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WELCOME TO COOL KEY WEST DOT COM
CoolKeyWest.com is a cheese-free guide to Key West's best restaurants, bars, watersports, and anything else we think you may be interested in. Unlike other sites that are completely dependent on advertising and read like a poorly written press release, we take a different approach. We pick places that have been tried and tested over the years, and – because we are not being paid – are extremely selective. So everything you read here is the real deal. Welcome to CoolKeyWest.com, and enjoy your stay on the island.
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KEY WEST RESTAURANTS
The highlight of any day is always a good meal, and Key West has no shortage of restaurants. There are almost as many restaurants as there are Realtors. Amongst these (restaurants and Realtors) you will find plenty of tourist traps that are looking to grab your money, feed you tripe, and send you on your way. But rest easy, because we have chosen our absolute favorite Key West fine dining establishments. If you see a place you like, you can also reserve a table by following the link on the page.
THE GRAND CAFE
314 DUVAL STREET • 305 294 4740
This is our favorite Key West restaurant as it is such a well rounded experience. The location is brilliant, with a birds eye view of Duval Street and the food is spot-on. From the bar come an array martinis, mojitos, and other specialty drinks, and the wine list is a Wine Spectator award winner. Many late nights have also been had enjoying a drink on the wraparound porch which serves as a local hangout.
THE PISCES
1007 SIMONTON STREET • 305 294 7100
A slice of pure class on the island here. Sit back in the super-comfortable high-back italian chairs, surrounded by a fine collection of original works by Andy Warhol. As Marlyn, Kofka, and Jagger et al look on dig in to some of the most exquisite food you will ever taste. The foie gras is stuff of legend and the filet is a definite favorite. the experience is rounded of with a full bar and an expansive wine list.
NINE ONE FIVE
915 DUVAL STREET • 305 296 0669
This is our favorite tapas restaurant on the island. Also a wine bar, with over 20 wines by the glass, Nine One Five has a nice mix of tourists and locals living it up on the porch, in the garden and at the bar with all round nice bloke Joe. Looking to the menu, the pork kabobs and rosemary chicken are our favorites.
ANTONIA'S
615 DUVAL STREET • 305 294 6565
After more than 25 years in Key West, anyone would be tired. But Antonia's has defied that logic and still remains a fresh option for Italian food on Duval Street. The main dining room is large but the feeling at each table is intimate, and the service is super-efficient without being totally over the top. As you would expect the wine list has the Wine Spectator Award and the food is outstanding.
COMMODORE
700 FRONT STREET • 305 294 9191
Overlooking the harbor in the Seaport, we are really loving the feel of this waterfront restaurant. The views from the dining rooms are incredible, as are the steaks and lobster. Really enjoying the lobster cocktail, the light breezes that come in through the open 360 french windows. Tell them CoolKeyWest.com sent you.
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KEY WEST BARS
Do you care where Ernest Hemingway got drunk and acted like a prick? Do you want to enjoy your overpriced cocktail surrounded by a bunch of hicks and fat cruise ship lemmings? Are you partial to fantastically awful music played at deafening levels? Thought not. Key West has a huge amount of bars, most of which are rank and in need of a thorough cleaning, but there are a few-and-far-between gems that are worth seeking out. Enjoy yourself, and remeber you can get a DUI on a bicycle in Key West!
VIRGILIO'S
524 DUVAL STREET • 305 296 8118
Tucked just off Duval Street behind it's sister restaurant La Trattoria, Virgilio's is the islands foremost martini lounge. While this is is no great accomplishment in itself as there is basically no competition, Virgilio's is not without it's own undeniable charm. There is usually live music or a DJ playing and the outdoor and indoor areas of the bar and well lit, ie, it's dark.
BLU ROOM
422 APPELROUTH LANE • 305 296 6669
This is our only bar dedicated to house music. Saturday nights are an absolute staple, with DJ Dale Rozman whipping up a sultry storm week in, week out. He has held the Saturday night there for 5 years and it really is a great time. It's a shame that the bar doesn't really get going until around 1am, but arrive early and watch it fill up and explode at around 2am, as it always makes for interesting viewing.
GRAND VIN
1107 DUVAL STREET • 305 296 1020
This is cool little bar/wine store with a great of wines by the glass and bottle. The inside bar is little clumsy and cold feeling (unless you are there with friends) but this is more than made up for with a fantastic wraparound porch that is comfortably setup and lit.
DON'S PLACE
1000 TRUMAN AVENUE • 305 296 8837
Can you say dive? This place is a bit dodgy but it really does work the trick after a long night on the tiles. You will love the fact that a 7.30 a.m. they will let you in the door and have you read the newspaper. At 8.00 a.m. the bartender rings a bell and all the local alcoholics bark their orders at him. It really is a site to behold, and since you will already no doubt be completely polluted from the evenings antics this will be all the more hilarious!
THE GRAND CAFE
314 DUVAL STREET • 305 292 4740
The Grand is listed as our favorite restaurant in Key West but special praise has to also be bestowed to the infamous porch which will suck you in the for the entire night. Offering a vantage point view of the great unwashed on Duval Street, with table service from the bar, it's time to enjoy some quality time with your friends. A exceptional array of champagnes, wines, cocktails, and martinis always the keep the proceedings well-oiled.
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KEY WEST EVENTS
We here at CoolKeyWest.com enjoy sexy, throbbing house (aka techno) music all night long, so as far as nightlife goes, all the events here are geared towards that type of music. From the fantastic moonlit Rock The Boat event aboard the Sebago Catamaran, to the monthly Kinky Sounds party at the Blu Room, to the annual Kelly's Kinky Karnival pseudo S&M blowout, there are actually some pretty cool things to do once the sun goes down.
SEBAGO SUNSET CRUISE
200 WILLIAM STREET • 305 292 4768
No trip to Key West would be complete without taking in a sunset or two, but we tend to find the celebration at Mallory Square to be a terribly tawdry affair, complete with a little French bastard who starves his cats so they will jump through hoops of fire. Not cool. On the other hand, Sebago is the only catamaran in Key West with a full liquor license, which is pretty cool. Make your way down to the dock and set off on one of their relaxing sunset cruises.
KINKY SOUNDS
LAST FRIDAY OF THE MONTH AT BLU ROOM
422 APPELROUTH LANE • 305 296 0669
DJ Peter Worth's monthly Key West gig takes in five hours of cutting edge house and techno music at the Blu Room. Hailing from Glasgow, Scotland, Worth's music brings a more european vibe to Key West with a sound that always moves the dancefloor. The party gets going at around 1am, but for a sampling of deeper sounds visit earlier and watch the bar fill up to a fat and funky soundtrack.
ROCK THE BOAT
MONTHLY ABOARD THE SEBAGO CATAMARAN
200 WILLIAM STREET • 305 292 4768
Calm seas. Cool sounds. Starry skies. It's what boats were made for. Take a beautifully appointed boat - complete with a full cash bar - fill it up with Key West's finest who move and groove to the cutting edge soundtrack of DJ Peter Worth, set sail under the glorious night sky, and you have Rock The Boat. Sets sail from 10 p.m. until Midnight.
KELLY'S KINKY KARNIVAL
ANNUALLY, MONDAY OF FANTASY WEEK
KELLY'S • 310 WHITEHEAD STREET • 305 293 8484
The highlight of the increasingly cheesy Fantasy Week celebration in October, Kelly's Kinky Karnival has been doing it in fine style for nine years. Around 400 revellers decked out in S&M gear pack into the gardens and thrash it out to a soundtrack of disco and house music.
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KEY WEST GALLERIES
They are dotted up and down Simonton and Duval Streets, like little portals to a persons idea of what constitutes art. It's all a very subjective business so we will leave it up to you to wander around and make your own mind up. Key West is home to Florida's Official Photographer Alan Maltz, so be sure to check out his place. The galleries we have chosen however as our favorites have a unique and edgy approach and tickle our fancy here at CoolKeyWest.com.
CHAREST-WEINBERG GALLERY
1111 DUVAL STREET • 305 292 0411
A new addition to the Key West gallery scene, Charest-Weinberg is a purveyor of almost painfully modern art, shown in a clean space on lower Duval. Owner Eric Weinberg - enthusiasm for modern art is rather infectious - will happily show you around the gallery and answer any questions you may have.
SENSES AT PLAY
1022 DUVAL STREET • 305 294 5008
John and Bernadette McCall own Senses at Play, an erotic gallery aimed toward couples. As John says "The difference between Erotica and Pornography -Erotica has you reaching for another, Pornography has you reaching for yourself." Who can argue with that? Their most popular service - while not up everyones street - is a romantic photo shoot with you and your partner that always serves up stunning photographs.
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KEY WEST BEACHES
We are not going to lie to you about this, we aren't really beach people. But, when the need for a little sun and welcome R&R arises, it's all about going somewhere that is beautiful and comfortable. To that end we have chosen two beaches here, both with distinct flavors. "The Reach Beach" is part of the Casa Marina hotel and so has all the amenities, while Fort Zachary taylor is filled with the rugged beauty only a national park can possess. It's totally up to you. Different strokes for different folks, as they say...
REACH BEACH
1435 SIMONTON STREET
This is the life. On Key West's only natural beach, with a restaurant and bar 25 steps away. Here you can rent a chair and towel and generally let everyone else do the work for you. Jetski hire and tours can also be arranged from the watersports hut.
FORT ZACHARY TAYLOR
LOCATED AT THE END OF SOUTHARD STREET IN TRUMAN ANNEX
Something a little more rustic here. The park is opened from 8am until sundown 365 days a year, and is great place to hang out, take in some sun, and even have a barbeque. Quite a few weddings also go on here and they have the annual Art in the Park event where art by local artists is strewn around the park.
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