Set in the heart of Land's End Village at the Key West Bight, the Half Shell
Raw Bar is an authentic Key West fish house. Once a shrimp packing building,
it has stayed true to its blue-collar harbor front heritage. Fancy folks
looking for fancy stuff will have to look elsewhere. No carpet on the floors.
No expensive art on the walls. No air conditioning, for that matter. Just a
main dining room inches from the waterfront where customers pull up to picnic
tables and select their meals from blackboard menus hung from the ceiling. The
centerpiece of the action is the shucker station with its mounds of fresh
shrimp, oysters, clams and stone crabs. One dozen two dozen three dozen trays
of oysters and stone crab fly across the room, with pitchers of cold beer and
chilled bottles of wine not far behind. Get a "Frozen Pina Colada"
here.
The Half Shell is a natural hangout for locals.
Many of them work at the docks just behind the
restaurants on sailing, fishing
and diving charter boats. The bar is their first stop on the way home. This is
where you'll hear yesterday and today's Key West tales being told. Daily happy
hour specials include 33 cent oysters and $1 drafts. Sitting at the bar or in
the dining room, you can watch the boats come in at night and get an
unobstructed view of the open waters. And, an outdoor cocktail and dining area
get you up close and personal to the activities happening on the waterfront.
A Key West institution among visitors and locals alike, the Half Shell Raw Bar
has been voted the Best Raw Bar in South Florida, and has received national
ranking as one of the top six raw bars in the country! With the widest
selection of fresh seafood on the island, the Half Shell Raw Bar owes it's
success to it's terrifically- prepared fresh seafood, all received and
processed daily in its own fish market. The Half Shell is committed to serve
its guests the freshest seafood. And the kitchen knows that consistency
counts. You'll always get your meal prepared just the way it should be to
ensure the fullest flavor and value and to maintain the integrity of the
product.
Half Shell customers, most of whom have made
the pilgrimage before, start with the restaurant's special conch chowder, made
with the Half Shell's own secret recipe, or spicy Buffalo shrimp and, of
course, the obligatory dozen oysters on the half shell. From there, they move
on to their favorite seafood selection, served with Half Shell's signature
presentation of boiled potatoes, corn-on-the-cob, and home- made cole slaw.
Dinner is polished off with a chilled slice of Key Lime Pie, baked daily on
the premises. Wash this down with a cold beverage and a sigh of contentment
and you can almost imagine yourself back in simpler times - the way Key West
is meant to be. Visit the Half Shell Raw Bar for a sample of one of the last
outposts of the old Key West spirit - no glitz, no glamour, just good fresh
seafood, excellent service and ice- cold beer all in a charming waterfront
setting at old-fashioned, reasonable prices. Group accommodations available.
Open 11 am to
11 pm.
