Banana Cafe has long been a favorite breakfast spot of mine. The small property located on Duval Street is a little cramped while dining, but that does not stop it from being so busy because of the amazing food and friendly service.
Updated Review 2/4/2024
Our friends Tommy and Pam called us on our Sunday Funday to see if we wanted to meet them for lunch at Banana Cafe. Um, yes please! They were already seated upstairs when Steven and I arrived. We ordered cappuccinos and perused the menu for a few minutes. There are so many great options, it makes it difficult to decide. I considered ordering a mimosa or Bellini, but I decided against it since I had to drive.
Pam ordered a veggie sandwich on a baguette with sweet potato fries. Tommy had a club sandwich on a croissant and sweet potato fries. Both looked amazing! I ordered my usual veggie quiche which comes with a salad. And Steven ordered the Cobb salad with shrimp, which is huge and very delicious. All of the food was served quickly and all of it was very tasty. I love the combination of the rich quiche with the light, freshness of the salad.
After feasting on our lunches, we also decided to indulge and we ordered two desserts to share. We chose the Banana Cream Pie which is brought in from Moondog Cafe and Bakery. We also ordered La Glacée Crêpe which was a crepe filled with Tahitian vanilla ice cream and covered with Ghirardelli chocolate sauce, toasted almonds, and whipped cream. The banana cream pie was not at all what we expected. It was more like a cheesecake with a graham cracker and chocolate chip crust. It was good, but I would probably not order that again. However, I think we will be getting the crepe again! A very rich, decadent, and delicious way to end a meal.
Banana Cafe is still one of my favorite restaurants in Key West for breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert! It is also a great place to sit and people watch from the upper seating area. Or, to grab a cocktail or a coffee at the bar.
Original Review: 2/14/2015
Since our husbands were busy working on Valentine’s Day, my friend Pam and I decided to treat ourselves to breakfast at Banana Cafe. We were seated upstairs after a short ten minute wait, which was not bad, especially considering it was a holiday!
After ordering waters, juice, and coffee we perused the menu. We settled on eggs Benedict with bacon, a turkey sandwich, sides of potatoes, mushrooms, and avocado, and banana Nutella crepes.
The coffee was strong but good as one would expect from a French restaurant, and the orange juice was fresh squeezed and refreshing.
I love eggs Benedict, but I always ask that they use regular bacon in place os the Canadian bacon which I am not such a fan of. Most places have no issues with this. But I love that bacon is an actual option on the Banana Cafe menu! You can also choose from sausage, ham, ratatouille, or salmon. How the eggs are prepared for this dish is a pet peeve of mine; you don’t want them undercooked or overcooked with a hard yolk. The poached eggs should be firm with a runny yolk and that was exactly how it was presented to me.
I am not a turkey sandwich kind of girl, but Pam said her sandwich served on a French baguette was great. The sides were yummy. The mushrooms were buttery and melted in my mouth. The breakfast potatoes were perfectly seasoned and soft on the inside while slightly crispy on the outside.
Need we go into a discussion about the crepes? I think that Yum says it all!
Our waiter was hilarious and he bet us that we would never finish all of the food that we ordered. I think at the end he was glad we did not take the bet because it was all so delicious that we gobbled up every bite. On top of being funny he was also very solicitous of us, checking on “his girls” throughout the meal and refilling our coffee cups as needed.
Besides breakfast, Banana Cafe also serves lunch and dinner. I have had dinner here on occasion and I had the most amazing French onion soup. And this is a stop that we make on occasion for lunch. Recently, I had the Cobb salad and it was definitely one of the best salads I have ever eaten. With perfectly cooked blackened shrimp, crisp bacon, shredded Manchego cheese, roasted corn, and fresh tomatoes and avocado on a bed of mixed greens topped with togarashi ranch dressing, it was a salad made in heaven. Okay, I am drooling now!
So, breakfast, lunch, or dinner, Banana Cafe is one of my top options for dining in Key West. You can also buy their cook book in the restaurant or online and make some of these delicious dishes at home.
More About Key West
And since we are kind of talking about bananas here, check out Capt. Steven Lamp’s blog post about bananas and boating. I promise it is a fun read!
Before deciding where you are going to eat while visiting Key West, be sure to read my other restaurant reviews too; check out our restaurant review section of this blog as well as our previous restaurant reviews.
And to see what is happening on Key West during your visit, check out our Key West Events Calendar to see other upcoming special events. For more information about the fun side of Key West… things to do and see in our island city, go to our Key West Web Site.
Feel free to Email Me if you have any questions about Key West!!
