I had conch every day during my week long visit down the Florida East coast to Keys and then to Cape Coral. Their cracked conch sandwich was the very best in Florida. We stopped on the way back through Marathon for another. That sandwich will bring me back to the Keys. read more

Consistently great meals and great service the best conch in a lot of miles. this isnt a new place it's been around for a long long time and will continue to be the way that they operate. Cracked conch platter is my go to! Pet friendly covered patio read more

I was recently in Marathon for work. We ended up eating Helene 4 times. Why? The food is good and affordable. We had basically the same thing every time. Cracked conch appetizer (called conch fingers on the menu), New England conch chowder (yum. First time I've ever had it, and I'm from New England), and key lime pie. My son was on an all conch diet during this trip and cracked conch cafe did not disappoint. read more

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Went for Christmas breakfast. Had the conch Benny It was sooo good. Great happy service. read more

This was my last stop my conch before heading back north for the winter. It was slammen! I ate so much and it was all awesome. The conch appetizer gets you everything and more (cracked, balls, and fingers [conch talk for those who know])! Bloody Mary was good and price was right. Only suggestion would be to kick a little music out on the patio, it would help drowned out the ever increasing traffic on Rt.1. read more

Very good breakfast cooked to order, servers were awesome, kept filling up my coffee.

Conch is something that we enjoy, so when we visited the Keys, it was something we were looking forward to eating. We asked a few locals to recommend the best restaurant for conch and were told to visit this restaurant. The conch was mediocre at best - lacking any real flavor. Tasted a lot like hush puppies with added texture. Food was overpriced and a bit greasy. Will not be returning on my next trip and would not recommend. Hoping to find a better place for my next trip. read more

The conch at this restaurant was amazing. Amazing. I was in Marathon to bring my tortoise to the vet and this restaurant was right next door. When in the Keys, one must eat conch, so I decided to get the conch fingers here. Best decision I've made in a long time !!! So good. Large portion. Delicious homemade tartar sauce. Quick and friendly service. More than I could've ever hoped for from a Monday afternoon lunch to go. read more

Cracked Conch Cafe - Conch Finger Platter - Seafood Near Me - Marathon, Florida

We have eaten here on our previous trips to Marathon and this morning after going for a walk we had a great breakfast: scrambled eggs with cheese, whole wheat toast and fresh fruit. I started with a latte that was excellent and still polished off two additional cups of fresh coffee. While I was too full to eat anything else, we took two slices of their homemade key lime pie. We ate them later in the afternoon and I'm only sorry I didn't buy a whole pie! Their key lime pie might be the best I've had in the Florida Keys! read more

Awesome food! Loved by us locals! It is our go- to breakfast place. I recommend the delicious Conch Benedict but they also have a large menu- something for everyone. The chocolate chip pancakes are a favorite treat for the young ones. read more

Great service, food was excellent and place was very clean. Try the tuna wonderful and big portions. Easily split for two

I spend a lot of time between Marathon and hOme. The people at the Conch Cafe are wonderful and friendly. The breakfast is good, especially the home fries. They have a back porch were dogs are allowed and you can enjoy a mamossa or two! read more

I have dined at the Cracked Conch before, many many times in my life. We have vacationed in Marathon for many summers and have stopped in at this locals diner for a clam chowder or a conch salad. My one star review is for my experience on Monday June 23rd. We walked in with our party of 5 and were instructed "round table in the back" with a head gesture. Well, hello to you too. We sat down and waited to be addressed, greeted, etc. And waited. And waited. I said "excuse me" while the waitress walked by and she replied "in a minute" without even breaking her stride or looking back. After I waited patiently for another 5 minutes and said "excuse me" again... I continued to be ignored. A couple that was sat after us were given ice water and read the specials. I gathered up my party to leave. I was not going to wait around and continued to be ignored when I had two hungry children. As we were leaving, our waitress was busy bussing a table. WOW! I'm guessing that those two dirty dishes took precedence over a table of 5 that would probably spend around $100 in food. When I called to ask for the manager to let him/her know how greatly his employees lacked customer service, I was told by the young girl on the phone that they don't have a manager. Okay. So this business is run by two miserable women with zero bedside manner for their patrons? Good luck running this place into the ground. I frequent the Keys multiple times a year and will never set foot in this establishment again! We had an amazing lunch at Brutus Seafood Market with OUTSTANDING customer service! Go there instead and save yourself a grumpy experience from the Cracked Conch! The only crabs you should encounter are at the beach!!!! read more

I may be the first reviewer, but thousands have come here before and after I did in March of 2000. While I was hopping from key to shining key I tasted every slice of Key Lime Pie up for sale, and this one beat them all hands down. The custard was an authentic creamy yellow, the whipped cream on the end heavy and rich, and the taste of the pie was sharp and sour followed by a literal squirt in your mouth of sweet lime as the finishing note. I was blown away. The fried conch was awesome too, and something hot and fried always pairs well with Key Lime Pie. It was a very happy, decandent trip and this was an important stop along the way. I hope the pie is still good all these years later - with a recipe like that, they'd be mad to change it! read more

Arrived here on a recommendation from a friend for the breakfast specials. The restaurant has no A/C so it was a bit warm for my comfort. The place has not been updated and you can tell it has been here for many years. Not a prob, maybe the food will make up for it. As I skimmed the menu, I decided I just wanted to go with a couple of scrambled eggs with bacon and toast. As I waited for my food I looked over my left shoulder to look out the window and noticed a roach on it's back wriggling for life on the floor. It's Florida during the summer and there are a lot of bugs out so I was a little understanding. But if that's what the dining room maintenance is like, I don't want to know what the kitchen looks like. I finished my average breakfast since I was famished and the people I was with didn't seem to mind our visitor either. It was an ok meal but the place itself was a dive. Needless to say I won't be back (even if they put out some roach motels). read more

Wow, decided to give it another try a year later because my son missed it. What a positive transformation. Second time back and everything was terrific. ....... Old review below.... My family and I have eaten at the cracked conch on and off for about a year. The food is actually good most of the time. We keep going back because my young son likes the conch chowder. I usually like to give people the benefit of the doubt. and realize sometimes people just have a bad day but we have had a horrible experience with the staff repeatedly. We have been ignored, snapped at, and the latest, waited 45 minutes for an omelette then when it was finally served it was the wrong omelette. While I was waiting I watched a couple cancel their order and leave. That was not the first time I've seen that happen. Despite its convenience and the chowder, we will not go back. There are plenty great restaurants in Marathon that truly appreciate our business. read more

Are you looking for some yummy conch salad?! Then here's your place to eat! All the food is good but the conch salad was my favorite!

We stopped in for breakfast. Did not disappoint!! Husband had an omelet. I had pancakes and eggs. Pancakes were so good I'm going back for more before we leave the Keys. read more

After reading some of the previous post, we were hesitant to try this diner out but decided to give it a try anyway. We were looking for a place that served the conch steak rather than the small strips or basic fritters. The menu has quite a wide variety of conch dishes. We started with the conch combo appetizer that had conch fritters that had bits of nice size conch with a tasty blend of seasoning, conch fingers ( conch strips with a lite breading) and conch ceviche. We ordered the conch sandwich, garlic mussels, and conch piccata. All the dishes were generous portions and the conch was surprisingly very tender. After talking with the waitress, she asked us if we heard any pounding in the back where the kitchen was and she said that they actually beat the conch steaks to make them tender. For dessert, we had two key lime pies which gave all the previous pies a run for their money (this is the 5th sample pie we have tried) To sum up our experience at this diner, we were pleasantly surprised and glad that we stopped. The waitresses were nice and very helpful to offer suggestions and the food was very good. We were able to try conch in a good variety of ways other than the standard conch fritters read more

Friendly staff, no wait seating, wonderful food. Ambiance just what you would expect for a beachy type vibe...

Used to love this place. Always got the conch omelet. However on recent trip this place seems to have went down hill. Saw roaches and staff didn't seem to care when mentioned. I hope they get better as this was a tradition for our yearly trips. read more

The "Cracked Conch" IS all it's cracked up to be! Service was fast & friendly! The food was fresh & AMAZING! Husband had the seafood omelet - said it was the best he has ever put in his mouth! (& this man knows his omelets!) I had the Conch Marsala. I have never had conch b4 & after the first bite I wasn't to sure I liked it?? Took another bite - then polished off my plate! DELISH!! read more

I loved the look of this place, because the more ramshackle, the better the food in my experience. However, the service was pretty awful and I am a patient type. It took a long time to place our food order, and then our waitress never returned to ask if I wanted a refill. She seemed to be the only actual waitress here, while there there was an older lady cleaning up the tables. However, the key line pie saved this experience. It was fantastic. The custard was juicy and it seemed pretty fresh. While conch itself doesn't seem to have much of a taste, which is the house specialty, I recommend coming here for a quick in and out for pie only. read more

I dunno what all the fuss is about; this place is a definite dive. The conch balls were full of shell, the soda machine was out of syrup, our dolphin sammy was bland and watery, and the key lime pie was so gross I couldn't finish it - COOL WHIP, not real whipped cream?! Wouldn't be surprised if the custard was from a mix even though there was a lime tree growing right outside the door. Tourist trap, big time. They get two stars for the servers being nice though. read more

If you think you want Conch, this is your place! They have it every way imaginable, and know how to cook it. You can hear them flattening it when you order, doesn't get better than that. Had the sampler platter to start, excellent fritters, cracked conch, and ceviche. However, the Conch Marsala tasted like it had a half-bottle of Barefoot Wines' "Sweet Red Blend" poured on it. Just pure sugar. No carmelization, no reduction, just lightly (excellently) fried conch, mushrooms, and a thin "sauce" of sweet red wine, heated thoroughly. Was hoping for more and didn't get it. Will go back though for what it is. read more

Good food but the worst service ever and they weren't that busy when I got there. Sat outside and no one came out with menu. Went inside still no one brought me a menu. I looked up on line what I wanted while I was waiting. When I finally got served, then it took forever to get them back over for a go box and dessert with me and another person in the restaurant. They had time to talk to each other and fill call in orders. read more

First the waitress Shelia was amazing she was really nice and answered all the questions about the menu. Lots of seafood items at really reasonable prices and the decor is oceany I had conch chowder excellent inside is clean and so out the bathroom. Lots of parking. read more

Conch balls are nasty! Waitress was not a warm & friendly person! They rush you to place your order & get annoyed if you take to long or ask questions! read more

All I can say...... horrible!!!! Conch soup is really celery soup. And smoke fish dip was Smoked in the fires of California. Fish sandwich was frozen from the ice age. Not what it use to be. Thank you , for you responds. It's not about getting a free meal. It was the way the waitress came about. Not our waitress but the other one. It's the smoke dip it was terrible ,way to Smokey on edible and she had the Nerves to come over and say it was the most delicious smoked fish she's ever had and that Chef had said the same thing and that I was not going to get credit for it. Anyway thank you! read more

Anna D. was right.. Horrible. Thought... this place can't be that bad. Wrong! Fish sandwiches were bland and mediocre in taste at best. Key lime pie tasted sugar overload with lacking lime flavor (in comparison to Mrs.Mac's amazing pie I just had yesterday) To top things off... Some of the slowest service I have had in a long time. Very poor and slow to respond to any requests. All in all, the worst meal we have had on vacation. read more

Good service. Average food. Had the eggs Benedict and it was ok but nothing special. Decent place but not amazing

Low key place. Great customer service. I had the blacken dolphin with a mango topping. Wow, the food was so delicious, I wanted a second plate. Definitely I a place I would recommend to check out! read more

Cracked Conch Cafe - Dolphin fish with a mango salsa. - Seafood Near Me - Marathon, Florida

We stopped here on a whim for lunch. My boyfriend and I split the shrimp quesadilla and the spinach artichoke dip. Both were delicious and the prices were reasonable. Service was fast and friendly and he gave us some tips of which beaches to check out. The only reason I'm not giving it 5 Stars is because the air conditioning didn't seem to be on - it was stifling hot inside which made it a bit unpleasant to sit and eat. read more

Service wasn't helpful at all, in fact, our waitress confused the sh*t out of me... We didn't come for service though - we came for fried conch! I had been driving for three hours by the time I got here so I was tired and very hungry. The fried conch was very satisfying and is the second best I've ever had. They twist the Bahamian-style (just flour) fried conch and give it an explosion of flavor with the seasoning; it sure is delicious. I know it probably wasn't fresh but it tasted like it was! Make sure that you note the difference on the menu between the fried conch basket, fried conch breakfast, fried conch #1, fried conch entree, the list goes on, and it makes all the difference - therein lies the confusion. read more

We stopped in what looked a pretty quiet place,. We ordered scallops and snapper, both of which were good . The scallops had a lot of beading but were very tasty. read more

Easy thing to say it's a greasy spoon place. Nothing fancy. Average food. Mimosa was great. Open windows & doors. I hate fly's.

Everything just how it should be & Casual. I sort of want to call this a diner but will stick with cafe. New England style conch chowder was spot on. If you want a tasty classic chowder this is it. Came out hot, tastes fresh. Perfect with oyster crackers. There are several soup Options including Manhattan. I also had the club sandwhich. This was very good. They roast a turkey each day so it tasted great. The waitresses are friendly & it's sort of a local joint. Full bar too. Highly recommended for an inexpensive straight forward quick lunch. Go for it. read more

This place is not very impressive by looking at it. However, the service was great from the moment we walked in. Very friendly staff, and the food arrived quick. We ordered the conch melt sandwich and fish melt sandwich, both were fresh and delicious. Key lime pie was great as well. Highly recommend this place if you are driving to or from Key West. Would definitely stop here again. read more

Cracked Conch Cafe - Conch Melt Sandwich, amazing! - Seafood Near Me - Marathon, Florida

Waited 45 minutes for a simple breakfast. HORRIBLE service and staff was rude. We drove all the way to this restaurant because we heard the food was amazing. Unfortunately we never got to try anything. Our waitress took care of one of her "regulars" and basically ignored us. The person next to us sat down a few minutes AFTER we did and he clearly knew the staff. The man was greeted, fed, and paid before we even got our food. Much better food in Marathon, go anywhere else but here!! read more

been here for over an hour and still haven't seen my food, and there are only 2 other tables sitting, plus the waitress has an attitude for no reason, also my cup of water hasn't been refilled in an hour. at this point i don't even care what the food tastes like. read more