What a great evening. Views are simply amazing. Food was outstanding as well. Not cheap but well worth the money. Our server Richard did an outstanding job. We will definitely be back. read more

Felt compelled to leave this Five Star Review, after reading a couple of negative reviews, which absolutely stunned me!! We have been going to Louies for the past 20 years. We have a timeshare at Coconut Beach, next door to Louies. We have visited Louies each year, several times during our week. We have enjoyed Brunch and Dinner, as well as cocktails. Never had anything but top-notch service and amazing meals! We have gone both with and without reservations and never had any trouble being seated. *Note, we do go in September. My husband and I are from Virginia Beach where there is no end of great dinning, and we are most definitely foodies! We both cook and thoroughly enjoy experiencing new tastes and fine dinning. Louies Backyard never disappoints! We have recommended Louies to many friends traveling to KW, and it had has always received rave-reviews from every one of them. In addition to an excellent menu it also has one of the prettiest views on that end of the island! If excellent cuisine with quality service is something you enjoy... We highly recommend Louies! read more

Elegant out of the way restaurant right on the water. Attentive wait staff serve well prepared delicious food in a romantic setting. Best to make a reservation as far in advance as possible. read more

This review is the upper level. Tried various tapas which were very good, very fresh and nicely presented. Lovely view of the lower level and water front. read more

A group of us were looking forward to trying this place. From the minute we showed up the hostess was extremely rude, so rude that by the time we sat down and got our water we had to get up and leave. Will not return. read more

Good service definaty a touristy place but the view is great. The food was really good. If I had to say one negitive thing it is the portions are to large.. read more

Fantastic food. It is a little more expensive, we were on our honeymoon so we splurged. It has a great view so go for drinks if entrees in the $25-40 is too much. The bacon wrapped scallops appetizer was AMAZING, best scallops I have had. We also shared the conch appetizer which was good but overshadowed by the scallops. For dinner we shared the shrimp and grits. It was very very good, and they split it onto two plates for us giving us a little extra food. They gave us a free dessert for our honeymoon. We had the creme brulee, which was wonderful. I would definitely go back next time I am in Key West. read more

Made reservations a couple weeks ahead of time for our 11/26/11 7pm request at Louie's backyard. So, it's not like they were not expecting us. They sat us at a small claustrophobic table. The bus boy gave us water & menu. We wanted to change table, but 25 minutes later we had not been served by any one. They had completely ignored us. We decided to leave. When I told the host what had happened.-he just kind of starred at me. The waiter standing next to him said "oh, that must have been my table". There was no apology, no attempt at compensation to make the event more palatable or to keep our business. I was disappointed as their menu looked very creative & out of the box. I was also celebrating a special birhday & this ruined it. read more

This is definitely the place to go if you want a "fancy" night out in key west. Get here in time to see the sunset because that is 90% of the experience. The view is unbelievable. We had foie gras and it was just ok. Maybe because it was duck instead of goose. The blue cheese salad was delicious. Husband had the conch soup and really liked it. I had the shrimp and grits and it was very tasty. It's a pretty heavy dish and has a ton of shrimp in it. Husband had the lamb chops and we liked it also. I agree with the other Reviews that the wine list was overly pricey. We did make a return trip one afternoon after hanging at the beach and just had beers on the deck so we could appreciate that view again! read more

I have only eaten 'upstairs' where they serve mostly 'tapas' style dishes. My wife and I go there several times every time we are in Key West. It is hands down one of THE BEST RESTAURANTS in Key West. Always had a great meal, staff has always been friendly and knowledgeable as well as fairly excited about what the chef was preparing. If you are a foodie in Key West you will quickly realize that 90% of the restaurants are a Key West version of Fridays or Applebee's. More in love with the fact that they are a restaurant in Key West than having pride in the food they serve or their service. It's a tourist town after all so there is less incentive to generate repeat customers. Louie's is one of the few places where you will find a great meal, good service and a nice atmosphere. read more

Good views here. Making a reservation is a joke. Whatever time you ask to be seated they tell you they are booked. This past weekend we asked for 12:30 brunch seating and were told no way. We made it for noon. There were 10 tables open at 12:30 outside plus more inside. There were at least 10 tables open the entire time we were there. Over rated try somewhere else! read more

Their food is always excellent. We come here a few times a year when I'm KW. Their staff are sometimes pleasant and sometimes not. The outdoor deck is great and you have a good view of the sunset too. Bring your mosquito spray because sometimes they are here. read more

This is a great, unexpected find! Excellent food, great service! Stayed with seafood. Fried artichoke, octopus, and prosciutto wrapped scallops - what not to like! Nice wine selection as well. This is a great find. Will be back! read more

One of the most romantic places in Key West and also one of the best places for delicious seafood. I absolutely love this restaurant and would recommend it to anyone visiting the area and looking for a nice ambiance, delicious fish or amazing service. We come here every time we are in the keys and we always LOVE it. Thank you so much for everything you do! read more

We entered the place knowing that this place is bit pricy but it's ok if the food is great. However, we felt like the food was ok. I would give the dining environment and waitressing four stars but the food two stars. Location is convenient if you are visiting the southernmost point and Hemingway's House and Museum. read more

Having been here several times before For dinner, drinks , I have thought it to be good as the view is great. However, something must be going on here with management because on this last visit the staff and bartenders were rude and condescending. I don't think restaurant staff in Key West should have airs and graces as these folks have now. The food was mediocre and the drinks at the deck bar ( bartender Bobby) were watery and served up with disdain. Call me crazy but iT seems that Louie's Is becoming a place where you are paying for the View and not the food and service. Better restaurants in town , Azur and 915 are fantastic and worth trying next in town. read more

Let me start by saying, I made this Yelp account just to review Louie's Backyard Grill. My family and I have never been so insulted in a "fine dining" establishment: In short: the food was ruined by the worst customer service I've ever experienced. We were recommended to Louie's by our hotel, the Casa Marina. Upon our arrival to our hostess quite literally "looked us up and down" and told us their dining area did not open until 6:00. We decided to come back at that time, and when we did the same hostess rolled her eyes at us and said, "Oh, sorry. We don't have seating for three available here." In plain sight were multiple open tables to seat three and four. She eventually sat us upstairs, where the poor service continued. Right away we noticed signs that said all tables open at 5:00 (not 6, as we had been told). A woman with short hair of Asian descent then approached our table to offer us menus and drinks. She handed all four of us our menus without saying a word, and I swear didn't even give us 60 seconds to scan our menus before she came back and said "Ok what are we ordering?" Really?? The same waitress was standing a few feet away from our table throughout the entire duration of our meal, practically standing over our shoulders. She also felt the need to comment on the pace at which we were eating, saying, "Um you still have three clams left." Our reply was, "Yes, we weren't finished eating, thank you." However, she still "checked up" on us several times as if to hasten our leave. The employee who brought us our food was a male blonde waiter. When my family member asked where the restrooms were, he proceeded to insult our intelligence by saying, "Downstairs there are unisex bathrooms. You know...those are bathrooms that either a man or woman can use..." as if we were totally incompetent! If you end up with the same waitress we did, the horrific service will ruin your evening. Do not give your money to this establishment. You'll leave feeling worse than when you arrived. read more

Cannot recommend highly enough! We ate upstairs, and the small plates were awesome. Truffled fries and pork belly sliders are must-do's. Great service and atmosphere. Warning- upstairs deck outside is only tables for 2. read more

The service was friendly and the location is beautiful. The food options on the menu are just not that great and the seafood was just not the quality I would expect for an area with plenty of fishing industry. The item that I ordered was excessively greasy, and the key lime pie was too tart. The price range was too high for the quality of the food and culinary value. They priced like Wolfgangs but delivered like Outback. However, the french toast was fantastic and I highly recommend it. read more

We love Louie's. We fly from NC to KW sometimes just for Louie's. Amazing food, drinks and staff. The back porch is perfectly romantic and fun. read more

The upstairs area is gorgeous, the food is very tasty (little plates and fairly reasonable) BUT when we asked for bread, they "discouraged giving it to customers because we want to create a separate identity from the downstairs which gives bread to its customers." As if that weren't weird enough, we got a cheese plate and when we asked for a roll to go with it (something they said they make exclusively themselves) they charged us LITERALLY 5 dollars for a 2.5 inch dinner roll and it was one of the least satisfying parts of the meal. What we DID get without asking was a nice side of attitude for asking about a menu and asking why they withheld bread. Don't understand that at all but aside from that it was a nice meal. read more

Louie's Back Yard is worth visiting while in Key West as long as your expectations are satisfied with good food (4.5 out of 5, the chef seems to always do a good job) and a great Ocean View with a really good atmosphere. However, of the 15 times we have been to Louie's (always for lunch) I can say that the service is the item that keeps us from coming for dinner. They have an amazing property with a great ocean view and the price point is on the upper end however, we truly feel the food is worth the poor service. Time and time we come to this amazing place and the servers will take forever to get your first glass of water, not smile while they are talking to you, and just generally make you feel like they cant wait for the lunch crowd to leave . If you make the mistake of just stopping by at 1:30 in the afternoon to see if they have room for 2 for lunch, the hostess loves to look at you like you have 3 eyes because you didn't have reservations (even when there are 10 open tables). It just seems that the staff know that people will keep coming because the chef does an awesome job and the location and reputation is so awesome. It would be nice to see the staff or the bartender have a good attitude. If management could fix the attitude of the wait staff, Louie's would get 5 stars from us time and again. Since, we spend 3-4 months of the year innKW, we will continue to come to Louie's to enjoy the view and the food. Eventually, Louie's will have service like the majority of KW which is awesome. The great thing about KW is the huge majority of those working in the service industry have an amazing attitude and make everyone feel like they are on vacation. Smile read more

This continues to be one of my favorites in Key West. I have been going to Louie's since it opened and the food continues to be current, fresh and 5-Star. The staff is attentive and playful and oh, what a view! Pricey and worth it... read more

Went for lunch. Awesome location--right on the water. Sit outside if you can. Enjoyed the scallop ceviche with fried plantain slices as an appetizer....very good. I had the red snapper sandwich, which comes with a side of cole slaw and homemade potato chips--very tasty. My wife had the crab cake caesar salad, also very good. Too full for dessert, unfortunately. Not too full to move over to the outdoor, oceanside bar for an Arnold Palmieri (an Arnold Palmer made with limoncello)--quite a nice twist. read more

Giving it 3 stars only because of the location. We got there around 4:30 and they weren't serving food yet. So we decided to hang out at the bar by the water. Nice view. But the rum runners we ordered were blah. No sweetness even after I asked for extra orange juice. After that we moved to the upstairs dining room. I had a chicken-something that I can't even remember the name. read more

Upstairs at Louie's Backyard When writing a review I generally write while all is fresh in my mind. Last evening I dined at "Upstairs" at Louie's Backyard. This is one meal that left me with imprinted memories so wonderful I could remember it months from now. For those of you who are not familiar with "Upstairs", it isn't billed as Tapas but small plates. That is what is really is. Tapas, by nature, hint at a particular cuisine but "upstairs" is so much more. Chef Russ Ferstle has a deft hand at creating the most inspiring, creative, delicious, and memorable "small plates" you will encounter. To begin, I should say that the small plates aren't so small. Put a few together and you have dinner for three - or splurge as I did and eat them all yourself! Some specifics, here they are. I started with Pan Flashed Calamari. Simply the best version of fried calamari I've had. The product comes first. I would guess the calamari to be small baby calamari. The rings were a perfect size and the tentacles, small and delicate and not long strands that reach across the plate and remind you of Captain Nemo. That said, using the tender calamari, pan flashed is hardly the word. The frying was so fast that the coating was crisp and the calamari as tender as possible. I suspected panko, yet there was so much more. The flavors of the calamari were ingenious, and drizzled with just a small perfect amount of cilantro pesto. I had to ask as panko by itself wouldn't do it. The coating is actually a mix of all-purpose flour and panko, a perfect combination. Then there was a slight lime and Thai flavor drizzle, tossed with the calamari. It did not affect the crisp texture, but enough to really bring up flavor making you want to finish the whole plate and wanting more. Next up was Grilled Asparagus with Hazelnut Picado (may have miss-spelled). The asparagus was perfect, just as you'd expect from Louie's. The plate was enough for 3 to share, but I couldn't stop. Had I done asparagus with hazelnuts, most of the nuts would be found on the bottom of the plate. More was at work here as the hazelnuts clung to each spear. A hint - ciabatta ground with the hazelnuts then a little olive oil, a hint of mint, and lemon. It was perfect. I planned this so I might have room for dessert. Sure enough, along with some of Louie's "downstairs" desserts were fresh churros. So hot, coated in sugar and cinnamon and served with a warm dulce de leche type sauce, kept warm in a cup over a tea candle, these were delicious. As great as they were, being the size of the small bananas, the outside was perfectly crisp but the inside was still runny. For churros this size I would guess a frying temp of 325 to no more than 350. But you can't change the temp of the fryer just for a churro! I would simply try to make then a bit less fat. That said - they were still so good, gooey or not, I ate them all! All 5 of them. I can't forget to mention the unsung people behind the food, the prep folks. They have much to do with providing Chef Ferstle with great material to work with. And I cannot forget Executive Chef Doug Shook, whose stamp was all over the menu. He runs a mean show, and a much appreciated one. read more

Great place for dinner and the enjoy the views!! I recently went with my friend and we had great service and great food. The clams were delish as well as the scallops. We had a great dinner sitting outside enjoying the sunset and the beautiful water view. I will definitely go back. It wasn't as pricey as I had expected as well. Definitely worth the price! read more

Food is good. Pricey and not a very large selection of menu items on the day we went. Nothing can beat the view though. The brownie crème broulee is awesome! read more

Louie's Backyard - Wonderful! - New American Near Me - Key West, Florida

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Excellent service and awesome food. My family and I are in KW for the first time and this was a really nice dining experience. The server even sang a little happy birthday to me bringing dessert!! I def would come back here!! read more

Spectacular view!! If you're planning a dinner here, done expect the entrees to be anything less than $40! That being said, we thought it would be nice if the restaurant threw some extra touches in there, like pouring the wine in front of you or not putting us next to a packed table when they had plenty more open. Those are small details they can improve on service wise. Their food was beyond amazing!!! read more

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We decided to try Louie's Backyard for lunch not knowing what to expect. It was absolutely gorgeous with a seating area on the water and the food was delicious. Would love to go back there. read more

I cannot speak highly enough of the upstairs tapas venue at Louie's Backyard - every dish we had hit it out of the park. High notes were the truffle fries with fontina cheese and the yellowtail snapper with white bean salad. Service was excellent. A must visit! read more

The food and service is exceptional! Not as pricey as I was told. Excellent wine selection!!

We arrived at 4 and headed upstairs for cocktails, small plates and one of the best views in KW. Service was excellent. Cocktail choices were great and generous. The dishes were perfection! Scallop ceviche was yummy. The steak tacos were not bad but not great. Beet salad generous and fresh. We are returning guests and we were not disappointed. Going back next week to dine in the downstairs restaurant - will review that too. Louie's is not to be missed. read more

Great food, great wine and wonderful relaxing atmosphere! We made a reservation for 7pm and it was so nice to eat on the water and able to see part of the sunset! read more

Louie's boasts the most romantic balcony tables in Key West. The relaxed tapas bar upstairs is an idyllic experience at sunset on a balmy evening with the waves crashing below and flames dancing inside the glass votives. Spicy shrimp fritters with light whipped mustard on the side are a worthy beginning. The conch ceviche is a garden-fresh take with aromatic cilantro, mint and peppers. The grilled pork belly was a little confusing as it was bathed in a cool pear compote while the pork itself should have been hotter. The service is attentive although making one's needs known is a must, and the drinks are tropical works of art. Louie's is a prime destination for special events so reserve in advance, although walk-ins are welcome upstairs. read more

Love this place. Beautiful huge patio (though we were inside but that's okay) on the ocean. It's a nice little retreat from the drinking and debauchery on Duval. We enjoyed the special stone crab claw with aoili dipping saude appetizer. Sure beats the dungeoness crab we get out here in the Bay Area. So meaty and less work because it was mostly cracked. The appie included a nice warm finger bowl. My husband had the roasted chicken stuffed with swiss chard and gruyere and i had the grouper special with goat cheese mashed potatoes and beets. It was delicious. The ambiance was chill and romantic. Service was great. Nice and attentive.Oh and I can't forget the nie pipin' warm fresh bread. We had a great window seat so we had the beautiful view without the frizz-hair causing humidity. A nice dinner. Call ahead if you think you'd go. We lucked out with a reservation calling a couple hours ahead of time. read more

I loved this place! Came here with my boyfriend in March. The restaurant looks like an old house. You must ask to sit on the back side where there is an open deck virtually sitting on rocks with ocean waves hitting the edge. Absolutely beautiful for sunset drinks. The food was delicious- the lobster pot pie and asian short ribs really stood out. Try to make reservations though, its very busy. The service was subpar however, and that is the reason this gets a 4 star rating instead of 5. read more

We ate and had drinks on the upper deck. Everything from the location of the table to the decor to the amazing flavor in our food we are grateful that the chef heard her calling, flavor and plate styling immpecable read more

Ok, this may not be fair but I am giving them a 3 because they have funky hours. My girlfriend and I walked all the way here from the other end of Duval streen for lunch, after hitting the many little shops on the way, and got to the door at 2:00pm. They were CLOSED - ended lunch at 2:00 and didn't serve dinner until 5:00. Make sure you check the hours before going anywhere in Key West. Most places are open between 20 and 23 hours a day - not Louie's. read more