Garbo’s Grill

Found it on Unilocal,seemed to be popular among locals… Located behind Grunts Bar with outside seating; tables, chairs, and fans… yes! We came around 1 pm and it wasnt crazy busy. There were about 5 parties there and we only waited for 15 mins or so.
We shared Shrimp Taco with 2 different toppings; Cayo and Asian, Fish Taco, and Bulgogi Burrito. Definitely one of the best tacos and burritos out there! Fresh seafood, great authentic flavor of the bulgogi, great toppings and sauces, just simply delicious! I personally like this one much better than the over-​hyped Kogi food truck in LA. Yes, Im from SoCal.
The grape soda was just so good and refreshing on this hot and humid weather, reminded me of Fanta-​grape flavor when I was in Asia. Or, you can grab a beer from the bar inside.
Wash your dirty hands from devouring the messy delicious tacos at the clean restrooms provided.
A delicious destination definitely worth going!

First time in key west, we were looking for a place to grab a bite. And what can I said yes yes yes yes the food was on point everything was cook to perfection. Everything was awesome, we order three different items from the menu fish tacos, hot dog, and beef tacos everything was awesome looking forward to our next trip to the keys, highly recommend.

Best food on key west! I had gone to blue heaven the day before and was disappointed because of all the flies, well not the case here. I mean yes it’s outdoors and one or two flew by, but nothing compared like the swarm at blue heaven. And the food came out fast! We had a pager that announced when food was ready. The food came off the grill and straight to my mouth. There’s a bar next to the food truck to buy beer. The hot dogs looked good wrapped in bacon, but we had the tacos! AMAZING!!! I would’ve eaten here everyday if I hadn’t wasted my time at other places.

There’s a moment in everyone’s life that changes you for the better. Maybe you’ve seen the light, maybe it was an aha moment. My life-​altering experience was a few nights ago at Garbo’s Grill when I devoured the Bulgogi Tacos.
Apparently, Garbo’s was a small food cart for many years. Now in the last month, it has upgraded itself to a substantial food truck. Not knowing at the time, we merely wanted a quick, affordable and delicious meal. Garbo’s provides all three and then some.
First off, Asian-​inspired tacos are my absolute favorite to begin with. Here, they knock it out of the park with their take on Korean BBQ. The marinated meat is overflowing and flavorful as can be. The spicy sriracha hits you next and boy it’s spicy. Then, the crisp slaw comes into play. HOLY MOLY this is one of my all-​time favorite meals!
Absolutely stellar. The other members of my party had the Yum Yum Shrimp Tacos and the Unami Burger. They were both blown away as well. We waited about 10 – 12 minutes for our food. If you’d like a beer you are encouraged to swing by Grunt’s next door.
Unilocal, where’s the sixth star button? Garbo’s deserves the honor!

The yellowtail snapper fish taco was one of the best and fresh fish tacos I’ve had. We also had their pulled pork taco which was tasty and juicy!
Never have we had so much bang for our buck.

After stopping at the Southern most point of the continental US, we decided to get a quick bite before driving back to Miami. I saw this place on Triple D’s and it looked interesting to eat at. It was a few minutes away and actually located behind a bar. We were able to find street parking, if not there is a $ 20 parking lot next to it. I ordered the Korean Bulgogi. I had to wait about 15 minutes but was well worth it. Being from Hawaii, there are lots of local and korean restaurants that serve bulgogi. But I must say that these tacos were delicious. Meat was tender and marinated well. All the vegetables with the dressing and srircha worked well together. There was a little kick to it just the way I like it.

Came in 30 minutes after they opened on a Wednesday and there’s no crowd. Service is ok, well it’s a food truck not fine dining :) Parking structure next to it ($ 20 – 15).
Ordered the shrimp, kbbq & fish taco. Big portions, tastes great. Love all of them but my top favorite are the beef bulgogi (meat was marinated well) and the shrimp! We came hungry after spending the entire day at Dry Tortugas. Buy your beverage next door. Open outdoor seating.

I’ve been back twice since I’ve come down to the keys in one week. The fish taco is fabulous!

Food was unique & amazing! Get there early.
Grunt’s bar is out front — make sure you get one of the craft beers they have to go with your meal.

Went last night because saw the good review on TV. Arrived 5 minutes before closing. Sadly, they didn’t appear eager to serve and said they «could make us something but it would take 30 minutes».
Not sure why it would take that long, since all other customers had food, so we decided they were eager to shut down briskly.
No clue how they are, sadly.

Best fish sandwich in key west. Go!!!
Little Food cart in back of grunts. Tables to sit at. So fresh, tons of flavor! We had the fish tacos and similar burrito.

Went to Garbo’s Grill on a recent trip to Key West and it definitely lived up to the hype!
Garbo’s is a well-​run and friendly food truck tucked away off from the frenzy of Duval st.
I’d read a ton about Garbo’s and so knew I had to try the shrimp tacos everyone raves about. Wow, these tacos were both beautiful and delicious. The shrimp were fresh, flavorful, and perfectly cooked, and the cayo sauce and toppings really took it over the edge.
The one downside to Garbo’s is the line — this truck really draws crowds. And you’ve got to be aggressive about snagging a table outside if you want to stick around to enjoy.
Can’t wait to return on my next Key West visit!

Located in the far back of Grunt’s bar off the main Duval St. promenade. Walk back through their outdoor seating to find this permanent food «truck.»
Menu is small, inspired, and everything looked and smelled delicious. After ordering our food, the wait time was insane for a food truck, 25 – 30 minutes. They have to give you a buzzer.
The bulgogi (Korean beef) tacos were totally insane. Instant A+ from everyone who had the pleasure of trying them. Each order comes with two large tacos, so keep that in mind. However, the fresh catch fish tacos were not that good and pricier than even the bulgogi tacos.
Fresh catch fish taco was served with a large flour tortilla, huge amount of unseasoned, raw cabbage, then atop that was an entire fish fillet (big portion). Then mango slices were above that! The end result was an inedible pile of food that disintegrated upon eating. But the fish wasn’t seasoned really and the massive amount of raw cabbage just made a big mess. Overall, my friends and I couldn’t even finish the fish tacos sadly.
So focus on the bulgogi, skip the fish tacos.

The Umami burger was amazing! So tasty and perfectly cooked!
It’s a hard place to find because its behind the Grunls Key West bar. It’s a small food truck behind the house. Really nice people that work there too!

My favorite diner in Key West!
The Unami burgers are awesome and served with chips on the side. Korean tacos are another favorite of mine (if you don’t like hot stuff order them without the Sirachi sauce). You can’t go wrong with anything on the menu.
Expect to wait for your food… normally about 25 minutes but well worth the wait.

This is a great stop if you are in KW. Garbo’s was on Diners, Drive-​Ins, and Dives for their tacos. They are a cool retro food truck located in the back of Grunt’s bar on Caroline street.
Small bistro table seating under twinkling tree lights. Just order at the window grab a beer at Grunts and enjoy. Our local friends frequent this spot and brought us here a while back before they located to Caroline street. There might be a line but trust me It’s worth the wait!
I always get the yum yum shrimp taco — mango ginger glazed KW pink shrimp with cabbage and fresh mango & lime.
Yes Garbo’s YES!

My favorite restaurant in Key West. It hit all the right notes for me. It felt like eating at a friends house.
The food was EXCELLENT. The burger was juicy almost to a fault, the Gouda on the burger was perfectly smoked, the bacon was crispy but flavorful… my wife kept trying to steal it. Seriously one of the best burgers I’ve ever had. The bulgogi tacos were great: sweet, juicy, tangy. I love Mexican-​Asian fusion.
The atmosphere was in a word, «perfect» for me. It’s spread out and not crowded, they have these lovely string lights that are tastefully used to create a summer vibe even in the middle of winter. The bathroom was impeccably clean and well maintained (unusual in Key West). The bar was nice too. I also liked how compact the menu was; it made it easier to decide what to order.
The service was good and staff was friendly. We got in immediately and didn’t have to wait. And to tie it all together, it was affordable… Very rare in Key West. I hope this place sticks around for a long time and doesn’t change its fundamentals… I’d love to go back some day.

I actually came here TWICE on the same day because they ran out of BOTH fish taco + Korean bulgogi taco when I first got here at 3 PM. Well I drove 3+ hours from Homestead to Key West and I wasn’t going to leave here empty-​handed until I get to try those tacos. So I revisited Garbo’s Grill again at 8 PM … sigh, talk about 1^st world foodie problems.
*** FIRST VISIT, TWO STARS ***
Currently, the food stand is hidden behind Grunt’s Bar (just follow and zoom in Unilocal’s pin mark). I first came here close to 3 PM and the lady who took my order said that they ran out of both Korean taco and fish taco, so I decided to order something first and come back here for dinner later. Whenever you order anything with jalapeño or Sriracha, the staff will ask whether you want those two ingredients. Once your order is ready, your buzzer will ring.
***
Mango Dog (National Deli Quarter Pound Dog, Mango, Onion, Fresh Jalapeño, and House Made Caribbean Sauce, $ 7): NOT worth 35-​minute wait (yes it took THAT long to prepare a hot dog) … interesting concept, but I was disappointed with the bun. Personally, the mango & hot dog combination just didn’t work out for me and Sweet Dogs in Miami (
) has much better hot dogs. (²⁄₅)
*** SECOND VISIT, FOUR AND HALF STARS ***
Time flies when you want something really badly.
«One fish taco and one Korean taco please», I immediately said
«The total is $ 22», she replied.
I was completely stunned for 15 seconds because I wasn’t expecting $ 22 JUST FOR TWO FREAKIN TACOS! After I regained my conscious and sense of reason, that was when I saw «two tacos per order» listed on the menu. Eventually I told the lady that I only wanted one of EACH taco PER ORDER. The next thing I knew, she simply said that she misunderstood what I said and immediately updated my order. Man, I was almost charged extra $ 11 for additional taco order that I will never be able to finish.
***
Cayo’s Fish Taco (Fresh Catch of the Day, Red Cabbage, Mango, Onion, Jalapeño, Cilantro, and House Made Caribbean Sauce, $ 5.37 for ONE taco): Okay … I will have to admit that fish was really good (tasted fresh and juicy, but not exactly melt-​in-​your-​mouth). Tender fish with a little bit of sourness + spiciness from jalapeño. This taco is definitely a must order. WARNING: Pay attention to fish bones! (4.5÷5)
Korean Bulgogi Taco (Beef Shortrib, Napa Cabbage, Carrots, Daikon, Scallions, Citrus Soy Dressing, and Sriracha, $ 4.90 for ONE taco): As someone who has been eating Asian food for more than decades, this taco was actually pretty good. The only thing to critique about was slightly overpowering sweet sauce (a bit on salty side), but yea I can see why this taco was featured in Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-​Ins, and Drives (
).
*** CONCLUSION ***
Again maybe it’s just me, but I think the lady had a slight attitude problem with me and mango dog wasn’t that great at all. However, tacos were amazing and I would get fish taco (s) first and follow by Korean bulgogi taco (s).
P. S. — It is ranked 72 on the Unilocal Top 100 Places to Eat in 2014 (
) and 67 in 2015 (
).

This is not a restaurant. It’s a food truck with a patio of tables and chairs in front of it.
Probably the best food out of a truck I’ve ever eaten. I had the asian short rib tacos (you get two in a little basket), and the shrimp tacos. Both were great but if you only get one — pick the short rib tacos. The most amazing flavour and just the right combination of juicy meat and sweet and sticky glaze.
The service was slightly curt (for Key West standards — it would be about standard in NYC). But I’m in awe that they can create those tacos from scratch in ten minutes in the back of a truck which can’t be more than six feet square. Excellent for lunch.

Having notoriety from a show like Diners, Drive-​Ins and Dives sets the bar pretty high for any establishment. It sets expectations that you’ll have a life changing meal.
So my life wasn’t changed my Garbo’s and I didn’t have that special moment with my taco, but in hindsight I had a pretty darn good taco.
I went with the Cayo Fish Taco. It consisted of fresh mahi mahi, red cabbage, mango, jalapeño, cilantro, onion, and Caribbean sauce. That’s pretty much my ideal fish taco combination. You also need to keep in mind this is coming from a food truck. I know food trucks have gotten very gourmet, but they can only be so gourmet. My taco was pretty gourmet.
Do yourself a favor and grab a drink from their neighboring establishment Grunt’s. You’ll have a perfect casual and enjoyable meal.
If you want fresh fish, a quick meal and to eat someplace that’s been on TV this is the place to go. I’m thinking without the hype, I still would have been pretty impressed with my meal on its on my own.

Qué ganazas tenía de probar comida callejera de un food truck!
He probado el Kogi Hotdog y estaba delicioso!
El perrito caliente más sabroso que he comido nunca! Y a muy buen precio, unos $ 7. Una salsa riquisima y el queso fundido super crujiente.
El ambiente callejero fantástico, y hasta nos han dejado echar una firma en el camión :)
No es un establecimiento, asi que no esperes mesas y sillas formales. Para comer de pie o sentado en unas cajas como mesas y sillas improvisadas. Un cambio de aires para disfrutarlo como callejero viajero.
Definitivamente un epic win de comida! Yay!