305-292-7212 [email protected]
Red Shoe Island Bistro is located right in the middle of downtown Key West in old town just a half a block off of Duval Street on Petronia Street. This Key West restaurant is very easy to find and well within walking distance of any place you might be staying on or near Duval Street. This is a higher end reservations only restaurant with 2 seating times. 6 and 8 PM. Limited outdoor seating and a nice, relatively close, but very welcoming atmosphere inside with a bar for additional seating. They are closed on Sunday
While reservations are highly recommended. If you want to eat here they will take walk-ins if they have availability. A great place for couples, groups, date night and special occasions.
Pricing
$ $ $ $ $
Service
10/10
Atmosphere
10/10
The Food
10/10
411 Petronia St, Key West, FL 33040
Red Shoe, as we call it, offers a mixed bag of appetizers that are local seafood creations. Entres are a mix of local seafood dishes and land based assortments with some vegetarian dishes as well. To top off the meal there are selections of desert dishes. Red shoe only serves beer and wine. They have an extensive wine list to choose from.
Without gushing about how the Red Shoe made the top of my list of top ten Key West restaurants I will say from start to finish the red shoe checked all my boxes. From the amazing appetizers to the perfectly prepared entrées right down to the dessert. Their timing was impeccable. The servers have always been on point and create a friendly atmosphere that made you want to get to know these people who put on this amazing show. Every time we have dined here since they opened one of the owners has always been there to stop by and say hi.
Fun Note: we always reserve the 6 PM seating. Getting there a few minutes early will guarantee you see the show. As everybody is waiting to be seated The staff comes out of the restaurant stands across the street introduces themselves tells us about this restaurant, asks about special occasion, such as birthdays and anniversaries, tells of some of the specials and often does a little bit of David Bowie trivia. A fun little twist to an already incredible dining experience.
There are four appetizers on the menu, each one has four pieces to it, so perfect for two couples to share. So, we opted to get one of each for the table.
Deviled Eggs with Scallops – This is a deviled egg topped with a seared scallop and drizzled with lobster sauce. Now, I am not a huge fan of deviled eggs. However, I did really enjoy this. The scallop was delicious as was the lobster sauce.
Shrimp Mango Toast -The toasted Mango bread from Cole’s Peace Bakery right here in Key West was topped with shrimp in a garlic, scallion and caper aioli with parsley and red chili. This was amazing! First off, I love all of the bread at Cole’s Peace, so they already had me there. But, the seafood was prepared perfectly and the slightly sweet with the savory was like magic in my mouth.
Baked Key West Shrimp – These shrimp were filled with a Maine lobster stuffing and drizzled with a key lime, tamarind and honey sauce. Well, what is not to like about shrimp and Maine lobster? I declared them delicious!
Lobster Roll Profiteroles – So, first you need to know that a profiterole is basically the shell of a cream puff. But instead of a cream filling these were filled with Maine lobster salad. So very good!
While all of the appetizers were amazing, I would have to say that the Shrimp Mango Toast and the Lobster Roll Profiteroles were my personal favorites. My husband’s favorites were the Shrimp Mango Toast and the Deviled Eggs with Scallops.
There are two Salads on the menu here. They have a Caesar and a Caprese. Lisa and Jason ordered the Caesar to share while Steven and I ordered the Caprese to share.
The Caesar is grilled hearts of romain lettuce with croutons and a parmesan crisp tossed with a homemade caesar dressing. I did not try this, but they cleaned their plate off so I know it was good.
The Caprese was amazing. Fresh ripe cherry tomatoes, creamy burrata mozzarella, and fresh basil, dressed with olive oil and balsamic. If you like tomatoes, this salad was perfection.
There are six entrees on the menu, and here, we all agreed upon the Seafood Medley. The fresh fettuccini pasta would have been amazing on its own. But, tossed with perfectly cooked scallops, mussels and shrimp and lightly covered in a delicate tomato, shallot and boursin sauce was heavenly.
While the menu is obviously seafood heavy, there is one non seafood option for dinner. The Beef Stroganoff was a high contender to try, but we just went with the seafood vibe we were feeling last night. Black Angus skirt steak served in a reduction sauce with sour cream with portabello mushrooms over fresh pasta sounds wonderful, so I will just have to go back another time! And the Yellowtail Snapper is their signature dish, so I will have to try that eventually as well.
The two desserts that they serve are their award winning Key Lime Pie and a Lavender Cheesecake. We ordered one of each and shared because we had to try both of course!
The Key Lime Pie had an amazing graham cracker crust and a sweet filling topped with fresh whipped cream. Very good. And definitely a top contender for my favorite on the island. The others being Louie’s Backyard, Kaya Island Eats, and Publix.
The Lavender Cheesecake I was not going to get because I don’t like eating floral flavors. But, a friend of mine told me that I had to try it. I am so glad that I did. It was not floral at all. It was creamy but had a freshness to it. If you like cheesecake you will love this.
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Red Shoe Island Bistro is a nod to the legendary David Bowie and an example of the best in culinary seafood expertise along with a campy style. A set menu and two limited seating dining options with reservations only.