Cafe Marquesa

Exceptional dining experience from start to finish. The service was impeccable — warm, elegant, and genuinely attentive. My sincere thanks to the entire team for their professionalism and gracious hospitality. The food was exquisite — beautifully presented, perfectly balanced, and full of refined flavors. Every dish reflected true culinary artistry and passion. A sophisticated and intimate setting, ideal for a memorable evening in Key West. Thank you, Café Marquesa, for such an unforgettable experience. 🌸✨

Every trip to Key West couldn't possibly feel complete without dinner at Cafe Marquesa. We love this restaurant and consider it one of the best on the island. Our server Stephanie was excellent, highly attentive and professional. And of course the cuisine is always expertly crafted and plated delectable. We had dinner here to celebrate my birthday, and everyone took such good care of us, highly recommended! Can't wait to return again,

This was our first time at Cafe Marquesa and will be honest was the best meal/experience ive had in key west so far. We started out with the special which was caviar an let me tell you it was delicious. I had the tuna tartar an it was out of this world. The yellowtail snapper and triple tail fish was beyond amazing. The staff and chefs were amazing and 100% recommend coming back again and again. I could go on for days on how amazing this place was.

TLDR: Dinner amazing, delicious and totally worth it! Breakfast, very average and disappointing. We ate at Café Marquesa twice while staying at the hotel Marquesa. The 1st time was for dinner and we very much enjoyed our experience. Service was friendly, we didn’t have to wait long for our drinks and food, the plating was very pretty, the restaurant setting is intimate and charming but most importantly, everything we ate and drank was delicious. They even accommodated my special request on one of the dishes. Also, they definitely have one of the best key lime pies in Key West. Unfortunately our 2nd meal was not nearly as pleasant. We went for breakfast on our last day, wanting to keep the “best for last” since our expectations coming off our previous dinner was quite high, but we were disappointed. The service was not as welcoming, the food was very average compared to their dinner plates that showed creativity and excellent execution. They also don’t even have fresh pressed orange juice or fruits. Overall the dinner deserves 5* and since I think everyone should eat here I am going to give 5* on Google but the breakfast truly deserves a 3*. That being said, if you are in key west, you must book your dinner here, you will not regret it!

Stopped in for a quick bite. My wife needs a GF menu and they had some amazing dishes. We got the Non-wings (tofu} and truffle fries. Hit the spot. Great service and fun staff.

Very intimate dining experience in Key West. The food is absolutely delicious, great atmosphere - highly recommend. Dianna A is a fabulous server - she will take care of you!

Phenomenal experience at Cafe Marquesa. Excellent service and the food was outstanding as well. Our server, Wilson, made it a very memorable experience as it was our first time dining here. We will be back next year! Highly recommend the tuna tartare small plate and the dessert trio!

Fine Dining That Delivers—Without the Fuss or the Foam If you’re wandering through Key West wondering whether true fine dining exists somewhere between flip-flops and frozen daiquiris; it does, and this is the place. The menu is beautifully balanced, clearly crafted by someone who respects both flavor and Florida’s unrelenting heat. I started with the hot and cold foie gras, and honestly, it was a beautiful surprise. The pear element? Game-changer. Sweet, elegant, and the perfect contrast. Who knew summer heat and foie gras could get along so well? I followed it with the pan-seared potato gnocchi, which had just the right mix of pillowy comfort and crispy edges, and the prime beef carpaccio, thin, tender, and full of flavor. For my main, I chose the swordfish, which was fresh, light, and perfectly cooked, basically, the culinary equivalent of a chilled linen shirt on a 90-degree day. No heaviness, just flavor and finesse. Service was attentive but relaxed (Key West style), and the setting matches the food: elevated, but not trying too hard. You’ll feel fancy, but you won’t need to fake an accent. Highly recommend, especially if you're tired of deep-fried everything and just want a real meal that reminds you why dining out can still feel special.

The best meal our group had in Key West. The staff is highly professional - always there when you need them but never intrusive. Location, ambience, quality of food and presentation and the staff make this a truly 5 star experience.

Over the top stuff y for what it is. Restaurant was half empty claiming they had reservations. Got sat in big filled table outside after the snooty host offered the table. Food was good, however coming from hospitality and Los Angeles it was overpriced making the experience underwhelming.

Came in for breakfast today. We shared the Tropical Fruit and Berries which came with yummy Greek yogurt, fruits and honey. We also shared the Garden Omelette with Cotija cheese. This was a perfect pairing and very filling for two. We asked for regular coffee and wanted it to be more like cafe con leche so we asked them to heat up the milk and they frothed it and gave it to us happily. Very good place for breakfast!!!

This place is small and cozy with a great ambiance. Small candle lit tables. I really wanted to love the food, but it was good but great. It was mostly New Orleans cuisine, but it didn't hit the mark with the flavors I'm used to being from there.

A terrific dinner served in a room that's very upscale yet feels quite comfortable. It's located on a prime intersection just a short couple of blocks off Duval, but still manages to feel tucked away while still being in the middle of things. The service is of that silky smooth variety, where they're right there when you need them and not there when you don't. There's a nice variety of entree and appetizer choices, but I went seafood. The she-crab soup was stunning, with a rich shellfish broth that gave it heft while spotlighting the delicate bits of meat. My snapper entree was also delicious; I even ate the accompanying broccolini.

Great place excellent vibe, we had a beautiful dinner and very nice wine. Service was excellent! Tom was very gracious the food was outstanding! No corners were cut! Great job Tom and your entire staff!!

We dined here while staying at the neighboring Marquesa Hotel. Every bite was impeccable. Oh my, one of the best restaurants I've dined at in a long time. Service was spot on, the decor in this Historic former residence is lovely and wonderful dining memories were made! While staying at the neighboring hotel we came here twice - for dessert and breakfast. The late evening dessert of Key Lime Pie and Beignets were heavenly. How thoughtful to wish us a Happy Anniversary in chocolate writing on the beignet plate! Their breakfast was equally delicious! My Garden Omelette with fresh spinach, mushroom, tomato with my choice of goat cheese was fantastic - eggs cooked perfectly, the creamy goat cheese added decadence - definitely a reorder if returning. Hubs Eggs Benedict plate was clean and an affirmation of its deliciousness! I hope to return again!

The breakfast choices are a bit limited, but the atmosphere is lovely and spotless, making it super relaxing. We had a great time!

We had an amazing time at Cafe Marquesa! Best dinner of our entire trip. We had the crab cakes which were pure crab- no bread here. Complimentary amuse bouche and bread were great as well. I had the shrimp and grits as my main entree. Wow. Best I've had outside of New Orleans. My husband has a fish that was prepared New Orleans style with red beans and grits. We also had their key lime pie and beignets, but were a little too full at the end to really enjoy them. Charlotte was our server, and she was so attentive and helpful. She made sure we had an excellent dinner, and had great suggestions. She also told us about the local event going on during our trip. Some other guests got drunk and angry during our dinner, and tried to ruin the experience for everyone. However, Charlotte and the male host/manager of that evening handled it well and made sure we felt safe. We loved this restaurant, and would recommend it to anyone visiting or local.

Five Stars Isn't Enough for This Experience I recently returned to Cafe Marquesa with my love -- it was his first time, and for me, a long-overdue reunion with one of the most exquisite dining gems in the heart of Key West. I've lived here before and have dined at Marquesa a few times, but this visit? Unparalleled. We didn't have a reservation (pro tip: make one), but decided to take a chance -the host greeted us with the kind of warmth and grace that instantly made us feel welcome. Even though they were fully booked, he went above and beyond, personally arranging cocktails for us and escorting us next door to enjoy them at the Inn. Our wait was short, but the hospitality was already unforgettable. Enter: Nelson. Our server, our guide, and honestly, one of the highlights of our night. Nelson has that rare mix of professionalism, warmth, and just the right dash of charm. From the moment we were seated (with our cocktails waiting for us), his menu suggestions were absolute perfection. I opted for the beef carpaccio -- yes, as my entrée -- and it was a chef's kiss moment. Silky, flavorful, and plated like edible art. My love had one of the seafood specials of the evening, and I still don't have the words. Delicate. Flaky. Cooked to absolute perfection -- it was the kind of dish that makes you close your eyes after every bite. Dessert? Oh, we didn't just stop at dessert. We ordered the sampler -- and those beignets? As someone who's been to New Orleans more times than I can count, let me just say this: superior. And that's not something I say lightly. And I must give a standing ovation to their Key Lime Pie. As a Florida native of over 30 years -- and a former Key West local -- I can honestly say this pie ranks in my top three of all time. Balanced, tart, creamy, unforgettable. Caffe Marquesa isn't just a restaurant -- it's an experience. A love letter to fine dining, elevated service, and next-level cuisine tucked away in a town too often mistaken for nothing but bars and barefoot chaos. This is refined, intimate, soul-stirring dining in the heart of Key West. If you're looking for a place that blends elegance with heart, and culinary craftsmanship with soul -- this is it. I'll be dreaming of this night for a long time. And we will be back soon!

Charming restaurant situated at the corner of Fleming and Simonton street. My husband and I decided to do the tasting menu with the wine pairing. Each course had a nod to low country fare with a level of complexity. The wine selections were unexpected but made for some fascinating pairings. Chef Lee was on hand to provide insights into the food prep and wine choices. Our waiter, Wilson, was fun and attentive. I am attaching photos, even though they will never do justice to the taste of each course. Don't miss this bright spot on the island!!

Vibes: sophisticated and elegant but low key; bring a friend or a few Tasting notes from breakfast and dinner: - Blueberry cornmeal pancakes: delightfully fluffy with excellent amount of blueberries; lovely to dip forkfuls in small dollop of whipped cream on the side - Breakfast sandwich: extremely buttery, flaky croissant; quick to fall apart because of layers of egg, ham, tomato, greens; generous layer of scrambled egg (my choice); absolutely loved the perfectly crunchy and salted, fork tender side potatoes - Huevos rancheros: two over easy eggs atop a thin soft tortilla with fine filling and a tomatoey, slightly spicy sauce - Key lime beignets: very thin and crispy exterior with piping hot, almost spongy interior; doused in plenty of powdered sugar; side of creme anglaise was indulgent and creamy but did not overwhelm curd filling - She crab soup: finished with some sherry vinegar at tableside; delightfully creamy, smooth, and rich with a few lump pieces of sweet crabmeat - Chargrilled oysters: mayo forward with some cheesiness; good for sharing with one other person as an appetizer Other notes: - Service overall is attentive and friendly - Able to charge to room if staying at Marquesa Hotel - Fairly quiet on weekday mornings and early evening on a weekend night Impression: would recommend stopping in for at least one meal when in Key West!

This is a 5 star restaurant. I called to make reservation they were lovely. I had on blue jean shorts and a tank and they still welcomed me with open arms.

The service for breakfast was impeccable. The garden omelette was delicious. The potatoes that accompanied the omelette were perfect.

Sophia K. was our server and bartender as we dined at the bar. Her hospitality was unparalleled. Best bartender in Key West!!! She took great care of us all while handling the rest of the restaurant's bar orders! We ate and drank like kings and queens. Food was amazing, drinks were amazing, atmosphere was wonderful and service was impeccable.

The food, service, and ambiance is perfect. We had a great dinner celebrating my birthday. The tenderloin is delicious, the beef carpaccio is the best on the island, and the beignets are amazing!

The food is amazing. You do not need to sprinkle salt and pepper at all because of the flavor already infused in everything on your plate. Kate was our server and she was thoughtful and kind. It is extremely quiet inside and they play great music, not extremely loud, thankfully.

We stayed at the Marquesa hotel and had breakfast included with our stay (30$ per person per day). It's such an elegant dining room, it felt very different from Duval st! The breakfast was a highlight of our stay at the hotel- I loved the Huevos rancheros and ordered it multiple days. The restaurant is not known as a vegetarian place but I was surprised to realize I never ate any meat during our stay! Service is great, friendly and quick. We were supposed to go to dinner here but sadly didn't make it. I was looking forward to trying it!

Enjoyed breakfast at Café Marquesa while visiting Key West - location is great, lovely decor, and excellent food. Prices are somewhat elevated - perhaps to be expected in this small, upscale spot. Service was adequate but a little impersonal.

Excellent dining experience! Very cozying dining room in the Marquesa Hotel. The Miso Glazed Black Grouper was phenomenal as was the Pan Seared Duck Breast. Finished with delicious Key Lime Pie and Beignets!

Outstanding dinner from start to finish! Thank you to the chef and wonderful staff for a wonderful meal and evening. Staff's attention to detail is impeccable. Food was excellent. Everything was fresh, beautifully plated and delicious. Cocktails were great as well. We will definitely visit again when we are back in key west!

Historic Charm & Breakfast Perfection at Café Marquesa! A morning walk through Old Town Key West led us to Café Marquesa, a quaint yet luxurious dining spot inside the historic Marquesa Hotel (which dates back to the late 1800s!). The history, atmosphere, and food were simply unmatched. What We Ordered: Breakfast Sandwich - A toasted, all-butter croissant loaded with eggs, avocado aioli, shaved Parma ham, aged cheddar, fresh greens, sliced tomato & locally sourced 'Mack Farms' breakfast potatoes. Absolutely delicious! Beignets with Lime Curd - These famous, golden-fried beignets were pillowy soft inside, crisp outside, and the tart lime curd was the perfect finishing touch! If you're in Key West and looking for a truly special breakfast spot with a touch of history, Café Marquesa is a must-visit!

We enjoyed grouper with a delicious coconut rice on the side. The restaurant is very lively and fun. Service was good.

Went here on a Sunday night for dinner. The service was great and the cocktails were creative and good. The food was crazy expensive. The pork belly amuse bouche was very good. The crawfish pasta was a very small portion with a couple of tails mixed in for $27. My husband had a fish dish that was good, but priced at over $60. Our friends had the short rib special and a fish dish. Short rib special was $80. The food was good, but for what they are charging, it should blow your socks off. I know Key West is expensive, but this seemed really over the top. Nice place with nice people, but be prepared to pay the price.

Perhaps we had a rare bad experience but the Cafe disappointed twice. On our first visit I ordered 2 egg whites and got regular eggs. I sent the order back. The last day, today June 1st saw several service failures. The meal I ordered came with a choice of protein. I selected bacon and it was not on the plate when it arrived. Since potatoes were part of the meal I asked the server to bring ketchup. He never returned with either. After 7 minutes and seeing the bacon on the window I flagged a server and she brought both. By then the potatoes were cool. We placed the coffee urn lid up to signal a refill was needed. The young man who started the table never returned once to check on us. The lady who brought the bacon and ketchup never asked if we needed coffee. After 17 minutes of waiting for coffee I advised I wanted to speak to the manager. Since I knew I was going to leave a comprehensive review (bad) with time lines I felt obligated to let her know. Frankly she was not engaged in her job since there were only two tables eating with a total of 4 people. Service should have been perfect but clearly fell deeply short.

Amazing place for dinner everything was perfect and the staff was incredible. Will go again

The atmosphere and attention was perfect. Food was excellent. Had the grouper and the duck. Cocktail was a little too sweet. We will be back next time in town.

Overall the service was really good, consistent with checking on our party and doing refills. Admittedly we may have high standards, but this food was beyond subpar. The crab cake was non traditional, more of a ceviche than anything, yet this wasn't stated on the menu. Our table was brought out a tasting of braised pork, with a tomato sauce (seen in the pic w crab cake), this bite was luke warm- we were laughing trying to figure out if it was meant to be served hot or cold! The tuna tar tar, was unseasoned. Both (seafood) dishes were bland, and didn't come with lemon lol, and the tar tar came with no vehicle to eat it with as well. The angel hair pasta was the best dish of the entire meal. Again it lacked flavor but was better than the previous. I would suggest going here if you like normal food but I wouldn't say it's beyond what you'd get at any other place around here.

We made a resy for early seating on a Thursday night. This restaurant is a small, so the sound level was quite loud later in the evening. It was hard to decide what to eat because everything on the menu looked good, but our waiter helped with recommendations. The service was excellent; timely and attentive. The food was expensive but delicious, although our meals would have benefited from a dash more salt.

Excellent breakfast, cocktails and soothe service. The chef's in the Marquesa kitchen are hitting home runs!

We found this place on Yelp and gave it a shot. Food and service was excellent. Definitely recommend this restaurant.

Food was incredible, service was top notch, they went above and beyond to celebrate my wife and I on our honeymoon. Try the triple tail and the beignets!

This review is for the bar, as we only stopped in for drinks on this trip, but based on that, we'd definitely eat here in the future! The bartender, as well as all the staff we encountered were very friendly and helpful! They have an excellent wine list, some great wines by the glass, as well as a very nice cocktail list. We enjoyed the drinks and great conversation... can't wait to return for dinner!

Real good food and presentation. Service was also excellent and matched what you would expect. Very expensive so I would view this as $$$$ and not $$$ but to put it in perspective it was closer to $200/pp with minimal drinks....

After reading so many wonderful reviews maybe our expectations were too high? But this was just not a highlight for us and we will probably skip it next time we're in town. They tried to do some interesting things like wasabi mash potatoes with their grouper but instead of bringing a little heat and flavor it was just bland and odd - it didn't help that it was cool. The grouper also had a very aggressively hard sear on it - I'm all for a good sear but this was hard. My husbands steak came out very nicely though he didn't care for the sauce - again just not something that mixed quite right. Something that also detracted for us was that the crowd there was rather stuffy and clipped - when you're squeezed in tight to maximize space it's hard to not speak to your date to where others can't hear you - and being told that others are trying to have a quiet meal and we should be silent is a turn off (but I realize this is not cafe marquesas fault so I didn't take stars off for it)

Exceptional service, amazing food. This team is dialed for excellence. We will be back.

Unfortunately the service was pretty non existent. Food took an age to arrive - was okay, but nothing to get too excited about. Even paying the bill seemed like hard work to them- which was odd, considering the prices of the food! Plenty of other options, with better service, food quality and value

Below average fine dining restaurant. The restaurant was very cold blasting the A/C making it uncomfortably chilly for my whole family . Ambiance was extremely loud and hard to hear the waiter even say the specials. Drink menu was good though i found the food menu to not be very unique, nor did any dish stand above the others. Desert was the highlight.

Just can't justify the price. I was staying at the hotel (great place, by the way)... didn't want to venture far away on my last night and early AM flight... so I stayed in. I new better to order 18-yr Rye without asking the price, and then I was offered a second pour... OMG.. $100 a shot and not a generous pour, a shot from a measuring jigger - REALLY! I (almost) never look at price but even taking off the $200 for the two shots of Rye, it was still $200 for just me! All I had was an app, carpaccio, black grouper and beignets for desert. So all in with tip it was well in excess of $400 for myself. The food was good 4/5**** quality and service too was good 4/5... there are too many other great places to eat in KW. There's better bang for the buck out there.

All I can say is WOW!! The food was incredible and well prepared. The chef pairs his ingredients well to make every dish a masterpiece. The service was prompt, polite, and very thorough to any needs. Nice ambiance and definitely a memorable experience. I highly recommend this gem.

Great coffee strong but great flavor and was perfect temp. 8.8 The smoked salmon Benedict was flavorful and cooked well, potatoes were good nothing crazy, presentation was nothing special. 7.7 I'd come here again, worth going to if ur in the immediate area.

Cafe Marquesa is the restaurant in the Marquesa Hotel. I came here on my quest to find the best restaurant in Key West, and to my mind I found it. This, Cafe Marquesa, is it. I tried practically all the others, and though most were very good, their food just didn't have the culinary goodness of Cafe Marquesa. I started off with their She Crab Soup to which I added a generous amount of sherry wine. It was totally delicious with a good amount of lump blue crab. I then had their Prime Beef Carpaccio which was nicely sided with a truffled egg salad, baby greens, and topped with asiago cheese. For my entrée, I had their Grilled Tenderloin of Beef "Oscar." It came perfectly done as ordered with an excellent celery root puree, tender young asparagus, a lump crab cake with real lump crab, and a delicious bearnaise sauce. At $88.00 I thought the price was rather steep, but for what I got, worth it. Throughout my meal, my service was excellent and attentive. Key West has a lot of very good restaurants, but for me, Cafe Marquesa is the best.

I have had Christmas dinner there for the last 10 years it has always been above reproach. I don't know what happened this year. My fried oysters were cold. The grilled swordfish was cold also and it tasted as if it had been boiled The service was slow the time between appetizers and dinner was way too long. Another thing I noticed was that it was not its usual busy pace. It seemed that maybe other diners already knew what I found out.

Exceptional service, great food, we found this spot while on vacation, would recommend if you're looking for a nice fine dining spot in Key West!

Don't go to Key West if you're not going to check out Cafe Marquesa This restaurant is a gem! It's a very intimate and cozy. The staff was inviting and provided impeccable service. Wyatt is a bartender that knows his stuff. It's fun being able to go somewhere and try drinks where the bartender is able to incorporate their personal touch. We tried a couple dishes and each of them were a 10. Fresh and full of flavor. This restaurant is a MUST if you're in Key West.

The chef is a genius!! The food that comes out of this kitchen is remarkable and extremely delicious. The wait staff is awesome and very accommodating in every way. Our drinks and the food we had made our weekend the absolute best. We went for breakfast and dinner two days in a row...that's how much we enjoyed it!!

Ok. When you make your hotel reservation in Key West, follow that up by immediately making a reservation at Cafe Marquesa One of the finest restaurants I have ever visited The starters, entrees and service are all fantastic Highly recommend this fine dining establishment Brace yourself for the price. Not inexpensive

Cute Key West cottage a few blocks from Duval street w/both indoor & outdoor seating options. Atmosphere, service & food all well presented & flavorful but be careful of sneaky servers who slide what appears to be a complementary dessert platter onto your bill. Overall a good experience though due to the well prepared & flavorful food.

Chef's tasting menu was excellent. Everything was perfection from the first bites of tuna, foie gras, oysters rockefeller, tenderloin with crab cake. Do not miss out on house made beignets! Service was impeccable. Only two notes: It was incredibly loud because of a few larger tables and this detracted from the overall experience. Very few nicer wines by the glass. Will definitely be back when in town.