Turtle Kraals

We go every year and it’s not the same or better but less impressed

Only came here for drinks. Came 10 – 15 minutes before happy hour was over but it seemed like the waiter was taking his time so by the time we got to order our 2 drinks happy hour was over, not happy about that. My Piña Colada had hardly any rum in it and was way overpriced (8 $). It’s nice being able to sit outside but I think they could do much better.

Outside bar upstairs was awesome! The service was fantastic. Everything we ordered was amazing! The Empanadas were amazing!!! Guacamole and black beans and rice were so good! Highly recommend!

I didn’t really expect much out of this place. After arriving in Key West after a long flight, we were starving so we walked and ended up here. We decided to sit in the upstairs bar area and it was very nice. The gentle, warm breeze hit my tired face and this was the first feeling of heaven of the day. The service was just okay… a tad slow for the place being fairly empty in my opinion. I can’t even imagine what it would be like if it was packed. I ordered a piña colada (first of my trip!) and was somewhat disappointed. It tasted extremely watered down and I could hardly taste the fruity flavor. For my actual meal, I ordered the chopped salad. The presentation was very nice, but the actual salad was nothing great. My other guests enjoyed their food, but thought it was just average. I think the main attraction of this place is the excellent view of the water and the drinks. Other than that, it’s really nothing to rave about.

Had dinner here on a Saturday night with my girlfriend. We got the Ceviche (The Cure) and it was pretty damn mind blowing. I’ve had shrimp ceviche before but the addition of coconut and mango brought it to an entirely different level. Highly recommend. I also had the blackened Grouper with corn on the cob (lime-​butter sauce) and the coconut rice with peas. The Grouper and both sides were above average. Nice beer selection as well.

this as probably my favorite place we visited during our trip to Key West! We had wanted to go for the turtle races but missed it so we just stopped by for lunch instead. GREAT decision. We were seated upstairs and the view alone makes this place worthwhile! Our waiter so so friendly and helpful and made our meal so enjoyable. We started off with a round of Tipsy Turtles– a very refreshing drink! I just happened to order the chicken tacos and they were THE BEST chicken tacos I have ever had! The waiter later told us the tacos and ceviche were featured on Curtis Stones Boardwalk Bites show. I can see why. Order them if you go here. I would love to have the recipe to try these at home!

Horrific service. The manager blew us off more than a few times. Had to go to «ask»
For the manager and she was the one blowing us off. Terrible warm beer and food.

Loved the food! Service was great! Ceviche was amazing also had the grouper blackened
(Only tiny complaint was drunk patrons, rude customers, but that’s not the restaurant’s fault)

Good food. Nice location. Raining today so upstairs is closed. Cuban sandwich was very good, as was the guacamole, and the chicken raisin salad. The bloody bull was the perfect way to start. Robin took good care of us, and was a pleasure.

We arrived at the docks with 20 – 30 minutes to spare. The bar looked inviting so we decided to attempt a quick drink. We ordered two mojitos and asked for the check right away, indicating we did not have a ton of time. The bar tender then asked if we wanted the mojitos in to go cups. My new favorite bar tender.

We sat outside on the rooftop dining area for dinner. The view of the boats and the marina were very nice. We started with the flight of ceviche to try several types. We liked having a variety and enjoyed them all. We shared the seafood sampler entrée which had lobster, scallops, and shrimp. The food was good, but the service was inattentive and at times, very slow. Our server explained that he was on island time, but it didn’t excuse having to wait a long time for a beer while we watch him talk to bar guests and other bartenders. We will be back for the food, the ambiance, and hopefully better service.

Seafood is all I want. And to watch turtles race.
I only accomplished the seafood. We were always in the area on off race nights, darn it. The service was good. Our waiter really knew the menu and his seafood, what was local and fresh. We started with a couple of cocktails, larger than if used to, but good. I wasn’t too hungry so I ordered of the happy hour menu– trying conch fritters for the first time, yummy. And a half dozen oysters, and I didn’t have to share them. They were a great size and flavor, well cleaned without a speck of sand or shell. $ 5 for each plate. Hubby enjoyed a large plate of pasta Alfredo with several large juicy shrimp.
Great spot looking out onto the Marina.
Next time making time for the races

The view from this restaurant was beautiful! At the time I just finished snorkeling and I needed fuel. This was the closest restaurant that looked appealing to me because let’s face it, who doesn’t want to each brunch with a beautiful view. The portions were pretty large but the quality was definitely above average! Minus one for the grumpy waiter, I guess it just wasn’t his day.

We were there for happy hour and really enjoyed it. The oysters were fresh and the conch fritters were done well with a good amount of conch. The bartender was friendly. It was kind of slow when we were there but it seemed like it could be a fun, laid back place even when it was busy.

The only reason I’m giving it such a low rating is the service. Straight up our server was horrible. He seemed like he was constantly in a hurry. He was in a hurry alright. To disappear! I noticed the other servers weren’t like this so maybe it was just bad luck.
We came for happy hour. Dozen oysters for $ 9? Yes please. The food is a bit pricey if not in happy hour. Other than that it was good. We also had the conch fritters which were good.
The food in the keys is similar to other restaurants. If you are here make the service excellent.

The best part about Turtle Kraals is definitely the view from upstairs. My family and I were in Key West for a week, and this place has probably the best happy hour views around.
The 2-​for-​1 drinks and food is basically the same as it would be anywhere else in KW, and the vibe with the food and games is a bit better at Half Shell Raw Bar (next door) than at Turtle Kraals. But at the same time, I would recommend going to both of them — Half Shell first, and heading to Turtle Kraals after. You can sit upstairs at the bar or patio tables here and you’ll get a great view across the Gulf.
There’s two-​for-​one drinks at the happy hour, of course, and some from specials that we took advantage of. The food and drink is basically the same as anywhere else, so go here for the view.

This Bar/​Restaurant has one of the Greatest Locations in all of Key West. Come here during Sunset Hours and you will not be disappointed. The View and the Breeze are Epic on the Second Floor. Try to avoid the First Floor though because all the Waiters are Sweating like Sprinklers. The Food was okay at best, but for a reasonable price compared to other places in Key West. Conch Fritters were Really Great to start with. I ordered a Fire Grilled Burger with Sweet Potato Fries. The Beef was Blackened but delicious. The Sweet Potato fries were okay but nothing to savor every last Fry about. On a side note, my Mom ordered a Ceviche and it came as a Freaking Salad. Avoid the Ceviche at all costs here. The Fish N’ Chips to replace it though were delicious.
Get over here to the Second Floor Tower Bar at Turtle Kralls and you will forget all the cons I listed above.

We’ve been coming here for years and watching the development on the marina makes me a little nostalgic so I am grateful Turtle Kraals still stands… for now. We sat on the deck upstairs. We had some Key West ceviche and some conch fritters. A great snack or spot for dinner after you come off the ferry from the Dry Tortugas.

This place was decent — average service and the spot could’ve been a bit cleaner. We couldn’t believe the place was almost empty — their busiest hours are around sunset and you get a great view since they are right on the water.
I ordered the guacamole and probably could’ve eaten that for dinner — $ 15 gets you a LOT of guac! I had the conch ceviche and that was okay– the jalapeños and red onions added a ton of flavor but the conch was a bit chewy for my taste. I didn’t understand the popcorn served as a side with this dish so left it alone.
.5 ordered the Cuban Mix sandwich with fries — the mojito sauce served on the side melded the sandwich flavors quite nicely.
Nothing looked out of the ordinary on the drink or desert menu so we abstained for the night — all in all not a bad place so hence the three stars.

I could not have been more excited about how we ended up here…
Our concierge at the hotel told us it was his favorite seafood in town so we took off on our newly rented scooters and pretty immediately got lost. It’s damn hard to follow a GPS whilst scootering! We must have looked lost because a courier for another hotel pulled over to ask us what we were up to and give us some ideas for lunch (can we just talk about how everyone in this town was SO friendly and helpful!?). So when we told him we knew where we wanted to go, but just didn’t seem to have made it there… he told us to follow him. So he drove in front of us (losing us at one point) until we were in the parking lot of Turtle Kralls. As he was leaving, he gets out of his van and comes back over to tell us that they don’t advertise it, but they have a beautiful deck upstairs where you get the breeze and can see out over the water. We thanked him and marched ourselves right up there!
That’s where Nick came in. He was bartending and waiting tables up there and you’d never have known he was working a pretty skeleton crew. We had cold drinks and appetizers coming out before we could even get hangry. We went with the guacamole because I figured for $ 15 it must be amazing. It most definitely was!
The cool thing about this place is that while it isn’t frou frou-y…their chef is out-​of-​this-​world talented at preparing ceviche because he was sent to Peru for 16 weeks to master the technique! That means there are somewhere around 8 different types of ceviche on the menu to choose from. We went with The Cure which is shrimp, our lime marinade, coconut, red onion, cilantro and corn nuts with rococo pepper leche de tigre and the Key West which is diver-​caught hogfish, avocado, sour orange, jalapeño, cherry tomato and basil. The Cure was my favorite because it reminded me of my favorite Thai soup, tom kha, but both were so fresh and delicious. They offer flights of ceviche, too, which would be a good way to try multiple things.
After all of that we decided to split an order of their mahi mahi fish tacos. So amazing… and the sides were just as tasty.
Nick was such a great guy and gave us more wonderful recommendations… everything was so perfect it seemed like it was just meant to be! I can’t wait to get back there to have The Cure again… I can almost taste it just thinking about it!