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Red Shoe Island Bistro - Review
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.
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 Island Bistro Cuisine
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.
Red Shoe - Review
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.
Our latest experience was May 27, 2026. We took 2 friends to Red Shoe and once again had an amazing experience. This time we ordered all the apps for everyone to share and none were a disappointment. Our entrees were amazing and so was the lavender cheese cake, per usual! Photos below. Also, we had a new server named Leslie and he was fantastic.
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.
About The Food
Appetizers
There are now five appetizers on the menu, each one has four pieces to it (except for the crispy pork belly crostini which only has three), 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!
Crispy Pork Belly Crostinis – A thin toasty slice of bread is topped with a well cooked piece of pork belly and topped with a ginger sesame coleslaw. This was rich and delicious. If you like pork belly you will love this.
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! – I loved these, but these have been replaced by a new option…
Mini Crab Cakes – Crab cakes are a tricky dish. But Red Shoe hits the mark pretty well with these. They are not too bready and full of flavor, especially with the addition ion the honey dijon avocado dressing that just kicks it up a notch.
While all of the appetizers were amazing, I would have to say that the Shrimp Mango Toast is still my personal favorite. My husband also loves these but he also really enjoys the Deviled Eggs with Scallops.
Salads
The salads on the menu change from time to time. We did not get one on our latest visit, but in the past we have tried a couple.
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.
Yellowtail Snapper is their signature dish.
Fish of the Day.
Key West Pink Shrimp in Red Chili Pepper Sauce.
Some Wine Choices at Red Shoe Island Bistro.
You can sit at the bar at Red Shoe Island Bistro and enjoy a glass of beer or wine paired with delicious food.
Lavender Cheesecake is a signature dessert.
Red Shoe Island Bistro Vegetarian Plate.
Entrées
There are eight entrees on the menu. While the menu is obviously seafood heavy, there are two non seafood option for dinner for those that don’t like seafood, and both are delicious. But I typically stick to one of the seafood options. Below I write about some of our favorites. They also offer a vegetarian plate which I love. It is not on the menu, but just ask and they will whip it up for you!
The Seafood Medley is our go to. 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 is heavenly.
The Beef Stroganoff – black angus skirt steak served in a reduction sauce with sour cream with portabello mushrooms over fresh pasta. It sounds wonderful and it is tasty, but I definitely prefer the seafood entrees here. I did like the addition of the dill which gives this rich dish some freshness.
The Yellowtail Snapper is their signature dish, and while I have not tried this yet, my friends have and they loved every bite. The fish is sautéed with a lemon parsley sauce and served over risotto topped with parmesan and served with asparagus.
The Smoked Bacon Wrapped Chicken is stuffed with rich and delicious Boursin cheese and topped off with a red pepper sauce. This is delicious and I loved it being paired with broccolini. The bacon keeps the chicken from drying out and gives it extra flavor. All of the flavors meld together very well.
Key West Pink Shrimp in Red Chili Pepper Sauce is a little bit spicy, but oh so tasty! This sweet and spicy dish is served with risotto to help cut some of the heat. This is another favorite of ours.
Fish of the Day – Obviously, the fish in this dish changes daily based on what was fresh caught at the docks that day. However, what does not change is the delicious preparation. Always a good option if you want to stray from the usual menu items.
Desserts
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, Blue Heaven, Croissants de France, and Kaya Island Eats.
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. This has become one of our favorite desserts!
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