Butterfly Café

What a beautiful birthday dinner! Butterfly Cafe has such a calm atmosphere, which is why I was shocked a table of 8ish people were acting so obnoxious! They definitely had a few drinks before coming, and proceeded to laugh/scream so loudly through our whole meal. The entire restaurant was turning to look at them. Very rude, but didn't let it ruin our evening! I had the risotto and it was the most delicious dish I have ever eaten!

Butterfly Cafe completely exceeded our expectations! From the moment we walked in, we were warmly welcomed and taken care of like VIPs. Our server was absolutely excellent — attentive, friendly, and incredibly knowledgeable about the menu. The food? Exceptional. Every bite was flavorful and clearly crafted with care. You can tell they use quality ingredients and take pride in what they serve. What truly stood out was the customer service — unparalleled. The entire team went above and beyond to make sure we had an unforgettable dining experience. If you’re anywhere nearby, do yourself a favor and make Butterfly Cafe a must-stop on your list. We’ll definitely be back!

We had such a great experience tonight for our son’s birthday. The food, drinks, and service were all exceptional! They brought out Key Lime Pie for his birthday treat and it was AMAZING. Highly recommend!!

The service was probably the best part. Hostess, waitress and SA's were all very sweet and attentive. The food wasn't anything crazy, don't get me wrong it was good but nothing special. A flower is not necessary on every dish. The atmosphere was good but it is at a hotel so expect lots of foot traffic and children. If you're looking for a fine dining experience go to Pierre's, Ziggie & Mad Dogg's, Chef Michael's; you might spend less money too. Total ticket was $227 for 2 people.

We had a wonderful dinner at the Butterfly Cafe a week ago! A table outdoors on their beautiful back porch is a must! We ordered the Scallops & Cowboy - both amazing! Highly recommend the TDF dessert also, so very good! If lucky enough to have server Gabby, you’re in for a treat as she is great!

Thank you sooooo much for a delicious dinner, great staff and Special thanks to Flabia for ensuring our experience was perfect 🦋 Loved all the dishes and drinks! Definitely a repeat place! Thx !!

Absolutely no complaints about this place. The food was good, I sampled the crab soup special, the shrimp cocktail (a lil small but good), the lamb chops, and the yellowtail snapper. Family members enjoyed a very nice berry salad, filet mignon, coconut shrimp, and scallop risotto which they all enjoyed. The desserts were very good, so don't skip that!

Delicious food, both for my baby, who had mahi mahi with mashed potatoes and vegetables; for my husband, seafood pasta; and for me, risotto with pesto and scallops. It was excellent. Unparalleled service, unbeatable drinks.

We had a party of 7. Two of us got the seafood pasta. It was bland and had zero texture. One of us got the filet and it was not edible. It was past its expiration date for sure. Very disappointing dining experience for an outrageous price.

I had the Yellowtail with potatoes & asparagus. Chocolate cake for dessert. It all was perfectly done. Our server was skilled & delightful. The ambiance was comfortable & lovely.

3.5 stars - I have been here twice now once about a year ago and now present day... I think they lack consistency. The service was eh... I think they run quite short of staff judging my how many tables one server was servicing. The ambiance is quite nice - I would request patio seating very nice. No specific water views though. The food was okay but for what you spend one expects a bit more. The pork chop was a bit dry. The fish was well prepared but over sauced. Dessert was very good - combined the flourless chocolate cake and to die for toffee with a scoop of vanilla ice cream now that is delicious! If your in the keys and want a nice meal it's a good option but prices are high

A sleeper hidden gem, in the Tranquility Bay resort. Outstanding food, romantic Florida ambiance, and top notch service combine at one of the best restaurants. We sat on the verandah, and had a magnificent dinner, after a long drive, down to Marathon. The pork chops were first rate. The fish was fresh, and perfectly prepared, and the shrimp, and scallops, were rich and buttery. They have a full bar, as well. Not a bad place, at all, for a mid-price resort in the keys!

Our family grabbed dinner here the first night we stayed at the resort. It was convenient but the service was definitely lacking from our waitress. Other waitresses seemed to have more pep in their step and were definitely more friendly. Our waitress was constantly missing in action. The food was okay but overpriced for the quality and quantity. The filet was a decent cut however the chicken entree was a joke. It was overcooked and belongs on the kids menu. The outside seating was pleasant. Again, it was convenient but we probably wouldn't dine here again.

Came here in vacation after driving from the Miami airport. The setting was really nice, and the food was great. Only one star knock are the prices (around $50 for a main dish). The bread is fresh and warm. I had the tuna special, which was good. For dessert I would recommend the TDF (basically a sticky toffee pudding made with dates). The frozen key lime pie wasn't that great. They also have a kids menu.

The Butterfly Cafe reminds me of something straight out of Sweet Magnolias - the vibe is very southern/relaxed. We had a wonderfully attentive hostess and server. I would go back for the Scallop Risotto again and again! Lovely presentation and phenomenal taste.

Highly recommend the Tiki Bar to watch the sunset and have a cocktail, unfortunately dinner was really disappointing. Service was poor and very slow. The food was average to below-average. With the prices this place charges, I would expect a fine dining experience, unfortunately it was anything but that. I cannot recommend Butterfly Cafe with good conscience.

I very rarely give 5 star ratings but this restaurant exceeded all my expectations and more. Jasmine our server was the perfect host. All her recommendations were delicious. We had the crab cakes, so good. The seafood bake was bread sopping good; large shrimp and mahi mahi in a light cream sauce, served with buttery mashed potatoes and perfectly cooked asparagus. Did I mention the bread, warm crusty and Don't forget the TDF for dessert. It's a sticky toffee pudding with killer To Die For sauce. Love the chic beachy decor that is perfect for celebrating a special occasion or just for enjoying delicious food.

I'm torn with this review but here goes. We booked an outdoor patio table and were excited to have a nice birthday dinner. Our server was personable and helpful with recommending entrees and dessert. The sourdough bread is fantastic, enough so that I asked for a second order! We ordered shrimp cocktail for an appetizer and our server forgot it, so that was a bit disappointing. The true disappointment however was with my cowboy ribeye; the patio was dark so I couldn't confirm the temperature, and that was a mistake as I'm fairly certain the steak was undercooked and gave me a terrible stomach bug that started at 2am and lasted ~36 hours. I never felt that sick in over 25 years and it negatively affected over a full day of vacation. It wasn't the best way to spend our last night at the resort. In conclusion, the dinner was nice but...yah...I think I'll stay away the next time we're in Marathon.

Food was mediocre at best. Service was HORRIBLE. We asked to speak with the manager but was told on a Friday night at 6pm they didn't have one present. Don't waste your money here- there are MUCH better places to eat!!!

This was a hard one - a "tweener". Sometimes I think people (including myself) throws a 5 star at anything really good. We had a mixed meal between excellent and pretty good. The excellent was the setting on the porch - beautiful if you get the right table Also excellent was the service, the drinks, the hot fresh bread and the caprese salad. Plus best key lime pie we have had this year - very subtle - really outstanding. My Cuban pork chop was just ok, pork is hard to get tender - my wife's grouper was ok as well. One slight demerit for service, wife asked for coffee - told server it tasted off that she did not want it. Still showed on bill until we asked that if be removed. Overall a lovely serene dining experience- dining not eating.... We will be back!

A peace of magic, is what I would call this place ! The ambiance of the butterfly cafe gives me an enchanted home in the islands. The exposed wood roof and the huge ceiling fans allow for this. In addition, the food was great too. The best part was the cheese bread. It was soft, warm and perfect for any dish that had sauce.

Pros: -The food is all very good. -The wait staff was all really nice and provided great service. Nara was an awesome waitress! Cons: -While the food is very good, it's definitely overpriced. -The hostess is a huge turn-off. On both nights that we went for dinner she had a passive-aggressive attitude right from the start and was rude. The manager really needs to have a word with her. This really isn't the job for her, they need someone warm and welcoming at the front to greet guests.

A fabulous restaurant... The term "café" is a misnomer, because this is a fine dining establishment. The food is expensive, but worth the price. The drinks are more than generous. Service is excellent... We had the scallops with risotto, and I also had a Caesar salad and tuna tartare. One of the best restaurants we've enjoyed in quite a while, and the hotel, Tranquility Bay, is a place where we would enjoy staying.

Cute restaurant on the premises of Tranquility Bay Resort, it was a short walk from our beach house and very convenient, the Staff was amazingly friendly and welcoming, the ambiance was chic and felt high end, buttttttt the food was NOT amazing, I was hoping for some amazing fish; I mean it is in Key West (fishermen's heaven) instead I was served definitely tasted likes a frozen fish pattie!!! I ordered the mahi mahi ($42) with veggies and mash potatoes which was very good but the fish was horrible!!! Tasteless and watery, very frozen like; the rest of my party agreed. We all ordered some type of fish dish over $30 dollars each and was very disappointed. The server was very nice and offered us another dish but it wasn't much to choose from so we just eat the veggies and left the fish! (Waste of Money) I would recommend if you are staying at the resort to eat from the Tiki Bar it was good!! If you want a nice dinner head on out to one of the locate restaurants.

It's hard to find a formal dining option in Marathon, FL but of the few we tried, this was the best one. It was a nice back porch, good service, reliable food and delicious dessert. Food is a bit challenging as a vegetarian gluten-free but they managed to prepare a salad and some delicious sides for me.

Fantastic atmosphere and food. Service was wonderful, even provided some insect repellent when the sun set! Everything was wonderful...and then came the key lime pie. That delicious little slice could bring about world peace!!!!! I'm not a fan of mandatory gratuity, so it was disappointing to see such a wonderful place adopting the policy. I normally tip well beyond, would give 5 stars without this.

Had a really nice dinner last night at Butterfly Cafe with my family. We had a reservation for 7pm and were seated right around then. We requested a table outside. It was a bit chilly outside and no heat lamps, so layer up if you want to sit outdoors. Indoors got pretty packed by 7:30, every table was taken. The service was great. We got waters right away and gave our drink and app orders. I am VERY JEALOUS that I didn't get the key lime martini that my sis got. I was worried it was going to be too vodka-y not enough key lime-y. But it was just the right allot of key lime. Almost desserty. I got the aperol spritz which was very standard. Tomato & mozz appetizer was yummy, four pieces so one for each of us. Then they bring you bread! What a treat these days. 3 of us got the grouper. It was a pretty big portion, served with mashed potatoes and veggies in a delic sauce. Overall a very yummy meal. My mom's coconut shrimp was also really tasty. Service the whole night was very good, which is a pleasant surprise these days. Would recommend for a higher end meal while Visiting the Keys.

By far the best place we ate while in town, we ate at several nice places, but this one was by far the nicest for the atmosphere (we sat outside) the food was all amazing, the warm rosemary bread they serve and the desserts were great. We really loved the Date cake with toffee sauce. Our server Jose was excellent and very attentive as well. This is a full scale excellent restaurant and at first when we saw cafe in the name we were not sure if they just served light food or was a full service restaurant.

A cozy tropical spot with a delightful menu. Especially enjoyed the conch chowder. The grouper and snapper entrees were perfectly done and generous portions. Pricey but worth it!

Very nice menu and the food we ordered was excellent. Great wait staff. Sat outside and it was great. Award Winning GrouperYellowtail Snapper

We are locals and this is the best meal we've had in the keys. The property is gorgeous and the ambiance wonderful. The service is fully on point, ie dedicated but not to the point of annoying. We started with the crab cakes which were great. Not lump but still delicious and with a wonderful chipotle aioli (that I now have to try to recreate!). I had the risotto but with shrimp instead of scallops, and my husband had the pork chops. My dish was fabulous. The risotto perfectly cooked with asparagus and Parmesan cheese and so so creamy. Perfect with the shrimp. My husbands pork chop was very good, although I'd say it was well done instead of medium (our only complaint). The bar and wine options were great as well. We finished with a very nice vanilla crane brûlée. Lovely. We will definitely be back.

Located within the approximately named Tranquility Bay Resort, this is a wonderful fine dining restaurant with a top end menu, wine list and customer experience. Our waiter was very helpful with selections and attentive without being imposing. I had the yellowtail snapper which was perfectly prepared and presented. We were in the Florida Keys in early December (just catching up) and the holiday decor was wonderful, complimenting what was already a very nice interior design.

Are you kidding me? What a hidden gem in a beautiful resort. Service and ambience is nothing like we've ever experienced in the keys. The food was five star. We had a group of four. Filet, shrimp risotto, mahi and shrimp & pasta diavolo. Gabby, the hostess was top notch. Wait staff was spot on. Don't go here.... I never want to have to wait to get a reservation.

If you're gonna auto-grat a 4-top table you better have the service to back it up!! The most expensive $460 dinner for 2 adults and 2 teenagers we've ever experienced! Food was great except the service. Jose our waiter was pretty awful. Not only did he give 2 flips about taking care of us, add in the Insult to injury at end of night, we were automatically "gratitudeted" for 4 people?! Umm, yeah since when? Is this Bob's Steakhouse? West Palm Beach? Isn't this usually reserved for 5+ tables?! What am I missing...??! Yeah, this feels more like he knew the service he gave us was absolutely abysmal. He was ambivalent towards us the entire night, but of course at the end...suddenly becomes "caring" and acting attentive, after our bill has already been delivered. We told him 2x the $34 Alfredo pasta plate was awful, 1/4 eaten and he said nothing, did nothing and yeah still charged us for it. Didn't try to make it right or swap it out. The bowl of freezer burn pasta was thrown out. And at the end of the tonight as we were literally walking out, he had the nerve to drop off our "to go" anniversary cheesecake, even tho we already ordered and paid for 2 desserts. Why would you not bring our or honor, say anything about our special evening earlier, I'll tell you why....they don't give a $hit. That's why. 1 star for this place because the hostess was actually sweet and the food (aside from nasty pasta) was actually great. Likely would have received 4 -5 stars and a much better review from us had the service but been SO pathetic. Butterfly Cafe really needs to work harder on getting better server training.

Food and service were wonderful. Lovely ambiance (both indoor and outdoor options). Cocktails, starters, entrees were all amazing.

The grounds are inaccurate and the ambiance is perfect. Dining outdoors on a temperate evening is the perfect Keys experience. The menu variety is just enough to find something for everyone, and the quality of each plate was worth the price. Would much rather dine here than the Keys Steak and Lobster House.

Looked up nice restaurants in the area before heading to the keys. The butterfly cafe is a great one in the area! Wanted to go to a nice place for my boyfriends birthday and they were very nice to accommodate, providing a cute birthday dessert plate and sparkler! Our meals were delicious, he got the grouper and I got a salad and crab cakes. The table bread is delicious, overall we loved our dinner here!

Simply our absolute favorite fine dining place in Marathon. Great service and great staff and amazing food - personally I'm hooked on the Scallop Risotto. Omfg! And the desert that my wife insists is her alltime favorite is called TDF, which stands for To Die For!

Great restaurant. Beautiful decor. Great service and really good food. The best spot I've found in Marathon for high quality dining.

Beautiful setting, friendly hostess, we loved sitting outside, it's a beautiful setting, our server Dayanara was charming and provided great service. We had thecrancakes, delicious with crispy crust,my husband enjoyed the Mahi sandwich, I had thescallops and risotto. Everything was pipinghot, well seasoned and delicious. The risotto was slightly undercooked with some rice still crunchy which was disappointing as Everything else was perfect. Overall good experience.

Yes a lot of places to eat in the Keys kinda the same, fried conch, coconut shrimp, etc. Sometimes you want something nice and upscale, especially if you're celebrating. Butterfly Café is it! I don't mind paying for great food, service and quality (have you seen my wife!) I prefer the inside seating. Just a little too hot and sticky on the porch outside. But it's the Keys right. Lovely drinks to start followed by appetizers, tuna, crab cake (it was small but I get it, it's an app) and tomato mozzarella salad (fresh cracked black pepper added by the server). I had the Cowboy steak with truffle fries. Absolutely amazing! Seared to perfection and aromatic. My wife had double pork chop. That was definitely a taste of the Caribbean! Hard to get her to share. Bottom line, I love this place. You're in paradise, indulge and enjoy!!! Skip the fried seafood in plastic baskets and have fun

This restaurant is located at tranquility bay resort. There was plenty of easy access parking. The atmosphere is elegant, upscale and just beautiful. But The food!Genuinely the best food I can remember having at any restaurant. We started waiting at the Tiki Bar as there was a short wait for an outside table so we figured it was worth checking out.. There's a short walk through the resort, passing the pool opening to a gorgeous, white sand beach area with all kinds of fun activities for families and adults. There was live music as well that was the perfect touch to the tropical beach atmosphere. We were greeted immediately and provided a menu at the bar. We only had a beer, but certainly, we'll be visiting again for a casual lunch. When we were seated outside on the terrace it was getting dark. The only negative thing I can really say about our experience was that we had to use our phones as flashlights to see the menu. Some candle light would have been welcomed, but not a big deal at all. We had the warm goat cheese appetizer with bread service. Both were delicious and not too much- we ate it all and still had room for our outstanding main course. I had grilled mahi and substituted the potatoes for the risotto (excellent decision omg, the best risotto ever!), my husband had the grouper as it comes on the menu. Every bite was a fabulous treat! It was really, really, really good! I will definitely be back. I will say the service at the tiki bar and in the restaurant was a little slow. It was clearly obvious the servers were doing the best they could with the tables they had. It seems to be an issue throughout the keys, I assume they are all having difficulty getting enough staff. I only mention this to remind customers to be patient and kind. Just kind of expect this no matter where you are dining and don't take that out on the wait staff with their tips. It's certainly not their fault and it's so expensive to live here, tip them generously!

Calling this a cafe hardly does the Butterfly justice. Butterfly Cafe is one of the classiest restaurants in the Keys, an area better known for waterfront dives that concentrate more on waterfront dining than cleanliness and flair. Butterfly has both, and more. We came here with the family on a Saturday night after making reservations for outdoor dining and were seated on the veranda overlooking the Tranquility Bay Resort. After a long day of swimming and sunning, we started with most of the appetizers on the menu and everything was a hit. The conch chowder was the star - a mildly spiced hearty tomato broth, rich with vegetables and seafood. The caprese salad with beefsteak tomatoes and mozzarella, balsamic and basil was gone as soon as it arrived, and the Caesar featured fresh leafy greens with just the right crunch. My kids were pleasantly shocked at how quickly their orders arrived, and the outstanding service really set the tone. The tuna Napoleon was so good we ordered a second. The yellowtail snapper arrived on a bed of puréed potatoes and cooked asparagus and is a dish we'd come back to enjoy again. The key lime pie is served 'frozen' which wouldn't be my first choice but everyone else loved it and the flourless chocolate cake was a standout for the kids. Butterfly isn't an inexpensive choice, but it's the right one for upscale Keys dining.

I went to Butterfly Cafe for a birthday dinner last weekend. Everything about the night was perfect - the scallops were amazing and my friends raved about their meals as well. We sat outside on the porch on a perfect 72 degree night. And Jose Luis made sure that we were well taken care of. One of the best restaurants I've been to. It's located inside Tranquility Bay which is a great place to stay if you're in Marathon.

FABULOUS from start to finish! We started our celebration at the Tiki Bar watching the sun go down, a cocktail and live music followed by a wonderful dinner at the Butterfly Cafe! Crab cakes were our starter, Butterfly Salad, Mahi entree and the toffee sauce on the date cake was omg! Our server, Michelle, made the evening 5-Stars with her attentiveness and attention to detail. Thank you ALL for a wonderful evening!!

Service is awful. They have over 20 tables empty and all the employees are standing around the bar. They turned us away because they are apparently booked. The people in front of us only made a reservation 10 mins before and got in but they wouldn't take us.

This place was just great all around! I planned on proposing here because it looked like one of the nicer restaurants in Marathon, we were not disappointed! The food was great, we had the scallops and steak with truffle fries. The dessert was excellent too, the key lime pie was amazing and the flourless chocolate cake was to die for. Flabia our waitress went above and beyond to make this night one to remember for the rest of our lives! Thanks Butterfly cafe you guys rock!!!

Great restaurant for special occasions. Food is always top notch. Pretty extensive selection of wines. Has a tiki bar by the water for after dinner drinks.

I don't normally leave reviews but this time I don't have a choice. Although the restaurant is nicely appointed, the food was a complete disappointment. The waiter recommended the snapper and it was definitely not fresh and did not taste good. There were 2 sauces that accompanied the fish and one was a very sweet sauce that did not add any flavor. Jose was a good waiter and we would have tipped him well and he did let us know that an 18 percent gratuity was automatically added to the tab. So unfortunately and as has been previously mentioned, the prices are quite high which is not merited by the low quality of the food.

The place is beautiful and very comfortable. While I do not mind paying top prices for excellent meals, I am afraid that I have to say the food here was really not worth the cost. First, for the prices they charge for entrees they could at least have included a salad. Everything is a la carte. I ordered the seafood bake for $52. The waitress said it included mahi with shrimp. What arrived were small pieces of mahi and rather small shrimp in a very thin cream sauce that was not particularly tasty. We also ordered a caesar salad appetizer which was not at all noteworthy and tuna tartar with seaweed which was quite good. The drinks were very good. Overall, not a place I would plan to frequent again nor recommend.

Way way way over priced. Our service was great. But food for the price was average. Average. Should have gone to one of the local much less expensive places. Actually switching it from 3 stars to 1 stars more I think about it. The high ratings need to stop. This place is WAAAAAAAYYY overpriced. Not good for the price at all. Other local places that are MUCh cheaper with good if not better food.

Wow! The yellow snapper was perfect! The lime martini was amazing! I would return to the Keys just to eat this meal again. The service was also wonderful. The restaurant was clean and charming.

Loved the food here! The 5 of us cruised in around 8:00 and were immediately seated and served! The one of the best Ribeyes we have e er tasted and the scallops were definitely worth coming back for!

we have a house nearby and visit frequently. The service has always been friendly. Our last visit was not as friendly. They had our reservation wrong and asked us to wait 30mins to be seated. the restaurant was 80% empty. I asked if we could sit at our table while we waited rather than stand at the hostess station, they declined. The more I politely pleaded the less the hostess wanted to help. We opted to leave and with us hundreds of dollars of reliable business. It is a shame as we visit often and always bring friends. We will not be back until whenever she moves on from there.

Calling this a "cafe" is a bit of a disservice, at least to the dinner experience. Exceptional food, intimate atmosphere...probably the finest dining available on Marathon. The food was prepared to perfection and the menu had some truly unique things on it. Service was wonderful and friendly. If you're looking to treat yourself or have a romantic dinner on Marathon, this is the place to do it.

Small little cafe but really cute. Looks over the hotel pool and I enjoyed the music I got the fish tacos and my boyfriend got the BBQ pork sandwich. The fish tacos were really good! I liked the blackened mahi and the sauce they use- not a big coleslaw fan but it was good. usually fish tacos don't fill you up but these were very filling. Chips and salsa with the tacos - meh. Not enough salsa for the chips and I ate my boyfriends fries that came with his sandwich. would've paired better with the tacos in my opinion. BBQ pulled sandwich had the curly fries which we both loved (LOL) and it was a good size however very sweet and too much sauce. it took away from the pork. He liked the coleslaw because it wasn't full of mayo. Pickle was good. Anywho I'd definitely recommend the fish tacos and depending how you prefer your bbq- I'd keep that in mind!

Had dinner there last night the food was wonderful the service was poor. martini drinks were served in water glasses, had to wait to be waited on , wait for drinks . The food came out in reasonable time. But had to wait for wait staff to check back on us. Wait for the bill and had to wait for the bill to be pick up. All i can tell you is Wait and think about coming here...