A few months ago my friends Gene and Liz traveled to South Florida and asked us to recommend places to visit. Juan and I gave them a packed list of things to do in the Miami area and recommended they visit Key West as well (I mean, traveling through the Seven-Mile bridge is quite the experience). When they asked us where they should stop and eat along the Keys, we didn’t have a specific recommendation for them. I wish I would have known then what I recently discovered (thanks to my amazing girlfriends who took me there), because I would have suggested the Morada Bay Beach Cafe, located on Islamorada on mile marker 81.6.

I was there during a beautiful summer day. It was a bit overcast, especially towards the early afternoon (typical of South Florida), so the weather was very pleasant. The best part of my experience was the ability to sit and relax and have good conversation with friends overlooking the open water.

I give this restaurant 4 out of 5 starts for the following reasons:

The Atmosphere: Beautiful place, full of vibrancy and color as well as open spaces with a great view of the water. The tables sit on white sand for a great sea-side experience. After our meal, we sat under the palm trees by the sea wall and had a fantastically relaxing time.

The Service: The staff was very friendly and accommodating.

The Food: It was good, but not amazing. They do not have a gluten-free menu, making it hard for my friend, Laura, to find something to eat.

Overall: This beach cafe captures the taste and feel of the Keys. I also hear they have live music, which I didn’t get to enjoy (in fact, I heard my friend Cliff Stutts plays there in the evenings, and he happens to be one of the best bass players I’ve ever known :)) I would go back in a heart beat.

      

    

On a more comical note, here I am hugging a palm tree. This now Virginia girl really misses palm trees! Gotta hug them when I see them!

Regarding the beautiful ladies pictured here, I recently wrote a post about their friendship 🙂

After our meal, we decided to drive next door (we could have walked but it was about to rain) to the Bass Pro Shop Restaurant. My friend Carmen and her wonderful new hubby Dave had previously done their research. They discovered this place carried the best key lime pie in the area. If you go, make sure to ask for the best server, Bobbie. Tell her that Silvia sent you 🙂 Sit in the back porch and enjoy the view.