Snook's Bayside Restaurant & Grand Tiki Bar — Restaurant in Key Largo

“We charge extra for hair”

Yes folks, you’re reading that right. I don’t think we’ve ever experienced a chain of bad events such as this place. Let me preface this by saying we come down to the keys for vacation every year. It is a tradition to stop in key largo on our way down to grab lunch before we get to our destination. We have enjoyed places such as the pilot house and Alabama jacks with no issues. So this time we decided to try a new stop. Wow, what a mistake. We got seated fairly quickly and the host was very friendly. After 15-20 minutes our server finally greeted us with some waters and introduced herself, asked if she could start us off with some drinks. I let her know that we are ready to order food and drinks (as we had been traveling all day and now waiting to order we were all starving). She then states oh okay well I have another table that I have to put their food order in first and just walks away…no chance for us to even just order drinks then. At least another five minutes passes and our drinks finally come although the glasses were quite sweaty so I presume they were sitting in the well for a good bit. Our app comes out the smoked white fish and all was well. Until one of our guests states there is a hair in her drink. She takes it up to let our server know because we hadn’t been checked on yet. The server does not apologize and ANOTHER server states “oh we charge extra for that”. His defense when later talking to the manager was “trying to make light of the situation”. Disgusting and unprofessional at the least. She finally gets another drink after waiting ten minutes.

This place seems to have no sense of urgency. Our food comes out, for some reason they only brought out one dish at first then another few minutes later rest of the food comes out. I had a couple fries…lukewarm. Bite into my sandwich and the fish tasted fairly good but the sandwich was also lukewarm warm. Everyone else says yep theirs is not hot. We eventually get greeted by the manager after asking our server to have him come over. This was also after a guest walked up to the manager probably 20 minutes ago and complaining of the situation. “He said he would make things right for us” one of the dishes also came out with the wrong side. It seemed like our server had given up and honestly did not give much of a crap to serve us from the start. It was disappointing to hear the slew of excuses from the manager explaining why we had the experience we did. Paying $20 a plate I would expect our food to come out hot. I hope the owner reads this because with better management and more professional service this place could be a great spot. I’m sure they already have good profits from tourism but it seems like they also probably experience a lot of turnover in staff as the manager said they were understaffed. He also stated two were stuck in traffic from a flea market? Seemed like a poor excuse if you know there is an event going on…leave earlier. Still somehow ended up with a $70 bill for one app, a martini, and three beers. The hairy drink and all food was comped so still outrageously over priced for the quality that is coming out. I would honestly avoid this place if you like good quality service and food. Good luck to the restaurant hopefully they can...

A Hidden Gem with Killer Views, Drinks, and Food

If you're in Key Largo and looking for that perfect combination of waterfront views, great food, and outstanding service, look no further than Snook’s Bayside Restaurant. This place might be a bit of a local secret, but it’s become one of our favorite stops in the Keys — so much so that we’ve been back three times now.

On our first visit (5/31), we arrived early and started with drinks down by the water. My girlfriend had a Key Lime Martini, which was sweet, smooth, and dangerously strong — in the best way. I had the Rum Punch, which packed a serious punch but was also full of flavor. We soaked in the breeze and kicked off the evening with some appetizers, and honestly, they blew us away.

The ceviche — and I’m not normally a ceviche fan — was amazing. It came loaded with huge shrimp and served with fresh, crispy chips. The lobster bites were another win — essentially large, tender chunks of lobster tail deep-fried in a light, tempura-style batter. Absolutely addictive.

For dinner, we moved up to the main bar, where the service got even better. Kevin, the bartender, quickly became our go-to — we saw him on every visit, and he’s easily the best bartender we encountered throughout ALL of the Florida Keys. Super friendly, knows his drinks, and just fun to talk to.

I tried a few cocktails while my girlfriend stuck with her Rum Punch (can't blame her). One drink I ordered — a coconut-based one — was a little too creamy for my taste. But then Kevin made me a custom gin cocktail using gin, simple syrup, ginger ale, and a splash of club soda. It was perfectly balanced, crisp, and refreshing — easily the best drink I had all week. (The second time we returned, Kevin saw us from across the way and had us both a drink ready by the time we found a seat at the bar - that's called SERVICE and it's something that is a rare find these days!)

For entrées, we shared two dishes:

The Blue Crab Plate came with generous, meaty chunks of crab, lightly seasoned and super fresh.

The “Indecision” Platter (aptly named) gave us a little of everything: Mahi, shrimp, scallops — all pan-fried to perfection. The Mahi was decent (not my favorite), but everything else on the plate was outstanding.

And just when we thought we couldn’t eat another bite, we ordered the Key Lime Pie — and we’re glad we did. It was perfectly balanced — not too tart, not too sweet, and had a smooth, creamy texture with a nice graham cracker crust. A solid way to end a great meal.

Yes, Snook’s is a little on the pricier side, but it’s absolutely worth every penny. You’re getting great food, strong drinks, gorgeous views, and staff that actually care about your experience.

Between the laid-back bayside vibe, consistently great meals, and Kevin’s expert bartending, Snook’s Bayside has become one of our must-visit stops anytime we’re...

I recently visited Snook’s Bayside Restaurant in Key Largo during my birthday weekend. While the atmosphere seemed promising, the overall experience left a lot to be desired.

We arrived at night, and it was quite windy. We were seated close to the dock, which made it especially cold. Of course, that’s not the restaurant’s fault, but it’s something to consider if you’re dining outdoors on a breezy night. Unfortunately, our table’s umbrella kept shaking in the wind, and we genuinely felt like it might collapse. When the manager passed by and my mother jokingly mentioned the umbrella situation, his response was, “I can remove it if you’d like,” rather than offering a more helpful solution.

Throughout the evening, our server, Lisa, was pleasant and suggested the snapper as a main dish. My stepfather took her recommendation, but when the plate arrived, it looked more like a small piece of fried chicken than a proper snapper dish — and it cost $50. For the price, we expected something far more substantial and satisfying. The appetizers were also extremely small and overpriced.

What made matters worse was noticing that the manager had moved another group complaining about the wind into one of the enclosed cabana-style tables with zip-up plastic walls. It would have been considerate for the manager to proactively ask other diners — including us — if they’d prefer to move somewhere more comfortable.

The drinks were enjoyable, and that’s honestly the only highlight of the evening. Sadly, the food quality and overall experience did not justify the nearly $300 bill. If I ever return, it would only be for the drinks — but I’d make sure to dine elsewhere for food.

I wouldn’t recommend Snook’s for dinner unless you’re prepared to spend a lot for subpar portions and...