“Family-run Neapolitan pizzeria in a converted Stock Island warehouse. Wood-fired oven, Italian ingredients, and a locals' crowd every night.”
Roostica is the pizza place Key West locals name when a visitor asks. Bobby and Michelle Mongelli opened it in 2012 after eating their way through pizza towns in the U.S. and Italy, took over a worn-out warehouse on MacDonald Avenue, and built a wood-fired oven in the middle of it. It has won the Bubba's Key West People's Choice Award for best pizza every year since 2014, along with multiple best wings and best lunch awards.
Thin-crust Neapolitan, cooked fast and hot in the wood-fired oven, with a blistered edge and a soft center. They stick to D.O.C. guidelines on ingredients: Italian plum tomatoes, mozzarella di bufala, extra-virgin olive oil. Their slogan is "Legalize Marinara," which tells you where they stand on toppings. Start with a Margherita or a Marinara before you go building your own.
Wings that keep winning the local awards, rustic Italian plates, salads, and a craft cocktail list. It is a full dinner spot, not a slice counter.
Stock Island, just off US 1 at MM 5, on MacDonald Avenue. About 10 minutes from Old Town Key West and easy to hit on the way in or out of town. If you are staying on Stock Island or in the Key West suburbs, this is your neighborhood pizza place.
Local Tip
Weekends are dinner only, so do not show up for a Saturday lunch. Parties of six or more can reserve by phone. Everyone else walks in, and the wait moves fast.
Address
5620 MacDonald Ave, Stock Island, FL 33040
Phone
(305) 296-4999Website
Visit WebsiteHours
Mon to Fri 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM. Sat and Sun 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM.
Mile Marker
MM 5
Best For
Thin-crust Neapolitan pizza, wings, a family dinner off the tourist strip, and takeout on the way back to the house.
MM 5“Open-air dockside seafood shack at a working marina, license plates on the walls, boats coming in while you eat.”
“Luxury private boat charters, sandbar days, snorkeling, island hopping, sunset cruises, and custom Key West water adventures.”
