15 Best Restaurants in Islamorada, FL

Islamorada in Monroe County is situated between the deep blue waters of the Florida Strait and the saltwater wilderness of Everglades National Park.

It is a magnificent village of five islands called The Purple Isle —a name from the early Spanish explorers in the area.

Islamorada is rightly known as the Sport Fishing Capital of the World.

Apart from the many adventurous water sports and beach activities here, you can relish Islamorada’s cuisine at the many cafes, bars and grills, fish houses, steak houses, diners, and bistros.

Here are some of the best restaurants in Islamorada, Florida, to satiate your cravings:

Bayside Gourmet

Call it a pizzeria, bakery, deli, restaurant, or espresso bar; Bayside Gourmet is all that.

One of Islamorada’s best-rated restaurants, it offers a terrific dining experience.

You can enjoy your breakfast, lunch, or dinner indoors or outdoors.

This is the place to visit for some gourmet pizzas, mouth-watering Italian cuisine, and more, all made from the freshest ingredients.

They offer classic gourmet pizzas, lobster bisque soup, antipasto salad, and spicy fish tacos.

The shrimp Francaise on their dinner menu is a delectable option.

It has egg-battered jumbo shrimp sauteed with light-crushed garlic, lemon, and dry white wine sauce served over linguine.

Located on Overseas Highway, Bayside Gourmet provides excellent food and craft beer, and wine to go with it.

Chef Michael’s

Chef Michael’s is Islamorada’s casual fine dining restaurant, where they cook the best variety of freshly caught fish.

This American bistro with a French flair has upscale decor, a romantic deck, impeccable service, and an extensive choice of fine wine and craft beer.

They even offer to cook your catch if you’re fishing in the Keys.

Their seafood-dominant menu has starters, entrees, and dinner specials from the daily selection of fresh fish and seafood.

One of their melt-in-your-mouth options, Ambassador, is a generous serving of thick-cut fish (catch of the day) sauteed with capers, shiitake, crab meat, and key lime butter.

Adriatic is a good choice for a simple dish with a burst of flavors with each bite, grilled and napped with an olive oil and herb concoction.

Located along Overseas Highway, Chef Michael’s is all about “Peace, Love, and Hogfish.”

Mangrove Mike’s Cafe

Located on Oversease Highway, Mangrove Mike’s Cafe opened in 1998 and continues to serve award-winning breakfast and lunch dishes.

This pet-friendly restaurant has a friendly, efficient staff and a casual, cozy atmosphere.

They have a vast breakfast menu and are considered one of the best breakfast spots in town.

If you prefer a hearty breakfast, you can go for their super special, which comes with two hot cakes, two eggs, and two slices of bacon or sausage.

With a long list of items, breakfast is bound to be more than filling at Mangrove Mike’s Cafe.

An equally varied lunch menu has soups, wraps, salads, munchies, burgers, and tater tot towers to satisfy your hunger.

The burrito supreme and Mexican extravaganza are some of the delicious Mexican items on the menu.

MEAT Eatery and Taproom

MEAT Eatery and Taproom is the meat lover’s haven, offering a menu loaded with burgers, barbecue, and other meaty dishes.

They take tremendous pride in being voted the number one burger in Florida four times, including in 2022.

Not to be fooled by the name, they also provide healthy and gluten-free options.

Since opening in 2012 on Overseas Highway 1 in the Florida Keys, MEAT Eatery and Taproom has stood out from the seafood shacks and tiki bars in Islamorada.

The star on the menu is the Inside-Out Juicy Lucy burger, an Angus burger stuffed with Pimento cheese and bacon and topped with American cheese, lettuce, and tomato.

You get to choose the meat temperature, items you don’t want, and the sides you’d like with their burgers.

Their menu also includes house-smoked chicken wings, soups, and creative salads, not to forget the craft beers, organic wines, and micro-brewed sodas to go along with your meal.

Green Turtle Inn

An Islamorada landmark since 1947, Green Turtle Inn combines comfort and class in a seaside paradise.

Located along Overseas Highway, the place has been famous for its fine cuisine and generous hospitality for decades.

It’s a great place to enjoy a gourmet meal or grab a snack.

From their impressive breakfast menu, the Lobster Benedict (two poached eggs, lobster, spinach, English muffin, and Hollandaise sauce) will definitely fill you up.

They also serve mimosas and Bloody Marys any time of the day!

The lunch menu has the delectable turtle chowder soup, lobster mac n cheese, and bacon-wrapped love sandwich, among other salads, sandwiches, and such.

Using nothing but the fresh catch of the day, Green Turtle Inn’s dinner menu has the local favorite yellowtail snapper served on a bed of quinoa rice with vegetables.

Their kids’ menu and desserts will satisfy everybody, from kids to adults.

The Oceanview Inn & Sports Pub

The Oceanview Inn & Sports Pub on Overseas Highway is a laid-back, tropical-themed inn—an excellent place to watch football, grab a bite, and sip on cocktails for a fair price.

It also features a pool table, multiple flat-screen TVs, an outdoor fire pit, and occasional live music performances.

The wedge salad, with crisp iceberg, bacon bits, and blue cheese crumbles, topped with raspberry vinaigrette, is different from the usual salad.

If you want to try something unique, you can pick the dolphin Reuben sandwich.

It’s grilled, blackened, or fried dolphin topped with Swiss cheese, slaw, and thousand island dressing on grilled rye—an absolute delight.

Since 2003, The Oceanview Inn & Sports Pub has been a great place for families on vacation and the Islamorada locals to gather for a jolly time.

Lobster Shack

On Overseas Highway, Lobster Shack offers delicious, homestyle food with authentic Florida Keys flavor.

Whether you would like to enjoy a nice outdoor lunch, get your coffee fix, or grab a quick bite, this restaurant is the place to go.

The star on their menu is the Famous Maine Lobster roll, fresh lobster on a butter-toasted New England bun.

Their toasted Cuban sandwich is equally sumptuous.

It’s a pressed sandwich of ham, pork, Swiss cheese, mustard, mayo, and pickles on fresh Cuban bread.

Lobster Shack also offers Cuban coffee—worth trying on your visit here.

Wahoo’s Bar and Grill

Perched above the world-famous Whale Harbor Marina on Overseas Highway, Wahoo’s Bar & Grill is all about spectacular views and the freshest seafood.

This pet-friendly restaurant offers the option to dine on one of their two water-front decks or an air-conditioned dining room with views of the Atlantic Ocean’s crystal waters.

The chef’s special lobster scampi is a must-try that uses warm-water lobster, grilled, basted, and seasoned to perfection, served over classic Portofino scampi linguini.

They have some excellent beer, wine, and exquisite cocktails on their menu.

The Wahoo’s fried seafood platter is a great option for tasting many of their mouthwatering starters.

The platter comes with popcorn shrimp, crispy fries, Wahoo bites, calamari, sweet chili bang bang, key lime aioli, marinara, and tartar.

Other specials at Wahoo’s Bar & Grill include the signature Wahoo BLT club, Key’s local whole-fried snapper, and Wahoo’s signature seafood rice.

A highlight is their after-dinner cocktails: Helada Colada and Espresso Martini.

Lorelei Restaurant & Cabana Bar

Located on Madeira Road, with a great waterfront location, Lorelei Restaurant & Cabana Bar is the Pulse of Islamorada, with its iconic mermaid.

It offers some of the best sunset entertainment in the Florida Keys—good food, beach dining, and live entertainment.

They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner and have a kids’ menu.

For breakfast, try Lorelei’s three-egg omelets served with white, wheat, or English muffin and a choice of hash browns, grits, or home fries.

Their breakfast burrito is a local favorite.

Lorelei Restaurant & Cabana Bar’s world-famous fish sandwich, fiesta chicken bowl, and key lime peppercorn snapper are a must-try.

There is a delightful drinks menu to accompany your meals.

Lazy Days Restaurant

In Islamorada, there is no shortage of places that offer oceanfront dining, including Lazy Days Restaurant on Overseas Highway.

This award-winning restaurant has exquisite keys-style dishes, fabulous desserts, a kids’ menu, and a full-service bar.

You can opt for their beach, patio, or porch dining, apart from their inside dining.

Their tropical drinks menu will give you a nice sunny buzz.

It’s Bacardi Gold mixed with Malibu coconut rum, pineapple orange, and a splash of cranberry.

The crab and asparagus salad (with crab meat, asparagus, sliced avocado, and homemade ginger dressing) is a standout among their signature salads.

Lazy Days Restaurant also serves amazing appetizers like conch fritters, fried mozzarella sticks, lazy clams, and jumbo shrimp cocktail.

Marker 88

Marker 88, a Keys tradition since 1967, is located on Overseas Highway and is your perfect hangout place with friends or family.

Live music, fresh Florida seafood, local brews, handcrafted cocktails, and their famous homemade key lime pie is an experience.

They also have a new and improved main dock to dine by the clear blue waters.

Among Marker 88’s mouth-watering appetizers are tuna nachos, crab cake, hot blue crab dip, and blackened tuna sashimi.

You could go with the Captain’s platter, with broiled fresh Florida lobster, grilled shrimp, and grilled Mahi, served with your choice of side, for a filling meal.

Hog Heaven Sports Bar & Grill

Along Overseas Highway, Hog Heaven Sports Bar and Grill is an oceanfront restaurant known for its hearty portions of delicious BBQ, fresh seafood, burgers, sandwiches, and more.

This place is a splendid hangout, with 21 TVs to watch your favorite sporting events, billiards, bars, fantastic food, and cocktails.

Its highlight is the front end of a 59 Ford stuck into the wall.

Apart from the crazy selections of wines, craft beer, and spirits, their specialty cocktails are worth checking out.

The Perfect Hog a Rita mixes Patrón Silver, Patrón Citronage, agave nectar, lime juice, and splash soda.

Hog Heaven Sports Bar & Grill’s Windley Key chicken sandwich will have you drooling.

It’s an all-natural chicken breast, seasoned and grilled over an open fire with melted provolone cheese, hickory smoked bacon, LTO, and honey dijon.

Morada Bay Beach Café

Along Overseas Hwy is Morada Bay, a bayside retreat offering two of Islamorada’s most delectable dining options, entertainment, and events.

The Beach Café is one of the dining options here.

They offer amazing Mediterranean and Caribbean-style American dishes and boast an innovative and eclectic menu.

You’ll enjoy ordering from The Beach Café’s impressive bar menu of beers, wines, and signature cocktails.

The must-try includes the fish and chips Morada style, big boy BBQ beach burger, and Thai key West tacos.

Islamorada Shrimp Shack

Islamorada Shrimp Shack is a family-owned restaurant on Overseas Highway that opened in 2011.

Shrimp features on most of their appetizers.

The place has a kind of old-school fish shack with a wood-paneled bar and a giant wall-hanging fish.

You’ll enjoy the shrimp fritters served with remoulade sauce—it’s a local favorite.

Shrimp items include fritters, chowder, fried shrimp, peel & eat shrimp, bacon-wrapped, shrimp and grits, and tacos.

Islamorada Shrimp Shack doesn’t stop at that—there are many more items to relish and a full bar to serve you.

Habanos Oceanfront Dining

Habanos Oceanfront Dining is a Cuban restaurant that serves authentic Cuban cuisine.

This casual beachfront eatery on Overseas Highway offers a variety of meat dishes, not just seafood.

The Cuban sandwich, with ham, pork, Swiss cheese, mustard, and pickles, is one of their specialties.

They also have a range of Cuban-style pizza options.

Other options worth trying at Habanos Oceanfront Dining include skirt steak, grilled chicken breast, and shrimp creole.

Final Thoughts

The best restaurants in Islamorada, Florida, are among many available dining options.

Seafood is a specialty in Islamorada cuisine, and most places use the catch of the day.

No meal by the beach or oceanfront is complete without some beer, wine, or cocktail—and it’s easy to find good drinks at the restaurants in Islamorada.

Great food and splendid ocean views will make your dining experience memorable.