It’s 106 miles to Key West, you’ve got a full tank of gas, there are countless tiki bars in the Florida Keys, and you’re wearing sunglasses. Which ones to stop at? You’ll have a good idea after you read our guide. Hit it.
Let’s face it, nothing says that you’re on vacation more than hanging out in a tiki bar. The worries of the world melt away once you start feeling the ocean breeze waft over you. As you listen to the island music playing in the background, you gaze out on turquoise waters with a cool drink in your hand, work is nothing but a distant memory. There’s no denying the allure of the tiki bar.
If you’re planning a trip to the Keys, check out our Key Largo to Key West in One Spectacular Trip.
Gilberts Resort and Marina MM109
Before you even get to Key Largo, just past MM 109 on the Overseas Highway, take the Gilberts Resort Drive exit. Gilberts has not one, but two giant tiki bars. Both have great views of Blackwater Sound, and that signature ocean breeze.
If you’re looking for a frozen drink, they’ve got you covered with eight different flavors, including the Key Lime Colada, just the drink to get you into island time. Their menu is full of fresh seafood, sandwiches, and BBQ ribs. Food and drink specials are offered through the week, and live music plays almost daily.
While you’re there, you can rent a kayak, SUP, jet ski, or boat. If you just want to relax on the beach, you can do that too. If you’re coming by boat, they do have wet slips available. And if one day isn’t enough, they’ve got a motel with so many rooms that they rent them out.
Skippers Dockside MM 100
Relax and watch the boats come into the marina at Skippers Dockside. Located just behind the Holiday Inn on the canal. Awesome fish tacos, cold drinks, and a lazy atmosphere for you to just hang out and enjoy the surroundings.
If you’re a Sunday Brunch fan, then clear your schedule from 11 – 3. Order steak & eggs, or a smashburger from the special brunch menu, they even have an unlimited drink option (2 hours max).
For the other days of the week, they have happy hours with live music daily.
Plan your trip and keep all your memories in this handy Journal. Inside the pages have a slight imprint of the cover filling you with that island vibe as you jot down your thoughts.
Snappers Key Largo MM 94.5
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Grab a drink at the bar, sit on an Adirondack chair right on the shore, or climb up to the 2nd floor of the new Turtle Club and enjoy the views. Great service, and great food have kept the locals and visitors coming back to one of the best tiki bars in the Florida Keys since 1989.
How fresh is the seafood that you get at Snappers? Well, they’ve got a daily catch section on their menu, so it’s probably close to just coming off the boat. Grab a fresh grouper sandwich and an ice-cold beer and enjoy the live music playing out on the patio. Or, have a sleep in Sunday, brunch starts at 11:00.
Located on the Atlantic side, the view is relaxing, the company is friendly, and the food is spectacular.
Oceans 305 MM 70
Oceans 305 is located on the Gulf side of Fiesta Key. You can sit under the tiki hut in colorful chairs, or you can dip your toes in the sand and hang out right on the beach.
The menu has all your standard Florida Keys seafood restaurant food. From Mahi sandwiches to Filet Mignon and even lobster. But you’ll want to make sure that you’re there for happy hour 4-6, so that you can enjoy cheap drinks and fantastic wings. Don’t forget to try the conch fritters.
The sunsets here are like they are in all the Keys, amazing! There’s even a fire pit for the cooler nights. Oceans 305 is just a cool place to hang out.
The Island Fish Company One of the Bigger Tiki Bars in the Florida Keys MM 55
When you’re in Marathon, you’ll want to belly up to the longest tiki bar in the Florida Keys at the Island Fish Company. They’re open for breakfast so that means that you can hang out eating your eggs while watching the fish in the beautiful water below. This really is waterfront dining at its best.
Often voted the one of the best restaurants in the Florida Keys in many categories, just visit once and you’ll see why. If you’re into raw bars, they have everything from oysters to stone crab claws. They also offer fresh seafood (of course), and if you’re around on Sunday and are tired of the usual brunch fare, the Island offers a Mexican Sunday menu.
Hang out for their happy hour from 3-5 every day and don’t forget to pick up a t shirt from their gift shop.
There are more fun things to do in Marathon, find out here!
Burdine’s Waterfront MM 48
Burdine’s has been in business for over thirty years, so they must be doing something right. Evidently what they’ve been doing is perfecting their hamburger and fries because they are delicious!
Sitting on the second floor of the dock, you can watch the boats moving through Boot Key Harbor. Even on the hot days the breeze is enough to keep you cool while you enjoy a drink. And if you’ve got Rusty with you, he’s in luck because Burdine’s is pet friendly.
If you’re looking for a laid-back atmosphere, with great food, and cold drinks, hit up Burdine’s before you cross that Seven Mile Bridge.
Kiki’s Sandbar MM 28.5
Kiki’s is a fun place to hang out at, whether you’re there for a quick drink, a great dinner, or hanging out on the beach listening to live music. Located on Little Torch Key with a great view of the Overseas Highway bridge, Kiki’s will remind you why you’re in the Keys.
Hang out on their Games Beach to pass the time. They have live bands every night for you to enjoy as you’re sipping on one of their frozen Kikitails. You can stroll down the pier and see what marine life is passing by, tarpon, sharks, maybe just some grunts. Or you can hang out in the air conditioned second floor of the bar during happy hour.
Mangrove Mama’s MM 20
What looks like a couple of brightly colored conch houses from 1910 (they are), open up in the back to a patio with a bar under a tiki hut. Live music plays every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. Mangrove Mama’s has been a stop for tourists and locals heading to and from Key West for years.
Decent prices, great seafood, and a friendly atmosphere are what makes Mama’s so popular. When you’re on the patio in the middle of a palm tree forest with not a care in the world, you understand why people have been hanging out here for over 50 years.
There’s no waterfront unfortunately, but hanging out with locals and other travelers and swapping stories all makes up for that.
Hogfish Bar and Grill One of the Top Dive Tiki Bars in the Florida Keys MM 6
Hogfish Bar and Grill is a little out of the way, it is not your “polished for tourists'” venue, and it is located directly behind a working marina. But that’s what makes it the place to go to on Stock Island. Spend a couple of hours here and you’ll want to get up the next day and jump on the shrimping trawler and go to work with the other locals.
Famous for its Hogfish sandwich, go figure, but don’t let that stop you from ordering something else on the menu, hint, it’s all good. Beyond the menu are the surroundings, the seats on the dock are barely above the water, go ahead, throw that shrimp tail in and watch the fish eat it. The bar itself looks like the Florida dive bars of old, you’ll feel like you’re back in 1980s Florida.
Stop here to get a taste of old Florida, no commercialization, just fun people, fun surroundings, and a great time.
Sunset Tiki Bar MM 0
This is the end of the line, you actually have to go past MM 0 to get to the Sunset Tiki Bar. At the very end of Front Street, in the Galleon Resort, is a bar with spectacular views of the sunset. There isn’t any food served here, just drinks, with live music and a nightly sunset celebration.
Deuces are wild at Sunset Tiki Bar; they have two happy hours (10 am – 12 noon, and 4 pm – 7pm) with two for one drinks. You can sit at the bar, along the railing, or kick back on one of their beach chairs and watch the sun go down.
Whether you’re trying to get away from the crowds on Duval Street, or you’re warming up before you go out, do yourself a favor and stop here for at least one sunset.
No Tiki Bars, but the ultimate secluded island, Dry Tortugas National Park.
