A fun atmosphere when you walk in. And that spills over into the food as you review the menu. We decided to sit at the bar for quicker service and asked the bar tender some of his favorite choices on the menu. At the top was the No Worries Coconut Curry Rice Bowl ... so we decided to go with that. And he did not steer us wrong. It was quite good! There are different protein options for this meal and we both went with the chicken. Again, really good! The combination of all the various spices and flavors made this meal so unique. It was a refreshing change from the standard options you would find at other restaurants. Definitely worth a try. read more

Went out fishing on an all day charter and wanted a great place to prepare our mahi (btw highly recommend Linda D charters and captain Billy/Jesse- we had an excellent time). Jesse recommended Kaya as his favorite place to prepare fresh fish and we really enjoyed our meal here last time so we took our fish and headed back! They have a three course menu that is fixed for this, however our server was very accommodating and was able to substitute/subtract items for us since it was just two people and everything was so incredibly delicious. Both the bang bang and mahi tacos were out of this world! Our server brought a sample of their Mai tai to start and I would have loved one since that was also tasty, but all day out in the sun on a boat meant that we downed the contents of our cucumber infused water pitcher (which was also a nice refreshing touch). This is a great place to take your freshly caught fish - you won't be disappointed! read more

Kaya Island Eats - Blackened mahi tacos - Caribbean Near Me - Key West, Florida

See all

A conveniently located restaurant in one of the side streets. Our party of 5 wanted to try local fish. We ordered snapper, mahi mahi, shrimp platters. The freshness of both snapper and mahi mahi was the key differentiator to other restaurant. Loved the pairing with plantains and the jerk spices. Growing up in Bharat I'm very cognizant of how spices are used. They did an excellent job with just the right level and intensity. Excellent service. Would have given a 5, but we had to change one of the orders for fish as it had scales. However the replacement at no extra cost was perfect read more

See all

Solid place for lunch/dinner on duval street! They have a huge spot for seating both indoors and outdoors. The pina colada was really yummy and the perfect drink to have when it's so hot out! I ordered the shrimp salad for lunch and really loved it - the shrimp blended so well with the pineapple and the dressing. My boyfriend got the mojo pork bowl which was even better! Only wish they gave more plantains but their portion of pork was massive. Overall a really fun place for a meal! read more

Kaya Island Eats - Pina colada - Caribbean Near Me - Key West, Florida

See all

Thumbs up for a great happy hour and unexpectedly large patio. The walk through the main restaurant to get to the patio was a little off-putting (dirty!) but we got to the patio, relaxed, had a drink and ordered some fun apps. Was great. Love their fly fans! read more

See all

Great Food and efficient friendly service! Loved the drinks! Nice Find! They had live music, a game room, and trivia all going on. read more

See all

The food, atmosphere and amazing service screams true Key West. This little hidden gem is low key and worth it. Stay away from the tourist cruise areas and visit Kaya. We loved the old island feel. read more

Kaya Island Eats - Entrance area - Caribbean Near Me - Key West, Florida

I found this place on TikTok. I was looking forward to trying this restaurant for its Caribbean food and vibes. We had jerk chicken wings, blackened fish sandwich, mahi mahi fish tacos and shrimp tacos. The slaw on the tacos was very wilted and didn't seem fresh. Everything was a bit on the underwhelming side for us. read more

See all

This restaurant is actually bigger than it looks. It has a whole back area where you can also sit outdoors and play outdoor games. The service was pretty good. They gave us a sample of their drink of the day which was the Mai Tai and it was pretty good. The food was honestly pretty solid. Great flavor and felt fresh. Nice gem in Key West. read more

See all

Food: With a big group of 9, we had the opportunity to try a number of dishes. Legendary Rasta Pasta (vegetarian) was good, the signature asian/cajun catch was the best meal I had in Key West (!!!), the blackened fish tacos were a bit flavorless in my opinion, but tasted fresh. Service: Friendly, though pretty slow refilling our waters and getting our meals; to be fair, we were a large group. Ambiance: cute place read more

The food was amazing. Me and my dad went fishing and brought in our fish we caught and they cooked them in a three course meal. There was a little of everything. Really great experience! read more

If I could give this place 10 I would! Hands down, my favorite place we've eaten in the two times we've been here. We WILL be going back before we leave! The mahi tacos and shrimp tacos ! Service was fast and fresh! read more

Kaya Island Eats - Blackened Shrimp Tacos - Caribbean Near Me - Key West, Florida

Blackened shrimp tacos - YUM Carne asada tacos - YUM Veggie won tons - YUM Key lime pie - YUM once you remove the meringue; very sweet, but that's my preference. Love this place! Great to see Doc Mental table-side, too. read more

Came here on Jan 2, and got seated right away. Our server was very attentive and gave good recommendations. Atmosphere is low key but inside has a lot of activities (Karaoke, games, sit in the backyard or on the patio). We sat inside for a more relaxed setting. Food was really good. Bang bang fish was fresh and right amount of flavor. Entrees were Island Root, tuna nachos, and key lime catch with Snapper. Very fresh fish and flavors were just right. (Not overly seasoned). We also had the key lime pie which is also very good. read more

Kaya Island Eats - Key Lime Catch with snapper - Caribbean Near Me - Key West, Florida

See all

Food took 1 hour, other tables seemed to take over 1 hour. Ordered the Hawaiian Kahula Pork and the rice was extremely hard. Asked for a new plate of rice and rice was still extremely hard. High reviews not accurate for a place that can't cook rice. read more

Kaya Island Eats - Hawaiian Kahula Pork, terrible rice, okay pork - Caribbean Near Me - Key West, Florida

I rarely give 5 stars because I think there's always room for improvement. Joanna from Venezuela greeted us with a warm and friendly smile... and shots of their signature Mai-Tai. We had the Korean beef tacos and steak Asada tacos, the flavors were amazing. I'll definitely return!!! read more

Kaya Island Eats - Caribbean Near Me - Key West, Florida

Service was great! I had the Key Lime Fish, key lime pie and Mai tai. The key lime fish was a good portion. After eating my way through Key West this will be a restaurant I will visit again. The key lime pie was a generous slice and very good. The vibe on the patio was relaxed and fun. read more

Kaya Island Eats - Key lime fish - Caribbean Near Me - Key West, Florida

See all

I had lunch at this great place with 7 ladies. We came to Key West with our cruise ship. We all loved the food, drinks and ambiance. We were told that this is where the locals go. Highly recommend! read more

Kaya Island Eats - Caribbean Near Me - Key West, Florida

The Mahi Tacos and Korean Beef Tacos at Kaya are a masterclass in wasted potential. On paper, it's an island-fusion dream; in reality, it was a total culinary car crash. The Mahi was clearly fresh catch that deserved better than being turned into a soggy, lukewarm mess. It was buried under a "slaw" that was basically just a heap of unseasoned, watery cabbage that turned the tortilla into a wet napkin before I could even pick it up. No sear, no spice, just pure apathy on a plate. Then came the Korean Beef. It had that signature sweet-and-savory smell that gave me a glimmer of hope, but the meat was so leathery and gristle-heavy I'm convinced the chef forgot how to use a knife. When I finally flagged down a server to mention the beef was literally unchewable, she didn't even stop walking. She just tossed a "Kitchen's busy, man" over her shoulder and kept going. It's insulting to take such solid ingredients and treat them with this much blatant disrespect. They had the chance to serve the best tacos in Key West, but they chose to serve a bowl of disappointment instead. Should I add a final stinging remark about the overpriced drinks at Kaya, or should we move on to roasting the tourist traps on Duval Street? read more

We are visiting from California and decided to take a charter fishing trip today. The captain of the Cora Beth recommended to bring our catch - a mutton snapper, to this fun restaurant and they'd magically cook it up 3 ways to enjoy. So glad we took the recommendation as when we entered we were greeted by the possible owner? He took our cooler and assured us we'd be in for a nice surprise with our fresh fish. The lovely waitress steered us towards the backyard and we got to listen to live reggae musicians straight from Jamaica! Just a few minutes later out comes course #1, the Bang Bang style fish and HOLY COW... delicious and not too spicy but sweet and savory, next up on course #2 was the Asian/Cajun style with coconut rice and once again the unique flavors were mouth watering! Third course was the reggae fish and it was super unique with so many fresh ingredients and flavors and we were so stuffed we shared with our neighbors sitting next to us! The bill for all this food and 2 Mai Tai drinks was only $65! Amazing! I cannot recommend this place enough for the service, price, fantastic live music, and bring your fresh local catch!! read more

See all

Fantastic find! Every single item on the menu is five star. We have been every day for Happy Hour! Highly recommend. They also have a karaoke bar late night! read more

I'm so glad we found Kaya Island Eats! It was a great way to start our trip in the Florida Keys. Great service, cool decor, nice A/C when it was super humid outside, and great food! It was a little hard to find from Google maps, which took us to the outdoor seating area. It was pretty hot today, so we chose to sit indoors. We started with the conch fritters because we were in the Conch Republic after all. They were really tasty and served with a delicious sauce. Hubs got the best shrimp tacos he has ever had. I ordered the Macadamia/Coconut Catch, which was mahi mahi served atop jasmine rice and topped with mango salsa, coconut and macadamia nuts. It was delicious, but pretty heavy, so keep that in mind. We ended the meal by sharing the Hula Girl Pie, which you should definitely not skip. So yummy! Also, they have half priced appetizers during happy hour. read more

See all

Good food! Slow evening, slow service but friendly service. Short walk from where we were staying. read more

Kaya Island Eats - Caribbean Near Me - Key West, Florida

See all

Kaya is like 3 or even 4 places in 1. When you walk in you see a long, dark bar with some booths. Keep going past the bar and you have a choice to go left, right or straight. If you go straight back it's just as dark. Only need to go back there for the restrooms. Go left or right and you're outside in in a covered area. We sat right and there was live music. Place is super casual with friendly service. We sat at a long picnic bench. I believe the other side may have tables as well. We had a few drinks & listened to some music while waiting for our food. It all was surprisingly good especially the mahi tacos. The tacos were filled with large pieces of fresh fish. The tuna nachos were fresh as well. Good place to stop for lunch off of your cruise ship because it's only a few blocks away on Duval St. read more

See all

We had piss poor service. We watched another family come after us, be seated and waited on, we saw their food come out and we had just gotten cups of water. We asked to have our appetizer plates and utensils replaced because there were food particles and dirty finger prints all on the napkins and plates. The utensils were replaced but the plates weren't. The same bottom plate with food particles was still there when he brought them back. The service was so bad it overshadowed the food. The salad was very fresh with slivers of ginger (I think). The jerk wings weren't traditional, but were cool. My son and husband's main dishes (fish and chips) took another 20 minutes to come out. I think the guy forgot to put the order in. The thin, dark haired woman was a much better server. I watched her wait on her tables efficiently. She even dropped food off at our table and cleared our plates. Maybe it was a fluke. Maybe it was our server. I don't know but it's the first time I've never left a tip. That's how bad it was. We sat outdoors. We later saw that they have an indoors restaurant around the corner on Duval. read more

See all

Huge restaurant. Good assortment of food. I had the jerk chicken wings--it was really good. Goat cheese with this sauce seemed pretty interesting combo but it was good. Fries were just okay. Drinks and live entertainment were good. Staff was extremely friendly. read more

Kaya Island Eats - Caribbean Near Me - Key West, Florida

A group of us went here for dinner on a weekend. Food: we had jerk chicken, fish, rice, salads. All dishes were tasty, though maybe a bit salty. The fish dish was a generous portion. Service: they were surprisingly not super busy that night, so we had prompt service and were not rushed at all. Ambience: we were surprised at how small the space was... it's more of a small bar type of vibe. You don't come here for the space, you come here to eat. Overall, good experience and would try it again. They did take reservations. read more

Great spot for dinner! The place if enormous with tons of seating. Our server was very upbeat and super nice. We tried the conch fritters and the shakalaka shrimp and both were fried to perfection. For entree we had the hawaiian pork and it was very tender and slightly sweet with the guava bbq. read more

See all

Talented chefs work here. The peel and eat shrimp was cooked and seasoned well. My Korean bbq tacos were incredible and my wife loved her grilled snapper. She also ordered the key lime pie. She's a bit of an expert with key lime pie and she said it was the best she's ever had. Our server said it was made onsite which added to the appreciation. We will be back and I recommend you try this place for sure. read more

Tried Kaya after recommendation from charter captain who said "best restaurant in key west for cook your catch!" He wasnt wrong. From the outside, I wouldn't have gone in if it wasn't recommended. But we brought our catch in, server took it and explained they have a standard option. They do 3 dishes...boom boom, Asian Cajun, and Jamaican. Some with sides. Flavors were fantastic and portions were great. And for $20/person....cant beat it. read more

Second time eating here in our 3 day stay. Mahi tacos were the best I ever had. Jerk wings were ok, bang bang fish bites were pretty good. The key lime pie however was .... Well I don't even have words. It was so good it was an emotionally moving experience. Service was a little slow on Sunday but you'll have that. read more

To be sure Kaya Island Eats is an unassuming place. I was not even sure it was a restaurant. But we were told it was the place to go for conch fritters. I was not a huge fan of the fritters which had a mixed filling. I think it is one of those dishes you just need to try. But then I ordered the local fish and it was delicious. Service is informal but friendly. This place definitely has an island vibe, read more

See all

As a food establishment it lived up to its worst review. Didn't seem busy. Got sat quickly, got served quickly bit our food took 40 minutes to come out and out waitor stopped by no more than once during that time. I got the blackened shrimp taco. It was ok but couldn't tell the shrimp was blackened. Husband got the chicken sandwich, which he said was not good. Karaoke was fun but I wouldn't eat here again read more

The young girl standing in the front dining room seemed confused to see us standing there and even more so when I asked to be seated outside. We were taken to the back yard / garden area and there was no one else there except a musician playing guitar. The server was wonderful, from Ukraine originally. We had a great conversation with him. The fish tacos were warm but not hot. The coconut shrimp were amazing. The conch fritters were good. Half price appetizers 4-6. read more

Had to seek Kaya out for our second year. Off the normal path. I love setting on the outside patio. Food and drinks don't disappoint. read more

Cool spot, it's a little casual spot for drinks, late night snacks, games, and karaoke. The service was alright very slow, but I guess it's because it was busy. The food wasn't the best. We ordered: Coconut shrimp 7/10 Nachos 7/10 Jerk wings 7/10 Key Lime Pie 5/10 Hurricane cocktail 6/10 I wouldn't go back to this spot for food. I would go back for a simple drink and hanging out. Good for large groups. read more

See all

We arranged for a "Cook your Catch" meal with Kaya after a day on the water with Kilo Whiskey charters. We have done cook your catch with two other restaurants on KW. Kaya has raised the bar to a new level. Three members of our part had varying food allergies. Chef Scott not only accommodated them brilliantly, but seemed happy to do so. Our waitress, Mercedes, was so attentive. We were made to feel welcome, and the three-course preparation was spectacular, and a great value at $20 per person. Kaya is a spectacular addition to the KW dining scene. read more

The food was great. We ordered the sliders, and conch fritters to share. The conch fritters were the best we had in town! We saw another group order bang bang fish and it looked so good we had to add that to the order and it didn't disappoint. All the food was fresh and cooked to perfection! read more

Amazing. Everything we had was delicious. Bang Bang fish, jerk chicken wings, tuna nachos as starters. Korean bbq tacos and Rasta pasta. Plus, Doc, the entertainment was mind blowing. Fun experience. read more

The food was excellent. The staff was attentive and fun. The atmosphere was relaxing. Perfect experience.