Lucy’s Retired Surfers Bar & Restaurant | Review

Shrimp and Grits at Lucy's Retired Surfers Bar and Restaurant in Key West.
Shrimp and Grits at Lucy’s Retired Surfers Bar and Restaurant in Key West.

I enjoy trying different places to eat, and when I heard that a new restaurant opened where Finnegan’s Wake used to be, my husband and I decided to check it out. We headed over to Caroline Street, parked in the parking garage, and walked around the corner to Lucy’s Retired Surfers Bar & Restaurant.  We were expecting the eatery’s atmosphere to be laid back and fun with some Beach Boys tunes (or something similar) playing in the background; what we walked into could not have been more different. Not only was the live music (not remotely like the Beach Boys) blazingly loud, but the noise of people yelling over the music and the metal chairs scraping on the ground were just too much. The cacophony was overwhelming and we almost decided to go someplace else. We thought that eating outside and away from the music would be better. It was, but not by much. We still practically had to shout at one another to be heard.

We tried the homemade chips and salsa and the queso blanco (white cheeses melted and spiced up with seasonings and tomatoes) to start. The salsa was extremely bland; loading it with extra salt was the only way to give it some kind of flavor. The queso blanco was more flavorful, but it tasted like Velveeta cheese sauce that you can make at home. Definitely not restaurant quality.

The Valley Girl Club Sandwich at Lucy's Retired Surfers Bar and Restaurant in Key West.
The Valley Girl Club Sandwich at Lucy’s Retired Surfers Bar and Restaurant in Key West.

For entrees, I ordered the shrimp and grits and Steven ordered the club sandwich with fries. The grits portion of my meal was not bad, but the shrimp were over-cooked and over-seasoned. I didn’t even finish eating them they were so bad. Wish they had put some of that seasoning into the salsa! The club sandwich was better, with turkey, ham, bacon, and Swiss cheese paired with sprouts, cucumbers, avocados, lettuce, and tomatoes. Loved the fresh veggies.

From what we experienced, Lucy’s serves overpriced bar food in an extremely noisy atmosphere. The saving grace to the place was the staff. Our server was personable as were the other servers working our area. We asked a few of them about the origins of the bar and the name Lucy. Our waiter told us that the bar was named for the Beatles song, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. Another waitress told us that Lucy was the girl that got away and broke the owner’s heart. Either way, at least the staff was entertaining! We were also told that there is another Lucy’s in New Orleans as well. I will know not to try that one if I ever make it to the Big Easy!

Before deciding where you are going to eat while visiting Key West or the rest of the Florida Keys, 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!!

Island Genn

Key West Concierge

About the author: Island Genn

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