Always good service and great food. Live music outside on the weekend! Great place to eat with the family!

Food was trash. Well, the chicken strips were "okay" I'm pretty sure they were frozen. I ordered the fried yellow snapper, it was mediocre. But what makes me give this place a 1 star review is the fact that the Mac n cheese was so bad that I'm cringing while typing this. The collard greens... I won't even comment on that. I would much rather eat wet dry wall paint then to have to take a bite of this place cornbread that they give. All in all.. the restaurant is not good. I'd go somewhere else. read more

This is apparently one of the best place for pizza I have been there several times I had to have pizza there is really good the service is not that great the waiting time is a little bit longer than spectate and you have to way for a while to get served and wait for a while for the waitress to bring more water or soda in case I have to get up and go get the waitress in order to get served. The services is a bit not as good as you Expected Food is okay I am not as crazy about it. But for a person that is starving for a bite this is the place to go. read more

Excellent food and our server Sherri made every minute pure perfection. Her recommendations were spot on and we ate way more than intended due to the excellent choices. We visit the keys every few months and pleased to find this local favorite during the Thanksgiving weekend which we will now add to our regular stops. Locals were pleasant and welcoming as well, so we didn't at all feel out of place. Highly recommend the pizza and wings!!! read more

I truly do not understand the positive reviews. Maybe they are friends, locals, or maybe these poor people just have no idea about food quality. Or service. I don't know. However, my husband and I own a place near by and come to do repairs at the property once or twice a year. Over 7 years, we have given Babalou's at least 7 tries. Maybe 12. Always horrible. Why do we keep going? Because we work until after dark and it's too late to drive into Key West. We have tried every dinner item on the menu. Seriously. Horrible. No taste. Everything is frozen and fake. And it arrives swimming in so much grease, I lose my appetite. Honestly, the batter on the fried chicken is at least 1/4 thick. It would clog a garbage disposal. The ONLY thing we have ever had here that was decent was their "garbage" pizza. Isn't that a poetic twist? Lol. Not going back. Never. Ever. I promise. My fault if I ever do this again. read more

We have eaten here a million times, especially when we used to live nearby. The last few times we came the service was the worst. Having to ask for silverware and plates and then not getting them bad. The food has really gone downhill too. The pizza had frozen spinach, canned mushrooms and raw garlic. read more

Great little find! Had a few misses in Stock Island and Key West found this place super cute service was great and food was amazing. Stop in you will be happy read more

Left Key West and wanted local food. Excellent service Thank you Tina. Great service

This place certainly made me feel at home in a such a new place. They treat everyone like family and all of their food makes you feel like you're back in your Grandmother's kitchen. Especially the deserts (HUGE)! I'm so glad too live around the corner from this gem. read more

We've been there twice in the last year. Service is not that friendly and the draft beer was not cold. Didn't order food either time; drove 10 more miles up to Mangrove Mamas where beer is much colder and service is great ! read more

My friend is a local here in Key West, and she suggested we get dinner....to go, so i was thrilled when i saw the fried chicken on the menu.........yesss...im a southern girl!!!.......it was awesome....the chicken was crispy on the outside, but most and delicious like id hoped....the mash potatoes, and gravy were awesome.... They are known for their awesome pizzas and i tried the veggie and of course was not disappointed. They have several choices on the menu....seafood, italian, pizzas and of course southern dishes... Easy to find, right on US-1.. read more

Ever since my last interaction with Bobalu's downtown over a pizza that resembled a charcoal briquette, I swore I would never eat there ever again as long as Doug Meeker owned either location. During a call the other day I learned that the original location had and Bobalu's on US1 in Big Coppitt was under new management. Having been a fan of Bobalu's since Bobby and Lucy Mayo opened it until the Meeker's bought it and changed everything and the food, service and hospitality took on all the warmth of the Jersey freeway -- I was looking forward to giving it a try. First Impression: They did a very nice job of cleaning the place up. The colors are bright and tropical and the place hasn't looked that good since Bobby and Lucy opened and introduced real southern cooking to the Lower Keys. The new owners still have the prototype chair that my father had made by my uncle (oh, the irony abounds) with an airbrushed queen triggerfish as the seat back. I was feeling pretty good. I ordered the chicken parm sandwich with potato chips and my friend ordered the pulled BBQ sandwich. The food was decent. It wasn't the CISCO-esque (at least what we ordered) type food that Meeker was known for. The BBQ was tender, generous and fries were crispy and well seasoned. The chicken parm was ok, but a little overdone. The chips appeared to be homemade ruffles, but were a little on the overdone side. The real problem was service. We waited about 10 minutes before the one waitress that was working came by and said she'd be right with us. At the sametime, I noticed a woman wearing a Bobalu's shirt sitting eating what appeared to be a shift meal the whole time. Our waitress finally came and took our order. I hadn't seen my friend in a while and we had PLENTY of time to catch up on what had been happening in both our lives -- it took about 30 minutes for our order to come up. There were only two other tables in the place. Then, low and behold, the woman eating at the counter got up and walked back in the kitchen and started working... I'm not against anybody having a lunch a break... but (as it turns out) if it is your restaurant, if your only server is in the weeds, maybe you should put the fork down and help out. Over all ok. I still think Geiger Key is a better choice if you are on Big Coppitt, and I'd give Bobalu's a little while to get their act together. But it is nice to have a breath of fresh air up the keys. read more

Excellent food and service. Doug's shrimp, garlic and bacon pizza is THE BEST! Great home cooking and large portions. Everything is made from scratch and it's always fresh. My family eats here often and it's always great. read more

Shrimp and corn chowder YUM! Key West po-boy and patty melt fabulous!! Unassuming place on the side of the road. Service great and people very friendly. Place not to miss!! read more

Great home cooking with delicious vegetables. Good family place.

Awesome food! Had a great pizza and key lime pie. The staff was awesome and we loved the laid back atmosphere we will definitely be back the next visit to the keys. read more

I have always wanted to eat at one of those beach house establishments along highway 1 so I decided to stop in and give this one a shot while on vacation. I was greeted by a waitress and a pretty much empty restaurant with all kinds of interesting beer coaster, photos of storm tracker hurricane information, and even the bones of one of those scary looking fish with the prehistoric teeth! Our waitress was a bit strange she seemed kind of on edge. She had a bit of a attitude with my friend in a (I hate men kind of way) but we didn't let it ruin our visit. We tried the Conch and Tilapia sandwich which came with homemade chips. I have to admit I scarfed it down in what seemed like 3 bites...the sandwich was not big...but very good! This place had a extreme nostalgic feel which I loved. Their tee shirts seemed kind of vintage so I bought one! Great place if your heading down to Key West stop in! :) read more

See all

This adorable little place serves the most cheese-infused grilled cheese I've ever had!! It has more cheese than you can handle! :)

Tasty comfort food - I like the blackened mahi sandwich, Mac-n-cheese, Lima beans, sweet potato casserole!

We dined at Babalu's tonight one person ordered the fried chicken that came out cold in the middle it was sent back and came out cold in the middle again. Finally we elected to order a different entrée that came out after the other two people in our party had finished eating. Management declined to offer any discounts or any apology whatsoever for serving fried chicken that was inedible. I guess they don't care about repeat business because we certainly won't be back read more

Arrived and was told to wait to be seated, the server told us she would be right with us, she then ran 3 cards and looked at us multiple times started cleaning tables, wiping her face and drinking water and continued to ignore us along with the other servers and bartender. There was plenty of open tables. I have never experienced such terrible service, I walked out. And never plan on going back. Quite sad. read more

Great local feel and fare! Pizza was great. Key lime pie was authentic. I come here every time that I am in town.

One of the best pizzas in the Keys. Brings back memories of Tri-State area. Do not miss this place.

This place is on again off again. First time the pizza was right up there. We came back out of season, ordered a pizza, it had cheddar cheese on it. Awful. We then came with friends who keep their boat at Boca Chica who are loyal fans, this with a couple of friends from Chicago. We thought the pizza and service was great, enjoyed the fact you can bring your own jug of wine, our Chicago friends thought it was so-so, but they can be a bit odd. Now I hear the place has changed hands, so the jury is out! read more

Not happy at all. Called to verify special menu item of cooking OUR fish. Recd price and sides + bread. Showed up and ordered only to be told something different. Pretty much got oh well from the waiter, didn't even try to accommodate what I was told not less than an hour before. Love small hole in the wall restaurants, but not this one any longer. Been here many times throughout our years but will not be coming back. Very disappointed this time around. Shame on the owners, we keep the business up and running. read more

This place is up the keys a bit and they advertise New Haven style pizza. Now anyone in the world has heard of NY style pizza but New Haven? We gave it a try. Big Disappointment. I've seen Pepes and Sallys on Tv and this place doesnt even come close. a tiny tiny 12" round pizza burned and cracker dry with even the cheese dried to an orange color. I won't even tell you what they charged us. cheaper to get gas than pizza at MM 10. Someone told us they had a spot downtown and it failed miserably. I'd hate to hear what this location is doing; its dirty, empty and embarassing read more

My wife and I were very happy with are recent meals at Babalu's! We first ordered Pepperoni Pizza with Extra Cheese, it was Fantastic. On our next visit we ordered Cheeseburgers, again fantastic. We ate here in the early 2000's and it was nothing special, but the new Chef Owner is really cooking, excellent food, I normally don't write reviews unless the food is bad to warn others, but we enjoyed everything about this restaurant, excellent service & excellent food. read more

maybe because it's the only place serving food on this part of the Overseas Hwy that it keeps getting rated high. The food is blah, the pizza is almost always undercooked, and the seafood is clearly frozen from Sysco. Then to top things off, the wait staff are grumpy and inefficient. But if you are hungry and on Big Coppitt, the place will fill you up and won't poison you. read more

We ate here 3 times on our 5 day stay in key west, little hole in the wall place with a laid back atmosphere, very friendly waitresses, the food was amazing, jerk chicken, fish tacos, fudgy pecan pie, fish of the day and pizza was all freaking awesome, also had a few cold beers to top it off. Well worth the trip to eat there read more

We live just a few blocks away from Bobalu's and used to eat there frequently but then came a period of time when every meal we ate there was just underwhelming. A few months ago, we decided to try them out again and happily discovered that the food is now delicious. Everything we've ordered has been fresh and perfectly prepared. We love their Caeser salad - the dressing has an extra pizazz that makes it a standout. I also love the mahi sandwich. The size of the fish portion is good and it's cooked thoroughly but still succulent, unlike some of the other local restaurants who are serving tiny pieces of overcooked, dried out mahi on their sandwiches. They even grill the inside of the sandwich bun which is yummy and keeps the bun from getting soggy. Also, our usual server is very accommodating. We are picky and often ask for extras such as "Can you ask them to cut our lettuce into very small bits?" and she is more than wiling to get these special requests fulfilled for us. We are truly happy to have such a great place to eat in our neighborhood. read more

Fantastic!! Great place, chill island atmosphere and the help is great, only there 3 times now and they already call me by name. Fish tacos- on point, the pizza and wings there are just as good, not to mention the fresh made key lime pie thats orgasmic. Im lucky i live within walkin distance as im going to be a weekly regular there read more

Stopped here with my daughter and was very disappointed. Had the cuban sandwich and ice tea that tasted like dish water. Not very good service for not being busy. Wonder how they stay in business. Go to Tina's right down the street for some wonderful Cuban food. read more

The best burger I've eaten in the Keys. I've been visiting the Keys for years and longed for the GOOD BURGER! This is where I found it.

BEST PIZZA IN THE KEYS. Live in Key Largo and do not hesitate to take the 1hr+ drive for a Bobalus's Pizza.........Originally from CT, I have had Sallys and Pepe's.....it is as good as any of the NH pizza's. read more

Just had my last meal at bobalu's tonight. Not sure what has been going on since the new owner, but the pizza has been disappointing, and tonight I waited 1 hour for a sandwich! Wish I would have gone somewhere else. read more

I have been eating at Bobalu's for over 20 years. Under the founders, Bob and Lucy, it was great. Under the second owner, Doug and his clan, they kept up the food quality, expanded the space and generally kept up the ambiance. They then added what I, as a real pizza snob, found to be the main reason to eat there. And over the their time there, I ate plenty of them. Crisp crust, well seasoned and portioned sauce, right amount of cheese and my favorite toppings. It was enough to get me head up the keys and drive 10 miles to eat. Went last night under the new owners. The interior has been updated but it's more faux than anything. It's now better air conditioned, which is a plus. The food was really mediocre. The pizza was an utter disappointment. Cardboard crust and over sauced. My tablemates were equally uninspired enough to not take the leftovers home, something unheard of. I wish the new owners good luck, but if this is how it is, I'll wait for the next owner to go back read more

we used to love eating at bobalu's on big coppitt key. the last 2 times it went from bad to worse. my husbannd got a seafood gumbo, or something like that, and it was sooo over-spiced he was not able to eat it. being we are from louisiana, spices are usually no problem. i got the country fried steak, which i normally get, and it was very greasy, smelled a little "off", and when i tried a bite there was absolutely nothing more than a huge chunk of fried mess with a small meatish looking chunk. i was not able to eat mine either. this has never happened to me before and i don't know what has changed but i wish it would change back to the wonderful restaurant we loved. until that happens i will not eat at bobalu's read more