Always on the lookout for foodie destinations, my research early on showed that one of the best restaurants in Key West is Latitudes on Sunset Key. Marveling that a hot spot in Key West might not actually be in Key West and thinking this is a good start to what can only be thought of as (very much desirable) Key West craziness, off I went to online reviews, random Facebook postings, and very much unscientific assessment of the best locations for my dining dollars during my all-too-brief sojourn in the Conch Republic.
All votes kept pointing toward Latitudes on Sunset Key. What’s not to like about the prospect of a boat ride whisking you and your date to nearby Sunset Key to sup at one of the best restaurants in all of Key West? It turns out that while Sunset Key is not on Key West, it is a part of the City of Key West. For those not paying super-close attention to the names of all of the Keys, Sunset, just across from Mallory Square, is the one built from dredging. Formerly known as Tank Island for its past as fuel tank depot for the U.S. Navy, it received a repurposing in the mid-1990s and today is largely a private residential island with that oh-so-tempting restaurant as well as a spa (which I did not get to visit).
Concerned that the place might just be too fancy for my casual Key West vacation what with the restaurant being on a private island and all and put off by research results indicating the near impossibility of getting a reservation, I didn’t bother making one. I figured that we just wouldn’t go this time around. The Brawny Sherpa is disinclined to suit up on a beach vacation, and I personally wasn’t planning on bringing my pearls.
But then . . . everyone and anyone who is remotely a foodie and who has been to Key West in recent history kept mentioning Latitudes, so much so that we began to feel like jerks for not going there. How can you go to Key West and not go to Latitudes?!
With less than a week before our arrival in the Keys, I tried to make a reservation via Open Table and got one right away, for dinner on a Sunday in December. It likely was a slower than usual time, but I wasn’t one to question my good fortune. To Latitudes on Sunset Key we would go.
Getting to Latitudes on Sunset Key
Our reservation came with an explanation that our reservation time was the time we should be boarding the boat that would whisk us from one key to another. Arriving at the boat launch early so we would not miss our cruise to the best restaurant in Key West, we soon learned of the seriousness of that reservation time. We were denied boat admission twice before being allowed to board. Could we go early for drinks? No. Our little party was not the only one lurking around Slip 29 trying to gain admission to the boat. This being Key West, we quickly made friends with our prospective fellow travelers. Not being allowed to board seems to be a rite of passage of sorts.
Aboard the Boat to Latitudes on Sunset Key
Let’s be real: Taking a boat ride to an island destination for a dinner date beats Ubers, taxis, and even limos. The journey, all told, is a quick one—maybe 10 minutes from boarding through exiting. It seems we could barely utter the phrase “yacht rock” and we were there.
The Latitudes on Sunset Key Experience
While the entrance to the best restaurant in Key West could be a bit better lit on a dark, rainy night, the host was pleasant enough. That she assigned us what can only be described as a crappy table was a bit annoying given the relative emptiness of the dining room (it being rainy, late, and December), but some back-and-forths later, we scored a table at which we were willing to remain.
Enthusiastic service coupled with well-prepared drinks (a Spicy Paloma and a Grey Goose up with a twist) ease our way. As appetizers, we choose well: burrata cheese on a grilled nectarine for me (flavorful, but presented with too much toasted ciabatta and greenery) and char-grilled octopus for the Brawny Sherpa (so good, he still carries on about it). His grilled swordfish entrée is good, but he is just not one to embrace the lentils that accompany it. I opt for the Maine lobster and jumbo lump crab cake served with whiskey corn sauce and slaw. I did not yet know it, but Latitudes on Sunset Key prepared the best crab cake I would have during my stay in Key West.
Diners are not overly starched; business casual (meaning khaki shorts and polo shirts) seem to be the norm.
Tired from a day of travel, we skip dessert and head back to the Key. Our return by boat is a smooth journey (despite significantly choppier water courtesy of the weather gods).
All in All: Latitudes on Sunset Key is most definitely worth a visit. Try to reserve early. This is one of those places around which you might build the rest of your vacation. Would go again.
Latitudes on Sunset Key, Boat launch at Slip 29 behind Opal Key Resort, 245 Front Street, Key West, FL
—Lori Tripoli
Photo credits: M. Ciavardini