The wait staff is great, the atmosphere mellow, and the portions are big. I got the fried snapper it was good, my husband had a hog fish special that was great. You could get a side of king crab legs and that was glorious. And a cheaper way to taste the crab. The cracked conch was superb and if you go around 8:30 there is nobody there!! It wasn't cheap, but totally worth it. read more

This was a great surprise on our trip from Key West back towards Miami. We had read reviews of great burgers and were pleasantly surprised that they had vegetarian (and vegan) options. The sweet potato burger was interesting - I didn't taste sweet potato (it also has tahini and beans in it), but it was crisply coated in panko, as were the red tomato slices on my husband's fish sandwich. This burger was more bland than I expected but the accompanying jalapeno jelly was great with it. It came with some spring mix, and of all the restaurants we looked at stopping at, the only one that I saw with veggies. The sweet potato fries were terrific, and my husband's mahi mahi sandwich was delicious. We had been eating key lime pie all week and this was the first one with a meringue topping - real egg white, not from a box - and it was delicious. It was on a light strawberry sauce which wasn't really necessary. Worth the calories! Very casual. We overheard a conversation about how busy it is in the evening and that they no longer take reservation. Nice beer selection. Homemade ketchup and other sauces. Great lunch. read more

Ignore the bad reviews on this place.This place was recommended by a local fisherman. and it was so worth it. had the snow crabs and king crabs, they were cooked perfectly! Absolutely wonderful. I would strongly suggest that you get the bbq shrimp. Its not your traditional bbq, but its a must try! Donielle our server was sweet and top notch! read more

My first experience with Ballyhoo's was a solid two. Our waitress was no where to be seen for eighty percent of the time, but there was a great hostess who helped us out throughout the night. The food was alright, the fish was oily and the lobster was greatly disappointing for the price. A friendly but incompetent wait staff and mediocre food. The key lime pie that was proclaimed the best in Florida was much too sweet, but liked by my family. My second experience with Ballyhoo's was absolutely awful. I went back two days later to buy just a pie, with my family waiting in the car. The overly friendly waitress no longer remembered my face or my boisterous family, and rudely referred me to the bartender. I was then denied a whole pie understandably because there was not enough to supply current customers and myself with a piece. I then asked if it would be possible to get just half or even a slice. The bartender, also discourteous, said that she needed the pie for paying customers. Was my $200 bill days prior no longer valid? Moody wait staff, slow service, mediocre food, and astronomical prices-- one star. And that's being generous. --Disgruntled customer read more

I live in Key Largo and have heard great things about this place so we decided to give it a shot since I'm vegan, and I heard they had an extensive vegan menu. I ordered the vegan grilled cheese and black bean soup. It was, let's say, a horrifying experience. I've heard he chef is vegan. If that's true, I would like to know why he/she thinks that is OK to serve?? The mush they put into the middle of the bread was yellow, I'll give them that, but it was so bland it might as well have been pureed cardboard. It did have a hint of coconut with an aftertaste of dish water, not a flavor I want associated with my vegan grilled cheese. Get on a new recipe for that guys! I've had vegan grilled cheeses all over this country, and by that standard you can't even call whatever that is a grilled cheese. Also, the "black bean soup" was - I kid you not - black beans poured out of a can into a bowl, not even drained. Perhaps the other vegan options were a bit better, but for the price, I'll never know because we'll never be going back. I realize that this is a seafood restaurant and that's what people mainly come there for, but if you're not even going to put ANY effort into a vegan option - just don't try. Take it off the menu so when the vegan friends come along with the seafoodies they won't be fooled into thinking they're getting anything worth eating. read more

"Wonderful" Great food and Great service! Ballyhoos was recommended on our first night to Key Largo and we had a great experience. On our first visit there, the waitress was very friendly and provided good information on the selection of food and drink. Lots of laughs and chats. All was delish! Second time there, the waitress we had wasn't that friendly but still the food was awesome. We even went there on our way out of the keys after our 7 nights vacationing through to Marathon and Key West and were waited on by the first waitress - bonus. I very highly recommend this place as a must stop. read more

The food is fantastic. Unfortunately the last few times we were there, the service was very, very slow. We were basically forgotten by the waitress for close to an hour. For the price of the food here, I think the service should be top-notch. read more

First time eating here (Sunday dinner) and would re-think before coming back. The waitress finally took our order after 15 minutes. She mumbled something about helping her manager put in something in computer. She never did tell us the specials and after we had already placed our order, I heard what the specials were (I would have ordered a special ) 45 minutes after that, our food finally came. Supposedly it was the kitchen fault. No one offered a comp or discount though. Another couple got up and left as no one had bothered getting their orders after 40 minutes. Food was decent but not the best I have had in Key Largo. Not sure we'd return. By the time we got a slice of key lime pie, one cup of coffee, and she finally returned for our payment; it was 2 hours !!!! Incredible. read more

We were in the Keys for 10 nights and tried Key lime pie everytime. By far Ballyhoo's was the best. I had lobster for dinner and it was seasoned well, very delicious! Service was great. Wish we had gone here every night. read more

Five stars - but be sure to read the review! We did not eat in the establishment. It is located in the median area of Route 1A- so there is no water view . We were staying at a wonderful place nearby and ordered the food for dinner twice from Sal's; brought our dinners back to our bayside cottage and had excellent food with our own water view! Both times we ordered an appetizer, the Joe versus Volcano Salad and a dessert. As 50+ somethings, we could split the one app, main course and dessert and be full. On one night we had the crab cakes for an app- just the right balance of flavors and texture - fresh and crisp. On the next night we had the chicken and sausage gumbo. The flavor was excellent though I prefer a bit thicker gumbo- (think Mother's and Cochon's in New Orleans). The Joe Versus Volcano Salad makes you smile- first it's got a great name- (for those of you in the younger set- it's a Meg Ryan/Tom Hanks 1990 movie reference)- and it comes with these beautiful grilled pink shrimp (we learned that pink shrimp are a thing in the Keys), grilled mango, greens, peanuts, tomatoes, avocado, noodles and a dressing that complimented all the flavors. We had this same entree twice. Yum. We had the key lime pie one night and the chocolate pecan pie the next. The Key Lime was tasty- and I felt I had done justice to my visit in having a slice of it- the chocolate pecan was really good- sometimes I've found that pecan pies can be cloyingly sweet- this was just right and not heavy. This was my particular favorite. Each night we had pretzel rolls and biscuits. So what could have made the experience better? If we had chosen to go back our last night instead of trying a new restaurant and had the Mahi- which we heard was also delicious. Hubby and I wish the folks that run Sal's continued good fortune- who knows when we will make it back to sunny Key Largo - we only hope to eat again at Sal's when we do! read more

Great find. Food was very good with a lot of choices for fish or meat. We had steamed shrimp, gumbo, shrimp Hemingway and the special of the day which was yellowtail in the bag. I must say the roasted sweet potatoes were delicious. Our server Danielle did an incredible job. She gave great suggestions and was always making sure we had everything we needed. read more

Amazing meal. Service was great. Tomato soup great. Food is fresh and delicious. Key lime pie is sublime. Great experience.

every so often, you stumble upon a restaurant that is simply the embodiment of greatness. in my experience as a restaurant goer, the greatest places are often the small, hole-in-the-wall places that you'll otherwise overlook. while the florida keys are full of mom-and-pop shops, Sal's Ballyhoo's is a true gem. the atmosphere is charming, but the best part about this place is the food and the lovely staff. they started us off with bread and a pepper jelly that really got the ball rolling. from there, my party ordered a foods all across the spectrum, none of which disappointed. the fish? spectacular. it was so fresh that it seemed like they caught it this morning. the lobster tail did nothing but amaze us. even more, almost everything was house made--even the ketchup! the staff was amazing and kind and gave us places to visit. everything about this visit was wonderful. would definitely recommend ! read more

How can you go wrong with all the fresh stone crab you can eat? Fresh medium size claws, they keep bringing it and I kept eating it, washing it down with cold beers. Only improvement would be with the mustard, I believe it was kinda sweet so it needed a little fixing. read more

Absolutely loved this place! Awesome outdoor area, great ambiance! Only had 3 nights in Largo and ate here for 2 of them! They have a large, delicious vegetarian menu, so my wife LOVED that. I can recommend the local boiled peanuts app (SO good), and the house burger. My wife loved the sweet potato burger - the jalapeno jelly was addictive! Billy was an amazing server, very friendly and approachable! Definitely coming back here next time I'm in town! read more

WOW! Awesome food. Cool atmosphere! A definite 'must try' if you're in the Keys, FL. Try their crab cakes. Their Mac and cheese is excellent too. read more

Great food, very fresh - we had the mahi. really pretty outdoor space and good wine but weird, very slow service.

This used to be our favorite restaurent in the Keys. What happened!!! The menu was completely redone. Not a lot a fish dishes or vareity. No more salads with dinner. Still very expensive. I order a steak medium, it came well done. They didn't have baked potatos! I like a baked potato with my steak! No more creme brulee. The staff was pleasant enough. They must have fired the guy that swore at the customers the last time we were there. Time to fine another favorite. read more

I love coming here because of the stone crabs and ambience. The stone crabs are fresh and the staff is always friendly. Today I came with some friends from up north because I told them about my past experiences but unfortunately was not today's experience. The stone crabs and snow crab legs were NOT fresh and the waitress seemed to have been bothered by the simple fact that we returned them not once but twice after she tried to get us fresh ones. The stone crabs shells were sticking to the meat and the snow crabs were gummy. Also when we returned the crabs for fresh ones she did not even consider replacing the cold side dishes. After the second return we opt for something more local. Lobster to our surprise this too was ruined. The lobster took for ever to come out and when it did it was uneatable because it was over cooked. The waitress after bringing the check disappeared. I would in recap say be careful with the freshness and indifferent treatment that you will get from the wait staff if you complain for something that you pay for. Did I mention that the lobster was half a tail and $27. It's manager never came to the table. I guess that they don't really care about their customers experiences. read more

Great all you can eat stone crab in season!! Good management , nice locals too. I like to clean them for hubby to see how many he can eat!

Wow! Just wow! Best red sangria I have ever tasted! And the grilled avocados-- to die for! Amazing, great service, great hidden gem spot! Also had the yellowtail fried and fresh pink sandwich and the 5 chesss mac & cheese - everything 5 stars! read more

Had a late dinner with 9 people Thursday night. Excellent all around. Our server Steven was professional and knowledgeable. He answered all our questions and made great suggestions. My friend had the yellowtail special with avocado and it was fantastic! I had a fish in a skillet dish and it was hot and delicious. Everyone loved their meals! We'll be back. (Right across from Rock Reef Resort so we just walked over.). Highly recommend!!! read more

This is definitely worth the trip to Key Largo! The food is very good, they have a great selection, the staff is extremely friendly and competent... there is nothing negative I can say about this place. I also had the white sangria and it was delicious!!! their desserts are heavenly. read more

We stayed at a resort across the street and this was the closest restaurant. There were four in our group. We went to dinner two nights in a row. The four of us rated it excellent. We ordered grilled fish, crab legs, steak , you name it. Everything we had was scrumptious and fresh. The Key lime pie was to die for. All the staff were great. We had a Steve one night who worked so well with our foursome and the second night we had a young man name Danny. Both men made our visit and dining fun. We would go back in a heartbeat if we lived nearby. This place provides high quality food at decent prices. There is something on the menu for everybody. read more

Made a special trip from Miami, a big disappointment , first of all : the seafood menu was limited and very deceiving, way over priced for not having a water view , waitress not very friendly, didn't know about menu recommendations, when asked for appetizers, she brought us corn bread which I can always get in a breakfast place not at a seafood restaurant, no clam chowder only conch soup, there are more and better seafood restaurants in Miami than the keys...could have saved the trip... I don't recommend it to anyone,,, bad experience...don't waste your time and gas read more

We chose Ballyhoo's for all you can eat crab, and we are 100% satisfied. Each plate had a pound of snow crab on it each time. Totally worth it! Our server, Diane, was absolutely wonderful and so nice! Will definitely go back next time we are in the keys! read more

Food was fabulous! Our server (Donielle?) was terrific!!! The others on my party had seafood which they really liked. My burger was one of the best ever! Too bad I can't give more stars. read more

The best burger I've had! Fresh Ground prime rib...a pleasure for my tastebuds! Fantastic shrimp and oyster po' boy! Great, super friendly service and not too sweet sweet tea! read more

I found this restaurant by randomly searching for vegan restaurants in south Florida. And believe you me, there are not that many. They are either way too expensive and pretentious, or a cafe that's only open until 3pm. But this place is awesome for both omnivores and vegans alike! It's open late, serves alcohol, it's casual dining and has an extensive vegan menu available upon request. I had the best grilled "cheese" sandwich I've ever eaten in my life! I couldn't eat it all in one sitting and had to take it to go. The next day I ate the second half and all I wanted was another sandwich from this place. The waiter brought out some free sample appetizers, because the food took a while and these were delicious also - boiled peanuts! My boyfriend was able to get his fish entree and we were both happy. And don't even get me started on the coconut cake (which also happens to be vegan). In a land where most restaurants only offer either latino (very meat heavy) fare or seafood, I just about cried from happiness when I found this one! read more

I think this place deserves more credit than it's gotten in the other reviews, but maybe we were fortunate to get all-we-can-eat stone crabs and key lime pie, both of which were great. He went for the stone crabs both times. I did the fish sandwich special - the one wedged between a grilled cheese on wheat apparently - the first time and was disappointed. I had a jerk fish sandwich the second round, which was better. The highlights though were definitely the crab, the chowder - which was great too - and the key lime pie. read more

Very tasty and lots of homemade treats. I has the conch chowder and it was manhattan style with lots of veggies but didn't notice much meat. The breads ESP jalapeño corn bread was fantastic try the jalapeño jam on it. It's home made too. Only disappointment was there were no stone crabs. Apparently they are on short supply right now read more

so...if you cannot understand the menu and how pricing works, ask...Ivan explained it very clearly...she had the snow crap, and I did the combination crab all you can eat...the stone crab was tasty, but way to much work...the king crab was just that...KING! very tasty sides also...mac and cheese, spinach and black eye peas...would not be a solid review without some kind of criticism, so I will add that the parking situation is awful...this is a great at place to eat... read more

Not a place to go on a Sunday night. They were fairly busy with hardly any staff. When the waitress was being told she had another party (us) she shook her head and walked off....ended up leaving and going to Denny's just a block down and had an amazing server who made up for it. read more

This place was recommended by our hotel and had great reviews on Yelp. It is easy to understand why... Our server was friendly, available, and very easy going, despite how busy it was. The appetizer of pretzel bread and biscuit was delicious with the butter and pepper jelly given. Unique and yummy. Hubby had the huge wedge salad first with the real bacon bits, corn, and their homemade grilled onion Gorgonzola dressing. Ridiculously yummy! I had the grilled avocado which was also different and served with another tasty sauce. Hubs finished the whole pound of crab legs, delicious and fresh. I had grilled lobster with garlic herb butter - heaven!! All the sides are homemade except for the sweet potato fries per our server. The sweet potato soufflé was a different offering with lobster, and I'm so glad I ordered it:) Our son had the fish fingers or sticks and I was really impressed. Real chunks of fresh fish battered and fried... I had some! This came with really good fries too which we're obviously not frozen but kitchen made in the back. Overall, exceptional experience! Wish I could comment on key lime pie but I was too stuffed!! read more

Went there our first night in the keys because the menu has vegetarian options. The food was ok, nothing exceptional, but not bad either. However, I think the place was way over priced. The waitress we had could not answer questions about the food, such as if certain menu items could be made vegan. Her typical answer was, "I am not sure". That is fine, because my fiancée would rather not have a server guess, but the waitress had to be asked if she could go check. In most restaurants the wait staff will usually offer on their own to find out if they do not already know the answer to any questions. read more

What a horrific experience! $100 bill for two We left a 17% tip they fraudulently charged my card and awarded themselves 20%! Ordered an Argentianian Chardonnay and the 2nd glass they tried to convince me that the "house" was the same wine! Requested a credit and the Manager said no because the Chardonnay had to breathe! By admissions of the Manager to the waitress " if you don't tell them they won't know the difference anyway." What a shame! BTW snow crab legs $50 and King crab legs $109, most dishes $35+ and not worth it by far. read more

Excellent experience! We are out on the patio and had great service. Sweet tea is great. I had the skillet mahi mahi and fries with bacon salt. Had grilled avocado as appetizer. Next time I will skip the avocado (which was so so) and get a large skillet mahi! It was absolutely fabulous. The cream sauce is to die for in my opinion. Our table also had the gumbo, boiled peanuts, poboy, fish sandwich, kids Mac and cheese and soufflé. All in all no complaints. Oh and we finished off with key lime pie, of course! Great place that I highly recommend. read more

This was such a great experience. Lala was wonderful. The food was a beyond expectations. I would say, any one gonna here will lot be disappointed. read more

love this place. cast iron mahi is the best. with the sweet potato casserole. must come

Meh! Not as good as two yr ago. My salad with a "few" noodles had about 2 cups of pasta and a half cup of greens ( called "Joe meets the Volcano"). Tasty, but I thought I was getting a salad with a few noodles, not the other way around. Parmesan Flounder was just ok, not great. read more