I've been visiting and reviewing restaurants in Key West for 20 years — here are 11 of the best places where you should actually eat

• As a restaurant reviewer who's been eating in Key West for years, I've tried the best food in town.
• Here are 11 of my favorite eateries, from fresh seafood to authentic Caribbean fare.

Once upon a time, before Key West became the tourist destination it is today, your best bet for a meal was a fish sandwich and a beer. While that combo still hits the spot, the culinary options in the southernmost city in the United States have, fortunately, expanded by leaps and bounds. As a restaurant reviewer, I've witnessed this transformation over the past 20 years or so.

The dining landscape today is just as eclectic as Key West itself, offering a little something for every taste and budget. From Cuban to Italian to French, you'll find it there. But Floribbean cuisine — a mix of flavors from the Sunshine State and the nearby Caribbean isles — is a local favorite, typically featuring seafood as the main attraction. After all, when you're located on a remote island surrounded by seemingly endless expanses of water, eating freshly caught seafood is a must.

You'll find most of the best eateries on the western side of the island, near the Old Town area, where the bulk of the attractions are. The eastern interior of the island does have fast-casual options if you're looking to save some cash, but you won't find many authentic options there.

If you're visiting during the winter tourist season, reservations are highly recommended at some of the more upscale options, many of which are typically open for dinner only. But during the day, feel free to go casual in your flip-flops and shorts while checking out open-air taverns, sidewalk cafés, and grab-and-go coffee spots. If you feel like having a piña colada at noon, just remember what Key West icon Jimmy Buffett once sang: It's 5 o'clock somewhere!

While the island's dining options seem endless, here are 10 Key West restaurants I visit as often as I can, based on two decades of experience dining around town.

Latitudes

I always know a meal is going to be special when I have to board a ferry to get there. Just five minutes from Key West at the Sunset Key Cottages private island resort, Latitudes provides a toes-in-the-sand dining experience and better sunset views than you can see from Key West itself. Request front-row seats so there's nobody between you and that tequila sunset.

During a recent visit, I enjoyed expert service, a well-curated wine list, and a visit from a friendly gecko on our table. The menu of seafood delights didn't disappoint, especially the seared scallops with southwestern corn relish and grapefruit gel as well as the yuzu-glazed yellowtail snapper, which was pan-seared and served with jasmine rice, mint snap-pea salad, and vin blanc sauce.

White Tarpon

You won't find many casual restaurants on Key West's waterfront, because the hotels have snatched up most of that prime real estate. But those in the know head to White Tarpon at the A & B Marina, located in a historic harbor with excellent water views.

Watch the boats glide by at this open-air eatery, first opened in 1995, where fairly priced seafood and cocktails are the name of the game. Although it's open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I recommend stopping by for happy hour, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. daily, for half-price beer, well drinks, house wines, and small plates like the tasty fried calamari with grouper bits and the shrimp-and-crab canapés.

If you've just returned from a fishing charter, White Tarpon will cook your catch so you can eat it on the spot. And while most bars and restaurants on the island boast about their Key lime martinis, you'll find one of the best here: I think it's not too sweet, not too tart, but just right.

915 Duval

Located in a historic Victorian house on Duval Street in the heart of Old Town, 915 Duval provides great people watching from its patio as well as globally inspired American fare and craft cocktails.

Opened in 1987, the restaurant has an enticing menu featuring shareables, homemade pastas, and a raw bar — but don't miss the main dishes. The Soul Mama Seafood Soup combines Key West's famous pink shrimp, clams, and local snapper in a mild Thai green-curry broth that's unlike anything I've ever tasted. I swear the extra ingredient must be TLC.

Not sure what to drink with such a complex dish? 915 has a sommelier on hand who's happy to help, while craft cocktails like the Key West Sunset — with Deep Eddy ruby-red vodka and fresh lime on the rocks with a Champagne float — are equally tempting.

Hot Tin Roof

At Ocean Key Resort & Spa, the second-floor perch at Hot Tin Roof provides views of the water, the sunset, and the resort's happening Sunset Pier bar and restaurant. (The restaurant's name is a nod to the play "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" by Tennessee Williams, who lived in Key West for 30 years.) While it's tempting to grab a cozy booth near the back of the dining room, I suggest you opt for a window seat for the best vistas.

Either way, the upscale venue has an intimate vibe, and the self-described "conch-fusion" cuisine combines flavors from Florida and the Caribbean. The menu encourages sharing, and during our visit, we couldn't get enough of the creative plantain-crusted swordfish, served with roasted-corn salsa and tequila-poblano sauce, and the impressive whole crispy yellowtail snapper, weighing in at 1.5 pounds and accompanied by coconut rice, maduros, and citrus mojo.

Blue Heaven

Although tourists have keyed into the charms of Blue Heaven, locals simply can't keep away from this island staple. Located in the Bahama Village neighborhood, the building has, at turns, been a dance hall, a bordello, and a playhouse. It once hosted cockfights and boxing matches — with none other than author and island resident Ernest Hemingway serving as referee. By 1992, the building was shuttered, but the current owners bought it, transformed it into a funky eatery, and the rest is history.

Sitting in the courtyard under a nearly 100-year-old Spanish lime tree, you'll be surrounded by wandering roosters and local art while dining alfresco on Floribbean cuisine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. (There's even a small rooster graveyard for deceased fowl.) If available, try the scallops Provençale, blueberry pancakes, pan-sautéed yellowtail with citrus beurre blanc, and miso-marinated eggplant salad.

El Siboney

Since Key West is so close to Cuba, it's not hard to find authentic Cuban fare on the island. While El Meson de Pepe is popular among tourists, El Siboney is where the locals go for no-frills, inexpensive Cuban food. (In addition to the original Old Town location, there's also one on Stock Island.)

My favorites include the signature sangria, made in house; the paella Valenciana, which needs to be ordered an hour ahead of time; and the Cuban mix sandwich, which is a typical Cuban but topped with lettuce, tomato, and mayo. Locals (and those in the know) order by dish number, like the No. 7 (Siboney steak) or No. 1 (roast pork).

Louie's Backyard

Away from the bustle of Duval Street on the southern side of the island, Louie's Backyard is upscale yet casual. (The phrase "barefoot luxury" was probably invented to describe this place.) Thanks to its terraced outdoor seating, nearly every seat in the house has a view of the Atlantic.

It all started in 1971, when Louie Signorelli transformed his waterfront Victorian home — now on the National Register of Historic Places — into a restaurant. Today, it's recognized as one of the island's best. Chef Doug Shook has been at the helm since the start. All dishes are prepared to order, and a local farm grows produce specifically for Louie's Backyard. That results in mouthwatering Caribbean-American fare like the cracked conch with hot-pepper jelly and wasabi cream.

If you can't get a table, head down to the Afterdeck bar, which is so close to the ocean you can almost touch it, and order one of Louie's stellar handcrafted cocktails.

Café Solé

For fresh seafood with a French twist, head straight to Café Solé. In business since 1995, the award-winning venue's slogan speaks volumes: "God created fish, we just cook it right!" At the helm is French-trained chef, John Correa, who combines local seafood with masterfully made sauces for delicious results.

I like their classics like duck a l'orange and rack of lamb alongside fusion dishes like mutton snapper in pesto and Champagne and hog snapper with red-pepper zabaglione. Plus, if you had a good day fishing and bring in your fresh catch, Correa will cook it to order and serve it with your choice of sauces and sides.

Cafe Marquesa

My husband and I celebrated our first anniversary in Key West, and we chose Cafe Marquesa for our special dinner night. We were not disappointed. This upscale venue serves contemporary American cuisine with expert service. The romantic atmosphere of this 50-seat restaurant screams "date night."

Our table provided a view of the kitchen, and we delighted in the fresh-baked bread; the unusual barbecue-baked oysters appetizer, served with pimento cheese and pickled "dilly" beans; and entrées like seared black grouper. For dessert, the sweet-and-savory Ménage a Trois — with seared foie gras, peach puree, beignets, and Sauternes wine — was the perfect happy ending.

Better Than Sex

If you're dining out in Key West, reserve at least one night when you skip dessert after dinner. Then head to Better Than Sex, a dessert restaurant tailor-made for after-dinner indulgence. The speakeasy-like interior, complete with privacy curtains and candlelight, encourages canoodling.

Try a glass of beer or wine in a caramel-rimmed glass, or opt for specialty shots and cocktails like the Money Shot (house-made coffee liqueur topped with homemade whipped cream) or the Super Soaker (made-from-scratch chocolate cake soaked in vodka).

Then move on to indulgent desserts like the Peanut Butter Perversion pie (complete with port-wine dessert sauce) or the Kinky-er Key West Cream Pie, featuring a cloud of Key lime meringue on top of brown-sugar, orange-blossom shortbread.

Antonia's

Located right on Duval Street, Antonia's serves housemade pastas and local seafood alongside a Wine Spectator Award-winning wine list.

The warm interior has a bistro vibe, and I prefer sitting at a booth along the far wall to indulge my habit of people-watching. Start with the bread service of flatbread and ciabatta — it's definitely worth the calories — before moving on to the delectable seafood linguine, bursting with littleneck clams, shrimp, baby scallops, squid, and mussels. Of course, Antonia's offers more than seafood, but, when in Key West, do as the Conchs (the locals) do.

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