scream by so close to you, you'd think you could reach out and touch them. It is pretty freakin' cool. Ok, I think I've covered most of it for you LOL hopefully it helps. We'll be there Wed around 7. Hope to see you down there! Tank |
Originally Posted by ALL_IN!
(Post 4713027)
Have fun Jimmy. We are planning the trip for next year - have a few more gigs to get done this year, then we out!
|
Don't forget some Scooters! and Yes the Spare Liver
|
You are gonna love it. We're gonna be docked right in front of the raw bar at Garrison Bight, slip A11. Look us up.
|
Originally Posted by Jim Diesel
(Post 4713036)
Thank You and Looking forward to the OSO party!
WOW :drink: I'm ready, Thanks Tank!! Looking to put a face with some screen names!! We're flying down to Miami then driving the Keys on Tuesday, we have our lake crew coming and staying on Truman about a block and a half from Duval. Oh, and yes, scooters are cool to go explore the island but I would caution on renting them at the peak time during the poker run (Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights) as parking is like, nil even for scooters and they are NOT afraid to ticket and tow scooters. |
Originally Posted by payuppsucker
(Post 4713044)
You are gonna love it. We're gonna be docked right in front of the raw bar at Garrison Bight, slip A11. Look us up.
Maybe we can beat the record of 12 people running in the bay on the Tiger this year!? ;) :D https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...7c236cf2df.png https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...07145d7a50.png https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...f8bd38c813.png https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...c327c7e17d.png |
Food is an after thought down there !! Overrated !! Kidding of course. My advice is skip the scooters and golf carts. Rented two of those electric hood carts two years ago and after I saw a guy getting an arrested for drinking and driving I immediately returned them ! |
Originally Posted by Bostonirish
(Post 4713067)
Food is an after thought down there !! Overrated !! Kidding of course. My advice is skip the scooters and golf carts. Rented two of those electric hood carts two years ago and after I saw a guy getting an arrested for drinking and driving I immediately returned them ! |
Mr Z's has the best Philly Cheesesteaks and they will deliver right to your boat!
|
They don't call it the end of the road for nothing. LOL
You will have a ball. Make sure you are at our party Thursday night at the Sandbar. Bring some raffle cash and your drinking shoes. |
Originally Posted by Knot 4 Me
(Post 4713072)
Did bicycles last year and damn near killed myself after being over served out on the Mole and trying to ride those old granny bikes like my old BMX bike. Bystanders got a kick out of seeing me go arsehole over teakettle trying to jump a curb! Tuck and roll!
|
Crossed back from the Bahamas today. Laid up ready for speedweek....
|
Originally Posted by Knot 4 Me
(Post 4713072)
Did bicycles last year and damn near killed myself after being over served out on the Mole and trying to ride those old granny bikes like my old BMX bike. Bystanders got a kick out of seeing me go arsehole over teakettle trying to jump a curb! Tuck and roll!
U can get a DUI on a bicycle in Florida. The "probable cause" usually starts with "no front/rear light" and then it usually goes downhill from there |
Thanks guys, looking forward to it! We reserved a scooter for the whole week, so will see how that goes lol. But drinking shoes are packed along with 7 Cigarette shirts and some beer money!! haha |
Originally Posted by payuppsucker
(Post 4713044)
You are gonna love it. We're gonna be docked right in front of the raw bar at Garrison Bight, slip A11. Look us up.
|
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...55e1bf772d.jpg
Well introduce yourself, ill be easy to spot, one of the tallest drunk guys |
:ernaehrung004:My best advice for new to KW visitors is bring cash and limit CC use. Most of the staff down here are good people but there are some that are unscrupulous.. if you use CC always save your receipts. I’ve been to race week every year since 2001 so I’ve seen a thing or two. Bought a home on Cudjoe Key I liked it so much. You will definitely meet some great new friends and probably run into some old ones from your hometown. |
Originally Posted by sonicss42
(Post 4713127)
:ernaehrung004:My best advice for new to KW visitors is bring cash and limit CC use. Most of the staff down here are good people but there are some that are unscrupulous.. if you use CC always save your receipts. I’ve been to race week every year since 2001 so I’ve seen a thing or two. Bought a home on Cudjoe Key I liked it so much. You will definitely meet some great new friends and probably run into some old ones from your hometown. |
Originally Posted by Jupiter Sunsation
(Post 4713104)
U can get a DUI on a bicycle in Florida. The "probable cause" usually starts with "no front/rear light" and then it usually goes downhill from there
|
Originally Posted by PigNaPoke
(Post 4713103)
Crossed back from the Bahamas today. Laid up ready for speedweek....
|
If anyone needs a ride back to the mainland I’m looking for someone to take my truck and trailer over to the Naples or Marco Island area Saturday, Sunday or Monday. Will compensate........ |
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...f3c8a47c7.jpeg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...ca885a561.jpeg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...98313c894.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...98f77b26e.jpeg Tank pretty much covered the dead end but if your driving down we stop at the Walmart in Florida city and stock up. Pick up a couple cans of cheese whiz if you plan on going to any reefs the fish love it. Then we go to “Robert is Here” fruit stand not far from that Walmart. Google it it’s kind a hard to explain but they have great milkshakes and slushy‘s (this is usually where the gray goose gets opened). Then check out Gilberts I wouldn’t eat there and go to snappers in Key Largo or go a little further south and hit the Postcard inn (Holiday Isle/tiki bar) Couple other places to eat is lazy days in Islamorada or Islamorada Fish company. Couple other things to do in key west go to hog Fish bar and Grill on stock Island known for its name sake. If it’s hot out bring your bathing suits to Dante’s pool bar. You’re going to have a great time enjoy. I’m picking my buddy up at Fort Lauderdale airport Thursday and heading down. |
Originally Posted by gmhdfan
(Post 4713380)
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...f3c8a47c7.jpeg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...ca885a561.jpeg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...98313c894.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...98f77b26e.jpeg Tank pretty much covered the dead end but if your driving down we stop at the Walmart in Florida city and stock up. Pick up a couple cans of cheese whiz if you plan on going to any reefs the fish love it. Then we go to “Robert is Here” fruit stand not far from that Walmart. Google it it’s kind a hard to explain but they have great milkshakes and slushy‘s (this is usually where the gray goose gets opened). Then check out Gilberts I wouldn’t eat there and go to snappers in Key Largo or go a little further south and hit the Postcard inn (Holiday Isle/tiki bar) Couple other places to eat is lazy days in Islamorada or Islamorada Fish company. Couple other things to do in key west go to hog Fish bar and Grill on stock Island known for its name sake. If it’s hot out bring your bathing suits to Dante’s pool bar. You’re going to have a great time enjoy. I’m picking my buddy up at Fort Lauderdale airport Thursday and heading down. |
Originally Posted by thisistank
(Post 4713434)
is holiday isle - post card inn back up and running? The bar open? They got the sh*t kicked out of them in the hurricane last year. Didn’t think it was reopened yet. |
Originally Posted by gmhdfan
(Post 4713453)
i’ll let you know in a couple days😂 i’ll ask my daughter she was just down there a couple weeks ago for Fantasy Fest. Her college roommate has a house on Cudjoe key. I only know because I got a red light camera ticket in the mail because she had my truck. I would think that the tiki bar and the marina was up and running by now? there’s some drama with the place. They sold and were going to redo the whole thing. Then it stalled. They did rebuild the bar a few years ago but it lost the cool “tiki bar” feeling. The hurricane hit it dead on. Really wrecked the place. |
Holiday Isle/Postcard looked amazing when we stopped in September. Standby.
|
Wow it looks amazing. I've done several of the boat show runs and to say it needed a remodel would be an understatement.
|
Originally Posted by Cash Bar
(Post 4713459)
Holiday Isle/Postcard looked amazing when we stopped in September. Standby.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...f89ace3a0f.jpg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...e6efe14339.jpg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...20b7c20570.jpg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...e80faebeac.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...a9dbd04c0e.jpg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...a889868215.jpg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...6e082313f3.jpg |
| All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:23 PM. |
Copyright © 2026 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.