The Stoned Crab, Key West's Hottest New Seafood Restaurant Receives 4 out of 5 Stars On TripAdvisor!

After officially launching in the fall of 2012, Key West’s hottest new fresh seafood restaurant, The Stoned Crab, has been awarded a 4 out of 5 star rating on TripAdvisor, the world’s leading travel and restaurant review web site.  Garnering hundreds of reviews from locals and travelers alike, it’s clear The Stoned Crab is the restaurant the Keys have been waiting for— a fun, zany, family friendly seafood restaurant that specializes in the most delicious of local delicacies, Florida stone crab.  In fact, it’s the first and only restaurant in the Keys to base the majority of its creative menu on the coveted crustacean! 

Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the restaurant features the Keys’ freshest stone crab, which is caught daily and brought right to the restaurant’s dock, giving guests a true ‘boat-to-table’ seafood experience. The new restaurant, which sits on the waterfront at IBIS BAY Beach Resort, was a no-brainer, according to owner Chris Holland. 

“It’s no wonder locals and visitors love The Stoned Crab. Florida stone crab tastes phenomenal and it doesn’t get any fresher than straight off our two fishing boats! Plus stone crab comes right from Keys waters and it’s one of our only truly sustainable food resources,” Holland explained.  “The best stone crab claws are harvested directly off the shores of Key West, so I was amazed there wasn’t already a restaurant dedicated to worshippers of the stone crab like “Joe’s” in Miami.  Stone crab is shipped to Miami, New York and as far west as Las Vegas, but it’s pretty clear a lot of other people love stone crab just as much as I do!”

 

In addition to offering locals and visitors the best seafood around, Holland designed The Stoned Crab menu and operations to support a sustainable fishing culture.  Working with local fishermen and serving local seafood, especially the stone crabs, which are returned to the ocean to re-grow their largest claw after removal, the restaurant is helping to promote the area’s delicious seafood resources while helping the community and protecting the local ecosystem.

“Our guests will get a fun, filling waterfront dining experience,” Holland continued. “They can order crab by the ‘Bubba Bucket’ and crack them using our professional-grade cracker arms that are normally only found in the kitchen, and we give big bowls of lemons and limes for each guests to flavor their crab however they love it most.  As our t-shirts say, ‘Everybody Must Get Stoned at The Stoned Crab!’”

Some of the diners’ favorite dishes are derived from the restaurant’s namesake stone crab, including the stone crab shot appetizer, which can be accompanied by a shot of Australian Bombora vodka for the 21+ crowd, the stone crab and royal red shrimp bisque, the 5-lb. stone crab “Bubba Bucket” and the two-person or four-person chilled seafood tower with an assortment of the freshest seafood in Key West, which are perfect for families or larger groups to share.

Other delectable seafood dishes include a delicious whole Florida lobster stuffed with crabmeat, lobster ravioli, a flash-fried whole local yellowtail, lobster mac & cheese, among others.  For crustacean and shellfish aficionados the restaurant offers steamer combinations plates with selections of stone crab claws, Alaskan king crab legs, Alaskan snow crab clusters, mussels and clams.

For those in the mood for land-dwelling fare, the kitchen grills a mean New York strip steak and Angus burger as well as a pesto seared chicken breast. And every meal can start with an assortment of four salads including sesame-crusted ahi wasabi salad, twelve appetizers including crab and conch fritters, flash fried calamari with New Orleans remoulade and Key West bouillabaisse, and three raw seafood dishes including Florida oysters and mango ceviche.

The restaurant is open from 7 a.m. to midnight and features a full bar with all manner of tropical drinks and a wide range of beer and wine, including liquor, beer and wine selections from Australia, where Chris Holland harkens from.  Located at the corner of North Roosevelt Boulevard and Kennedy Drive, The Stoned Crab is a destination in itself—one where the whole family can gather for delicious food, fun, and photo opportunities with the beautiful waterfront views and the restaurant’s unique sea-inspired atmosphere.

Visit us on Facebook for more of the full menu, more information, and more photos from The Stoned Crab.

Photo 1 – The Stoned Crab at night, as seen from N. Roosevelt Boulevard.

Photo 2 – Old Bay steamer with stone crab claws, Alaskan snow crab clusters and Alaskan king crab legs.

Photo 3 – Stone crab shot, served in a shot glass with homemade tangy tartar sauce and cocktail sauce, plus a lemon slice.

Photo 4 – The Ahi wasabi salad includes sesame-crusted seared rare ahi tuna, crisp greens, seaweed salad, edamame, roasted red peppers, pickled ginger and cucumber wasabi sauce.