The Buzzard's Roost — Restaurant in Key Largo

My family and I stopped by this place absolutely ravenous after a long day of activities. When we arrived, the hostess was kind and our server was very polite and sweet. Unfortunately, the rest of our visit only went downhill. I hate leaving bad reviews and I'm hoping today was an off day, but we were not satisfied with the food or service from the manager at all.

We ordered the mango mojito, conch fritters, calamari, lobster pasta special dish, ribs, mahi mahi tacos, and mahi mahi cobb salad. The Mojito was great, but the appetizers were okay. The calamari was plain with no seasoning, and served with marinara straight from the jar. The conch fritters were chewy on the inside and honestly tasted like they came out of a box frozen, then fried. They were served with a basic cocktail sauce. The ribs dish was inedible because the ribs were so overcooked and the sauce lacked flavor. The fries were okay, but basic and flavorless. The tacos were also very much lacking in flavor. The mahi mahi on the salad was overcooked and lacked any sauce or seasoning. The lobster pasta dish was also incredibly bland and the lobster was chewy. The garlic bread that came with it had no garlic taste to it whatsoever and was also bland. I'm unsure why there was such an aversion to the use of seasoning, but some paprika and cayenne would have gone a long way. We returned all but the appetizers and mahi mahi tacos to the kitchen.

I wouldn't even be leaving a bad review if the manager didn't act they way they did, but I didn't appreciate their confrontational attitude or what the bill came to be at the end of our visit. The lobster pasta dish was comped, but the mahi mahi salad dish was still charged for the salad portion despite it remaining mostly uneaten. The ribs dish was charged as a side fry dish, which was fair since we ate the fries. The manager also rebutted my saying the lobster pasta had no flavor by saying their friend had it last week and loved it. When I said the bread tasted like it was frozen, they immediately snapped back that it wasn't. Not knowing what to respond to that, I told them to try the food. They weren't happy about that, but if they were going to argue with me about it, they could try it themselves and have an opinion. As someone who flew in from another state, it was a very disappointing end to the day, and we probably wouldn't have finished the few dishes we had if we had been any...

HIDDEN GEM 💎 ( If disabled read below)

My husband and I have been going every time we are in the Keys (every 3 months) for years. The last time, I do not know if it was just before closing or what, but it was the first time the service was very slow, (there were less than 10 people in the restaurant), first time server was hard to get the waitress attention (it seemed like she totally forgot we were in the restaurant). My husband and I were on the inside alone, and even one else was seated in the bar area ( we were seated in the corner right behind the person who welcomed you at the very front) I had 2 lobster and they were over cooked because they were very tough, my husband had one of the specials he loved it and said it was probably the top 10 dish so far he has had there so far. It was the first time and only time that had happened to us, but they did discount the meal. I still HIGHLY recommend checking the place out of this hidden Gem. If you are passing, throw the Key's. You get big portions if you are dealing with shell's ask for an extra plate. Also, I love the spinach and artichoke app. Apps are big enough for 2 (and still end up taking some home). BRING A BIG APPITITE!!! TONE OF FOOD WITH EVEN WITH 1 APPITIZER!!

♿️ IF YOUR DISABLED ♿️ If you are disabled and it is painful to sit for a long period of time, I recommend bringing your own back pad and setting pad or using your wheelchair! They do have some at the front as you walk in, but they are usually all gone. (Their seat pads do not help at all and are usually taken by people who think there for people who don't really need them) they feel like you are sitting on a padded place mat. NO HELP made for non handycped people. You will be there for over an...

Stunning patio views. Food is excellent. Thise will not disappoint and I do recommend dining here. Service was fine as far as it went but our server was inattentive and frankly, lacking in a couple ways. We had asked for water and only got one glass. Nearby tables were immediately served waters and then asked if they’d like a beverage beyond that. We ordered an appetizer- intentionally as an appetizer. The server seemed to think we might be ordering that as our meal even though I had said, “To start us off…” We had to tell him we knew and wanted it as an appetizer. He eventually brought us each small plates, but that was long after the appetizer had arrived. (I hate that, for if someone orders an appetizer with the intention of having it as an appetizer, please, immediately deliver them the small plates.) He was slow to check on satisfaction but the food is great, so I can understand not being too intrusive. Finally, he assumed we wanted our check, never asking if we were interested in dessert. It was my spouse’s birthday, so we had saved room and put half away in a box, but we were interested in what they had. However, we were not given any opportunity to inquire as he placed the invoice on the table and turned away so quickly that we could not even inquire....