We had a wonderful dining experience at Chef Michael's a couple of weeks ago. Our server Christopher was gracious and made our dining experience memorable. He explained the differences amongst the fresh fish offerings, helped us navigate a wine selections and provided just the right level of attentiveness. The restaurant has a warm contemporary feel and is a great place for a date night or a small group dinner. Our meals were outstanding. We had a ceviche appetizer and conch chowder, both were delicious. And we had our fresh fish dishes Juliette style (wine butter sauce with keys shrimp and scallops). I had triple tail and my husband had the trigger fish. We enjoyed them with a white Rhône style wine. We plan to come back on our next trip to Islamorada. read more

Chef Michael's - Trigger fish prepared Juliette style in wine butter sauce with Keys shrimp and scallops. - Seafood Near Me - Islamorada, Florida

The menu here is interesting. The fresh local fish is constantly rotating depending on what they can get. They offer several innovative ways to cook and accompany the fish. I've tried them all and it's hard to pick a favorite. The staff is always cheerful, pleasant and knowledgeable. I like sitting at the bar. I just wish they offered cocktails. Beer and wine only. read more

We went here Tuesday. Hade the blackened hogfish. Others had the trio of fish. Hogfish. Wahoo and swordfish. Great. read more

Chef Michael's - Trio - Seafood Near Me - Islamorada, Florida

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Went here for the 4.5 star rating It was wrong .....should be 5!!! The lobster & shrimp ceviche was beyond outrageous The hogfish was outstanding And finally the seafood pasta puts this place way over the top. Best food and flavors in the entire state!! read more

Chef Michael's - Hogfish and seafood pasta - Seafood Near Me - Islamorada, Florida

The restaurant has a nice atmosphere . The waitstaff were pleasant, and the food was delicious. I had the hogfish lightly blackened, and my husband had the mutten snapper. Both were served with jasmine rice and fresh vegetables. I had a creme, Brule, and my husband had the cheesecake , both yummy. The only reason I am giving 4 stars is we were seated at a table directly inside the entrance. I don't think a table should even be here. All I noticed was the door banging behind me the entire time we were here; it was extremely annoying. They need to get rid of that table. You spend a lot of money to go to a nice dinner and get this ??? I couldn't enjoy my dinner like I would have liked too. We also felt rushed. Dinner was at 6, and we left at 7. read more

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Wonderful food and service! Great recommendations from the waitstaff and top notch seafood!

Chef Michael's food was excellent I had the whole Hog fish with a side of crawfish sauce that I would eat off my bumper if I had to. Service was a bit disappointing they were slow to react but all in all I would go there again for the food! read more

Chef Michael's - Seafood Near Me - Islamorada, Florida

Don't ask me why we have never gone here before, because we are asking ourselves the same thing. Eric was our server, who did an impeccable job by the way. His presentation of the menu, and specials was perfect. First we ordered three appetizers which everyone loved. For dinner, The ladies chose the Spiny Lobster, and Joe and I chose one of the chef's specials the trio of fish. All meals were spectacular, and we have booked our next reservation already. It was nice to dine at a real restaurant in the keys, and feel a bit a mainland civility... read more

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Great spot! Very accomodating with reservations...... hogfish was fantastic and wine selection and pricing is a fantastic selection! Staff was very friendly and service was attentive and prompt..... read more

This has been Islamorada's best restaurant for years. Expertly prepared dishes, attentive waitstaff and consistent quality. I never miss a chance to visit. read more

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Just looking at places to eat here at Islamorada, we came across this restaurant that serves Lion fish! So glad we were able to get a reservation at the last minute. Our server, Christopher is amazing and told us everything we needed to know about the menu. We got the lion fish and conch fritters as appetizers. They serve the whole lion fish as FYI (we're asian, we love whole fish!). It's cooked well. Crispy on the outside and juicy and tender on the inside. The conch fritters was also good. It did feel a little heavy having two fried appetizers (which our server did warn us) but they were both absolutely worth it. For the main, they offer different fresh fish and choice of preparation. My husband got the Juliette triple tail which was recommended and he loves it. My mom and I got the trilogy which was sort of a fish sample. Each fish was also prepared differently. The mixed nuts was highly recommended. They also have a kids menu and even offers drawing toy/ pad that our little one enjoyed! So glad we were able to stop by this place read more

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I was looking for a special restaurant for a birthday dinner that could also get us away from the standard menus and fried food options. Chef Michael's definitely satisfied our needs. We were able to make a reservation and enjoyed the bar seating for the evening. I highly recommend sitting at the bar and enjoying great conversation with Chris. He is informative with the menu and wine selections without being intrusive. The ambiance was very nice. A small restaurant with nice lighting and not too noisy. Even while sitting at the bar, we very much enjoyed the atmosphere. We started off by sharing the cooked shrimp and lobster ceviche which comes in a cute little coconut. Ten out of ten for presentation and flavor! They will even take the coconut back to the kitchen to break it apart so that you can enjoy the coconut meat. I ordered the Hogfish "ambassador style" and it was super! It was light and fresh, cooked perfectly with wonderful flavor. The fish comes topped with crabmeat and the key lime butter was a perfect sauce without being overpowering. For dessert I had the chocolate layer cake which was massive! My husband had the salted caramel cheesecake brûlée which was to die for! Caramelized on top and bursting with flavor. Get this! Even if you aren't hungry get a slice to go. Add Chef Michael's to the top of your list while in Islamorada. read more

Chef Michael's - Ceviche - Seafood Near Me - Islamorada, Florida

If I could give zero stars I would. We made reservations for 7pm and arrived 6:45pm to ensure we were on time. When we arrived, the hostess says our reservation was for 8pm. Note that the text we received had no time so be aware. The hostess, who refused to give us her name, simply repeated that the reservation was for 8pm. The hostess argued with us in front of other guests. She then stated that we were going to be charged $50 per person if we didn't stay for the 8pm incorrect reservation time. We had to argue to have the fee removed due to their error. The level of pompous and rudeness that seems to be the norm of this establishment is truly unimaginable. The Keys (our home) is known for kindness. There's no place for that here in the beautiful Keys. I welcome a response from the management. read more

Chef Michael's - No time noted in text which allows them to change the time. - Seafood Near Me - Islamorada, Florida

Chef Michael's is a world class restaurant located in the heart of Islamorada. All of the items on their menu can be considered Gourmet dining. The kitchen is spotless and the staff takes great joy and pleasing their customers. We were there with a very large party and they served us all with excellence. They start your dining with a delicious oil and basil dipping sauce for your warm bread. We enjoyed all their appetizers. Our main course was swordfish and mackerel they prepared them both excellent. I had the baby iceberg wedge salad which was definitely delicious served with pecans Gorgonzola cheese and a gourmet dressing. It's definitely enough for two. You can see in every aspect of the restaurant The Chef Michael takes great pride and joy and maintaining his status as a world class destination for food lovers. We have been coming here for over 14 years I think that is a statement in itself. The ambiance is quite quaint definitely a very enjoyable experience. read more

Overpriced, overrated and overcooked! We ordered a 75$ steak and the person cooking it did not know how to cook it. I am all for supporting local businesses-but a person cooking a 75$ steak should know the difference between medium and medium rare. read more

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

Wow Chef Michael's.. Wow! When you have to reserve somewhere weeks out or can't get a prime time spot, you start to wonder.. is this place tiny, overhyped, or what? A couple years ago my husband and I attempted to come here by drive by.. yes, drive by.. and it did not work out for us even as a party of two. We've tried reserving several times since, without luck. We now have twin toddlers and travel in packs, and getting a reservation has certainly become more difficult, not less. Finally.. we got a spot! A 9pm on a Thursday.. ideal for 2yr old twins? Definitely not.. but we made it through and it was well worth it. The vibe? Upscale Keys.. The Food? Divine! These days, everyone's a critic.. when you have 6 adults that all say it's among the best seafood they've ever had, you know you're not just starved into thinking it. There are two seafood dishes I've ever had that I wont stop thinking about having again, and this is one of them. The kids received their food first.. fish sticks of course! They came with coconut rice (mmm), broccolini and carrots. Though they do have many other options, this is a favorite for my toddlers. Next, were our apps.. funny enough my husband had ordered the Mahi fingers.. it was exactly the same as our twin toddler's fish fingers except it came with a sweet Thai dipping sauce (soo good) and no sides. The conch fritters were delicious. The ahí tuna was great and quite large. The apps are perfect size to share between a couple people; we each ordered our own and it was a lot. For dinner we tried several entrees.. filet mignon, hogfish, grouper, snapper, cooked different ways. The only sounds at our table were mmms as we all focused on the divine dishes in front of us. Checkout the photos! You know they're worth 1000 words each. read more

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Tonight's special - fried Lion fish. The meal came with 2 whole fish with pontchartrain sauce, coconut rice and vegetables. The meal was perfectly prepared. Service was great with a nice atmosphere! read more

Chef Michael's - 2 whole LionFish - Seafood Near Me - Islamorada, Florida

Great place to visit. Every time I come through the keys I always make it a point to stop. Grouper with nuts was outstanding, chowder was great, lamb lolly pops are a must have. Carrot cake and the brûlée are done with the attention to detail required. Great service, great ambiance. read more

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Came here for our anniversary dinner. Reserved our table the night before. Was required to leave a credit card number for a deposit. Arrived just before our 7pm reservation. We were greeted and shown our table. The restaurant gave us a complementary glass of prosecco to start and staff wished us a happy anniversary. We ordered the lamb lollipops as an appetizer. They were outstanding with the fried spinach chips. For the main course, my wife had the filet mignon and I had the ambassador preparation on my fish. Both were excellent. We finished off our wonderful evening with a six-layer chocolate cake and two scoops of vanilla ice cream on the side. Chef Michael's met and exceeded all our expectations and hopes for the meal. Can't recommend more if you're looking to celebrate a special occasion. read more

Chef Michael's - Chocolate cake - Seafood Near Me - Islamorada, Florida

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Make reservations well in advance! They book up quickly, notwithstanding the expensive prices (but at least the food is good!). Loved the fresh seafood of the day (tripletail prepared Juliette style - the shrimp on top was amazing). The vanilla creme brûlée was also quite good, though I wasn't very impressed by the 2 lb grilled Florida lobster. I enjoyed the coconut rice both dishes came with a lot. We called in advance to let them know we were celebrating our anniversary and they said on the phone they would bring us complimentary champagne to start the night. That never happened so we mentioned it to them as we were finishing entrees and I guess they forgot. The waiter said he never got the note but they did eventually bring them. Wine list was good also. Not a fan of the Italian Pinot but the Oregon one (purple hands) was great! $20/glass. read more

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So, based on Yelp reviews, I booked a dinner here during a 6 day stay in Islamorada (for my birthday). The dining experience here was very memorable as one of the best meals I've had (ever). The service was very good, attentive and not rushed. The atmosphere was romantic with low lighting and good sound control (we hate places that are too loud, but it looked like they took measures to dampen the sound). The wine list was good. I ordered a fresh fish (yellowtail snapper), prepared Pontchartrain style (blackened and topped with a 'piquant' creole cream sauce with crawfish, accompanied by coconut rice and fresh vegetables (carrots and broccolini). My husband ordered the filet mignon with mashed potatoes and fried spinach. We had agreed to change plates halfway through our meals, but loved our respective dishes too much to trade (though we did share 'tastes' with each other). The snapper was so well flavored and the sauce with crawfish took things over the top flavor-wise...I loved getting a bite of fish + sauce + rice all on my fork at the same time. My vegetables were definitely not some afterthought--they were perfectly cooked and had a gunnery buttery flavor. Since we shared we were visiting for my birthday, we were given a choice of desserts. We chose a piece of salted caramel cheesecake, which had this deep, almost smoke flavor to the caramel and fluffy, yummy texture to the cheesecake. Though I admit this is probably the most 'spendy' place we went on our trip, the food was very memorable. I'd say this is a must try restaurant, especially for anyone celebrating a special event. read more

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If you are looking for high quality food you need to Go to Chef Michaels. Absolutely amazing food every time that we go! It is fine dinning, great spot for a celebration with family or date night. Make sure to ask about the specials and try the lionfish! read more

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The hostess wouldn't give us her name, we had made a reservation for 7pm and when we arrived they said it was for 8pm. We arrived at 6:45, and a woman named Mary was checking in because they had called her with an availability! What a coincidence - Not Then the Hostess had the audacity to tell us if we weren't staying for the 8pm reservation that we were going to get charged $50 per person if we cancelled. I have NEVER been treated so horribly and with such disregard and the lack of Customer Service bordered on almost a Bigot behavior. Will never have anything nice to say about this establishment! read more

Sometimes a review doesn't have to be lengthy. Short can be sweet. This place is amazing. Don't miss out on the opportunity to eat here. The food is fantastic. We started with the conch fritters, which were so much better than at Lazy Days. We also had the lion fish app special. Delicious. My only criticism was that the fish was so pretty I felt sad eating it. Alas, no hogfish today. Daughter had the pasta. She really enjoyed it. Creamy and pesto-y. Wife and son had wahoo with juliette and pontchartrain, respectively. Both amazing. I had the whole snapper special cubana style. Delectable. Definitely one of the five best meals we've had as a family. Five stars all day. We'll probably be back before we leave. read more

Chef Michael's - Lion fish appetizer special. Comes with a small salad and a tasty sauce. Delicioso. Photo in dark lighting doesn't do it Justice. - Seafood Near Me - Islamorada, Florida

Conveniently down the street from our hotel. Lived up to the good reviews. There was a big party that had a private section off the side patio which kept the noise inside down. Dishes are large portion, easily split between two people (with a split fee). Large wine selection and beer options but no hard liquor. Bread came with delicious pesto sauce. Fancier decor (cloth napkins and tablecloths) for nicer night out but still child friendly (high chair but no kids menu). Waiter was decent but harder to find after the food came. Plenty of other waitstaff around to help. The cod catch the day was decent. The glazed green beans and carrots were the perfect amount of sweet. The seafood pasta dish was delicious, way better than across the street (Morado Bay) so if you want legit seafood, probably better to come here. It's a little pricier but better quality. Enjoyable evening. read more

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Best place to tantalize my golden tongue. This was literally the last meal I had in the Islamorada and it was the BEST meal I've had. If I ever come back, I sure would have booked reservation here again. The staff was excellent and very responsive. The food...... oh the food was so delicious. Everything was cooked to perfection. I never had conch or hog fish but I did enjoy it thanks to how the chef at this restaurant prepared it. I had the hog fish Juliette style with shrimp and scallops with almond slices. Yummmy read more

Chef Michael's - Seafood Near Me - Islamorada, Florida

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

Enjoyed some great local seafood. Service was exceptional and food came out hot and delicious. read more

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Best seafood in the keys! Service is always great and the atmosphere is perfect. Chef Michael's is always on the top of our list!

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

Excellent food, service and atmosphere. This restaurant is a local favorite and has been known as one of the best restaurants around in the Florida Keys. We went there Saturday and it didn't disappoint. Their lobster ceviche and conch and rock shrimp fritters were an awesome start to a great meal. The Hogfish Ambassador Style with crabmeat and Key Lime Butter and Snapper Adriatic style were packed full of flavor. The carrot cake put an amazing final touch to a fabulous meal. read more

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Thanks for a wonderful late seating! I know we should be dining on fish down here, but the Tomahawk steak was perfectly done at rare+ (odd that not many chefs can do it) nice char with a cool center! Ceviche in a halved coconut is genius. But , that carrot cake!!!!!! A must stop for dinner! read more

Chef Michael's - Tomahawk, jasmine rice, broccoli and carrots - Seafood Near Me - Islamorada, Florida

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My favorite restaurant in Islamorada. More refined than the typical restaurant in the area. White table cloths, personal service, reasonably priced and fantastic food. Only draw back is you don't have a view of the water, but if you are looking for a great dining experience this is your place. read more

We spent our 20th wedding anniversary in the Keys last weekend and dined at one of our favorite spots, Chef Michaels!! We found this gem on a previous anniversary trip to the Keys. Service, price, quality, consistency all a solid 10! I had the seafood pasta and my wife had the fresh catch. They truly treat you like family there and it's very obvious why they are the highest ranked restaurant in the area. My wife and I also own a restaurant so we look for different things then the casual diner. Place is clean..staff is enthusiastic and the setting so intimate that you make friends there every time. Love Chef Michaels place! Highly recommend read more

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We went here for a birthday dinner. The honoree ordered mahi-mahi with the Juliet preparation (the most expensive) and specifically requested that the fish be cooked medium rare...that is, moist and flakey. What I got reminded me of being in a hotel ballroom with 500 people going through a buffet line. You get to the chafing dish labeled "mahi," open the lid and withdraw a piece of fish than can be barely cut with a fork. I was able to cut Chef Michaels mahi-mahi with a fork, but only after 4-5 sawing motions. The shrimp and scallops that were part of the preparation were cooked perfectly, as was the coconut rice and other vegetables. Don't let the "Chef Michaels" handle fool you. This isn't fine dining, even thought you get a white table cloth. It's chow, nothing more, nothing less. My advice...don't go. You can do better elsewhere. read more

I asked for grouper and was served triple tail, overcooked, salad was excellent. Served with white rice & veggies. Not enough sauce, very dry. Waitress asked me iff I wanted dessert, when I said no she insisted I could take out. Ambience, not enough room to wiggle next to the wall near the kitchen door. they sat me in the back. read more

What a cool experience...The food, wine, and service was Outstanding! We started off with the ceviche plated in a coconut and escargot...both were delicious! For the main course we had triple tail, 2lb Florida lobster, and the flash fried lion fish platter with coconut rice and creole crawfish topping. Lastly we finished the evening off with a huge piece of carrot cake. We could not have asked for a better experience. read more

Chef Michael's - Seafood Near Me - Islamorada, Florida

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

#ThankYouThursday to Chef Michael's and the best fine dining experience in Islamorada. The service, food, ambiance was absolutely exceptional. Arguably the tastiest seafood on the island. We celebrated our first wedding anniversary with friends and the restaurant gifted us a free champagne toast! For our entrees, we ordered the Juliette and Ambassador preparation on Hogfish and Cobia. Lobster and fish ceviche was so fresh and a great appetizer for the table. Dessert was also epic - the caramel cheesecake the true winner, although the key lime pie was quite the runner up. Hope to be back in the future! :) read more

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