Moondog Cafe Key West — Restaurant in Key West

During our visit to Moondog Cafe & Bakery in Key West, we had the opportunity to try a variety of dishes, each offering a unique taste experience. The café has a welcoming atmosphere and an extensive menu that caters to diverse tastes.

Appetizers:

We started with the Spinach & Artichoke Dip and were thoroughly impressed. The creamy blend of spinach and artichokes was perfectly seasoned and served with crispy crostini. This dish was a delightful beginning to our meal. Additionally, the Truffle Fries were a hit, offering a satisfying crunch with a rich truffle flavor. The Avocado Caprese was fresh and flavorful, featuring ripe avocados paired with juicy tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, drizzled with a tangy balsamic glaze.

Main Courses:

For our main dishes, we had mixed experiences. The Quiche Lorraine tasted good, with a nice balance of flavors from the bacon, cheese, and custard filling. Unfortunately, it was slightly burned, which detracted from the overall enjoyment. Similarly, the Roasted Mushroom, Truffle & Fontina Pizza had potential, but it was overcooked and the crust was burnt, which made it less enjoyable.

On a brighter note, the Blackened Local Mahi Tacos were delicious. The fish was perfectly cooked and seasoned, and the accompanying toppings added a refreshing crunch and zest that complemented the mahi perfectly.

Dessert:

To finish off our meal, we indulged in the Key Lime Pie. This dessert was the highlight of our visit. The pie had a perfect balance of tartness and sweetness, with a creamy texture and a delightful graham cracker crust. It was a quintessential taste of Key West and left us wanting more.

Service:

However, the service at Moondog Cafe & Bakery could use some improvements. Throughout our visit, we noticed a lack of attentiveness from the waitstaff. We found ourselves looking around for someone to ask for lemon slices and sour cream, as the waiters did not follow up to see if we needed anything, and for some reason our waitress was upset and not friendly. This oversight slightly marred an otherwise enjoyable dining experience.

Overall Experience:

While there were some inconsistencies in the preparation of certain dishes and room for improvement in service, Moondog Cafe & Bakery offers a diverse menu with several standout items. The appetizers and desserts were particularly memorable, and the café’s ambiance added to the overall positive experience. We would recommend giving it a try, especially for the Spinach & Artichoke Dip, Blackened Mahi Tacos, and...

4/5 Stars for MoonDog Cafe in Key West

MoonDog Cafe in Key West is a gem we stumbled upon during our visit to Old Town over Super Bowl weekend. Our first experience was so delightful that we returned for breakfast two days later!

For the big game, we grabbed two pies to go: the Roasted Mushroom, Truffle & Fontina Pizza and the iconic Key Lime Pie. The pizza was absolutely amazing—loaded with garlic, fresh herbs, fontina cheese, oil-cured tomatoes, truffle oil, and arugula. Every bite was bursting with flavor. The Key Lime Pie was as Key West as it gets: perfectly balanced between sweet and tart, with a burnt meringue topping and a touch of zest. It was pure decadence! The combination of the two made for an unforgettable game-day treat.

Our second visit was for breakfast, where we ordered the Smoked Salmon & Bagel and the Caprese Croissant Benedict. The smoked salmon dish featured Norwegian salmon, capers, red onions, tomato, cream cheese, and a locally made bagel. While the flavors were great, the bagel had clearly been toasted earlier and had cooled and hardened by the time it arrived. Thankfully, the staff quickly replaced it with a freshly toasted one upon request.

The Caprese Croissant Benedict was a creative twist on the classic, with grilled tomato, pesto, fresh mozzarella, poached eggs, and hollandaise on a homemade croissant. The dish was delicious, but the cold wedge of fresh mozzarella was a bit jarring against the warm croissant and eggs. A slight temperature adjustment would have made it perfect.

Despite these minor hiccups, we thoroughly enjoyed our meals at MoonDog Cafe. The flavors, creativity, and overall vibe of the place are fantastic. With a little attention to detail, this spot could easily be a 5/5. We’d definitely return and recommend it to anyone...

We all (group of 5) decided on Moondog because of the excellent menu and beautiful location. It also got rave reviews. Everyone ordered a different dish. Two of us shared the turkey avocado sandwich, standard burger, blackened Mahi tacos and the quiche. We also had sweet potato fries with a key lime dip.

The food was a mixed bag. The quiche was not pleasant. The flavor was average and the texture was off. It didn’t taste like a traditional quiche, it had a mousse-like feel to it. The burger was surprisingly messy and had too many onions on it. It was on the greasy side. However the person that ordered it didn’t go for the organic beef which would have been better I assume. I had the fish tacos which was the best dish of all. They were flavorful and the presentation was top-notch. They were topped with avocados, guacamole, sour cream and feta cheese. The turkey avocado sandwich was another standout. It was packed with flavor and had good consistency.

We didn’t do dessert because we wanted to get that elsewhere but they had a huge bakery selection. The service was not the best. One of us has to wait a long time for a refill. It wasn’t terrible though. The pricing was a little high considering the portions. Parking was a nightmare too, because of the location itself. I thought there would be more seating too so on weekends I would assume there would be a long wait. There is a bar inside as well for those who want to drink. One final thing I want to mention is the decor and building itself. I really liked the interior and the atmosphere, which was cozy and relaxed. The menu had a lot of gluten free and dairy free options which is always a plus, and they use quality ingredients. Overall, I would...