Herbie’s Bar and Chowder House

We just stopped there after reading the Unilocal reviews, excited to have our «last» dinner on the Keys before heading home. We were very disappointed. OVERPRICED and OVERRATED. The catch of the day was hogfish $ 25 just with small amount of rice and black beans. My buffalo dolphin (mahi-​mahi) sandwich was basically just regular fried fish sandwich with buffalo sauce poured over the fish which made the bun very soggy and fall all apart; I ended up eating it with a fork. Also, note that sandwiches don’t come with any side dishes at all. Kids chicken nuggets/​tenders were much too spicy for the kids. They were more like buffalo style chicken tenders. In addition to that, 2 of our kids ordered ice tea and they didn’t like it so they asked for a sprite so we got charged double for those drinks. The only good thing about that place was the pineapple hard cider. We were in Florida for over a week and we went out to dinner everyday and this was by far the least enjoyable food, and the most expensive.

Atmosphere… less than satisfactory. PO boy bread only average instead of a baguette. Fish and chips made with mahi, not grouper or local hog fish and a hefty $ 16 + price. Excellent clam chowder, however.

Had dinner at Herbie’s tonight based on so many Unilocal reviews. It was early-​before 6pm, but already the interior dining rooms were pretty packed. So my husband and I opted to eat in the enclosed but outdoor patio. Even though there weren’t any other diners outside (pretty chilly for Floridians, but nothing compared to northeast temps!), we were seated and served promptly and efficiently. Liz was our server, and she made sure we were happy with our service and our food! And we were! I had an organic mixed green salad and the crab cake starter. Excellent! And the remoulade sauce was the perfect accompaniment. My husband had the dolphin (mahi) sandwich and he was equally pleased. The beer and wine list was extensive and unexpected. We had a great meal and we look forward to returning soon.

Absolutely a great choice for locals and visitors. Food was good, price was good, drinks were cold and the service was outstanding. Three seating options (screen porch, a/​c dining & bar tops). Friendly staff, friendly diners, CLEAN!

What a quirky local place with 3 separate entrances to separate dining rooms… wonderful service… the waitress gave us samples of the beer on tap and even gave me a free one when we returned on the same day for dinner… why did we return you asked? The smell of the ribs on the backyard barbecue… served only at dinner they did not disappoint!

We start with the famous conch fritters. They were disappointing because the conch was very tough and the fritters just tasted like fried balls. I followed it with the shrimp Po-​Boy which was an error because it was too much fried foods, which I seldom eat. But I also felt there wasn’t enough sauce on it. My husband had the tuna sliders that were very good.
Place is fun and good for a beer with an appetizer.

Typical greasy roadside shack. The party I was with all ordered different items and none enjoyed their food.
Service was very slow and short.
If greasy fried food is your thing, please visit.

Crab cakes were good, shrimp po boy and various burgers were okay. No one in our party cared for the conch fritters. The key lime pie was great. There’s not much of a selection and most of the seafood offerings were fried.

Awesome Awesome Awesome
Fresh Fish to die for Southern Chicken and great Appetizer’s unusual but TASTY STOP in and EAT it’s a Must Visit
We will be back

Stopped by this place and ordered a whole fried yellowtail and tuna sliders. The food was unique and tasted pretty good. The layout of the buildings is a little confusing having three separate areas. Overall, this is a decent stop for a quick lunch! I would come here again.

Chicken Sandwhich & Conch Fritters. Dope. ⁴⁄₅
Mama Li (Carribean Shrimp): «I could make this.» ³⁄₅
Papa Li (Fish of the Day): «Yellowtail is a type of tuna right?» ⁵⁄₅
Bro Li (Tuna Sliders): «…» ⁵⁄₅

Great place for craft beer. Adam was great & helped us find just the right one. He was also a good entertainment!

Wonderful chowders and desserts! Who has lemon ice box pie? Made from scratch? Friendly and engaging staff; clean surroundings. Fresh ingredients make the experience memorable. Worth a stop.

Every single menu item was prepared to perfection (conch fritters, mussels, grilled oysters with Parmesan and garlic, conch salad and shrimp Po boy)… Nice selection of craft beers and super friendly service. What an awesome family running this place. We will definitely return to this little gem!

Super friendly staff that know a ton about craft beer. Big selection of very tasty brews. There’s something for every type of beer lover. Food is excellent. The key lime pie is the best I’ve had in the keys.

Ahhhhhhhhh, the sweet moment when Unilocal reviews guide you to a place that you probably would have never found on your own!
First of all, I make it a habit of mine to always look for reviews of places to go around any new or old area. I had been planning a trip to Marathon/​Key West, and although I have been to The Keys many times before, I have totally missed this hidden gem! It is very easy to miss as you are driving by because it more of a dive than anything else. The place is very small, but do not let it deter you away at all!
Parking is limited along the front of the joint along the dirt until there is no more space to park. One could technically drive behind or go up or down further and walk over, but truthfully, if it was to be that crowded, then seats are probably or completed out by then. I say this because during our dinner, a party of 10 came in and asked if there was room but the place was already packed and they had to turn them down. That party was not upset in any way because they had been there before and just wanted to take a shot to see if maybe there was still room. So, people are still happy when they are being turned down out here? Yeah, that is a very clear sign that the food must be good to go out your way and gamble being turned down if seats are not available.
The bar area has about two long communal tables that hold about 10 – 12 seats in general. There is a separate entry to the bar versus the area where the kitchen and main eatery is. We accidently walked into the bar area first and had that awkward «Ohhh just kidding» exit thingy going on as we backed out to the other door. The main eatery has 3 high tables with 4 seats at each table, and about 5 high chairs at the table counter. There is another door at the end that leads to the outside screened seating where it looked to have about 4 – 5 more tables.
We were greeted very promptly and luckily had seating right away. We ordered the Conch Fritters, two Buffalo style Mahi-​Mahi Sandwiches, Shrimp Po Boy, Whole Flash Fried Yellowtail with Thai Chili sauce (which came with rice and beans), and a Bananas Foster for dessert. Their sandwiches do not come with sides as those are ordered separately. We did not decide to get any fries or onion strings, but they looked pretty good as we saw orders of them come out from the kitchen for others! (Next time…)
Food was excellent! Very fresh seafood and I love how they do a flash fry concept for their fish which kept it crispy but not oily. The black beans and rice along the side of it was not the best only because it was very generic and precooked, but who cares, we got it for the fish, not the rice and beans! Shrimp Po Boy was delicious and honestly enough to split with another individual! Their shrimp in the Po Boy was also lightly fried in what I assume to be an egg white and cornstarch concept for coating, which kept the tiger prawns very much the star the dish. The conch fritters were also fabulous as they were not all mushy or undercooked and had great flavor. Bananas foster was standard, but a nice change from all the Key Lime Pies in the Keys. I would suggest to maybe serve the vanilla ice cream that came with it on the side instead of the top of the bananas because it melted way too fast to enjoy it as a whole dish. But everyone still loved all their food and I was surprised to see nothing was left over.
I have to also say that our server was a sweetheart and did a great job in attending to not only our table, but all the other tables she had for such a busy Saturday night. Honestly, it is rare to find both great food and awesome service in areas along the Keys for some reason as an individual who is not Caucasian (just personal experiences, anyone else experienced this?), so I was absolutely pleasantly surprised to not feel that way here. I wish I got the name of our server to give her a shout out on here because she made the place that much better!
Bottom line, this place is awesome and very unique with great food and excellent service. Diners, Drive-In’s, and Dives should feature them for sure!

A very special selection of craft beers, they’ll give you as many taste as you like.
Nice air-​conditioned bar with a keys feeling.
Had the burger, fried snapper, conch chowder and all was delicious.
Service is extremely competent, friendly and fast.

BEST PLACE FOR KIDS!
They have chalk for kids to play with on the patio.
GREAT FOOD!
The food was the best we had!
AWESOME DRINK LIST!
Loved my passion fruit ale!

Ok, our second time in as many days. Steak, Brussels and fries — amazing: guy Fieri, if you miss this, you are a fool!

Great meal. We covered all the bases with our group. The po boy was excellent had the Hog fish special. Grilled shrimp was cooked to perfection as the menu promised and had a jerk seasoning that paired nicely.
The basic burger was very good. Got a basket of the fries which were great and seasoned well. Also ordered the chicken sandwich which was tasty and pulled like pulled pork. No complaints from anyone on their food.
Saved room for dessert. The coconut key lime pie was a great ending to our meal. The chocolate tart was good too.
Outstanding selection of beer on tap. It was a great meal.