Although we%26#39;ve visited Key West for about 20 years now, we have always managed to avoid Louie%26#39;s Backyard. In past trips, our innkeeper and longtime friend gently steered us away, suggesting there were other places with better food, better service and better prices. Our friend has since moved on to greener pastures, so we decided this year not to ask for advice and made a reservation for a late lunch. We now understand his past suggestions. The food was fine, although nothing special, and certainly with a minimalist approach. The jambalaya was exactly that - no bread, no accompanying salad, nothing else but. No mention of an a la carte%26#39; menu, but I guess we should have assumed that. The view from the outside deck is pleasant, although the constant buzz of jet skies a few yards away becomes a little annoying.
Our biggest disappointment was the attitudes. We have dined in enough fine dining restaurants to recognize that often times staff feels a need to take on an attitude as part of the ambiance. Louie%26#39;s was totally different. I don%26#39;t ever recall as much effort being made to make customers feel unwanted. I was surprised but relieved to read other reviews with very similar comments. I%26#39;ll concede we were tourists, didn%26#39;t try to hide that fact, but we dressed well for the ';occasion';, in fact, better dressed than most customers. We asked to dine outside if shade was available, then we were seated at the sunniest open table. When we asked to move to one of the many shaded tables, we were amazed by the amount of effort and consternation required to move two menus and two glasses of water. To her credit, our waitress was pleasant and efficient, although we saw her only once after the meals were delivered, and there were no suggestion of coffee, desert, or after lunch drinks. The rest of the staff, including the maitre d%26#39;/host, were simply rude and unfriendly.
Our recommendation - If you%26#39;re a Jimmy Buffett fan and hung up on Key West tradition, go ahead and do Louie%26#39;s, and get it over with. The clear message we got from the staff was ';please don%26#39;t come here';. In the future, we%26#39;ll be sure to grant them that wish.
Louie's Backyard - Did It Once, Never Again
I have to agree with you. We went in for my husband%26#39;s 30th bday dinner a few years ago and while the place is pretty (Great view from the Afterdeck) and the food was good, the staff was less than welcoming. I had the feeling they looked at us as ';kids'; like how were were going to afford to pay for dinner. Come on. We were dressed well, and obviously NOT part of any college/spring break crowd or group. I wanted to say ';We are here for a 30th bday, not a 21st.'; But, we had our meal and we got out of there.
My husband IS a Buffett fan and that%26#39;s why we went in.
There are some wonderful places to eat in KW and we%26#39;ll continue visiting THOSE places.
:) Wendy
Louie's Backyard - Did It Once, Never Again
My brother is a long time ';Conch'; in Key West and we dined at Louie%26#39;s once a few years back. I don%26#39;t recall anything exceptional about the place. My brother seemed to know a lot of people working there so maybe we got the best treatment they could manage.
I returned to Key West the first week of May this year and stumbled upon a nice little ';out of the way'; place on Packer Street, about 2 blocks east of the main drag. It is called ';The Good Life'; and I had a spectacular meal (black grouper), the price was quite fair and the people could not have been more pleasant. I was told by a patron that the place is difficult to get into on the weekend.
Louie%26#39;s seems to be far behind this nice neighborhood eatery.
We%26#39;re in Key West right now and I%26#39;ve felt I should go to Louie%26#39;s but I think we%26#39;re going to skip it. I can%26#39;t stand the thought of paying good money to be treated poorly!
I hotel recommended The Good Life, we may give it a run tomorrow night!
I know others feel the same that you both do, but with only one exception we%26#39;ve NEVER had an experience there that even approached yours.
The exception: about ten years ago a ';host'; ushered us to two undesirable tables - we declined both - before finally being seated at one we liked. That was a day when the place was virtually empty, and there was no excuse for his rude behavior. We%26#39;ve been back countless times and have never seen him again.
As for the jambalaya, my husband had it a couple of weeks ago and didn%26#39;t care for it much, either, but we usually get an appetizer so it didn%26#39;t make a big difference to him. In these situations, he always just says ';it%26#39;s a meal.'; As for bread, we%26#39;ve never failed to have bread and butter served before the meal begins. Had I been you, I%26#39;d probably have asked for it.
Perhaps it%26#39;s because we%26#39;ve gone so often and know what to expect that we%26#39;re virtually never disappointed. Some meals are better than others, but I%26#39;d be hard pressed to remember anything I haven%26#39;t liked. I even have a tendency to try specials there that I wouldn%26#39;t at another restaurant because I trust them to do a good job.
As for the Jimmy Buffett reference, I don%26#39;t know what his connection to the restaurant is, but it certainly wouldn%26#39;t affect my choice to be there.
JB mentions Louie%26#39;s Backyard in the song Trying to Reason with Hurricane Season on the Tues, Thurs,%26amp; Satudays CD. its rumored that he lived next door where the Coconut Beach is now. I think I might have a drink on the afterdeck and skip eating there.
We were also steered away from Louie%26#39;s by a local. they suggested Blue Heavon, and it was wonderful. the local gent told us Louies was ';ok but overpriced';.
Hi susancs - Thanks for sharing your good experiences there. I only wish ours had been better. Actually, we were ok with the food. If it had only been about the food, I never would have bothered to post. As mentioned previously, Buffett referenced Louie%26#39;s in one of his early songs, and still occasionally throws them a plug. The restaurant is often a ';must-see'; for parrotheads on their first visit to KW.
I hate we missed The Good Life last week, but wholeheartedly agree with the Blue Heaven recommendation. For us, a KW visit is not complete without at least one meal there. Plus, they probably have the most entertaining roosters in town. :-)
Go to Pepe%26#39;s over on Caroline Street!
Can%26#39;t beat it! ;)
I%26#39;ve had similar experiences at Louie%26#39;s as the poster. The attitude there is enough to make me never want to go there again. I%26#39;ll do the Afterdeck, but the restaurant is just too snooty for me. They really do NOT want non-locals there. There are too many outstanding places to eat in KW to put up with that sort of attitude.
They are that way to locals too, lol. I will go there for lunch but I usually sit at the bar and I do like the Afterdeck for drinks.
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