Cafe Sole

Best restaurant experience I've ever had in Key West. This place is a little pricey, but not that much more than some of the touristy places on the waterfront. The food is thoughtfully prepared and delivered by knowledgeable servers in a delightful environment. We were fortunate to be seated outside in perfect temps. Appetizers were Conch Carpaccio (mega-awesome, super unique dish: sort of a more delicate version of ceviche, but not exactly) and the bacon wrapped dates stuffed with garlic in a honey glaze (extraordinary - the heat and bacon fat softens the date and intensifies the sweet flavor). Fish entrees were well-prepared, and served super hot: Grouper Romanesque had a satisfying tomato flavor that nicely compliments the Grouper taste profile; Salmon Oscar sounds kind of boring, but the fish was perfectly prepared and the crab hollandaise was light and fresh tasting. Great wine options - if you're a foodie, this place is a real step up from most of the Key West dining scene.

We came here for a Valentine’s dinner and upon arriving, we advised the gentleman at the host stand that we had reservations, when he couldn’t find them, we checked our cell phone app to learn that we inadvertently made reservations at the wrong “Café Sole” as the one we selected was in Jupiter, FL, not Key West… Oops! They were packed and had a long line waiting as well, so we thought we were out of luck, then he suggested it would be an hour wait, but he could fit us in, which we would willingly accept. Or, he said we could sit at their bar! Yes, they have a very small, two-person bar, but it was beautiful, quaint and perfect for our V-Day dinner!

From the moment we sat down, all the staff who engaged us were very friendly and helpful! They have a very nice winelist, so we selected a nice bottle and then I noticed they were pouring a lot of Caymus and when I asked, I learned that it was only $25/glass, so I opted for one of those too!

We started our dinner with the stone crab claws, which are a fair deal at $50 for 2 medium size claws. The meat was buttery and tasty! I got a bowl of their gazpacho, which was very enjoyable and slightly on the chunky side, but I enjoyed the texture. Their bread and spread for the bread was very nice and that spread is like a bold, herbed garlic with EVOO – really tasty. The gazpacho also has a heavy presence of garlic, again something I enjoyed. The wife got their beet salad and she loved every bite of it!

For our entrées, we both got fish; I got the Grouper and she got the Hog Fish and both were prepared perfectly! The lima beans and mashed potatoes that came with both dishes were very flavorful! These entrées were huge, I had a tough time finishing mine, which is probably the first time I’ve not eaten all my fish!

Overall, this was a very enjoyable experience and an excellent dinner… Highly recommend stopping in, but make reservations!

A must visit place in Key West for dinner. Most delicious and amazingly cooked food I have ever tasted. Great service and wonderful atmosphere. Will come for the food on our next visit, for sure. The portobello soup was delicious, the conch carpaccio was wonderful, scallops were cooked to perfection, never have I had scallops cooked so well. The triple tail fish was so flaky and delicious. Topped it off with a slice of their key lime pie, who’s was to die for. They also have a vast wine list to choose from. All and all an amazing experience at this wonderful establishment.

Lobster bisque for starters. Hog Snapper sole is their signature dish. It was wonderful. The sides on this plate were as good as the main. My wife had the gazpacho soup and Yellow tail snapper w pineapple mango salsa. She raved about it. For dessert we had the chocolate pecan pie w vanilla ice cream and crème brûlée. A perfect finish to an amazing dinner.

Make reservations in advance - it is worth a visit to this restaurant while in Key West. It is a nice walk from Duval St. We got the recommended mushroom soup, it was ok but I would get the French onion instead. Then we had the conch appetizer which is like a ceviche and for dinner we had the recommended hogfish. It was a lot of food so we were full and did not try dessert but heard the trio is the way to go for dessert.