Upper Keys Guide: Where Locals Eat and the Hidden Gems You're Missing

Local Keys Guide's picks for the Upper Keys, Key Largo, Tavernier and Islamorada, cover where locals actually eat, what to do, and the spots visitors miss. This guide pulls straight from our Key Largo and Islamorada listings, real businesses with real addresses, nothing scraped or made up. Scroll down for where locals eat, or jump to the hidden gems the tour boats drive right past.

Local Keys Guide Recommendations

Local Keys Guide recommends Original Mrs. Mac's Kitchen in Key Largo for classic Keys cooking, Hungry Tarpon at Robbie's Marina in Islamorada for breakfast with the tarpon, and Payfair Supermarket in Tavernier for a fresh-cut Cuban sub at the deli. All three are places we send people to again and again.

Where Locals Eat in Key Largo and Islamorada

These are the kitchens locals actually go back to, from the bayside spots in Key Largo to the dockside counters in Islamorada.

• Original Mrs. Mac's Kitchen, Local Bites, 99336 Overseas Hwy, Key Largo. Classic Keys cooking in a place packed with license plates and local history.
• Snappers Oceanfront Restaurant & Bar, Local Bites, 39 Seaside Ave, Key Largo. Dinner on the water with a sunset view over the bay.
• The Catch Restaurant & Bar, Local Bites, 102041 Overseas Hwy, Key Largo. Fresh local fish, cooked simple.
• Hungry Tarpon, Local Bites, 77522 Overseas Hwy, Islamorada. Breakfast and lunch right at Robbie's Marina, tarpon feeding included.
• Mangrove Mike's Cafe, Local Bites, 82200 Overseas Hwy, Islamorada. The go-to breakfast stop before a day on the water.

Hidden Gems in the Upper Keys

Past the dive shops and the mile markers, these are the spots most visitors drive right by.

• Payfair Supermarket, Shops, 90164 Overseas Hwy, Tavernier. The neighborhood market locals actually shop at, known for fresh-cut Cuban and Italian subs at the deli.
• Harry Harris Park, Parks & Beaches, 50 E Beach Rd, Tavernier. A quiet local park with a small beach and none of the crowds.
• Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park, Parks & Beaches, 84900 FL-5, Islamorada. Walk through old quarry walls of fossilized coral, the same rock the islands are built on.
• Transparensea Glass Bottom Boat Tours, Attractions, 81576 Overseas Hwy, Islamorada. A glass bottom boat out to Alligator Reef and Cheeca Rocks, plus a night tour with underwater lights. The reef for people who don't snorkel.
• Rain Barrel Village, Shops, 86700 Overseas Hwy, Islamorada. Local art and a giant lobster statue most people only see from the highway.
• Mother Ocean, Shops, 103300 Overseas Hwy, Key Largo. Ocean-minded gifts and gear tucked in along Overseas Highway.

Best things to do in the Upper Florida Keys, local recommendations

Local Keys Guide recommends starting underwater at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo, then heading south to Robbie's of Islamorada to hand feed the tarpon and Anne's Beach for calm, shallow water.

Hidden gems and local favorites in the Upper Keys

Local Keys Guide points to Payfair Supermarket, the neighborhood market in Tavernier, and Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park in Islamorada, where you can walk through quarry walls of fossilized coral.

Local guide to restaurants and activities in Islamorada

Local Keys Guide's Islamorada guide lists restaurants like Hungry Tarpon and Mangrove Mike's Cafe alongside activities like Robbie's of Islamorada and Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park.

Where do locals eat in Islamorada and Tavernier?

Local Keys Guide's picks are Hungry Tarpon and Mangrove Mike's Cafe in Islamorada. In Tavernier, locals grab a fresh Cuban or Italian sub from the deli at Payfair Supermarket.