This guide is original editorial content. Linked public sources and directory listings should be checked again for live schedules, closures, prices and access rules.
How this guide works
The Upper Keys run from Key Largo at about MM 107 through Tavernier to Islamorada near MM 72. Eating well here is mostly a mile-marker problem: the best meal is often the one on the same stretch as your boat, ramp or hotel, not the one that costs you 30 minutes of two-lane U.S. 1 each way. This guide is organized by Key first, then by type of meal, so you can pick a place near where you will be.
Nothing here is ranked. Every name links to a KeysCompass page that points back at the operator's own source. Inside each group the order is geographic or arbitrary, never sold; Verified source on a listing means stronger source verification, not a paid slot. We do not publish prices, hours, wait times or phone numbers on this page—those change faster than a guide, so open the listing's source link before you drive.
For full lists, use the island restaurant hubs: Key Largo restaurants, Tavernier restaurants and Islamorada restaurants. For a Keys-wide view of places on the water, see Waterfront restaurants.
- Pick food on the same mile-marker stretch as the day's main job.
- Unranked: group order is geography, not quality or payment.
- Confirm hours and reservations on each operator's own site.
- Hubs: Key Largo restaurants, Tavernier restaurants, Islamorada restaurants.
Key Largo: on the water
Bay-side sunset rooms cluster near MM 99–104. Snook's Bayside Restaurant & Grand Tiki is a bayside seafood room with a big tiki. Sundowners bills itself as steaks and seafood on Florida Bay, open since 1985. Jimmy Johnson's Big Chill is a large bayside restaurant and sports bar with live entertainment. Calusa at Baker's Cay Resort is the resort's dining room overlooking Florida Bay near MM 97; check the resort site for outside-guest reservations.
On the ocean side, Garden Cove Drive is the dockside pocket near the Pennekamp end of the island: Buttonwood Grill lists cook-your-catch meals, and Buzzard's Roost Grill & Pub is a waterfront pub with dock access. Key Largo Fisheries Backyard Cafe on Ocean Bay Drive serves seafood from the working fish house it belongs to.
- Bayside = sunset; Garden Cove = dockside near Pennekamp.
- Resort restaurants: confirm whether non-guests can book.
- Cook-your-catch rules are the restaurant's, not a guide promise.
Key Largo: seafood counters and casual tables
The Fish House at MM 102.4 is a restaurant with its own seafood market. Mrs. Mac's Kitchen has two locations a few hundred yards apart—the original (Mrs. Mac's Kitchen) and the larger Mrs. Mac's Kitchen II—both doing Keys comfort food and key lime pie. Sal's Ballyhoo's near MM 97.8 is a long-running roadhouse known for local seafood and smoked fish.
Key Largo Conch House describes itself as a family-owned seafood restaurant with a full coffee bar, which makes it an easy early stop too. Hobo's Café near MM 101.7 is a seafood restaurant and grill on the highway strip—useful when you want a sit-down lunch without a resort detour.
- The Fish House pairs a dining room with a seafood market.
- Mrs. Mac's has two separate locations—check which one you mean.
- Conch House doubles as a coffee stop.
Key Largo: Cuban cafés, bakeries and breakfast
Pre-boat breakfast in Key Largo leans Cuban. Denny's Latin Cafe is a casual Cuban and Latin café with breakfast, sandwiches and coffee. Vicky Bakery near MM 97.6 and Party Cake Bakery near MM 103.2 are Cuban bakery-cafés for pastelitos, croquetas and coffee to go. High Tide Restaurant is a breakfast-and-lunch neighborhood spot mixing American and Cuban plates.
- Bakery-cafés are the fastest pre-dawn-check-in option.
- Match the bakery mile marker to your dock, not your hotel.
Key Largo: pizza and wood-fired
Tower of Pizza near MM 100.6 is an independent New York-style pizzeria with pasta and subs; it is not the closed Islamorada Tower of Pizza. C&C Wood Fire Eats near MM 99.2 cooks pizza, seafood and steaks over wood fire.
- Key Largo Tower of Pizza is open; the Islamorada one is unpublished.
- Takeout pizza is the honest tired-after-the-boat dinner.
Key Largo: barbecue
Mike's BBQ 101 near MM 101.9 is Key Largo's barbecue stop on KeysCompass; the operator describes slow-smoked barbecue on the Overseas Highway strip. It is a restaurant listing, not the Mike Forster park boat ramp.
- The barbecue spot is not the boat ramp—check the listing map.
- Confirm the smoke-house hours on the operator site.
Tavernier: waterfront, Cuban, pub and pie
Tavernier is still a short list, so treat it as a stop between Key Largo and Islamorada. Lido 73 on the Old Highway is an Italian Food Company concept that its operator describes as a waterside restaurant. Habanos on the Creek near MM 90.8 is a Cuban-leaning spot with online ordering; it is a separate location from Habanos on Lower Matecumbe. Dillon's Pub & Grill near MM 91.2 is a pub and grill on the main highway strip in the Winn-Dixie plaza.
For dessert, the Key Lime Pie Factory, run by Blond Giraffe at MM 92.2, sells key lime pie, pie on a stick and candy. Use Tavernier restaurants for chains and quick stops.
- Lido 73 is on the Old Highway, not the main U.S. 1 lanes.
- Two Habanos locations: Tavernier creek vs Lower Matecumbe oceanfront.
- Dillon's is highway-plaza dining, not a waterfront table.
- Pie on a stick is a car snack, not a meal plan.
Islamorada: on the water
Islamorada's identity is dinner by the water, and the listings below each cite the operator's own waterfront wording. Morada Bay at MM 81.6 lists waterfront dining; its separate fine-dining room has its own listing. Lorelei Restaurant and Cabana Bar has waterfront seating on the beach and deck, and is still operating while the property is listed for sale. Islamorada Fish Company has waterside outdoor seating on Florida Bay. Wahoo's Bar and Grill (Wahoo's Bar and Grill Restaurant) sits above Whale Harbor Marina.
Farther along: Lazy Days Islamorada near MM 79.9 is a waterfront restaurant, separate from Lazy Days South in Marathon. Papa Joe's Waterfront near MM 79.8 is a waterfront restaurant on Overseas Highway on the same stretch. Hungry Tarpon at 77522 Overseas Highway calls itself a waterfront restaurant. Drift on the Beach is the restaurant at the Islander Resort, with indoor and outdoor spaces. Marker 88 is on Plantation Key at MM 88, and Habanos is an oceanfront restaurant on Lower Matecumbe at MM 73.5.
- Sunset tables fill—check the operator's reservation page.
- Lorelei is for sale but operating; confirm on its own site.
Islamorada: seafood shacks, steak, sushi and pubs
Capt. Craig's Restaurant near MM 90.2 says it has served its fish sandwich since 1981. Green Turtle Inn at MM 81.2 is the historic inn restaurant, not the Green Turtle Hammock preserve. Square Grouper Islamorada near MM 80.5 sits at Islamorada Marina on the bay side and is a separate listing from Square Grouper on Cudjoe Key—never use the Cudjoe listing for this stop.
For steak, Flagler Station at Whale Harbor is a wood-fired steakhouse that names itself after the Overseas Railroad, and Ziggie & Mad Dog's near MM 83 is a steakhouse on the main highway. Kaiyo Grill & Sushi is on the Old Highway at MM 81.7, not Overseas Highway, so set the map marker before you go. M.E.A.T. Eatery & Taproom on Plantation Key at MM 88 is a meat-focused eatery and taproom with homemade cuisine and craft beers on the operator site.
- Green Turtle Inn ≠ Green Turtle Hammock park.
- Kaiyo's address is Old Highway—use the listing map.
- Whale Harbor hosts Flagler Station and Wahoo's; the old buffet is closed.
- Square Grouper Islamorada ≠ Square Grouper Cudjoe.
Islamorada: breakfast, coffee and pizza
Mangrove Mike's near MM 82.2 is a breakfast-and-lunch restaurant, separate from the Sunset Inn lodging listing at the same address. Midway Café near MM 80.5 is an espresso bar with breakfast, pastries and lunch.
For pizza, Islamorada Pizza Co. near MM 84.3 does dine-in and delivery, The Whistle Stop & Stone Oven Pizzeria near MM 82.7 is one business under both names, and South Island Pizza near MM 80.9 is a handcrafted-pizza shop on Overseas Highway.
- Mangrove Mike's and Sunset Inn share an address but not a listing.
- Whistle Stop and Stone Oven are the same place.
- Pre-charter coffee: Midway Café is mid-island.
Dock and dine: arriving by boat
A few Upper Keys restaurants say on their own sites that you can arrive by boat. In Key Largo, Sundowners has a back dock on Florida Bay where guests can tie up and walk to the table. Buzzard's Roost Grill & Pub is part of Garden Cove Marina on the ocean side, and its site gives directions by boat from Hawk Channel.
In Islamorada, Island Grill lists 260 feet of dockage on a deep-water canal. Papa Joe's Waterfront invites boaters to dock and stay awhile, and Lorelei Restaurant and Cabana Bar at MM 82 bayside says to come by land or sea. Dock space, depth and tie-up rules are each restaurant's call, so ask before you plan a boat-up meal around one.
- Ask the restaurant about dock space and depth before you go.
- Sundowners and Lorelei are bayside; Buzzard's Roost is ocean side.
- Boat-up dining is the restaurant's call, not a guide promise.
Islamorada: sunset dining
Several Islamorada restaurants build the evening around the sunset on their own sites. Lorelei Restaurant and Cabana Bar holds a sunset celebration nightly with live music, and seats guests on the beach, on the deck and at the bar. Islamorada Fish Company has waterside outdoor seating overlooking Florida Bay, which it pairs with the sunsets.
Papa Joe's Waterfront describes sunset views over both the Atlantic and the bay, with a 21+ tiki bar, a family lawn and an indoor dining room; it posts seasonal closures on its own site, so check before a special night. Square Grouper Islamorada runs the Sunset Lounge on its third floor, which is adults only (21+).
- Square Grouper's Sunset Lounge and Papa Joe's tiki bar are 21+.
- Sunset time moves through the year; book around it.
- Check each operator's site for seasonal closures.
Brunch in Key Largo and Islamorada
Upper Keys brunch is a weekend thing and a short list. In Islamorada, Kindler at Three Waters Resort serves brunch on Saturday and Sunday, and the resort says everyone is welcome, not only hotel guests. Drift on the Beach at the Islander Resort runs a Veuve Clicquot brunch on Saturday and Sunday.
In Key Largo, Buzzard's Roost Grill & Pub serves an oceanside Sunday brunch with steel drums. Brunch menus and days can change with the season, so open the operator's site before you plan the morning around one.
- Kindler and Drift: Saturday and Sunday brunch.
- Buzzard's Roost: Sunday brunch only.
- Kindler welcomes diners who aren't staying at the resort.
Plan the meal around the day
On a reef morning, eat on the same Key Largo stretch as the dock; Key Largo snorkeling day: Pennekamp, reef boats and honest logistics has a short list of places near the reef. On a fishing day, the post-charter meal is usually in Islamorada—see Islamorada fishing day: ramp, tackle and charter checklist, including which restaurants will cook your catch (confirm with the restaurant). If you're choosing where to sleep for the eating, Where to stay in the Florida Keys: best base by Key for a 5–7 night trip compares bases. Driving on south? The companions are Where to eat in the Middle Keys: Marathon, Key Colony, Duck Key and Long Key by Key and type for Marathon and Where to eat in the Lower Keys: Big Pine, Torch, Summerland, Cudjoe, Sugarloaf and Big Coppitt by Key and type for Big Pine to Big Coppitt. At the end of the road, Where to eat in Key West, by neighborhood covers Key West and Stock Island.
Save one sit-down meal and one quick backup per day on Trip planner. Holiday weekends and sunset slots fill; slow-season breaks happen in late summer and fall (see Florida Keys in October: shoulder season, storm awareness and trip logistics). Re-open each listing's source link the day you go.
- One sit-down plus one quick backup per day.
- Reef day → Key Largo; fishing day → Islamorada.
- Save picks on Trip planner and re-check sources that morning.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best restaurant in Key Largo or Islamorada?
KeysCompass doesn't rank restaurants. This guide groups places already on the site by Key and type—waterfront, seafood counter, Cuban bakery, pizza, steak—so you can choose by location and mood. Organic directory order is never sold; Verified source means stronger source verification.
Where can I eat on the water in the Upper Keys?
In Key Largo, the bayside sunset restaurants cluster around MM 99–104, and Garden Cove Drive has dockside spots near Pennekamp. In Islamorada, Morada Bay, Lorelei, Islamorada Fish Company, Wahoo's, Lazy Days, Papa Joe's Waterfront, Hungry Tarpon, Drift on the Beach, Marker 88 and Habanos all have waterfront listings. See Waterfront restaurants for the Keys-wide grid.
Where can I get breakfast before a snorkel boat in Key Largo?
Cuban bakery-cafés are the fastest option: Vicky Bakery near MM 97.6, Party Cake Bakery near MM 103.2 and Denny's Latin Cafe. High Tide and Key Largo Conch House also do early food. Confirm opening times on each operator's site, since this guide doesn't publish hours.
Can I take my boat to dinner in the Upper Keys?
Some restaurants say so on their own sites: Sundowners and Buzzard's Roost in Key Largo, and Island Grill, Papa Joe's Waterfront and Lorelei in Islamorada. Dock space and rules are up to each restaurant, so ask before you go.
Where can I get brunch in the Upper Keys?
Kindler at Three Waters Resort and Drift on the Beach at the Islander Resort serve weekend brunch in Islamorada, and Buzzard's Roost serves Sunday brunch in Key Largo. Check each operator's site for the current menu.
Is Tavernier worth stopping in for food?
Tavernier still has a short KeysCompass list—Lido 73 on the Old Highway, Habanos on the Creek, Dillon's Pub & Grill and the Key Lime Pie Factory—so treat it as a stop between Key Largo and Islamorada. The Tavernier restaurants hub lists the rest, including chains.
Does this guide include prices, hours or reservations?
No. Prices, hours, holiday closures and reservation rules change often, and some Upper Keys restaurants take seasonal breaks. Each listing links the operator's own site; check it the day you go.
