El Meson De Pepe's Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Key West

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Must-Visit in Key West – Incredible Food, Atmosphere & Hospitality!

El Meson de Pepe’s completely exceeded my expectations and was the highlight of my trip to Key West! From the moment we walked in, we were greeted with warmth and hospitality that made us feel like family. The vibrant atmosphere, infused with Cuban culture, lively music, and rustic decor, set the perfect tone for an authentic dining experience.

The Food – A Culinary Masterpiece!

Every single dish we tried was an explosion of flavor, showcasing the rich and bold essence of Cuban cuisine. Here are some of our standout favorites:

✅ Whole Fried Snapper – Crispy on the outside, tender and flaky on the inside, topped with fresh onions, peppers, and citrus—absolutely perfection! ✅ Ropa Vieja – The shredded beef was succulent and packed with flavor, perfectly paired with black beans, sweet plantains, and yellow rice. ✅ Vaca Frita – Crispy, juicy, and seasoned to perfection, a must-try for any meat lover! ✅ Tostones Nachos – This creative twist on nachos, with crispy plantains, savory shredded beef, cheese, and fresh toppings, was an absolute winner. ✅ Cuban Coffee & Mojitos – The perfect drinks to complete the experience. The mojito was refreshing and well-balanced, and the Cuban coffee was bold, rich, and energizing.

Service – 10/10!

The staff at El Meson de Pepe’s went above and beyond to make sure our dining experience was flawless. Our server was friendly, knowledgeable, and attentive, making great recommendations and ensuring our drinks were always full.

Atmosphere & Entertainment

Beyond the incredible food and service, the live music and outdoor seating in the heart of Mallory Square made this an unforgettable night. The energy of the restaurant, the smell of delicious food in the air, and the sound of a live salsa band transported us straight to Havana!

Final Verdict: A MUST-VISIT!

If you’re in Key West and looking for authentic Cuban cuisine, phenomenal service, and an unbeatable atmosphere, El Meson de Pepe’s is THE place to go! Whether you’re here for a romantic dinner, a lively group outing, or just passing through, this spot delivers on all fronts.

🌟 5 STARS & HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! 🌟

✍️ Pro Tip: Come hungry, order a mojito, and don’t skip the...

Large place,

Didn't see much parking options

Nice salsa music the entire night

Specials every day.

It is a pricey place, the service takes a while cause they are very busy, with that I must say MAKE A RESERVATION!!

Our waiter was pretty funny and upbeat, hes name is AUGUSTO! if u can ask for him, do so!!! He was super nice

COMPLEMENTARY BREAD BASKET- although I really love bread baskets,and here the bread comes out nice and hot with special butter and all, I thought that they were not very smart here, with the logistics of serving only one basket for 8 people, it was real annoying to have to stand up to get some bread, Augusto was awesome and refilled the one basket but still, for a long table there should be at least 2 baskets so people don't have to reach over or stand up.

EXOYIC MOJITO- so nice and fruity, yet a little bitter for the passion fruit but still great.

VIEIRAS AL AJILLO- these are scallops with oil and garlic. Right off the bat, compared to the pics I saw, I got one less scallop all pics I saw had 6 and I only got 5. But to my taste they were awesome, nice and garlicky!!! It was PERFECT!!! THIS IS DEFINITELY something I would recommend even mission one.

SIDE DISHES - I opt for the side of rice, beans and sweet plantain. The rice was nice and well cooked to perfection, the beans tought I tought they had can beans vibes. I did not feel like I was eating a home cooked Cuban beans. I got the sweet plantains and they were pretty amazing.

Sooo, there is a 10% discount coupon when you check in here on the yelp app. I waited just like usual to mention it by the time we asked for the check. The waiter is awesome but when I brought that up to him... omg he got real frustrated. I told him to forget about it but he still did it ... but I felt bad just asking to be honest.

besides that event with the check, I thought that overall the food was good, the place is a little overrated as there are weirdly long waits for tables but it was a good time. nothing special but the sitting...

The most terrible experience I’ve ever had at a restaurant. Our server Jose was the most disrespectful server I’ve ever encountered. First he took the order for appetizers and after that took forever to come back and get our order for the meal, by the time he came back he had to tells us that they were out of white rice and arroz Moro which is what we planned to order. We didn’t mind and made our order and actually had to go one by one saying what we wanted and substituting the sides for fries. When the food finally arrived it was completely wrong. Basically all the sides were supposed to be fries and 2 of the orders had yellow rice and black beans, which we never would have ordered together and we mentioned that to our server while he took the order. The worst part is that we ordered 3 churrascos and only got one. The server Jose realized the mistake and started blaming us very rudely, saying we should have been paying more attention while ordering which was extremely disrespectful and rude. He started fighting back and forth on how it was not his fault the order was wrong when it was him who should have realized that we were six at the table and he only had 4 orders. After that he never came back to our table until we went up to him to get the bill because all we wanted was to leave. Everybody saw the way he spoke to us because he was very loud, rude and condescending and no manager or anyone intervened. I included pictures of the state of our table when we left. The plates from the appetizers were never picked up and we ordered multiple mojitos and the empty glasses were all there. Also the food was not good at all the black beans we never ordered were grey and and watery. We thought it was a sauce at first. Overall terrible experience, would not recommend and will not be...