Angler & Ale — Restaurant in Key Largo

I’m going to break this review down into three categories:

Service Food Price

Service: Service was fine. We walked in and were greeted by the host who seemed like he would rather be somewhere else. Ok, fair enough, so would I. We were immediately seated and our waiter was attentive and timely. Appetizer and meal were brought out quickly. I would give the service a 4/5.

Food: We ordered the lobster Mac and cheese as an appetizer and it was just ok. Barely any lobster and it cost $28 for a small portion which was outrageous and a point I will address in the next section. For entrees my wife ordered crab cakes and I ordered the blackened hogfish. The food was completely average and the worst meal we’ve had in the keys. The crab cakes were small and the vegetables and rice were cooked incorrectly and had little to no seasoning. My wife hated her meal and she’s pretty easy going on that front. As for my dish, the fish itself was ok but I’m not sure what they were trying to accomplish with this dish. It was in a curry, not enough by the way, with vegetables and rice. The fish however was topped with fresh guacamole which really made no sense. My dish was ok overall but not worth the expense. We usually order dessert wherever we go but decided to skip it here after our lackluster entrees. 2/5

Price: This place is completely over priced. The lobster Mac and cheese was $28 for a small helping. The hogfish was $52 and the crab cakes a similar price. I get it’s near the resort but for what you get it’s a complete ripoff. Take your money elsewhere. It’s not worth the convenience of being next to Hawks Cay. 1/5

Overall: I give this place a 2/5. The view was nice but outside of that it’s completely lackluster and a waste of money. It was the most expensive and most disappointing place we’ve eaten at on our trip. I would never eat here again and I would advise you not too either. Don’t pay for mediocrity and disappoint your loved ones by taking them there.

Edit: Just to be clear, I had local dishes all over the Keys. It was not a matter of me liking local flavors, it was just that they were prepared poorly compared to...

Angler & Ale: Not Quite Hooked, Line, and Sinker

We visited Angler & Ale on Saturday, March 23rd, around 2:45 pm. While the place wasn't packed, it wasn't deserted either. Our party of four waited about 10 minutes before someone took our drink order, which took a while to arrive. The same went for our food order - burgers, wings, and a salad.

Here's where things got a little disjointed. The prices on some items surprised us a bit, but we'll get to that later. While waiting for our food, our drinks ran dry. Now, I understand restaurants get busy, but this wasn't quite the case. The bartender seemed more focused on jokes than service, and there were waitresses standing around while patrons (including us) sat with empty glasses. It felt like a missed opportunity for sales.

Then came the food delivery, courtesy of a robot! Interesting idea, but the execution felt awkward. The guy controlling it stood there waiting for it to reach our table, which took longer than just placing the food down himself. At the same time, our long-awaited drinks finally arrived.

The burgers were decent, but the salad felt overpriced for what it was - mainly just lettuce. The wings were the biggest disappointment. They were either way overcooked or reheated to the point of dryness.

By the time the food came, our drinks were empty again. We might have ordered more, but the service just wasn't there. The waitress never even asked how the meal was. She just cleared everything, including my untouched wings, without a word.

Considering the location at the resort, Angler & Ale has real potential. We're staying here for another week, and there are definitely better options in Marathon with friendlier service and more reasonable prices for similar food. Overall, a bit...

Angler and Ale is a terrific dining venue on Duck Key that, happily, far exceeded our already high expectations.

We have been coming to the Hawks Cay Resort by both car and boat since it replaced the Indies Inn. Accordingly, we have had many enjoyable meals in the area and liked what we had read about Anglers.

However, we must say that our most excellent waitress, Liz from Orlando, put the whole experience WAY over the top. Her gracious, engaging style, and easy-going professional banter, held our complete interest whenever she spoke. We would be hard put to name another menu introduction, explanation of our choices and recommendations (with excellent answers to our questions) that would be equal to hers. Only Ad Lib (a Thomas A Keller pop-up at Silverado Resort) or TAK Room at Hudson Yards compare.

We took Liz up on her suggestion to not miss the Chip & Dip Special or the Fish Tacos (mahi-mahi). We also selected the Cobia Fish Special and had it blackened. Each dish was better than the last, perfectly blackened Cobia with local vegetables that could substitute as a Vegan entrée, 2 large, well-stuffed Fish Tacos with an aoli that perfectly complemented the fish. This after forcing ourselves to stop eating the huge portion of Chips and Chef’s Special Crab Dip that we ordered as a starter!!

It was a meal with no “flat spots”. Every dish was full-flavored with each ingredient of the dish in complete harmony with the others. Along with the perfect presentations and professional service we must HIGHLY RECOMMEND...