Hogfish Bar & Grill

We were excited to try this place since we had seen it on tv and they did not disappoint. It is an out of the way gem. The vibes are good, the people friendly, service is incredibly fast and the food is fresh and super tasty. My only slight complaint would be the prices but the wouldn't stop me from coming back if I'm ever in Key West again.

This was one of the highest rated sea food places near Key West according to Urbanspoon and apparently Yelp, that's unfortunate. Its not the hardest place to find but its next to a marina behind a neighborhood of double wide trailer homes, classy. The restaurant itself is clean and the staff were friendly but we can here to eat sea food and thats where things went wrong.

They seem to have a large selection of fried items which is fine but I prefer to eat grilled fish when fresh fish is this close to the restaurant. I picked the Stock Island mixed grill which had fresh fish, shrimp, scallop calamari and lobster. The fish was generally tasteless and didn't seem fresh. Everything was covered in some sort of cajun spice mix which wasn't mentioned in the menu. The lobster was chewy and over cooked. Generally the food was what I would expect from any run of the mill restaurant chain.

My wife had the lobster BLT with fried green tomatoes. It sounded good but I think it was worse than my mixed grill. What they don't tell you is that the lobster is battered and fried, making it impossible to tell you are eating lobster. The fried green tomatoes are on the sandwich along with bacon that taste like the cheapest cut's of store brand bacon they could find. She also tried the Conch chowder that contained few pieces of chewy tasteless meat in a tomato based soup. The chowder basically tasted like ketchup with added vinegar, horrible.

I think this place is ok if you are looking to hang out with your buddies and have some drinks, eat some fried stuff, have some chicken wings and hang out with the locals. If you are looking for a place for good sea food, you will be disappointed. Sorry Hogfish

LZR

Found this gem on our way back from key west this weekend.  At first we passed it, but doubled back just to find it, and we were SO GLAD that we did.  The service was great, from the friendly hostess to the smiling server.  The ambiance was great, with funny signs on the walls, comfortable outdoor seating, and even the chickens roaming around the parking lot...all charming!  But the best part was the FOOD.  The menu had plenty of choices and included something for everyone. The lobster bisque was OUT OF THIS WORLD (best I've ever had...it even had big pieces of real lobster in it! The hostess assured me that it is consistently delicious). I will not make another trip to the keys unless a stop here is on the itinerary.  Well worth the short drive off the beaten path!