Key Biscayne Dining Guide
Welcome to Key Biscayne's dining scene. Here you'll find eclectic culinary offerings to satisfy your every craving.
road trip
Your Best Staycations
The desire to experience new adventures doesn’t disappear because of a pandemic. Satisfy that urge safely close to home.
We’re lucky to live where there so many wide-open spaces and a beautiful ocean for a paddleboard journey or solitary walk on the beach, for an afternoon or a weekend. At press time, these venues were all open, but check first. Wear a mask, wash your hands, and keep your distance.
Key Biscayne
It never gets old. You can cross a causeway and be on a tropical island with views of the dazzling Miami skyline while parking – still free! – on Hobie Beach so your quarantine rescue dog can swim in the bay. Pick up the guide from the Key Biscayne Chamber of Commerce for pet-friendly restaurants. The bay side of Bill Baggs State Park is perfect for dog walking and spotting rays, parrotfish and mangrove snapper. And check out the The Historic Virginia Key Beach Park – they celebrated their own state day Aug 1! Stay at the vintage Silver Sands Resort right on the beach. You can rent a golf cart from KB Green Golf Carts and drive around the island like the locals do, or take Freebee. Fresh snapper is on the menu at the Boaters Grill at No Name Harbor in Bill Baggs, and breakfast at the Donut Gallery Diner is a local favorite. Stock up on picnic supplies at The Golden Hog Market and Bakery next door. Bicycle or walk along the beach to the old Crandon Park Zoo, now an overgrown garden filled with non-native iguanas, peacocks and Egyptian geese roaming freely. On your way back to the mainland, stop by the Crandon Park Marina for fresh fish from one of the charter boats. Take home a taste of Miami’s own tropical island.
South Beach
A new and different South Beach has emerged as a result of the coronavirus, at the moment one without hordes of international tourists crowding the beaches and streets. It’s a great time to take advantage of the many deals to lure business. Check out Miami Shines for hotels, museum and restaurant bargains. The poetry-friendly The Betsy is a favorite hotel on the north end of the temporary pedestrian-only Ocean Drive, where the restaurants have moved their tables onto the street. This creates a much more spacious promenade and I’m hoping it becomes a permanent change. Rent a scooter to explore the area between Alton and Washington, south of Lincoln Road. The lush tree-lined streets around Flamingo Park provide shade, and the park, formerly Carl Fisher’s polo grounds, is home to tennis courts, soccer fields, dog parks and kid parks. Takeout food is easy: Get Joe’s Take-away, always one of the best deals in town, for delicious fried chicken to bring to the beach. The new C Food Shack at Lincoln Eatery does Fish in Da Bag, with grouper nuggets, fried conch and jumbo shrimp plus their special hot sauce. Most of Sunset Harbour’s outstanding restaurants are open for dine-in or takeout. Take the Venetian Causeway back to the mainland for beautiful views of homes and the ever-changing city skyline.
Islamorada
Paddleboarding? Kayaking? Snorkeling? All the finest social distancing activities are an ideal way to experience the Keys. In Islamorada, you’ll find excellent restaurants, cottages with coconut palms, and lots to do. Bud N’ Mary’s Fishing Marina has been around since 1944, so they know where to find snook, mangrove snapper and redfish. Rental shops for paddleboards and kayaks are everywhere, or choose lodging that offers them for free, like the recently renovated Fisher Inn Resort. Depending on your budget, there are lots of places to stay. The Moorings, the ultimate island hideaway, is often used in photo shoots and filming. Cheeca Lodge has just opened The Casitas at Cheeca Lodge, 10 private villas with a private beach and butler service. The revamped Islander Resort is also home to the Keys History and Discovery Center. Windley Fossil Reef Geological State Park has trails through hardwood hammocks to historical limestone quarries used for Flagler’s railroad. Indian Key State Park is a 20-minute paddle from Robbie’s Marina, where crazed tarpon wait for tourists to throw them food. Pack your snorkeling gear, sunscreen and water and take a self-guided tour around the island. Tiki bars and restaurants are plentiful. The locavore favorite Square Grouper offers perfectly cooked fish; M.E.A.T Eatery and Taproom does great burgers; and the views from Morada Bay make it the perfect sunset bar. Bonus: Forget about driving. Take the Freebee and enjoy the carefree Keys lifestyle.
Key Biscayne Dining Guide
Welcome to Key Biscayne's dining scene. Here you'll find eclectic culinary offerings to satisfy your every craving...
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