First Flight Island Restaurant & Brewery

What a fantastic evening at First Flight. We sat outside with the pyramid glass heaters on to take the chill out of the air. We enjoyed some great appetizers, and entrees. The yellow snapper (whole) was light with a crispy outside, paired with fresh sautéed veggies and Spanish rice. The brisket Mac and cheese was flavorful, and cooked to perfection. The fish and chips was also light and crispy. Don’t miss out on the key lime pie with chocolate graham cracker crust to finish out the meal. Overall, we appreciated the attention to detail with the meal preparation, service and ambiance. We will definitely return!

Great history and atmosphere here. Cool story, great happy hour and some tasty microbrews. Maverick is my choice for the beer people. Happy hour is 4 to I don’t know after that. Service courteous and friendly. Back deck has amazing banyans and some old hardwoods. Chill live music too.

Cute spot. We sat inside as the weather was on the cool side. Waitress was friendly and efficient, even as things got busy. Food was average, though the soup of the day (potato leek) was excellent! Husband had Carribean Alfredo which I thought was bland but he enjoyed it. I had a wedge salad with blackened chicken (which was dry and a pretty meager portion). Typical Key West vibe with live music. It was fine, but with all the competition in Key West, it wouldn’t be in my top 5.

What a great place here. The staff was outstanding! Angel Mitzi and Damien to name a few, were top notch. I was on vacation and came here everyday. Food and drinks were great. The atmosphere was perfect. Everyone seemed happy. No doubt I'm coming here again.

Recommended by a friend and First Flight did not disappoint. The fish tacos were fantastic and stuffed with fish. The steak was perfectly cooked and seasoned. Don't skip the potatoes. They're worth every calorie. We took forever to decide on which of the First Flight beers to try. Can't remember what we decided on, but it was cold and delicious. We appreciated the bartenders patience and help. First Flight is in a historic building where Pan Am airlines started. Take a minute to read the history on the menu and walk around the building.

We had such an amazing night here celebrating my mom’s 70th birthday. The food and drinks were great, but the service was honestly above and beyond. The staff helped pull off an epic surprise of my moms friends surprising her AND when my phone died as I tried to video the moment, a member of the staff pulled out her phone and took the most amazing video, texting it to us immediately after. Cannot say enough good things about this place and the whole environment! Would 100% absolutely recommend to anyone visiting Key West!

Came in during happy hour and sat at the "Crash Bar" (the outdoor bar with the airplane wing surface). Ordered the Maverick IPA and the Beef Brisket Mac & Cheese. Great food, drinks, and atmosphere.

Nice laid back spot with great vibes for some drinks. The outdoor patio is really nice with greenery and decor. We came during happy hour and enjoyed our simple drinks, fries, and pretzel bites. Wouldn’t recommend the brisket Mac and cheese which wasn’t flavorful. It has typical bar food and drinks, nothing crazy here but a nice simple spot for a good time.

I had a fantastic meal here, definitely recommend the deviled eggs with the tempura, battered jalapeños, so good and not spicy. They had live music during dinner, and all three of us had the grouper special. It was phenomenal. The ambience is perfect, Key West setting. Outdoor seating, they do have some covered areas. Service was always great! Highly recommend this place!

I Looove First flight!!! In all fairness their beer is not very good. But their martinis, cocktails, and dinner are fantastic!!! They have tons of seating for any atmosphere.. indoor, bar, or a huge beautiful outside patio with plenty of palm trees and bulb string lights. The food is amazing. I've had multiple dishes here, the grouper special is one of my favorite. The yellowtail snapper is also amazing. My husband loved his swordfish so much, we came back again and ordered it a second time. The pretzel with beer cheese is so good. They make great espresso martinis. And I love the history of this building, being the old Pan Am Airways. I'll be back many times!!

I am just going to get straight to the issues and not sugar coat my feedback for this place. I'm here because my husband won a trip through his work so the regional manager took us out for dinner. It was 20 people deep. Vibes were great, the restaurant was big enough to accommodate large groups but that wasn't my issue. My issue was with MY service and MY order. It's like they skipped over me a few times...and skipped over the couple in front of me. I brushed that off. I ordered the special and the regional manager ordered it as well. No one else ordered that specific dish. EVERYONE's main dish came out including the regional manager's at the same time....except mine. It's happened before at other places but after 5 minutes pass...still no dish and no one came to me to explain. After 5 more minutes...someone came out with this rink dink salad to me and apologized. Not good enough. Finally after a total of 15 minutes, my food came out. The rice was good but it's like they freaked out and over cooked the grouper. Everyone was clearly frustrated for me and they were all done eating while I had just started. Unacceptable and it was embarrassing and slightly humiliating to have to sit there with nothing to eat while everyone else had theres. Do better First Flight. Just Do. Better.

Recommended by a friend and First Flight did not disappoint. The fish tacos were fantastic and stuffed with fish. The steak was perfectly cooked and seasoned. Don't skip the potatoes. They're worth every calorie. We took forever to decide on which of the First Flight beers to try. Can't remember what we decided on, but it was cold and delicious. We appreciated the bartenders patience and help. First Flight is in a historic building where Pan Am airlines started. Take a minute to read the history on the menu and walk around the building.

We bought the Fantasy Fest viewing party tickets at First flight, which included dinner, drinks and a reserved chair for the parade. It was an absolutely amazing experience and I would do it again! The food was fantastic! They had whole roasted pig, plantains, mahi, chicken, salad, veggies, rice and beans and key lime pie. They gave little gift baskets with parade beads at check in. Their drinks were strong too! They even came around with Jell-O shots and coconut shrimp. I'd give them 10 stars if I could!

First Flight was on our radar and we decided to try it on our recent trip to Key West - and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We had a drink at the bar for a while at the tail end of happy hour, then had dinner on the gorgeous patio. My spouse had the ribs and I had the brisket mac'n'cheese and a salad - both were great, and huge. The bartenders and server were friendly and capable. The location is terrific. Looking forward to our next visit!

The restaurant sign says "Birthplace of Pan American World Airways". American style food with a brewery inside. Loved the airplane propellers and old black & white airplane walls photos. While customers wait to be seated they can browse a room of merchandise called the Hangar (like an airplane hangar) filled with shirts, hats and even glassware bearing the First Flight logo. Ordered the Brewery Burger and fries. The burger was big and juicy and the steak fries were presented in a metal cup. Huge outside patio perfect for big parties, which we had here four years ago. Tonight did not need a reservation and six of us sat inside due to the extreme humidity on the patio. Lots to look at with moderately priced food. The servers are called "Flight Crew". The bathroom was clean with two urinals, a separate closed stall and a modern deep white sink.

Ate there twice during our week in Key West. Amazing experience both times with efficient and friendly service. Food was expensive but high quality and large portions. We tried assortment of cocktails and the clear winner was the spicy margarita. Yum! Highly recommend First Flight!

What a cool place to come while on Key West! Loved the history behind the building, and of course all the aviation themed things. My friend and I got two flights of beer and that allowed us to try everything on the menu. The soda crackers to cleanse the pallet are a nice touch! The giant pretzel was delicious and enjoyed the mustard and beer cheese. A must stop place, even if it's just for drinks and apps!

Neat little area this brewery is tucked into! There's shops and other restaurants around, also plenty of little sites to see. Beer is good, but they seem to be more into cocktails and such. Didn't try the food, but the menu looked good! Service was really nice. Parking is on the street.

The staff was amazing:) However......... This restaurant does not have a email address so I couldn't contact them directly to share my experience. We ordered the deviled egg appetizer which tasted like it was in the fridge all week and was extremely dry and tasteless. Ordered 2 wedge salads (very tasty) which they brought out with the main course signature dish fried snapper and skirt steak??? They returned the main course back to the kitchen. They brought the main courses back out 30 minutes later. The fish was extremely dry and cold, the rice tasted like it's been in fridge all week, the vegetables were mushy, watery and cold. I wanted to try the restaurant and bring guests later this week. I would not recommend with all the other great restaurants in key west

Our server was very friendly and it's a fun space that leans into the history of the building. However, the food was just OK and I did not like any of the beer options.

I wish I could give 3.5 stars, because we really enjoyed ourselves and the pretzel was fabulous! The service was adequate too. It was the beer that left much to be desired. As a beer snob, I have a hard time giving it a rave review. It wasn't bad by any means but definitely not great. Don't take any high expectations with you about your taste buds being blown away by the brews.

First flight was a fun experience The fish tacos and tuna poke was very very good. Their IPA beer was extremely refreshing I would hikely recommend stopping in and look at the aviance of the First Pan Am American international flight office from 1927 , then grab some lunch or dinner.

Great location just two blocks off Duval street. The Pan Am themed restaurant has vast history and has a full service brewery. Love the scenery for excellent Instagram videos and pictures. The fish tacos were fresh and tender and the Tito's cocktail was tasty. The server was polite but basic condiment requests were too confusing. The money was worth the atmosphere alone.

The ahi tuna poke appetizer was fresh and was served with plantain chips that were slightly crispy but kind of chewy. The mahi fish tacos with beans and rice were substantial enough for two people to share. The IPA beer was slightly bitter but the key lime cider was very good. The decor with the aviation theme was like walking into a museum. The server was friendly enough but messed up our friend's order. Overall, it was a good experience worthy of repeating.

I was really craving a burger and swung by First Flight late one evening. The courtyard is gorgeous and the vibes were so good! I was seated immediately and my server came by within 2 minutes. I got the brewery burger which was solid. I think it needed something like more greens or a tomato for added freshness but the crispy onion ring and bacon were really good! The steak fries were not my fave but that's not my fry preference. If you are into beer they have a ton of options!

During our trip to Key West, we made reservations for dinner at the First Flight Island Restaurant and Brewery. It was a wise decision! We loved our meal! We sat outside in the back courtyard, watching the chickens and roosters roam for crumbs. It's a gorgeous lush backyard that makes each table feel private. Since it's a brewery, we needed to try some beer. I went for the passion fruit and pineapple version. The smaller cups are only $5! So affordable! For dinner, we all enjoyed our meals. I got the burger and fries, which were cooked to perfection and very tasty. The burger comes with an onion ring on it, which I find delightful. I also love the history of the restaurant, tying into PanAm's first ticket sale for an international flight between Key West and Cuba. So fun!

Food and beer, subpar. Environment and service was outstanding. Rodney took care of us and encouraged us to try the deep fried PBJ with caramel ice cream desert. Wow! This was easily one of the top deserts we have ever had! We'd go back just for this!

First Flight has a cool vibe and a great atmosphere--definitely a nice spot to unwind in Key West. The food here is absolutely top tier. I had the deviled eggs and the brisket mac & cheese, and both were fantastic. The pretzel bites were also on point. Props to the chef--seriously, they're crushing it in the kitchen. Drinks were good too, and the happy hour prices made it a solid deal overall. I also tried the key lime pie. It was good, but it didn't have that classic, traditional key lime pie taste you expect down here. Still enjoyable, just a little different. Now for the downside: the service. Happy hour runs from 4-6 PM but only applies if you're at the bar or high-top tables--which they don't tell you until after you're seated. It's not posted anywhere, and that's super frustrating. On top of that, no one gave us a happy hour menu--I had to go find one myself. Honestly felt like we were an inconvenience more than guests. If they tightened up the service and were more upfront about happy hour rules, this place could easily hit 5 stars. But for now, 3 stars for great food and drinks, with some clear room for improvement.

Long time visitor first time reviewing! We have been coming to First Flight since before its name changed. (Kelly's). Whenever I am asked for where to eat or drink- this is where I tell people to go. The waitstaff are amazing- especially at the bar. The restaurant itself is beautiful and exactly what you think of when imagining a bar in Key West. So tropical and relaxing. Omg I want to be there right now! I love the bruit rose and their beer is great. Brisket Mac and cheese is a must here. I also recommend the wedge salad and any of the flatbreads. The pretzel is huge and their deviled eggs are also delicious. A word of caution: drinks are amazingly fantastic but strong. Slippery slope! We visited twice this trip and I would have gone again. Make this a must go on your list.

Excellent snack stop and great service! Igor was an excellent bartender and we loved the atmosphere.

The ambience and service was great. The food tasted amazing But the cons were you get eaten alive by mosquitos, and you have to fight off the swarm of flies from landing on your food. The worst part is being careful not to eat any pork due to allergic reactions, only to vomit everything when I got back to my hotel room.

Stopped in for a beer and had the beef brisket mac and cheese! Best snack food on the island!

Place is great menu is great! My date was extra and really enjoyed it! If that tells you anything! I thought the place was lovely great food and drinks but the extra was even loving it more and more Welcome to the xtra and well done I'll be going to another place soon

Swordfish was amazing. Key lime pie is the bomb!!! Nice ambiance, music and service.

This place is a gem! This building is the location of the original Pan Am Airways ticket office "back in the day". Now, it is an inviting microbrewery that serves incredible food. We had the fish tacos and key lime pie. Yes, to die for! Key lime pie was the best I've had in KW, ever! Pain Killer was incredible (rum drink). Service was great and wait staff very friendly. The atmosphere gives you the vibe of getting ready to board your flying boat for a journey deep into the Caribbean Ocean and S America. Great place to try!

Been here many times and always a great experience! Their craft beer is really good. Tonight I had a special, which was swordfish on rice with broccolini and it was very tasty. My wife had the Seafood Fettucini and all but licked the bowl! Service was efficient. Didn't dig the music they were playing, soft club-type music, but the was my only gripe. To me, this place evokes a soft jazz or light piano or Frank Sinatra tunes.

The food was excellent, especially the brisket panini!!! Our server was outstanding and the atmosphere was relaxing. Prices were reasonable.

Great place for dinner and happy hour still think I liked it way better when it was Kelly's Caribbean.

Love the theming of this place. The building is an old Pan-Am airline ticket office and they have kept the airplane theming as well as some historical artifacts around the restaurant. Love the prop plane ceiling fan! Great happy hour menu too.

We have never been here before but we had tickets during Fantasy Fest to watch the main parade on their front porch. Tickets included a buffet-style dinner and an open bar from 6-9. The view was perfect for my wife and I in a 2 seat table but there were other couples that had 4 in their party and they enjoyed the view just the same. The food was amazing for labeling it a 'buffet'. We had salad, roasted chicken, sweet plantains, grilled Mahi, grilled vegetables, and a roasted pig that they turned into pulled pork. I couldn't believe it, as usually when we go to 'things like these' the food is terrible and the drinks are worse. Here is was the complete opposite. When we come back down to Key West, we are coming back for either lunch or dinner. The place is nice, huge and the staff was nothing shy of awesome. I truly encourage you to give them a try!

Soo disappointed with this place. Loved the idea of the theme in the old historic building, but the food was not good. Most of it tasted microwaved (including the steak. Yuck). Buffalo wings were crazy hot. Brisket Mac n cheese was not appetizing and luke warm. Giant pretzel was probably the best part of the meal. Even the beers were not great. Not very cold and options limited for a brewery. Our server was very nice but slow. If I were to do it again, I would stick to the bar area and stay with more bar-type food (and the happy hour which you can't take advantage of in the dining area). It's not a good spot for sit down/more formal dining in my opinion. Way overpriced for what you get and again, food is not appetizing at all.

This is a great stop for a food and beer or just to be at the original ticket office for the first international Pan American Airlines flight to Havana. The food was incredible and you will not be disappointed with your decision to walk a short distance off Duval Street.

4.5 stars. Service was excellent, food was very good and not terribly priced for the area. Only reason it looses a star is because a handful of options were not actually available. Awesome location being in the original Pan Am building!

Nice outdoor patio with a wide selection of food choices, especially for a brewery. We arrived at our table and within 30 seconds of each other, two waiters arrive. They then decide to passive aggressively fight over the table for the first 20 minutes. Then latee, neither seemed all that interested in it. Tile fish special was good, but $50. The fish and chips were okay. However the beer was a little flat and not at all cold. I wish I had gone elsewhere.

All the way from Texas, I recommend you stop in! Get you the Key Lime Pie, and a Micro Brew. Havana Red is an excellent beer to start your afternoon. Excellent staff and I will come back! RF 2025

I wrote a review last year when we first stumbled upon First Flight, but I needed to write a follow up! We came across First Flight when wandering through downtown Key West looking for a cocktail and a snack. We walked in and sat the bar, first thing you notice is all the Navy inspired decoration and the beer mugs hanging everywhere. Fun fact: these mugs belong to the Navy pilots stationed at the base there! We enjoyed FF so much, that we came back many more times and brought family along too! Every food item and drink we tried, were delicious. The atmosphere is super fun and cool. If you're looking for a chill place to sip a cocktail or have a meal/snack in Key West I highly recommend First Flight!

Awesome bartender/server. Very friendly and fun. Great drinks. Food was delicious - we had the pesto breast, fish tacos, and the fish sandwich. Amazing.

Were on our walk to another restaurant and traipsed by this looked and the menu and saw that it was also a brewery and changed our minds. We had brisket mac and the deviled eggs and jalapeños and red amber beer. Service was quick and frequently checked on us and refilled glasses. Food was great, the deviled eggs are a must. This dude apparently works here making sure guests don't leave messes

My favorite thing about First Flight is the laid back atmosphere, outdoor bar scene with a TV! I was able to enjoy drinks, the NCAA men's basketball tournament and also take in nature simultaneously. The drinks were okay, appetizers and burgers very tasty! The fish dip was delicious as were the raviolis (both on Happy Hour menu) as well as the deviled eggs. The fries are thick cut, crispy and tasty! Parking is a bit difficult to find but that's a given in Key West. There is a parking lot just diagonal on Caroline St. The service was decent. They could be a bit friendlier. Maybe next time.

We had a great experience as we were exploring, Key West, and we were lucky to find this place! If you were looking for good appetizers, unique beverages, and a chill place, this is your spot! Our waiter was very attentive, and we appreciated his recommendations! Try: brisket mac & cheese

Great location but importantly a historic location. You'd think they'd play up the PanAm history much more but I wonder if it's a trademark issue Regardless, central and easy to get to from the main drag in Key West. Prompt service and great patio seating. You must try the large pretzel. It's delicious and fresh and such a great snack and appetizer. The sandwiches are average to above average but the location and friendly service adds to an overall memorable experience

"J" (yup from MIB) he's got such a nice smile was our server. Great Ahi tuna and we hate everyone's. We'll be back!

Great bartender! Cold drinks. Tropical feel. At midday it was the coolest place to be and still be outside.

Justin and his team went so far above and beyond to make our day a special one, there hardly seem to be words adequate to describe how happy we are with our experience. A year prior to our (58m, 61m) June 2025 destination wedding, Justin worked very closely with us to ensure every detail was covered. Our event (just over 50 people) took over the entire upstairs of the restaurant: pavilion, terrace, and library. Every piece fell into place perfectly: seating, buffet, decorations, sound system, traffic flow, and all the physical logistics. As anyone who's planned an event like this can tell you, there are plenty of opportunities for things not to follow plan. If that happened, we never knew about it. Everything about the Caribbean-themed buffet - variety, taste, quantity, accessibility - was amazing. We can't wait to return to Key West and be regular restaurant customers! If you're looking for a hassle-free event where every "I" is dotted and every "t" crossed well before it needs to be, First Flight should be your destination. Thanks, Justin and everyone, for making our day spectacular!

The scallop appetizer which has a chorizo risotto w/ street corn was one of the BEST dishes I've had in a really long time! Please don't take it off the menu!

Really cool restaurant and bar in Key West. Based at the first office for United airlines. As an aviation buff I found that really cool! Great outdoor seating area. Service was good. Beer was great! We got some of the appetizers at the table. Everything was great! I will come back here for sure when we are back in Key West!

Beautiful beer garden, friendly service. We went for happy hour, had two different beers and a couple bites. Pretzels and fried ravioli were both wonderful. The beer was ok, we're from northern CA beer country so we have specific taste and this didn't quite match. Would still go again for food and atmosphere.