Keys Life – Best Vegetarian Food

Looking for vegetarian food in the upper Keys might seem like an impossible task but buried in the sea of fried fish sandwiches there’s some okay food to be had if you know where to look. We’ve traveled a decent amount & the Keys has the most uninspired food of anywhere we’ve ever been. After 10 full weeks I wouldn’t say I had a meal that really knocked my socks off. In fact, just the opposite. Our usual night out at home almost always consists of waterfront drinks followed by dinner somewhere. We tried to do that here & ended up just coming home and making dinner most nights. We still eat out about once a week and here are our best picks for vegetarian options in the Upper Keys!

In no particular order….

• Cafe Largo/Di Giorgio’s – A nice little Italian place & they’re willing to modify any dish for you. We’ve gone here almost every week.The salad included with their dinners isn’t great but you can escalate it by asking for a side of gorgonzola. The roasted beet & goat cheese salad is good as are the personal pizzas. We like the casual atmosphere of the bar side. Start your night with sunset drinks at the Bayside Grill – they have drink specials till 7 and a band outside by the bar. We like to take our beers out on the dock for sunset. The cover pic for this post was taken there.  Inside seating only.

• Num-Thai & Sushi Bar – I know mixed Asian cuisines in one place is usually a red flag but this place is pretty good. Don’t be turned off by the exterior, inside is a cozy place with a friendly atmosphere. We haven’t tried the sushi (we’ve heard good things about it) but we have ordered the pad thai & a few of the curries. Both passable. It gets crowded and the tables are very close together (inches apart). There are booths and more private tables along the perimeter if you don’t mind waiting. It’s not the best Thai food but it is the only Thai food around here! Inside seating only.

• Ballyhoo’s – This place has a separate veg menu! There are stir fries, sandwiches, salads, etc. It’s basically meat/seafood free versions of their regular menu (priced down to reflect that) with a few other things added in.  The pimento cheese grilled cheese with tomato soup is pretty freaking good as is the mac n’ cheese side (ask for it without bacon salt).  Outside seating with no view as it’s between the highways but they have a nice little area.
  

• Senoir Frijoles – There isn’t a lot on the menu that’s veg as is but they’re willing to modify everything for you. Bonus points to this place for taking $ off of the steak burrito we ordered with veggies instead of steak. It’s the rare place that does this. The table side guac was good too. Outside seating available with a water view.
• Upper Crust – This is everything I want in a pizza place! The only thing that would make it better is outside seating. They have the best craft beer draft selection of anywhere we went (rivaled by oo-tray) and they made a great pizza too. Thin crust available and a chill dive atmosphere.
• Sundowners – They have a separate veg menu that doesn’t feel like an afterthought! We ordered the mushroom kabobs with roasted potatoes, really good, especially the potatoes – they were done perfectly! The stuffed blue-cheese fried olive appetizer was also pretty amazing. Outside seating with a gorgeous view! Great place for a date night!

• oo-tray – Tapas food with an outdoor area where they often have bands. Great draft beer selection too.

• Skipper’s Dockside –  This place is a tourist trap and has a cheesy feel but they do have salads, flatbread pizzas and a veggie burger. The veggie burger is $14 so that gives you an idea of how touristy it is. The fries are damn good. It’s on the canal system with a huge bar and outdoor dining area under a giant palapa. They’ve had live music every time we’re been there and once we saw a manatee swimming by in the canal. This is a great place to come if you want to be outside but the weather is iffy or if the bayside is too windy.

• Eco-Eats – Great place to grab lunch. It’s very small, just two tables so plan to take your food to go. They have a tofu pita with spicy peanut sauce (one of my favs) and you can sub avocado or tofu for meat on any sandwich they make. The chipotle chicken wrap sub tofu extra spicy is really good too! They also make great homemade hummus. There’s park with picnic tables just a couple blocks from there which is a great place to enjoy your lunch & take a walk.

• Keys Bite – A great place with something for everyone if your group!  You can’t go wrong here. Mexican seems to be the specialty and it’s much better than Senoir Frijoles. They just built an outside palapa too. Generous portions – consider splitting something if you’re not starving especially if you’re in a hotel and can’t take leftovers. Very reasonable prices too. Outside seating available.

Did I miss one of your favorites? Leave it in the comments!

Until next time …

Stay warm friends!