Chart Room Cocktail Lounge — Restaurant in Key West

Only in Key West. A dive bar with a resort built around it. Have not stayed at the Pier House Resort, but the Chart Room is definitely worth a visit. Very old school KW, surrounded by very new school KW. This is where Jimmy Buffett 1st stopped upon arriving in KW (allegedly) and played for the likes of Hunter S. Thompson and Jim Croce. This is where Mel Fisher charted his days searching for the shipwrecked Atocha (at the round table in the back). This is where Tennessee Williams and Truman Capote wet their whistle (but not at the same time). This is where the Pirate Who Looked at Forty Philip Clark tended bar. This is where David Allan Coe was inspired by poet Shel Silverstein. This is where famous and not-so-famous regulars have their ashes interred in the bar (seriously, look for the corks). Most of Key West's history is embellishments and outright BS, and this awesome bar...

Three of us had several drinks and a good time socializing with others. I made the mistake of not asking the price of the drinks. There is nothing on the wall to tell you nor a menu. So when it was time to pay up we got quite the sticker shock on the total. We talked to the bartender and he ended up pulling a young girl from the hotel to represent as his manager. We did not get a resolution to the bill being so much and was told we should expect the price to be high due to it being at a resort. Just be cautious of this. The drinks were good but too expensive which probably explains why several groups of people did not stay very long. The bartender was quiet and did not interact with the patrons which is a sign too that he knew he would not have happy customers when it's time to pay. Beware also that an automatic 20% tip was added...

It’s a dive bar, but it’s historic in that Jimmy Buffet reportedly started his career here. Unfortunately they’ve chosen to rip off tourists who find their way to this special place. Our party of three ordered gin martinis and paid a $5 up charge ($21 per drink) supposedly for Hendricks. Not what we got, we know Hendricks its cucumber flavor. We totally got ripped off. We talked to the “manager” on site and she didn’t help us. The bartender told us we were paying resort prices. Spend your time and money at places that don’t rip you off… go to Martin’s, Virgilio’s, or the Boat House Bar &...