We had some of the BEST food on our family vacation in the Florida Keys, and dining at Angler & Ale was one of the highlights. Angler & Ale is located on Hawks Cay Resort in Duck Key (close to Marathon Key), and if you followed the news after Hurricane Irma in September 2017, you might know that this resort sustained significant damage after the storm.
Hawks Cay Resort Restaurant
I’m happy to say that Hawks Cay celebrated a huge renovation and grand re-opening late this summer, and the resort and restaurant are open for business.
Whether or not you choose to stay at Hawks Cay during your visit to the Florida Keys, I highly recommend planning a meal at Angler & Ale. The restaurant is open to anyone, not just resort guests, and the atmosphere and food are both out of this world!
There is both indoor and outdoor seating available. The evening we were there, they had live music inside. We love sitting outside and Angler & Ale is right on the marina with a beautiful waterfront view, so we went out on the deck.
(A little tip for my fellow non-local travelers: bugs are everywhere in Florida, so be prepared and put a little repellent on before you go outside to avoid the mosquitoes. This isn’t just advice for this restaurant, but anywhere in the Keys. Probably anywhere in Florida!)
The outside deck is a gorgeous space. I love all the colorful chairs and strings of light. As the sun set, it just got prettier out here.
The outdoor seating area offers a great view of the marina and you can catch the sun setting from your table, too.
First things first: drinks! Angler & Ale has an awesome cocktail menu, and I asked our server for her recommendation. She suggested the house special, Angler’s Delight, and it was so good!
Cheers! This drink was amazing! Our server was amazing too. She was from Jamaica so we chatted with her about our trips there, and she was so good with the kids. We appreciated being able to ask her for some recommendations on the menu, and she just made our dining experience even better. Good service goes a long way!
Here’s the fam, enjoying our drinks and the view while our meals were being prepared.
And this guy was ready to dive face first into his Jamaican Jerk chicken.
Best Seafood Restaurants Florida Keys
Now for the best part, the FOOD! I ordered the Fish Tacos and they were soooo good. We had a lot of fish tacos on this trip and the Angler & Ale version was one of the very best. So fresh and delicious with really big hunks of fish.
Both of my kids ordered the Jamaican Jerk Roasted Chicken Breast. I snagged a taste just to try it, and it was delicious. They ate every last bite.
My husband ordered the best dish on the table that night: Salt & Vinegar Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes. Omigosh, they were to DIE for. We love crab cakes and I am still dreaming of this one (and he only gave me one bite, the monster). The crust is a salt and vinegar chip and they are cooked to perfection. If you love seafood, definitely check out the crab cakes!
We saved a little bit of room for dessert. When you’re on vacation, shove it in, right? You have to get the Key Lime Pie pretty much everywhere you go in the Florida Keys, so we ordered one of these to pass around.
The toasted meringue and fresh berries paired with the tart key lime pie was amazing. And look at that presentation. Beautiful!
Best Restaurants Marathon Key
My husband was on a roll this night, nailing it with ordering the best things on the menu. He got the Angler & Ale Signature Dessert, a Caribbean Banana Split.
It includes toasted coconut ice cream, caramelized bananas, macadamia nuts, whipped cream, and fresh mango. Insane!
And my dessert was equally insane. I ordered the Mud Pie: coffee ice cream cake, caramel sauce and an Oreo cookie crust. It was ridiculously good. I did pass this one around to share because look how big it is! The Key Lime Pie could probably be a 1-person dessert, but if you go for the Banana Split or the Mud Pie, you would be safe to share. They’re huge and amazing!
As the sun set, the strings of lights lit up to make the prettiest outdoor atmosphere. We ate our dessert under these lights and finished up the most delicious meal. We left feeling stuffed, all of us saying, “Oh my gosh, that was soooo good.”
Waterfront Restaurants In Marathon Key
Angler & Ale is one of those restaurants that you just want to get back to to be able to taste the food one more time. Definitely add a stop to your Florida Keys vacation itinerary!
Angler & Ale Restaurant
Check out the Angler & Ale menu and make your reservations on their website. If you order something other than what I showed in the pics above, I would LOVE to see it! This is a place I want to go back to and try everything on the menu! You can follow along on social media for more mouthwatering (and vacation inspiration!) pics, too: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
The Florida Keys and Key West are the perfect place for a family vacation. Visit their website, and check out their social profiles for tons of ideas to help plan your adventure: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
PLANNING YOUR FLORIDA KEYS VACATION:
- Faro Blanco Resort and Yacht Club
- Marker 88 Restaurant in Islamorada
- The Turtle Hospital, Marathon Key
- Angler & Ale Restaurant, Hawks Cay Resort on Duck Key
- Dolphin Research Center, Marathon Key
- Morada Bay Beach Cafe, Islamorada
- Robbie’s of Islamorada: The Hungry Tarpon + Feed the Tarpon
- Aquarium Encounters in Marathon FL: Coral Reef Encounter
- Bahia Honda State Park – Best Florida Keys Beaches
- Ocean’s Edge Resort & Marina – Family-Friendly Key West Resort
- Key West Butterfly Conservatory
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