Hot Tin Roof Restaurant — Restaurant in Key West

I have to say that I expected a lot more of a restaurant placed in 3rd place on Trip Advisor. But let’s say that the review is more based on the way that the service behaves than on the food itself.

So, what do I mean by that? We are a family of 5, 2 adults and 3 children. We arrived at the Restaurant 2 minutes before our reservation time. The restaurant can be overlooked from the outside as there is just an arch that will give you the information you are looking for.

Once you walk then up and see the entrance, again there is like a front of windows, but I wasn't sure which door to open, luckily I saw through the glass someone waiting. So I assumed and was lucky to find it.

The “hostess” is something that amazes me in the US every time I enter a restaurant (why do you need a hostess) but anyway was taking the menus and wanting to escort us to a free table when I had to say: Oh, we have a reservation. (Something quite important at this place, because a now-show will cost you 150 USD, so asking: Do you have a reservation, would maybe be a good idea)

We were brought to our table, where on every seat there was the menu just on the seat. (looked very strange again). We reserved for 5, but 6 were prepared and the waiter then said: are we waiting for the Sixt person? (no we are not, as I reserved for five, but we can wait for Simon, the invisible guest).

Someone then asked us if we wanted Tab water, something that you just don’t drink in the US when you're visiting from Switzerland (believe me, tab water in Switzerland is an Evian still water, the Tab water in the US is a chlorine-smelly water that I don’t want my mouth and nose to taste at all.)

Anyway, we ordered, and guess what? The one thing I wanted, was not available. The yellowtail Snapper would be fine, but, why don’t you inform the guests before they even spend 15 minutes on the menu looking for their food and let them order in the first place something that is then not available? (Unbelievable) but, fine ok, she made me then take the swordfish, which to be honest was fine.

All in one the food was good, it wasn‘t anything out of the world, but good.

What I found problematic and even catastrophic is the lack of professionalism in service, the huge amount of personnel that was on the floor, and the prices and the suggested tips that were just outrageous.

The restaurant wants to sell the atmosphere of an upper-class restaurant, but their servers don’t know how to serve the service from the right side. Bringing you the food from opposite the table and even giving it to your hands. People are taking your order they call it your server, but then there are people bringing your food (don’t know what they call them) then there are some people walking around with some plastic containers (big ones) collecting dishes from the table to the kitchen.

Oh, yes and our food was 280 USD for 5 dishes, with 2 glasses of wine (nothing extra expensive)

And on the bill, they add a recommended tip of 30%. Common really? For what? Taking my order and at the end bringing my bill? And yes, sorry I forgot, to ask if the food is to our satisfaction.

So, yes, the food was good but overpriced. There are other restaurants with the same quality, and same service but way cheaper.

There is no upper-class feeling, as they just don’t know how to do a superior service. This was just as going to your Dany’s around the block (don’t get me wrong Dany’s has some great servers).

But, if you want to be “extra” and charge these prices, then train your employees in etiquette and how to serve people the correct way. Reduce the walking personnel in front of your guests to a minimum, make it less chaotic, slow down a bit, and bring the quality up.

Unfortunately, I won’t be back.

Location 3/5 Food 4/5 Clean 3/5 Service 1/5 Price 2/5

Total 13/25

To the location, it’s a great spot, don’t get me wrong. But it’s loud as hell as there is a Bar below, with music and it’s loud. It just destroys any romantic or calm dinners you...

TLDR for people just wanting the details. 3/5 go anywhere else literally any other place serves food as good as this place at a quarter of the price and equal or better service. The good: food was okay but the view was excellent. The bad: our server wasn't great the food is overpriced. Service 2/5 : rushed and borderline rude Food: 4/5 taste brought down to 3 because Price: 2/5 because some places are more pretentious Atmosphere 5/5 but couldn't save this place.

Okay now the book Arrival is good. Signs directing you to the restaurant are clear. The problem is those doors lead you to a side entrance with no host. Easy to forgive and not affect a review at all on its own. But overall it feels some people may not be treated equally and I couldn't imagine why.

A side note is that. Our waitress was very kind but the difference in her interactions with my wife and I vs the couples on either side of us left us confused. She was concerned about them having water initially but we practically had to beg to get it.

Menu was clear* and she was able to answer any questions we had. We initially ordered the brussel sprouts and the crispy chicken

Crispy chicken: 22 dollars : 2/5 tasty but it's a 22 dollar chicken tender with coleslaw on a corn biscuit. This thing was great until I remembered the price. Take the top off of any fast food crispy chicken sandwich and save yourself 12 dollars.

Brussel sprouts : 12 : 3/5 with fresno peppers: Fresno peppers can be very hot but I wouldn't expect a place like this to be sprinkling on 12000 scoville variants. It was a shock but I enjoyed them.. well I enjoyed the burning flavor in my mouth not sure how the sprouts tasted. Still overpriced for what it is but not as distracting

We also had two drinks Night of the iguana : 18 : 4/5 wife has this. Tasted okay to me Smoked old fashioned: 20 : 1/5 disappointing but probably only because the rum bar down the road makes the best old fashioned I've ever had.

Service gets weird again. We got this food and ate it all and our server still hadn't come back to take our main request. When she did she only spoke to my wife and then asked if that was all (to her) and my wife said yes and then she was ready to walk away. When I advised I'd like to order she said" oh I thought you were going to share". So there's the crux of the treatment imo she treats people poorly if she thinks you are being cheap and that's shitty. Service became totally decent after this so I won't comment on it again.

Wife ordered the shrimp and I ordered the swordfish

Shrimp : 32 : 3/5 Wife said this was over seasoned for her tate. I tried some and thought it was really great. I can see where the sauce might feel overpowering to some but Swordfish : 42 : 4/5 This wasn't bad at all. Needed more seasoning in comparison to my wife needing less.

The sunset was beautiful and the after dinner chocolates were great but I could never recommend anyone come here. I planned on trying to come for brunch on Sunday but I've now made...

What an incredible experience!

I made reservations through their Resy app, and requested the balcony seating for the sunset view to celebrate my mother's birthday. They could not guarantee balcony seating due to high demand, but we were pleasantly surprised upon arrival when the lovely hostess guided us to the "perfect" spot overlooking the gorgeous sunset!

Our table was decorated with a shining "Happy Birthday" sign, which was an unexpected detail that made us smile, and elevated the already pleasant experience.

Our waitress welcomed us with a smile, acknowledged the special occasion, and gave us the (very cool) back-lit menus. Her beautiful energy added to the joyous occasion, and her kind attention was much appreciated.

We ordered the Champagne (Nicolas Feuillatte Brut, France) to start, which was light and perfectly complimented the warm ocean breeze and soothing sunset hues.

Everything on the menu looked enticing. I was immediately drawn to the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake with bacon, corn sauce, and baked lemon. The Lobster Bisque with brandy, lobster salad, and lemon-chive creme fraiche was also a must, as was the Blackened Shrimp Mac & Cheese with andouille, cavatappi, and manchego gratin. Lastly, we added the Crispy Brussel Sprouts, sweet-and-sour with fresno peppers, per our waitresses' recommendation.

Every bite was a celebration of rich flavors, and textures. We loved everything that we ordered, and the brussel sprouts were unexpectedly exceptional!

Our waitress checked in on us throughout the evening, refreshing our glasses of bubbly as we delighted in the magic of the evening's colors, and gentle ocean breeze. She was attentive without being pushy or making us feel rushed, which we appreciated.

We punctuated the meal with the grand marnier creme brulee with caramelized sugar and adorned with a vanilla bean macaron. We love creme brulee, but this one had a touch of Key West flair with a hint of key lime zest. So delish!

Our experience at Hot Tin Roof was exceptional all around -- dreamy views, delectable dishes, and...