Well here I am, back at Ballyhoos for some awesome food. You know I have been coming to Sal's Ballyhoo's for so many years and finally decided to leave a review because quite honestly, this restaurant is awesome. I think it is one of the best seafood restaurants in Key Largo hands down. Not large but just right and a favorite for locals. I remember when they use to have the all you can eat Stone Crab, King Crab or Snow Crab for $75 per person. Those days are long gone but they are still firing on all cylinders. The menu is not enormous but it doesn't have to be as they stick to what they know best, mostly seafood with some burgers and sandwiches mixed in between. Can't go wrong with anything on their menu and they do have a Southern feel as a number of dishes have a little kick to them but do not fear, you can always ask them to leave the spicy seasoning off and you are good to go. On this occasion, I decided to go with their Black Bean Soup and the Grilled Mahi Mahi with Roasted Mushrooms. Both were awesome as expected and I really enjoyed the black bean soup; also, the mushrooms were amazing. Being Cuban you would think hey black beans are black beans but their recipe is bar none awesome. Service here is awesome and very laid back as we are in the Florida Key's . They really make you feel at home and are extremely courteous. Evenings are pretty busy and pretty packed so you may have to wait a bit to be seated but it is well worth the wait. Atmosphere is welcoming and you can hear the Jimmy Buffet tunes playing in the background to round out the Florida Key's feel. Feel like striking up a conversation well no problem, that is the norm and encouraged. Parking should not be a problem either but it can get a little packed in the evenings and on weekends. Overall it was a great experience but honestly I did not expect anything less. So if you are driving by mile marker 98.2 on the Overseas Highway, and are hungry for some good food, well keep your eyes peeled for the sign as you cannot miss it. Wishing you a great time in the keys. Enjoy and Bon Appétit m'es amis! read more

Sal's Ballyhoo's - Ballyhoo's Black Bean Soup - Delicious! - Seafood Near Me - Key Largo, Florida

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Came for my birthday and this place was highly recommended. To start they give some complimentary breads. The big brown one was pretzel I can't remember what the other was but it was freshly baked and warm. I tried the mahi Hemingway style. I've never had fish like that before and I was impressed how light it was with it being cooked that way. The Mac and cheese was superb. Bf had the shrimp blackened and they were so succulent. The sweet potato was sweet and rich. More like a dessert. We couldn't have too much of it at once so we took it home. Portion sizes were great for the price. I would love to come again. And hopefully get dessert the next time around. read more

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Excellent service and we enjoyed our food very much!! The place looks a bit rough inside and out, but it fit the bill well for us on a Monday lunchtime. read more

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The fish is delicious. Ordered the yellowtail meunière and my husband had the ahi tuna. Portions are generous. Even the sides were delicious -- sautéed spinach and stuffed mushrooms. Service was quick and attentive. A great choice on Key Largo. read more

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Billed as fresh Florida seafood with a southern twist, Sal's Ballyhoo's is so, so much more. During a recent visit to the Keys my vegan companion and I discovered Sal's Ballyhoo's vegan/vegetarian menu. An entire menu - for us! After much deliberation we decided on a few items to split: -Vegan grilled cheese with black bean soup (the house made vegan cheddar wasn't quite what we were expecting, more of a sauce than a cheese, but still tasty. The black bean soup was glorious) -Sweet potato burger (yes yes yes - crispy on the outside, pillowy on the inside, made with sweet potato, white beans, and tahini - delicious) -French fries (stole the show. Perfection) Pricing is quite reasonable for house made vegan cuisine, especially when on vacation, and the outdoor seating area was protected from both wind and rain. My only wish is that we had been able to try more things - I'm intrigued by the grilled avocado, Joe vs. the volcano salad, black bean tacos, vegan mac and cheese, house vegetable curry, and especially the vegan coconut cake). I guess we'll have to make another trip... read more

Sal's Ballyhoo's - Vegan grilled cheese with black bean soup - Seafood Near Me - Key Largo, Florida

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Not a 5-star experience but solid in almost all respects. Typical Florida seafood house- they are plentiful throughout the state. Bread to the table for starters was just ok. Appetizers calamari and conch fritters very good, as were the Mahi skillet and Hogfish entrees. Service very capable, friendly and attentive. Recommend, just can't say it was a WOW or really sets itself apart as a standard bearer for the type. read more

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Food was delish. The menu has a varied selection. Great gluten free options. Started with conch fritters. They make them in house and they were okay. We tried the boiled peanuts which were good. We ordered churasco steak, captain's platter, fried mahi, blackened mahi, and cracked conch. All was prepared well and was quite good. Service was not great. Our server was in the weeds quite a few times which took away from our dining experience. That's the reason for 4/5 stars. read more

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Absolutely incredible experience! We started with the charbroiled oysters -- they were bursting with flavor and set the tone for an amazing meal. The cast iron mahi was truly out of this world -- perfectly cooked, tender, and full of flavor. The sauce it came with was so good, I could've licked the plate clean! We also had the snow crab, which was incredibly fresh and served in a generous portion. Not a single bite was left behind. The sides were just as impressive. The mac and cheese was ultra creamy, cheesy, and topped with crispy breadcrumbs -- pure comfort food bliss. The rice and beans were full of flavor and could easily be a dish on their own. To top it all off, we shared the key lime pie for dessert -- the perfect sweet ending to a fantastic meal. The service was phenomenal. Our server was attentive and friendly, and even though we came in close to closing time, the staff made us feel welcome and never rushed. The restaurant itself is spotless and has a warm, homey feel. There's a charming outdoor seating area, cozy indoor space, and a full bar. We're so happy we found this hidden gem -- it's officially our new favorite spot in Key West!! read more

We visited this restaurant on a Sunday night and it was excellent. The service and food was wonderful all together. The restaurant has a few tables outside but we choose inside. The menu has a good variety and if you are looking for crabs this is a great place. My husband had a fish sandwich and he loved it. My crabs were fresh and delicious. My kids and I loved them. read more

Sal's Ballyhoo's - Stone Crabs & Alaskan crab legs. - Seafood Near Me - Key Largo, Florida

This place is a small diamond. Excellent food and when we went it wasn't that busy. They hand toss your coleslaw before serving so it's super fresh. The Hemingway style is adding a Parmesan crisp, Keylime butter and fresh crab meat on top. The sweet potato soufflé was delicious, like a dessert. One of the best meals down here and the staff was extremely friendly. read more

Sal's Ballyhoo's - Yellowtail Hemingway with sweet potato soufflé - Seafood Near Me - Key Largo, Florida

Had a great experience at Sal's - Had the Blackened Mahi & Fried Tomato Sandwich with Coleslaw. It was my favorite meal I had over the course of a week in Key Largo, ended up going here twice just to get it again! read more

Sal's Ballyhoo's - Blackened Mahi & Fried Tomato Sandwich - Seafood Near Me - Key Largo, Florida

Best treasure in Key Largo!! Friendliest place you could go to!! Servers are so kind and Sal Jr was so helpful with Keys information if you aren't familiar with the area. We stayed at a nearby resort and ate there two days in a row. The food is absolutely over the top! Nothing is done small and such detail! Definitely can't wait to go back!! The decor is typical Keys and done tastefully!! Love this place!! read more

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Came here for lunch on a Friday and we were the only people there! But still had friendly service and ate outside. I was pleasantly surprised at the mahi dish - lots of sauce to make normally dry mahi more delectable. read more

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The food was fresh and delicious! Service was so helpful, friendly and knowledgeable about the local area. Ambiance was chill and relaxing. Highly recommend! read more

What a great food experience. Encino and his helper are awesome. The wedge salad and dressing were so good. My husband got a cast iron Mahi with a side of sautéed mushrooms. Very flavorful. My dinner was hog fish wooooo that's good! and mac and cheese on the side. Everything here is amazing. We really enjoyed this restaurant. So many choices and it was hard to decide. It is very brightly lit in here and doesn't look like much but don't let that deceive you. Quality food and service. read more

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Small place in the middle of north and south bound US1. Inside and outside seating. Decent number of options plus a vegan/ vegetarian menu. There were 3 of us and everything we had was so good. The chicken tenders melted in your mouth and the regular Mac and cheese was good. The house fish sandwich with fried pink tomato was soooo good. And vegan Mac and cheese was good also. Salad with grilled shrimp was great also. Server was really nice and food came out pretty quick. read more

Sal's Ballyhoo's - Vegan Mac and cheese with mahi sandwich - Seafood Near Me - Key Largo, Florida

This place has a separate vegan menu! They have so many great vegan options to choose from. The service was amazing. Nice girl kept coming to check on us throughout our lunch here. I tried Joe vs the Volcano salad and it was so tasty. Also the sweet potato burger with vegan Mac and cheese was amazing. Definitely will be coming back here again. Thank you for having lots of vegan options! read more

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Great food, great service. My wife and I both got the Mahi Mahi skillet. It was great. The sweet potato casserole that came with mine was great too - it reminded me of my great aunt's, which was always a welcome addition to Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. read more

Sal's Ballyhoo's - Mahi Mahi skillet with sweet potato casserole. - Seafood Near Me - Key Largo, Florida

5 out of 5 would recommend. Fantastic service. The meal started with little warm cornbread muffins. We ordered the peel and eat shrimp for an appetizer. The shrimp are large and the Cajun seasoning was on point. The pinnacle of lunch was the cast iron mahi. It is the MUST have dish here. Incredible flavor. Super cute decor. Easy going. read more

Sal's Ballyhoo's - Peel and eat Cajun shrimp - Seafood Near Me - Key Largo, Florida

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Amazing Food as Always and The Service is always Spot on - Definitely our Favorite Restaurant in Key Largo !!

Outstanding salad with Yellowfin fish with Caribbean jerk seasoning . Great lunch spot.

Excellent food and service! Great food selection and how awesome that they offered vegan food as well! Will now make this a must every time we visit Key West!!! read more

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The best fish I've ever had, and I'm from Wisconsin. Would eat here everyday if I could. read more

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A wonderful dinner experience! Sal's is a casual with excellent dinner fare. Typically, a restaurant with a wide variety on the menu has me doubting the quality of the dishes. Sal's chef stands out by making a spread of dishes with pride, passion and skill. Truly worth the visit. Make sure to eat the bread appetizer they provide--it's amazing! read more

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WOW. The food here was amazing. Andreas told us about the family-owned business and was so personable, friendly, and attentive. We've been in Key Largo a few days and this was easily the best meal yet. Hats off to him, his brother, and father. Cannot recommend enough!! read more

Yummmm! I had the wedge salad with fried chicken, hubs had the gumbo and steak salad. Shout out to Encino for giving us the grilled avacado that we didn't order--but was delicious! read more

Please, please, please be sure to treat yourself to this laid back stop at MM97.8 on the median. The outside says "aw shucks" and the inside screams "try one of everything, we're that good! Try to talk to Sal and get the history of the place and if you're an old-timer memories of MM88 will surface and if you're a newbie you'll be writing your very own special food history. I've had the burger.... Cooked perfectly.... The grilled avocado...OMG and the Parmesan oysters...gotta have' em again! Will be back tomorrow for more. Be good to yourself and go to Sal's Ballyhoo. read more

The food here was 10x tastier and fresher than what we had at our nearby resort, so we went twice on our short trip, and the staff helped us work around food allergies. They have both a gluten free and vegan menu that helped us work around my son's food allergies. He feasted on local shrimp, slaw, and a slab of coconut cake. I had the best sweet potato casserole of my life, tangy local shrimp prepared with Key Lime butter, pecan and goat cheese salad, and nibbles from around the table. I am so glad we got out of the resort to sample some real local cuisine and feast! The restaurant has a casual feel with booths indoors as well as outdoor seating. The service all around was excellent. read more

Very cool local bar across from where I stayed in key largo. They had some delicious late night coconut shrimp I ordered for pickup and sweet potato casserole, so good! The next day I tried some beer on tap, coconut lime and it was very good. With seared Tuna app. So very fresh and good. Service was lonely attentive and just good people to talk to. I appreciate this spot ! Can't wait to be back and try the famous cast iron mahi-mahi read more

Sal's Ballyhoo's - Seared tuna - Seafood Near Me - Key Largo, Florida

You know those south Florida restaurants that seem to care more about Instagram decorated restaurants and don't care about food? Well THIS IS NOT ONE OF THEM!!! It's amazing! I'm not the best a karaoke but if I was (and god forbid people would be subjected to hear that mess) I would sing songs of the food here. It has a nice neighborhood vibe and not pretentious whatsoever. They clearly let the food do the talking. Finally a restaurant in south Florida that cares. This speaks volumes. I moved to this area by chance sailing and have spent years talking about how restaurants clearly don't care about serving food with heart here. Sals Ballyhoo is a breath of fresh air. After years living in New Orleans and being spoiled with incredible food from everything from gas stations to high end restaurants (as a chef and patron) and To ya mamas cooking I felt as though south Florida was where care for food went to die. Sals Ballyhoo.... They start with complimentary house pretzel bread and herb bread with a sauce that tasted like steens and chili sauce. Both breads were house made and I could get fat and happy on just this. I asked if they sold it by bulk because carbs are life. It's a kitchen that care from the beginning. I had the conch and my god... the sauce was insane. Delicate, more tender than your dramatic sisters feelings. It was delicious. Who doesn't like a nice tender conch... There was a hogfish special. I love hogfish. It's something I personally spearfish for and one of my personal fav texture and taste fish. They did this fish honors. It deserves a medal. Like maybe hold a parade. A hogfish parade.... Just imagine the possibilities.... Cooked with care in a very delicate breading, light and delicate. Fantastic bright lemon sauce that didn't drown the fish but complimented it. A wedding of textures that was beyond what you would expect from anything less than the best. This was, by far, the best meal I've had in south Florida in the years I've been subjected to the pretentious bs that has become most restaurants. Moving on to service. I hate to end on a bad note but the service was lackluster at best. It was a 40th birthday for my wife. We absolutely don't expect special treatment but the service on a Tuesday night was not touching tables and was clearly more interested in going home than doing their job. Look, Ive worked in the industry for years as well and there are hard days, it's a hard job. That said, care for your patrons. The only reason I'm knocking one star down is the distant and careless service. Summary to this Ted talk.... Come for the food and don't expect great service. Believe me the food is worth it. Thank you back of the house! Yall are crushing it read more

Delicious and great service. Maybe we were early because we were the only ones in the place. Amazing Conch Crack appetizer and tremendous blackened Mahi (small skillet was enough) with Mushrooms side. read more

Amazing food. The service was great very cozy. It's a family restaurant and they really treat you like family Everyone's dish was tasty and perfect amount of food. Key Largo read more

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Fantastic family-owned establishment right across from our hotel (walking distance). We sat at the bar and enjoyed cracked conch, stuffed mushrooms, char broiled oysters, and their house mahi mahi (which was the best - I wanted to lick the sauce off the pan). Friendly staff, perfect way to kick off our trip to the keys. read more

Cannot recommend. Maybe we were there on an off day, but not a place I enjoyed. After 30 seconds of sitting down, I had an urge to leave. The decor felt like a tired old restaurant past its prime. That's just a small bit though, everyone says "it's quaint". I say run down. The food was ok. For someplace that is supposed to be a classic Key Largo place, I was disappointed. There is a strong SE Asian influence and a weak seafood presence, half the dishes had no seafood in them. I had the chowder - tomato based and rather spicy - and the fried fish sandwich, which was so heavy on roulade and tomato that the mahi was lost in it. My buddy has the churrasco steak, which was tender, but not exactly what he was expecting. Service was a little on the slow side. Disappointing and there are better places to go. read more

I have really enjoyed the mahi cast iron skillet meal and have had it around six times. Unfortunately last two times I had it (last time 4:30 on a Thursday during mini lobster season 2025) I had a few fishy tasting bites making me think the mahi was a little old but they figured the sauce would hide the taste. Hope they don't slip in quality. My friend had the same dish last time and his was fine. read more

Sal's has friendly staff, really great food, good portions and a large selection of vegan options, making it easy for everyone to enjoy!

I went to Sals as a server at a restaurant in Islamorada bad mouthed them. I did have AYCE snow crab legs. They were not overcooked or rubbery. My server was very personable. Everyone had a smile on their face. I did feel the price was quite high, but when you take in the experience as a whole it was worth it. read more

KEY LIME PIE!!! We did not eat here but I was obsessed with getting a pie of the pie that was voted best in Key largo. I bought a whole pie because there were 7 of us on vacation. It was delicious. The meringue was piled high. Pie was great consistency and not overly sweet. The guy behind the bar gave me advice on how to cut the pie (with a hot knife). I went back the next day and bought another pie, and a different guy convinced me that the mile high peanut butter pie was also worth a try. He was not wrong, but I only bought one piece. The place itself is understated but I assume the food is good. Pies are made fresh daily. Get there early. Bar seemed to have a broad selection but the restaurant was never packed. read more

Fantastic Cajun/New Orleans style food. Had a great fresh yellowtail and some gumbo that was very well spiced. Fun find in the keys

We ordered the hog fish special and tasted like if it was fried in old oil. Disgusting, I had to send it back The seafood platter was also overcooked. the best part was the keylime... So sad, I used to love this place read more