7 Fish — Restaurant in Key West

We finally made it to the new Seven Fish location. Sadly, we were not impressed.

Our food was good, but oddly presented. My smoked Mahi appetizer was in essence "deconstructed fish spread" - smoked fish chunks, a dish of coarse mustard sauce and another of minced jalapeños and onions. There were large crackers on the plate but no utensils were provided. A small spoon or spreader would have been helpful. It was quite awkward to eat this. My husband's crab cake appetizer was the single standout item of our meal. A large, tender and sweet crab cake, placed in the center of a pool of silken ginger sauce. Exquisite. Our server was a bit scarce - she never stopped by our table as we ate our appetizers - I would have asked for a spreader.

My husband chose the grilled Mahi entree with potatoes and steamed vegetables, I went with the signature tuna over penne pasta with tomatoes, grilled onions and goat cheese.

As we sat, I realized that the space felt familiar, like eating in the bistro of a Science Museum - right down to the underwater reef video projected on a high wall. In addition, the acoustics of the huge food court like space ruined the intimate dinner experience we were hoping for on our anniversary. We could clearly hear ice being dumped into glasses in one corner, as well as the refrigerator at the bar being opened and closed. The upbeat music being piped in was a bit too loud to allow easy conversation.

Our entrees arrived in deep, oriental looking bowls, rather than on plates. There was a gigantic block of warm bread perched to one side of each as well. No bread plates or butter or even olive oil for the bread was offered. I used the side plate from my appetizer to park my bread on.

The fish for both our meals was prepared wonderfully. Moist, tender and flaky. My husband focused on his fish, and enjoyed the other veg in his bowl. I must say that my meal felt like a bowl full of ingredients, something I might toss together from things in my frige, not a chef prepared meal. The hunk of rosemary topped bread, though lovely and warm, made no sense. My penne pasta was al dente, but there was barely a handful of tomato and grilled onion in my dish. Again, our server did not stop by to check on us as we ate - I would have asked for butter or olive oil.

We chose to eat the fish in our bowls, and left much of the rest. When my husband asked for our check, we were offered dessert on the house in recognition of our anniversary. How lovely. We chose a slice of Key lime cheesecake to go. It was quite good.

We might consider take out if we returned, but wouldn't make a dining room reservation. I notice in other review photos that the giant block of bread, and deep serving bowls, are evidently a signature thing for Seven Fish. Interesting.

What the dining room needs is the addition of a LOT of sound absorbing soft materials on the walls...

I'm staying a block away and heard great things about this place, so I went for dinner. They have been in their new location for about six months according to the waitress. I made reservations for 6:15 and was seated immediately. It began filling up pretty fast, but they have much more capacity than the former location. There's even a room for large parties or gatherings. It's also very accessible for those with disabilities. I am one, so I notice that now.

Tina was my awesome server. I started with an Olivia Street Old Fashioned from the bar. Then, I had the mixed green salad with balsamic vinaigrette. It was very fresh! It came with a piece of their homemade focaccia bread. It was so good, I got another piece with my dinner. And for dinner, I had the sea scallops over mashed potatoes, puree pea and spinach. The couple next to me remarked on how good it looked and the husband admitted he almost ordered it, but he went with another dish. I finished with the brownie topped with ice cream and toasted coconut. Everything was delicious. Their special fishes of the day were yellow-tailed snapper, Mahi Mahi, and grouper.

The wait staff were all very helpful and were good about helping each other. Another waitress topped off my water glass a couple of times; my waitress was taking an order from a large family at the time. I liked how they cooperated to make sure all the customers were kept happy.

Here's a few things I heard from diners around me. I was dining alone so I had nothing to do but listen! A couple across from me ordered the crab cake as an appetizer. When the waitress came to gather their plates, she asked how it was and the husband said he'd like another one. And he wasn't just complimenting the dish; they actually ordered another one! The man dining next to me seemed to enjoy the spicy tuna roll. The couple next to me had dined at the old location and liked the new location. They mentioned how they come every time they visit Key West.

While I suggest reservations, if you're feeling spontaneous and you want to eat here, just give them a call. The waitress was talking to the couple next to me about how a lot of people assume they can't get in and so they've had nights where it's weirdly empty. Maybe some people don't realize how many people can be seated in the new location? Bonus points for the foam under the tables. I've banged my knees on so many tables that I was overjoyed when I felt squishy foam instead. Also, the giant screen projecting marine life...

The tuna poke appetizer was ok, sauce was very sweet. My martini was good. I ordered the grouper special with the "chutney" (they said this was their most-famous sauce after the yellow curry) and it was just super-sweet mango jam. I had to ask for hot sauce, and adding a touch of Sriracha made it way better. Chutney is supposed to be spicy...this was not. Without it, the dish was bland. The fish was very well cooked, but not really seasoned. The vegetables on the side were not seasoned at all, nor was the rice (I substituted for the pasta to be GF). The waitress actually told me the pasta was seasoned (based on the blandness of everything else I doubt this), so she understood that "it would be bland." But you didn't warn me of that before I changed the order? Bottom line, the seafood is great quality, but if you like your food seasoned, this isn't the place for you. My dinner companion even ordered the famous yellow curry and I found that sauce bland as well.

Otherwise, and I hate to complain about this but the service, while mostly friendly, was oppressive. My dining companion and I had barely minutes throughout the dinner to speak without someone there filling 3 drops into our water glass. Our dinner arrived while we were in the middle of the appetizers. When I was finishing my dinner I had someone there no less than 4 times ask to take my plate, once he actually put a hand on it before even asking and there was plenty of food in there. We had no less than 5 different people at our table during the 30 minutes we were there. Finally, we wanted dessert but were so tired we just left. It sort of felt like we were being pushed out quickly. Like I said I hate to complain about conscientious service, but it made our dining experience...