The Whale Harbor Restaurant is a combination of the Wahoo Bar & Grill and the Sandbar On Tap with a fully operational marina in addition to boat, jet ski rentals and tours. Been here last year with my Jeep club and today came here with friends for lunch, drinks and views of the Islamorada ocean. The 30 foot tall red and white historic lighthouse is the thing you will see first when driving by on the Overseas Hwy. Try to visit this oasis as a pit stop on your way to Key West. read more

Whale Harbor Restaurant & Marina - LIGHTHOUSE - Seafood Near Me - Islamorada, Florida

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This was my first time here at Whale Harbor Restaurant in the Key West FL. Very big & comfortable the food was excellent & fresh...the crab legs were very good and tasty...yummy everything was great the New England clam chowder was so...delicious...I give a A must try if your coming to the FL Keys read more

Tuna was chewy and the crab legs were not that Great- oysters were Grimy and gritty-wasn't worth it to pay extra for the crab legs- kind of small buffet- you can order the snapper fried which is included in the cost- deserts were good- Especially the chocolate Mousse!!!!!!! read more

Service was excellent from the staff tending to our table to the front door to the staff serving at the buffet. The view of the water was great. A table of 6 (3 adults and 3 kids) plus a baby and everyone found things they enjoyed eating, including my picky eater. The key lime pie was soooo good. There is one snow crab plate allowed per adult so be mindful if coming for that. You can get any cold shellfish steamed, good to know in the beginning. read more

The restaurant part of Whale Harbor Restaurant & Marina "was," a really big all you can eat buffet. Priced at $38.95 it was very popular. I said "was" as the Corvid-19 pandemic pretty much put an end to it. Hopefully temporary. I had eaten here before and found it to be A-OK, nothing spectacular, but good enough for me to give what it was back then four stars. Since they've been around since the mid-seventies they must be doing something right. As of now the restaurant part isn't much and may not even be open. Things are kind of iffy and change quickly without notice. So, your best bet, for now, is to go next door to Wahoo's. As for the Marina, is a really great marina and fun spot. It has lots of amenities such as Whale Harbor Restaurant which is a seafood buffet and Wahoo's Bar and Grill. I think Wahoo's is better as it sits way up high. You'll have a few stairs to climb but above all, the view itself is worth it. It was voted 3rd Best View in Miami Heralds "Best of South Florida. And, yes, they do serve up wonderfully generous filets of super fresh wahoo and other local catches. Then, if you're out on one of Whale Harbor Marina's charters and catch a fish, they will cook it for you...can't be a better deal or taste treat than that. For Charters, they have a whole bunch of them, all with licensed captains as well as knowledgeable and season crews. Besides fishing, there are also offerings of sunset, snorkeling, sandbar, and other such cruises. There is good dockage, and if you come in by boat, even a dockage spot reserved for restaurant use. read more

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The food was ok don't waste your time and money find a better place. The service is like a typical buffet but they expect a tip 20%. The ambiance is ok the only thing this place has going for it is the view. I don't recommend coming here read more

Food is never that great, considering. Now they are charging $40.00 per pound for snow crab which is additional to the $40 buffet which is mandatory, so $80? That's ridiculous! So I drive to Lorelei as they have 1lbs for $25! Also, thanks Biden! read more

WAY Overpriced! The old Whale Harbor was much better in quality and quantity! Our waitress was great, but the crab legs were not as picture, the crab cakes barely have crab in them, the fried shrimp was over cooked, the boiled shrimp was way over seasoned. Never again! read more

Great Dinner for the Price, all you can eat Buffet, perfect for families looking for meal variety. Amazing location. See our full experience here: https://youtu.be/eJx1Gwtg7VQ read more

Whale Harbor Restaurant & Marina - seafood buffet - Seafood Near Me - Islamorada, Florida

Loved having lunch here !!! Sat upstairs with a beautiful view and a gorgeous bartender. Food was typical Florida Keys fare , grouper sandwich with fries .... but it was good . Beer was cold on a hot day , so that made us happy !! read more

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Worse Buffet and Over Priced Please listen to my review, you have been warned. I show up with my family for lunch we were a party of eight. We were charged $39.99 per person. So we walk in and the place looks really nice however don't let that fool you. The food was ice cold and bland from the soup the meats and everything else being served. I had to tell the server behind the counter if he can heat up our food in the microwave in which he had to go to the back several times and warm it up. Its obvious that the food has been sitting there for a long time and not rotated as it should. This is not a real buffet you would think for that price that everything was included however i was restricted on the crab legs in which they give you a ticket and you can only get that one time because its 1 ticket per person what a scam. The service was poor and the soft drinks were not included. Also beware when the server who only served us water at times showed up with the bill he tried to charge me a 27 percent tip on the bill which came out to about $28 dollars. No way what a tourist trap I would never come back to this place again what a waste of money way over priced and the worse fake buffet. Show less Date of visit: March 2023 read more

Whale harbor has a nice upstairs open air bar, overlooking the marina. We stopped in for an afternoon cocktail. The service was great and we struck up some conversation with the folks around the bar. We did not eat at the restaurant. read more

Thank you Yelp for finding us an all you can eat place for crab legs. We were leaving Key West and apparently one of those places doesn't exist in that Key. I honestly didn't see a sign over the building that said Whale harbor restaurant, I was able to spot it out because of the buffet sign. The building looks pretty new and just as nice on the inside. There is also a roof top bar over looking the ocean in case you rather hang up there.When you walk in, one side of the restaurant is all windows and the rest is tables of food lining the walls. The staff was friendly and on point with cleaning off the empty dishes. Towards the end though, it seemed he forgot about us or just been a little too busy with other tables. Now on to the main purpose of this visit.... Crab legs crab legs and all you can eat amazing looking crab legs. You can have them steamed or cold which ever you prefer. Our waiter brought the melted butter so just ask. Other options are tuna, shrimp, potato salad, oysters and etc. The desert section is just as amazing. Tiny little cakes and my favorite was the soft serve ice cream. For whatever reason I get great joy from soft serve ice cream loaded with rainbow sprinkles. The buffet is about $36 per person so this isn't cheap, but you do get all you can eat crab legs. If you don't care for seafood...first you're in the wrong part of the United States and second just keep driving. read more

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Food was not good. A lot of it had been sitting out to long. I would not return should have taken the review and stayed away.

Beautiful views great drinks! Love this part of the keys! Stay a night or two and visit this restaurant!

It's all about the atmosphere. The food not so much but since the turn over in the kitchen is high you never know what you are going to get. You may find that it is the best meal you had or it maybe not so good. If you are into having a meal with some nice surroundings than this would be a good place. read more

Thank you to Whale Harbor for hosting the Castaways Against Cancer again. Our meal was delicious and after being on the water all day, the paddlers really enjoyed their dinner. Everything was yummy, especially the crab legs and the shrimp. Our server Michela was on top of our large group and was very friendly. Will definitely be stopping back in again. read more

Whale Harbor Restaurant & Marina - The Castaways Against Cancer enjoying their meal at The Whale Harbor Seafood Buffet. - Seafood Near Me - Islamorada, Florida

I must have chartered 2 dozen fishing trips here in the last 10 years. I kill em out of this marina. My 2 favorites are the "Sea Horse" and the "Jennie-Q". The Sea Horse is much less then the Jeannie - Q (I Guess it is the price of fuel) and the Sea Horse is a slightly smaller boat. Just yesterday we caught 58 Mahi Mahi's aka. Dolphin (not porpoise ya landlubbers) Capt. Mark (Not Don) and 1st mate Tyler knocked em dead, and we all had fun doing it. This may not be the prettiest boat in the marina, but it gets the fish. Go upstairs and have a cocktail after your return while the crew fillets your fish. The restaurant will even cook your fresh caught fish (for a price) We brought about 120 fillets home with us so if you want some fresh fish let me know. I am giving it away like mad. read more

Whale Harbor Restaurant & Marina - The carnage - Seafood Near Me - Islamorada, Florida

First of all, we've been going here for years. Over the past year it has gone DOWNHILL while the prices remain HIGH for the selection and quality of food. There are no longer snow crab legs on the buffet but yet they want to charge $39.95 EXTRA per pound for them after already charging $39.95 per person for the buffet. (And don't tell people that it's because of the cost bc they are NOT that high.) It is NOT worth the $39.95 per person. The food is barely worth $15 per person. feel badly for the staff because they are friendly and attentive. They won't have a job soon if this restaurant keeps going in the direction it is. We won't be back. read more

What a great spot for lunch and the food was very average. I think the idea of all you can eat crab legs is overrated

Wont let me give a 0! Should have known better. Went to bathroom upon arrival. One stall had urine all over seat and floor. Went to 2nd stall. Did what i had to do. Went for toilet paper. Ugh ugh, none to be had. Well sometimes you have to do what you got to do. Sink area, also filthy. Water over whole counter and puddles on the floor. Now were talking 5 in the afternoon. I clean up. Go to mgr for hand sanatizer and let them know. Got a sorry! Buffett. Got grilled vegies. Black beans and rice and bbq ribs. All items cold. Once again let mgr know. He went and pulled all the items, plus a few more off the line. Bbout 6-7 minutes later he brings me out a plate of identical items. This time hot. Dinner partner let me know the fried shrimp and seafood crape was tasty but also cold. For desert i got fresh fruit she got rice pudding. My fruit was cold. Her rice pudding was like soup. Couldnt pick it up with a fork, as no spoon was available. Mgr said they would adjust our bill and by god they did. He took off 7.00$ from a 70.$ bill. Ate here( old location ) never a problem. Will never be back. To say this was discusting is an understatement.... read more

What a piece of crap They buy Asian seafood and try to pass it off as local Avoid this place read more

Thanks to Whale Harbor for supporting the Castaways Against Cancer. The variety, quality of food, and the service were all top notch. I will definitely be back. read more

I can't believe it we were passing by and I I saw the sign and decided to call them. Since We were coming back from Key West towards Miami. The sad part is their mailbox is full and I was unable to reach them. I really wanted to get through because after I went on their site and saw their pricing it sounded very intriguing! Unfortunately we kept on going since I couldn't get through. It would have been a whole minivan load of us. I guess Boston Lobster Feast on I Drive in Orlando at $58 a person will have to do :-( please fix your phone issue. read more

If I would have written this 3 years ago I would have given this buffet 5-stars! I'm not a usual beneficiary of the buffet-type meal because I could never seem to take advantage of more than one plate of food. I figured out the issue and nipped it in the bud when I stepped into Whale Harbor - DO NOT INDULGE IN THE CARBS, GO FOR THE CRABS! And boy did I - 4 loads of crabs later and I was happy as a clam...or a crab! This culminating in my 5-star worthy experience! Definitely worth the dough you lay down for mighty tasty seafood! So, let's jump to my experience yesterday for my mother's 57th birthday. NOT AS GOOD...I'm going to put money on the idea the restaurant is lathering some extra salt on their crabs! NO, say it ain't so!! The table's consensus is the restaurant is dealing with tough economic times, like the rest of us, and they're adding salt to these already salty ocean floor critters to get the patrons to eat less of these tasty treats. Therefore, the 'more for their buck' goes to the restaurant and not to the patron! True or false...i'm not to say - possibility, yes! I still did get 1 1/2 trays of crab legs into my belly (2 1/2 differential if you were paying attention to my last visit), so I still left a happy crabber (camper!) read more

Totally not worth the money they charge for the buffet. And our server is no where to be found. We have to ask for butter, drinks to be refill, napkins. Worth service ever... Def. NEVER AGAIN read more

I've been going here for years. This is a great place to go with family and friends. The only reason I had to give it a 4 and not a 5 was because for the first time in the many years I've been going here, one of the staff members was not at all up to par. The hostess, Patty, was very abrupt and rude. She was actually aggressive. It was also a bit difficult to understand her through her thick accent. I actually had to step back away from her at a few points during our conversation as she was basically scolding me. We always sit next to a window and the restaurant had many empty tables next to the windows. Anyway, long story short we did sit next to the window but it took having to get the manager to help us. The truth is that everyone who works at this restaurant is extraordinarily polite and I have no clue why they even have Patty there. She just doesn't fit in to the entire vib of the place. A couple of waiters made it a point to apologize for for her behavior. The manager also apologized. I couldn't ask for a more attentive staff and wonderful place. read more

Overly priced for a small selection of seafood with little to no seasoning..even the dessert was bad. Not to mention manager was rude and unprofessional when addressing our party of over 20. Save your money and go somewhere else in Islamorada!! read more

Prior to Whale Harbor closing, we will stop here before or after leaving Key West. Today after the restaurant has been opened for 2yrs I decided to stop BY with relatives from Spain. BIG MISTAKE!!!!! Definitely OVER PRICED!!! I agree with comment about passing the food as local because nothing was fresh. Our waitress was gone for most of the time. I am highly disappointed with Whale Harbor. They don't have to worry us returning and for those that write review with a 4 or more stars MUST BE FAMILY MEMBERS OF THE STAFF OR OWNER BECAUSE I KNOW YOU ALL KNOW BETTER read more

Beautiful view! Upon arrival we didn't have to wait and requested a window seat which we received. Kids 5 & under are free which was a nice surprise. Great selections of food from soup, rice, chicken, crab, mussels and even pizza! Can't beat the price for unlimited crab legs which were fresh and delicious. People get pretty intense pushing and skipping lines so expect to wait on line. Our server was non-existing but maybe she was busy ‍ overall great place will come back. read more

What a wonderful evening! We celebrated my daughter's 25th birthday tonight at your restaurant and we just want to thank you for a super experience! There were 9 of us and we are all locals and natives of the Florida Keys. We live in Islamorada. We couldn't wait to try out the new buffet! We have to say you did not disappoint! Every single thing we ate was above and beyond what you would expect at a buffet.. I would have to say that between the 9 of us and our friends that showed up at the next table to us we tried every single thing you offered tonight.. and every one was raving about it all! Thank you for the warm and friendly service and the smiles on your faces. We will be back over and over again. read more

Excellent food with many choices. Food was piping hot and served by staff behind glass screens. Service was excellent too

My family and i were there for lunch. Food was marginal tasted like frozen red lobster food. Service good the hostess was asked to turn the fans up a notch very hot and she said that the fans were on the highest speed. The fans were not on. Don't waste your time or money. read more

Just had diner at the world famous whale harbor seafood buffet. It sucked! This place went from first to worst! Anytime we visited the Keys this place was always a must do. However I guess the remodel destroyed this place , there use to be so much to choose from and you could get as much as you like, now it's exactly the opposite , you want a plate of shrimp to start, forget it they give you 4 shrimp no more you have to keep going back to get more and not even a piece of mahi-mahi to be found! At 38 bucks a head that's steep for a buffet but no even a question the way this place use to be but now you can get everything and more at a Chinese buffet for half that price. Sorry to say but we will never return and I will definitely pass the word to stay away! World famous mistake ! read more

4 of us had a great lunch. The food was very good and very fresh. The sanitation in the restaurant was very good with people respecting social distancing. We drove 2 hours and will do it again. read more

Visited this location on 2/23/20 our waiter was Buddy. He was extreme busy and even with that he treated us like a VIP. He was fast, friendly and great customer service. Thanks Buddy! read more

Place was packed when we got there on Sunday late afternoon. Got in right away and were placed near window (blessing in disguise). Not the greatest selection but quality was very good. Crab Legs, shrimp, clams and oysters you have to order, which makes total sense ( keeps waste down). Staff was very friendly during this rush, and we did not feel rushed even though tables were turning like crazy. Desserts were mediocre at best ! Almost all frozen batches with Key Lime Pie very bitter. read more

The food was good. My wife and I have a car service business so we need phone service wherever we go. When we asked for WiFi the manager said he doesn't want his help using it so he doesn't provide the service even though the majority of his customers want it. He can't control his employees so he punishes his customers!! He needs to update his technology and improve his management skills. He just lost another customer. Don't recommend going there read more

We dine in many restaurants when on getaways. I was raised in restaurants since childhood. So I know all about them, from the inside - out. All I can say about this place is... It's a Very Sad Thing When the ONLY worthwhile item of the Entire 'seafood' buffet is their Pork Spare Ribs!! here's another reason to Keep Driving... I ordered a Long Island... on the tab it came to $12!!! $12!! C'mon! they used the Cheapest House booze I've ever sterilized my mouth with! oh, but wait, there's more... We Witnessed watching with awe and disgust, an employee walking away from this joint carrying 2 to 3 sheets of Frozen fish under his arm. THAT told us All we needed to know about the quality of the quantity of the food being served here. Keep Driving read more

Gotta agree with Sienna, on a couple points, the food was horrid and the service was worse BUT it was much better about 5 years ago. It shares a building with one of our former favorites, Braza Lena. Maybe this is the reason Braza Lena wasn't as good this last time. Upon arrival at the front door the hostess (ha ha ha) NOT a bit hospitable, so worried about what everyone else was writing on their check in papers and snappy at them, was MEAN! I think her name tag said Patty, my advise, get her away from the public NOW! She is not a good first impression. She walked us to the table, said nothing and laid the check on the table and walked away without a word, just a sulk! Again I think they (this property) may have a management issue, as the person who appeared to be the manager (attractive bald man) was flighty and stressed-out. He was bobbing and weaving through the dining room looking like he had a mission but never really did anything. We asked our server (Jerry) how it was to work here and he just rolled his eyes, as if he knew it had seen better days. He was good and attentive until he got too many tables and then our plates just piled up on the table. The manager walked by our dirty, messy table several times, looked at it and walked away, never picking up a plate, basket or glass. My husband was livid, saying "they must treat people like this because it is 'tourist season', knowing that we'll never be back" Well he is right, we will never be back and I can honestly say the fish, shrimp and sides are all better at Long John Silvers (yuck) than they are here. Plus the managers and cashiers at LJS are better, even if they are only high school aged, at least they act like they like people. read more