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Chef Michael's

4.5 (636 reviews)
PriceySeafood
Open • 5:00 pm - 10:00 PM
Updated over 3 months ago

Chef Michael's Photos

Business Info

CHEF MICHAEL'S ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Quiet
Intimate
Good for kids
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - Chef Michael's

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Reviews With Photos

Peggy a.

Chef Michael's is always a hit and never a miss! Excellent service from professional servers that love their profession. Each server is unique and demonstrates great knowledge of each dish which helps making a selection easier. The food is just exquisite. My favorite and go to dish is the Pontchartrain preparation which is extremely flavorful and perfection. The steaks and lamb chops are delectable. Let's talk desserts: OH MY... The cinnamon roll bread pudding is to die for! Must try!

Carolina A.

Finally had a chance to experience Chef Michael's. We had a really enjoyable dinner. We took our own catch of Mutton Snapper and they charged us $27.00 per person to cook our catch. It was more or less 50% of the cost of a dish as the average dish is $48.00. The restaurant is has a nice vibe with an upscale keys vibe. Reservations are highly recommended especially on the weekends. The bread was super fresh. We had the tuna appetizer and small fried Lion fish which was excellent as well. Our fish was delicious cooked in two ways. Portchartrain and Abassador. Both were amazing! Highly recommend those two. The coconut rice and vegetables were amazing! The service was great too. They also had good kids menu with chicken, steak & pasta. They had etch & sketch for the kids to used at dinner which allowed them to stay entertained for a bit. Really enjoyed the experience.

Flash Fried Lion Fish
C S.

This establishment was recommended to us by someone in our hotel jacuzzi. She said several people told her about it! The hotel provides a shuttle so that was easy too. Made a reservation. The food was delicious. The service was great! The environment was peaceful. It's a place that you can go dressed nice or business casual. The server recommended fish that is good (different fish options than we were used to). All in all, I would recommend this place over and over to people who are in the area! I just wish we ordered a dessert. Later at the hotel, one of the employees said it's known for their desserts too! So if you're reading this, save some room for a dessert. :) The only thing is that they knew it was a very big special occasion, but they didn't recognize it in anyways, so that was the only disappointment and everything was so great it is hardly worth mentioning.

Trilogy fish
Kathy T.

Came here because of Yelp reviews and were glad we did! Nice restaurant with very fresh fish! We try not to eat bread but it came with their herb olive oil that was delicious! And then of course with escargot there's more chance to eat bread. We got the wahoo tataki as an app, trilogy fish (subbing another fish for mahi because we'd already had mahi that day), and the Juliette triple tail. So got to try five fishes in one meal! Service was also great. Highly recommend!

Local lobster with key lime butter
Kimberly F.

Excellent food and service! I had the lobster and it was prepared perfectly. It was served with a key lime butter, amazing. My partner had the hogfish blackened with the creole prep. Extremely flavorful. This restaurant is small and we would recommend making a reservation. Also, beer and wine only. Not a problem for us as the wine selection was great.

"Juliette" prepared hogfish with coconut rice and vegetables.
Brandon S.

Chef Michael's is one of the few true fine dining experiences in Islamorada. There are two things that are certain when you visit Chef Michael's. You will have an incredible dining experience... and you certainly will pay a pretty penny for that experience. For appetizers I got the lamb lollipops (chops) and the Baby Iceberg salad. The salad was fantastic, however I was not impressed with the lamb. It tasted ok, and was cooked to the requested temperature, but lacked any real seasoning. It was too charred on the outside given the lack of seasoning to balance it out. For entrees I had the "Juliette" prepared Hogfish and the Fried Lionfish. Both were served with coconut rice and vegetables. Both dishes were fantastic! I have always wanted to try Lionfish, and it was fried to perfection with a very light breading. The "Juliette" preparation of the hogfish was fantastic as well with it being a creamy white wine sauce with shrimp and scallops on top. Even though I loved the taste of the Lionfish, I likely would not get it again as it is an exceptionally boney fish, and those bones are so small and prevalent around the meat, that they were hard to avoid. Still a delicious dish. The ambiance was fantastic with the dining room dimly lit and quiet, and a small bar area. It is the perfect setting for a date night or special occasion. I was very impressed with the staff as well. Everyone was friendly and our waitress was very knowledgeable both of the menu and wine pairings. Definitely a dining experience that lived up to and in some areas exceeded my expectations!

Ceviche.
Melody F.

What a nice place in the keys. Elegant, yet still the keys! Our server was spectacular and the food was amazing. The wine was also amazing and better with desert!

Seafood pasta to-go from our balcony. Life is good!!

Here we are again. Five months later and I could not wait for this meal!! It was as fabulous as I remembered!

My wife had a duck. It was absolutely amazing when she was 90% finished her meal. She offered me a piece and it was still warm.

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1 year ago

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4 years ago

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4 years ago

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2 years ago

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

The food was incredible! First time there! Got the Grouper Mixed nuts style! Over coconut rice!

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

Top restaurant no doubt! Amazing food and service and would travel back for another go!

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

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1 year ago

Great food, great service! This restaurant is definitely a gem located just South of Islamorada in the Florida Keys.

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6 years ago

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2 years ago

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5 years ago

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1 year ago

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2 years ago

Wonderful service, great food, classy ambiance. We brought our mahi we caught and they cooked it to perfection. Will be back again!

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1 year ago

Fantastic experience. Service was impeccable and food was delicious. Make reservations!

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3 years ago

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4 years ago

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2 years ago

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7 years ago

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4 years ago

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2 years ago

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3 years ago

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1 year ago

Outstanding meal, great server who had the best recommendations, the best stone crabs and specials!!

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

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4 years ago

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4 years ago

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1 year ago

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1 year ago

Great service and amazing food. We will definitely be coming back to see what Chef Michael comes up with next!

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2 years ago

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Chef Michael's Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Chef Michael's

How much in advance can you make a reservation if dining on a Wednesday night in early May?

I would just call them or email them. I got a reservation right away. And I booked it a month out. But they do get busy.

Is there outdoor dining?

Hello, The Patio area would considered inside dining, as it is enclosed with windows and has AC

What is the average dress code like? I'm looking for somewhere to go for my birthday and I have a nice long dress and heels will I look out of place?

You'll look great! Go with it!!

Are there dog friendly tables?

Don't think so. They only have indoor seating. But give them a call and confirm

What night is Prime Rib night?

Wednesday and Friday. Make sure Chef Christian is there. He's the master.

View All 8 Questions

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Chef Michael's - seafood - Updated May 2026

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