Food was delicious. Service was good. We didn't have a reservation so we were able to sit at the bar. Would come again.

My wife and I are having our first Keys vacation, and Chef Michael's has been the best quality all around. Skip the over-hyped Square Grouper, and spend your time and money at Chef Michael's instead. Shelley was our server, and helped us navigate the wonderful fresh fish prepared options and the extensive wine list. The rice with a hint of coconut was special too, and well balanced. Best salad appetizer, yet. Generous with fresh mushrooms, cucumbers, olives, and tomatoes. Our request for crumbly Bleu cheese side was honored, no problem. read more

We called after 8:00 PM to see of we could get in without previous reservations and they told us they would have a table ready for us within 30 minutes, which was amazing. We were greeted by very friendly staff and servers. The place had a nice ambiance. Not too formal, but mot your run-of-the-mill seafood joint. Wyatt took care of us for the night. There were no long waits for food or drink and Wyatt stopped by often to check on us. The food was very good! A little pricey, but when you grade on the Florida Keys pricing curve, it was probably on par for a very nice dinner on the mainland. Nothing disappointed! read more

Delicious dinner on Friday night at Chef Michaels. Must make reservations in advance. Our server Ashley was absolutely wonderful and made excellent recommendations. We started off with the conch fritters and shared the lamb chops and mutton fish as a main. This has been some of the most excellent food preparation and presentation. We finished the meal off with dessert. Would highly recommend when in town or for a special occasion. read more

We live south of Miami and come down to the keys quite often for a few days at a time. We have our standard places that we normally enjoy for both upscale and casual dinners. A neighbor suggested that we try Chef Michael's on our next trip and make sure to call for reservations. That we did and able to get 7:30 reservations for 2. We arrived a few moments before our reservation time and promptly seated at a table for 2 in the former porch. Water and bread arrived very quickly after we sat down and then server arrived to tell us the specials. It was our anniversary so we we planning on a nice leisurely dinner. Since it Is beer and wine only we ordered a glass each and when we received those we placed our order for a shared salad and entree each. Within 5 minutes salad arrived and as soon as salad plates cleared entrees arrived by the runner. We were half way thru when server appeared to ask if our meals were ok. Salad and entrees very good but to pay that much and be finished in less than 45 minutes is not what I would call "fine" dinning. We did order the carrot cake for dessert but my husband asked that they give up a few minutes before bring it out to the table. Even with that requested delay we were back in our car by 8:35. Not sure if this is normal or since Chef Michael was not in the house everyone was being rush so staff could get home to set the Heat Basketball game. Not exactly what I would call a Keys Laidback atmosphere. read more

My daughter in law, and a group of her friends all from the Nashville area, came to Chef Michael's to celebrate her birthday with a festive evening on their last night in town. I wanted to offer her and her friends a special bottle of wine for a surprise, and telephoned near midnight my time one night in advance to arrange for this from my home in France during the hours that the restaurant was open. The charming hostess Brylle took all the information needed in a very professional way. We also had several written exchanges. Sadly, the gift bottle was not able to be enjoyed by the birthday group simply because of the bank ID confirmation needed at the moment of the sale, and for me it was the middle of the night !! No confirmation was possible for my bank. Now here's the reason for the five star rating ..... The next morning l saw a personal message from Chef Michael himself, saying how sorry he was that the wine gift didn't work out, and he offered to deliver some bottles of wine for them to enjoy if they were still in town !!! Now THAT is pretty special! , read more

Fantsticalkyvfresh fish and so many great dishes! Recommend the trilogy so you try all the ssyces. We will be back as soon as can.

This was my first in the Key's area. Finding a place to eat was limited because it's such a small island, but this came up as a place next to where we stayed with great reviews, and it lived up to every single one. The fish was fresh and the veggies were cooked perfectly with great spices. They also brought out really delicious bread as an appetizer. The customer service is exceptional. Good atmosphere and overall just a nice place to be. :) read more

The only reason they get 2 stars is for the proficiency of the back waiters (bus boys and expeditors). 100% NOT worth the hype. We made a reservation weeks in advance. The reservationist asked if we were celebrating. We were celebrating our engagement. She asked if she could send out champagne to celebrate. I said that was kind but we don't drink. She asked if she could send out dessert. I said that would be lovely. However, the server failed to read any notes so missed that. I was disappointed as they were the ones asking for that special treatment. Their lack of attention felt dismissive. Our server left a lot to be desired. I felt like I was a burden to her just because we were sitting in her section. She was condescending and cold. We had the conch fritters and the tuna to start. The fritters were good but nothing special and the tuna was mediocre. My fiancé had the trio of fish special. He said 1 of the three was good but he left a lot on his plate. I had the grouper with the caper preparation per the servers request. It was fine. Again, nothing was a standout. Pretty underwhelming. The server recommended the salted caramel cheesecake to finish. It was overwhelmingly sweet. This restaurant seems to be resting on their laurels. We won't be back and we definitely would not recommend it to anyone looking for a good meal or a good dining experience. read more

Great place for o dine while in the Keys. Very Elegant and quiet when in the mood for one of those night. The food is always good and the staff is always on top of things. I have been there several times and have never been disappointed. I do suggest that you make reservations they fill up quick. read more

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Chef Michael's was on the top of my list of must eats in the keys after the great reviews and the appealing menu. Walking in with high expectations, it still managed to surpass it. Even though it was on the nicer end, I was pleasantly surprised that they had a dedicated kids menu. In addition, kids are able to order from the main menu in half portions which is so considerate! My oldest ordered a 14 oz steak with mash potatoes and vegetables and he didn't even need steak sauce. My other son ordered the grilled fish which did not come with a sauce but they brought out a side of mango sauce. I ordered the triple tail with Juliette preparation. The fish was super fresh and a great portion with leftovers. Also, there were two jumbo shrimps and two large scallops that were part of the sauce which honestly could have stood on its own. * chefs kiss* To end the meal, we topped it off with a crème brûlée cheesecake with caramel sauce. Highly addictive! If you must eat one epic meal in Islamorada, I definitely would recommend it be here! read more

Wow! This was an exceptional dinning experience. The wait staff was knowledgeable and gave great recommendations. We had hogfish, grouper and yellowtail snapper. Recommend the Juliette style that comes with the shrimp and scallops. The jasmine rice was perfectly flavored with coconut and a generous serving of vegetables accompanied the entrees. We were looking forward to the carrot cake but lacked enough cream cheese frosting between the layers. read more

Chef Michael's - 7 Layer Carrot Cake - Seafood Near Me - Islamorada, Florida

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Food was delicious and the service was second to none. Very romantic lighting and overall a nice experience for a nice date night.

Excellent experience. The only reason I'm not giving them a five star is because at the end the service slipped a little (in all fairness they had two big parties 6+ people). The food was excellent my husband and I had the wahoo prepared in two different versions (one with scallops and shrimp and the other one with shiitake mushrooms) both were exquisite. The wine suggested was very good and reasonably priced. Will definitely come Back. read more

LUCY THE HOSTESS IS THE BEST! She is beyond organized and prepared and runs a tight ship... and it shows in the quality of their service and food. Everyone can do their job because Lucy takes care of front of house and seating guests in an organized manor. The food is top notch, every single time! Chef Michaels never disappoints. We drive from Miami often to eat here, and the service and quality is always consistent. Glasses never go less than half full, and the food matches the superb service. read more

Wow. The food is so good start to finish. Can't wait to come back. The fish and preparation options are great. Escargot sauce is delicious. read more

BEST KEY LIME PIE ON ISLAMORADA!! It was delicious, as was the fish and the filet. Delicious!

Fine dining in the Keys! Husband ordered Triple Tail topped with shrimp and scallops. Best fish plate we had our entire stay. I ordered the duck (it was our last night and I was fished out) and it was perfect. Duck is hard to get right can be either dry or greasy. This was excellent! We also enjoyed a lobster cocktail appetizer which was soo good. Service was great and atmosphere was lovely, beautiful orchids hanging in every window. read more

Went there every year since they opened. I still recommend them...but my husband's BD experience was not good. I LOVE their Rock Shrimp Conch Fritters & I don't like conch fritters. (Rock Shrimp not local & tastes like lobster...mmm) EXCELLENT BLEND! Keep in mind they were closed Sept & just reopened. Maybe it was just an off night for them. Of course I'll be back but they have dropped from my 3rd to my 5th favorite restaurant in the Keys. read more

Not sure how anyone could give this less than 5 stars. It was fabulous. Everything - Wine, Tuna Sashimi, Wedge salad, Trio Fish dish / w rice Filet Tenderloin / w spinach chips Crime Brûlée All sensational. We will come back here every time we come to Islamadora. read more

Due to all the raves reviews we were looking forward to dining here. It turned out to be a disappointment. First, the bus boy kept coming by to remove our plates. We couldn't put our fork down cause he was ready to jump on our plates. Very distracting. Then the meal came and although I will say the fish was very fresh - it was blah at best. The trilogy dish at $ 42.00 was overpriced. The best dish was the tile fish with the crunchy nuts and mango sauce yum. The best items on the menu is dessert. The key lime pie excellent but the real dinner is the salted caramel dessert. Wine and beer only. Reservations highly suggested. Parking on site. This place is pricey. We wish you a better dining experience than ours. read more

If you're a foodie, you cannot pass this place up. Food - dilectable and decadent. Service - professional, helpful, knowledgeable & friendly. Atmosphere - relaxed - no rushing you through your meals here. An absolutely wonderful dining experience every time! read more

My husband and i just dinner here. What a nice surprise. The dress code casual elegant. I had the "mixed nuts" yellowtail and my husband the blackened grouper. It was delicious. The staff very friendly. It's not cheap but Definitely would recommend. read more

Very good Tripletail, very good mashed potatoes, very good coconut rice, Duck was just OK

We live in the Keys and drove up to Islamorada for dinner. We'd heard great things! We arrived for our $50/pp deposited reservation and the greeter opened the door and pointed us to our table midway of the Resturant. She couldn't walk us there because the tables are too close together. What we'd hoped would be an amazing dining experience on Saturday 8/26/23 was dampened by a party of 10+ liquored up, loud and rowdy patrons. It's a small place with about 20 tables placed about 1.5 feet apart. One table of 4 was lucky enough to move to the furthest table away from the ruckus, once it was cleared, but the rest of us endured the horrid ambience. The food was 10 stars, as was the service. We cut our experience short and requested our food be packaged to go because the management didn't attempt to address the adults behaving badly. 3 Stars for an overall experience and we'll save the gas and stick with the exemplary food, service and ambience we know. read more

Chef Michaels exceeded our expectations and they were high when we were going here. Being a Florida born native and eating lots of seafood around the world I've learned to temper expectations. However from the moment we got there and were greeted at the door we felt welcome and important. Kim our waiter was very knowledgeable of the menu and there were so many off menu items it was hard to decide. We started with a bottle of Valentin Pinot Grigio which was excellent. Kim bragged about their conch chowder and I was skeptical. However I have to admit it's some of the best I've ever had. The portion was very large and the flavor was bold and spicy. For dinner I chose the whole snapper fried and my wife chose the filet. Both came with Pontchartrain train sauce which was excellent. The salted caramel cheesecake was also to die for. All-around great meal, great service and great spot that I would highly recommend. Thanks Kim and chef Michael's for making the night memorable. read more

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Small restaurant may need some updates or larger to accommodate large parties but food is delightful and carrot cake is one of the best part of dining there. Weeks later I pre ordered a whole carrot cake for an family event. Thanks Chef. Nothing left behind on that cake platter! read more

My BF has been telling me about this place for the past two years and he finally treated me as it was definite time to celebrate being that it was my birthday. I have to say this is the best seafood restaurant in the keys ever! The whole experience from making the reservation,no hassle parking,the five star service, and the food was impeccable! We arrived and there was parking right in the front. Hostess waiting right there for you to lead you into the dining area to your table. It was a Wednesday night and the place was packed. The decor and ambiance was lovely. We decided to sit on the outside since it was a cool night. It was dimly lit making it even more romantic. Our waitress came over and she was the best. She greeted us,gave us a little history about the place and let us know the specials of the evening. Their known for their hog fish but being that my BF is a true fisherman I wanted to try something other then fish. The menu and their specials made it very difficult as I wanted everything!! They brought over some fresh bread rolls with a garlic like sauce,it was tasty.To start we decided on the lobster and shrimp ceviche ,served in coconut (after eating the ceviche I indulged on the coconut meat). That was delish and you can taste the freshness of the seafood and even the coconut was delish. I had to get the seafood pasta because it was just calling me. Hubby had the special,3 fish made 3 different ways..holy shit. .excuse my french but there are no words to express the explosion of excitement and pure happiness and satisfaction that was occurring. First off my pasta had this distinctive flavor I've never tasted anywhere else and the freshness of the lobster,shrimp, and scallops all together....I could've cried over how much I loved it. I didn't share,not one damn bite. His dish had pompano (my favorite in a creamy sauce),hog fish (so tender and came fried)and cobia (cooked in a spicy sauce) all three blew my mind and my pasta. I have to come back to try the rest of the menu, the whole experience left such a grand impression on me that I feel this is my new favorite restaurant period! read more

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Food is excellent. This is 5 star restaurant in classic style (which is very unusual for Florida Keys). Very friendly service. Prices are high but it's worth it. Only professional can cook grouper the way they do. read more

Chef Michael's - Interior - Seafood Near Me - Islamorada, Florida

A great birthday dinner We came to Key Largo to have a relaxing few days and celebrate my birthday. Knowing the laid back nature of the area, we wanted to make sure we found a nicer restaurant for a birthday celebration. We found Chef Michael's on Yelp and made a reservation right away. That was the best decision we made! The amazing service started even when making the reservation. They asked if we had ever been there, if we were celebrating an event, the name of the person celebrating and if there were any food concerns they needed to know. As soon as we pulled up, they addressed us by name and wished me a happy birthday! We were seated right away and our server, Casey, came over and also wished me a happy birthday. She also already knew about my nut allergy and assured me she would help me navigate the menu. She was amazing and recommend her as your server! They have a great wine list and bottle prices are reasonable. We started with a bottle of the Robert Sinskey Abraxas - a lovely white blend with notes of grapefruit. I am not usually a fan of fruity whites but this was crisp and refreshing and would good well with the seafood we were having for dinner. It was also nice to see wines that are not typically on a wine list. The menu is small and devoted to fish caught fresh that day. We started with a lobster and shrimp ceviche that had huge chunks of fresh seafood along with the perfect balance of sweet, savory and acid. The fresh cucumber provided that extra fresh crunch to every bite. We also had an order of escargot, already out of the shell. Delicious!! We were fighting over who got the last one! For our main dishes, we were able to snatch up the last "whole" hogfish for my boyfriend made Cuban style and I had a hogfish fillet made ambassador style with a key lime butter. When they say they are known for hogfish, they mean it!! If you come here, you MUST get the hogfish and the whole one if any are left. It melted in our mouths and can easily say it was one of the best meals we've ever had. We ended with dessert. I had the salted caramel cheesecake and he had the key lime pie. My piece was complimentary and the entire staff came out to sing happy birthday to me. Both desserts were fresh and light and yummy!! We loved EVERYTHING about Chef Michael's and highly recommend it to anyone coming to the Keys! Just be sure to make a reservation in advance. read more

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Came here with friends for my 40th birthday was told that there was only two fish left on the special ask them to put one aside because I thought we were going to order and when the rest of the table order their food I was told that my fish was sold to another table... Happy 40th birthday to me read more

Amazing restaurant. Super cozy and the staff is very nice. Everyone was so nice and the food was incredible. Not your typical restaurant in the keys, I feel most of the places just have fried food but chef michaels is not like that! Highly recommend this restaurant to everyone who likes it a bit more fancy on their visit in the keys. read more

Chef Michael's - Seafood Ceviche - Seafood Near Me - Islamorada, Florida

Our favorite go to dining spot for fish, steak and pasta. Casually elegant atmosphere with friendly service. The perfect Keys dining spot read more

Chef Michael's - Islamorada's premier eatery - Chef Michael's. - Seafood Near Me - Islamorada, Florida

We've been coming to the keys for years now and finally tried out Chef Michael's. To say it was amazing is an understatement. I had the prime rib special and it was the best cut of meat and perfectly prepared. Our waiter Chris was phenomenal and gave us the whole run down on the menu and answered all our questions and gave great recommendations, and ver accommodating to our gluten allergy. Definitely will be back! read more

Chef Michael's - Seafood Near Me - Islamorada, Florida

The staff was excellent and patient describing the menu as this was our first visit. The Lion fish appetizer was delicious as was the Hogfish - both new to us dishes. The wine excellent - and the Crème Brûlée out of this world! read more

If you visit Islamorada you must eat here. Tiny and always booked solid for a reason. The freshest most amazing fish. We absolutely loved it! read more

Another great dinner celebrating our 32nd wedding anniversary at Chef Michael's. New for the restaurant is a hold on credit card for your reservation. Arrived 20 minutes early but had to wait for our table even though restaurant was half full. When hostess was starting to bring us to our table she paused and had us wait as another party arrived and was immediately escorted to their table - not very professional. Asked to wait more and then, along with another couple escorted to our table which was all the way in the back of the restaurant near rear door. Not the most romantic table since we made reservations with them knowing it was our anniversary. Our waitress was so sweet and attentive. Started with a champagne toast! Then on to our appetizer of shrimp ceviche in a coconut which was good but not worthy of the cost $$$ in totally maybe 3 shrimp total. Main courses of tile fish and triple tail AMAZING!!! And to finish up the meal with a cappuccino with Banana Bread Pudding which was just perfect!!! Other than the issue with the hostess seating us where she did, the overall experience and food was great!!! read more

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Honesty our entire meal and experience here at ached Michael's was nothing short of spectacular and it will definitely a place we visit for dinner when we are back in islamorada! We enjoyed the ahi tuna appetizer, I had the seafood pasta with scallops shrimp and lobster that was so HUGE of a portion I had to finish the next day for lunch! My fiancé had the triple tail in key lime butter sauce with coconut rice and veggies which was buttery, flakey, and an amazing fish overall! We were too busy enjoying to take photos of our food that I only caught a photo of our dessert- a complimentary salted caramel cheesecake for my birthday. Which was absolutely phenomenal and one of the best cheesecakes I have ever had! Thank you to the hostesses who were so kind, and Eric who was a great server and made our first time here wonderful! read more

Chef Michael's - Salted Caramel Cheesecake - Seafood Near Me - Islamorada, Florida

The place to go If you want a special meal in the middle Keys. Classy place with excellent food. Good for romantic date or special occasions read more

The food was ok over priced service good Servers with attitude stone crab claws at 50 dollars for one anusive read more