Chef Michael’s

Took my family there last weekend and the hostess told us they would have no seats until 9 PM but the bar was open and Dave the bartender was great to be around. She was more than right on! I was Leary at first but when we sat down he was just amazing! Soon the bar was full with other vacationers and a local and we had just a great time. The food — the food was fantastic. I had the Lion Fish, wife had the steak, and son had the Hog fish. Each was amazing! All I can really say is what a great time we had, great food, and great people. Thanks Dave!

Favorite place to dine in Islamorada — hands down. The food. The service. It’s all exceptional. Do not pass this spot up. I promise that you will love it. David, the bartender is a joyful fellow. Great recommendations and superb vino. Oh and for sure you will meet Vinny — what a stud. He’s an incredible host and makes everyone feel special. Then there’s Frankie. He’s not only easy on the eyes but provides incredible service. Go and get your skirt blown up.
I hope to be back soon!!!

We are utterly obsessed with Chef Michaels restaurant. Found them via Unilocal when at our home in Tavernier. They make hog fish such a fun dish. I always suggest getting any specials they offer— we have had everything from banana and mango glaze on our fish, to walnut and pineapple encrusted dishes– and they are ALWAYS amazing. I tell everyone I know about chef Michaels.

After spending a week in the Keys, and driving up and down US 1 looking for great food, we were looking forward to our penultimate dinner at Chef Michael’s, primarily because of all the love the restaurant gets on Unilocal.We expected it to be one of the best dinners of the week, and it sorta was. Actually parts of it were the best but some were lacking.
The good parts were:
Service — Hard to imagine how it could be friendlier or more attentive.
Key Lime Pie — We had this every night and this was the best.
Fish Preparations — Fresh caught fish could be ordered several ways — we chose Ponchartrain (with shrimp and crawfish) prepared Red Snapper. Delish.
The not-​so-​good parts:
Seafood Pasta — The pasta and sauce were fine (in fact the sauce was very good), but the lobster, shrimp and scallops were a mixture of over cooked, under cooked, and some that just tasted kind of old. Not worth the $ 34 price tag!
Prices — I blame Unilocal,not Chef Michael’s, for this. Let’s get more realistic here: all of the entrees are priced over $ 30, and some are nearly $ 50. Not a $$$ place.

Maybe the best food we have ever had. Chef Michael and his team catered a wedding for a family member. Lobster lollipops, shrimp & grit cakes, conch fritters were the passed appetizers. Steak, fish as entrees. Would eat anything he prepared anywhere.

Every time my boyfriend and I visit this restaurant we experience a new menu that is outstanding! We enjoy visiting this restaurant when we come to Islamorada. I recommend to call and make a reservation before going there since it gets busy. Our server was Luis and he did a great job! Very professional and gives you good recommendations.

Chef Michael is such an experienced and passionate chef. We are using him to cater our rehearsal dinner for our wedding. His battered hog fish was to die for. His peel off shrimp was devoured by our table. The veggies and tri-​colored potatoes were such a great pairing. We ended the dinner with an enormous piece of carrot cake. The only downfalls with this place is no ocean view and no liquor. Other than that, every need is met here!

Our favorite restaurant in the USA. HOGFISH for President! This place is consistently great, food, service, prices. Try the Key Lime for dessert.

This is our favorite spot in Islamorada. It’s all about the staff. How many restaurants do you leave after 1 visit shaking your servers hand and getting a hug from the manager? Besides being professional, they make you feel so welcome. And the carrot cake!

The «crazy taters» are THE. BEST. BREAKFAST POTATOES I’ve ever had. They’re a medley of all different colors, including purple Peruvian potatoes, and are excellent. I didn’t get a picture of them because I couldn’t stop eating them. We went for Sunday brunch. The freshly made cronut was quite good, as was the Hogfish Benedict and the breakfast burger. Everything was made perfectly, they easily accommodated any requests/​substitutions, the service was friendly and the outside seating area well cooled. Highly recommend checking this place out — wish they also had brunch on Saturdays or lunch during the week!

This place was the place everyone raved out to come to for hogfish. We went on a sunday for brunch. I ordered blackened hogfish and eggs and hubby ordered fried hogfish.
For appy we shared a bacon maple cronut which was so heavenly. It was perfectly maple taste with perfect bacon, Loved this!
My blacken hogfish and fried eggs with potatoes was excellent. Hogfish portion was on a slightly smaller side for $ 22
Hubby enjoyed his fried hogfish and mango sauce but mentioned they had to be eaten together in order to complete the meal
I had ordered biscuit and gravy and the waitress forgot to bring it out and I didn’t notice until I came back home and was sad because I was really craving it! Thankfully it wasn’t charged.
Would definitely come back when in Islamorada and would definitely want to know what’s in store for dinner.
Would suggest coming here, but make reservations!
Can’t wait to be back!

We found this gem of a restaurant while on vacation in Islamorada. It was so good the first night we went back a second night in a row!
First, I highly suggest reservations. The first night we went we had a reservation at 5:00 PM. The restaurant short started filling up shortly afterwards. Once we got our food, it was obvious why!
The first night we started off with the lobster ceviche. It was loaded with large pieces of lobster and was delicious. I had the grilled lobster tail, which was huge! My husband had mahi that was topped with several other types of seafood.
The second night we had the lobster tempura to start. It a very large lobster tail and served with a creamy coconut curry sauce that is amazing. I have a seafood pasta as an entrée and my husband got the hog fish.
Both nights we ate there were amazing. Service both nights was very attentive. Sadly we are heading back home. However if I lived in Islamorada I would certainly make multiple return visits.

I had a chance to come experience for myself this highly rated magical restaurant. Firstly I must say that this was the most incredible meal I have ever eaten in my entire life. Too Good. We had no reservation and was told no can do for getting my party of 4 in around 9:00PM on a Saturday night. After speaking to Vinnie Bob for about 5 minutes over the phone he told me he will get us in. When we arrived the place was packed. We had drinks outside and Vinnie Bob kept us entertained with great conversation and his amazing hospitality. As we enjoyed our drinks (Wine & Beer only) waiting to get in several guest leaving said the food was amazing and they would be back again. At that point my mouth was watering as I couldn’t wait to get in and start the meal. Originally we were told we would be sitting outdoor but Vinnie Bob said were ready for you and walked us inside and sat us at the best table inside the main room. There are maybe 8 – 10 tables inside the main Dining room with a bar small bar in the back and an outdoor garden area. Our waitress was Marissa and I must say she is an asset to Chef Michael’s. First Class Waitress, Friendly, Informative, and attentive. Looks you dead in the eye when you talk to her. She makes you feel important. I started with a bowl of the Seafood Chowder and I must say it had amazing flavor and was filled with allot of Seafood. For the main meal I ordered the special of the night which was the Surf & Turf– Grilled Filet Mignon, Split Florida Lobster with Crispy Fried Spinach, Rice & Crazy Taters. The best meal I ever have eaten. Chef Michael came out to talk to us and he invited me into his kitchen for a selfie with his crew. A special night. Chef Michael’s is a must if you’re in the Islamorada area. Definitely will come back.

Great little place just out side of the Checca Lodge Gate– food very high quality fresh prepared perfect the hog fish wonderful service top notch. Atmosphere old south FL
traditional cut but classic, nice and romantic.
Vinnie and Largo went out of their way to find me a table, Randy my sever was very quick polite and attentive, and the meal by far the best I have had since I arrived 4 days ago. If you are in the area this should be at the top of your list of must visit you will not by disappointed There really is a Chef Michael he is very hands on, while preparing traditional dishes he also can put a nice twist on a few old favorites
Again Just Outstanding All The Way Around…

This was by far the best meal we had while on a mini vacay in Islamorda. To begin we had the lobster and shrimp ceviche and the escargot which were both amazing.
For the main course my husband had their daily catch and I had the seafood pasta which were both amazing. Lastly, we had the key lime for dessert which was perfection.
Not only does Chef Michaels provide great food, their service is impeccable. I recommend this place to all those visiting the Keys you won’t be disappointed.

Went here for Sunday brunch with a large group of girls for a bachelorette.
The French toast was amazing, and the eggs and hogfish dishes were fun and different. The sausage gravy (that came with the biscuits) was also noteworthy.
The ambiance was causal, with outdoor and indoor seating (we enjoyed sitting outside). And the service wasn’t bad (there were a couple mistakes made, but our server removed a few items from the bill — which was very generous).
Overall, I’d definitely recommend brunch at Chef Michael’s.

This place is just my favorite here for dinner.
Great service. Great food. Great wine.
Very consistent. Love love love!!!

Great food. By far the highest quality place in the area. The key lime pie in particular is the best I’ve had in the keys.

Excellent in every way…
Their Maitre d’ referred to us by name… They remembered that it was our anniversary and treated us to two glasses of champagne… Excellent service.
The atmosphere was outstanding. We ate outside where there were plenty of fans, and a great breeze. It was warm, but the outside table made the night.
The food was superb. We both had the hog fish. Both of us selected the «Juliette» style, seared w/​shrimp, scallops, chardonnay butter, & toasted almonds… The meal was perfect. Served with quinoa, carrots, and beans… The portions were large. Three substantive pieces of fish with two large shrimp and one scallop… Everything was cooked to perfection. The quinoa was flavorful. The sauce excellent.
We finished by sharing a slice of key lime pie. Also as good as it gets…
The prices were quite reasonable for the quality and quantity.
This is without a doubt the best food we have sampled in the Keys.
A winner on all counts, we will return.

Chef Michael’s is a romantic, beautiful restaurant nestled in Islamorada that also happens to have fantastic seafood. The fresh and well prepared food compliments the sensuous, Caribbean feel of the porch dining area that overlooks a lush tropical garden and dotted with lanterns. There is a cozy and pleasant dining room, also. It’s a bit of an unusual bird for the area: fine seafood dining not connected to a resort or hotel. The ambience is upscale, lacking the ’70’s holdover’ look common to many restaurants in the Keys
The prices are a bit ‘luxurious’, but the fish are extremely fresh and high quality, the preparation is expert and delicate, and the presentation excellent. Although their fish selection changes based on the day’s catch, their go-​to fish is the Hogfish.
We started with the Florida Lobster Tempura with Coconut Curry Sauce. The lobster tail itself was delicious and well prepared with light tempura that wasn’t oily. I was less of a fan of the coconut curry, as it was a little over-​sweet. However, it was considerately served on the side as a dipping sauce, so you could use or not as you like.
A feature of their approach is their sauces: you can combine any preparation with any sauce. of which they have four: Ponchatrain, Ambassador, Adriatic. Juliette. The sauces are served in a tureen which, again, allows you to apply the amount you want.
I had the Blackened Hogfish with Ponchatrain Sauce (a Creole style cream sauce featuring crawfish). It was excellent. The fish was extremely fresh and the seasoning was applied with a light touch that created great flavor without smothering the taste of the filet itself. The side vegetables were also tasty.
My wife had the whole fried Hogfish with the Ambassador sauce (a key lime butter sauce with shitake mushrooms). Like the others, the sauce was on the side so she could choose her level of saucing; this sauce also was great. The fish itself was again fresh, and the frying was light and let the fish’s natural flavor shine through. The presentation was also a treat.
The key lime pie with raspberry was also tasty.
They also have Lionfish — which I wanted to try but unfortunately was not on that day’s catch. This is a fairly new item in the Keys, as it’s not native but an invasive species. As such, it’s available since there are no fishing restrictions (wildlife authorities want it gone).
Also, a positive mention for the attentive and friendly service, and the knowledgeable servers who were intimately familiar with their dishes and could answer any question.
My wife and I are definitely returning. The only thing that keeps it from a straight ‘5’ is that the prices are a bit high as there are a select few places in the keys whose food is about as good, and a bit less — although none we’ve experienced in the area have the combination of food, refined presentation and romantic beautiful dining space.