Gluten Free Florida Keys
- Megan
- May 2
- 10 min read
Updated: May 12
Everywhere I ate as a Celiac from Miami to Key West.
My husband and I went to the Florida Keys for our honeymoon in July of 2024 and we had the best time. We flew into Miami and rented a car so we could drive the scenic Route 1 stretch all the way to Key West, stopping in different Keys on the way there and back to maximize the Keys experience.
As a gal living with Celiac Disease travel is always a little stressful so I typically do tons of research ahead of time so I have a decent idea of where I will be able to eat once we get there. Even with hours of research and cross-referencing the Find Me Gluten Free app (FMGF) with blogs and social media recommendations there is still always some risk with eating out and I get nervous about getting sick on my trip. I was so happy when I made it through an entire week in the Keys with no incidents (I am someone who gets severely sick from even a little cross-contact) and we had lots of great meals along the way.
One of the things we usually do when we travel is stop at a grocery store soon after we arrive to pick up easy gluten free breakfast items, snacks, and lunch supplies. I’ve found that unless we are somewhere that has amazing options for gluten free restaurants it is a lot less stressful for me if we only eat out once a day. Plus, when we are traveling for a week or more I get tired of eating out at all the time and often want something simpler and quicker than that.
In Florida we stopped at a Publix once we got to the Keys and grabbed some cooler bags and ice that we could load up to take food with us. We got stuff to make sandwiches as well as fruit, chips, snack bars, and gluten free pretzels. This ended up working out so well since many of the days we were out doing an activity around lunch time and not near any restaurants.
Gluten Free Florida Keys Itinerary
But now onto the restaurants where we did eat in Florida! Below you will find our full itinerary for eating gluten free in the Florida Keys.
This post is organized by location starting with Miami and working all the way down to Key West. I will share where we ate in each spot along the way as well as my honest reviews of each restaurant and what I definitely recommend you try as well. This is not an exhaustive list of every you could safely eat in the Keys but it's the places we made it to as well as a few others we had on our list we didn't get to try.
Please remember everyone's experience eating out with food allergies can be different based on many factors outside of our control. The waiter you have, who is in the kitchen that day, and how well you are able to communicate your needs to the staff can change the dining experience from one person to another. There are also constant changes in the restaurant industry so it is always important to check information for yourself! This is my own personal experience with these restaurants but you should still do your own research before eating anywhere since things can change, always communicate your needs with your waitstaff and ask clarifying questions about their allergy protocols, and judge for yourself whether you feel comfortable eating at a specific location.
Miami
Chipotle: We landed in Miami pretty late in the evening and stayed in a hotel near the airport so there weren't many options for local restaurants nearby. We opted to just go to trusty old Chipotle since they are one of our go-to fast-casual eateries. I always ask the server to change their gloves for me, and I know if you ask they can get fresh containers out of the back too. I usually just pick the ingredients that someone would never grab with their hands (so I skip lettuce and cheese since it’s easy for a server to reach their hand into those containers) and have never gotten sick from cross-contact.
Pro-tip: If you need to communicate with a server in Spanish so they understand your allergy the phrases I use are “Puede usar guantes nuevos, por favor. Tengo una allergia al gluten.” (Translation “Can you use new gloves please. I have an allergy to gluten.”) That phrase has always worked well for me at communicating my needs, and when you are at a restaurant like Chipotle they do have allergy protocols in place so the server should know what to do after that.
Bolay: This place is 100% gluten free and super cool. It’s another fast-casual type of restaurant like Cava or Chipotle where you go through the line and pick which items you want to make a bowl. They had lots of variety with their flavors and everything felt very fresh and light. We stopped here on our way back to the airport before flying home to grab lunch and it was yummy enough I grabbed a bowl to-go for dinner too so I could eat at the airport!
Upper Keys
Key Largo
Lazy Lobster: This was absolutely in my top 3 meals of the whole trip! We went here on our last night in the Keys because it was close to our hotel and I had seen the pictures of the gluten free lobster Mac and cheese on FMGF 🤤 When it came out I realized I had food for lunch the next day too because the portion was huge! You get this mountain of pasta in a creamy, cheesy sauce with a full spiny lobster on the side. The pasta was good enough I made my gluten-eating husband taste test it to make sure it really was GF before I dove in. We sat outside and the vibes were exactly what you want from a Florida Keys restaurant, just missing the ocean-front view. It was a great meal to end our trip and I totally recommend checking this place out!
One thing of note: if you are used to New England lobster like me, just know spiny lobster has way less flavor and is not as good. You will find it a lot in dishes in the Keys and it is still worth trying, but know it is not the same as northern lobsters.
Places we didn’t get to:
I saw the Italian Food Company had great reviews on Find Me Gluten Free but we never ended up there. We were only in Key Largo for one night so this just wasn’t the restaurant we chose to eat at. Based on the number of gluten free pastas they have on the menu and the reviews for it, it definitely seems worth checking out if you are in the area.
Key Largo Chocolates and Ice Cream: We planned to go here after we ate at the Lazy Lobster but ended up being so full we just didn’t have room for dessert! Looks like a great little spot, though.
Islamorada
Twisted Shrimp: This was maybe my favorite meal of the whole trip. This place is such a random little road side restaurant that if you are not looking carefully for it you might totally miss. It’s a super eclectic spot and if you eat outside like we did just know that you will be sitting not far from the traffic on Route 1.
But the shrimp. Oh, the gluten free, deep fried shrimp. It is fried to perfection in a gluten free breading and cooked in a designated fryer. LOVE! It is served with equally wonderful French fries and a yummy dipping sauce. They have a lot of gluten free options on the menu and all of their fried seafood is coated with a gluten free breading, which means so many fried options for us Celiacs! I think one of the reasons I loved this meal so much was because this is something unique that I am not able to get anywhere else and it was so tasty. This would definitely be one of my most recommended spots to try for a fun and different meal.
Amara Cay Resort - ReelCatch: We stayed at the Amara Cay Resort in Islamorada our first 2 nights in the Keys. It’s a nice, ocean front resort with a lovely view and decent amenities, but there’s not anything really special or unique about it. We ate at their restaurant one night called ReelCatch and they didn’t have many gluten free options. I ended up getting a rice bowl that was actually from their room service menu that they were able to customize so that it was safe for me to eat. I wasn’t totally confident that the server or kitchen staff fully understood cross-contamination and was worried I would get sick, but I ended up being fine. Unless you are staying at this resort and the restaurant is an easy option for you it’s not one I would recommend going out of your way for. The food was fine but overpriced for what we got and nothing special.
Lower Keys
Key West
Left: Clarence S. Higgs Memorial Beach; Right: downtown Key West
MisoHappy: Our first night in Key West we stopped at this hole in the wall for dinner since I saw on FMGF that they had GF sushi and soy sauce. The first server we had didn’t totally understand when I mentioned having a gluten allergy and asking for the GF soy sauce so I was a little worried about getting food, but someone else from the kitchen staff ended up bringing out our meal and talked through which items were gluten free (for me) and which ones weren’t (for my husband) and he understood all of my questions about the safety they take preparing food so I felt a lot better after that. I got a salmon and avocado roll and a spicy tuna roll and both were very good.
Conch Republic Seafood Company in Key West
Conch Republic Seafood Company: This was my husband’s favorite meal of the trip and the top of both of our lists for best setting. The restaurant is right on the docks and is open on the sides so you get a great view all around you. It feels like a classic, rough-around-the-edges fish joint with good views and a fun atmosphere. I was looking forward to trying the conch chowder since I had heard it was gluten free but our waitress informed me they had recently changed the recipe so it wasn’t anymore. Sad day. But I did end up getting the Caribbean Spiced Mahi Mahi and it was good. The plantain chutney on top was the star of the dish and the island rice they served with it was very good. The “chef’s fresh vegetables" on the side were pretty uninspiring, though. This was definitely not a cheap meal (we probably spent about $85 between the 2 of us with an appetizer and seafood, and that didn't include any alcohol) but it was fun getting an authentic Key West experience and some fresh fish.
Key Lime Pie Co: We ended up at the Key Lime Pie Co after trying to go to Kermit’s Key Lime Pie Shop and not being convinced at how safe it was when the server couldn’t guarantee that the GF options had no cross-contamination from where they are made.
After a *short emotional breakdown from the mental fatigue of constantly trying to figure out where to safely eat as a Celiac in an unfamiliar place and always being worried that I would get sick despite my best efforts* I pulled myself together and we headed to the Key Lime Pie Co just down the street.
There they have key lime pie filling by itself in a cup. The owner was working when we were there and she told me she makes the fillings first thing in the day when the kitchen is totally clean and then seals those cups and puts them away before making the glutinous pie crusts. I was delighted to finally get to try the famed Key Lime pie since I had never had it before and I loved it! It was better than I expected it to be with that zingy lime flavor breaking up the sweetness of the custard. I was hooked and finally understood why everyone raves about key lime pie. This place is absolutely worth a stop when you are in downtown Key West!
El Meson de Pepe is full of fun pictures and Cuban decor.
El Meson de Pepe’s Cuban Restaurant: This was in my top 3 meals of the trip (along with the Twisted Shrimp and Lazy Lobster). It’s a fun restaurant full of Cuban and Cuban-American decor, photos, and history. It is also attached to a small Cuban cigar museum if you are interested in that. The atmosphere was fun, the food was great, and they had plenty of gluten free options.
I cannot remember exactly what I got but it was one of the grilled chicken dishes and the waitress was able to tell me which one I could get that did not have gluten in the sauce. The chicken itself was wonderfully flavorful, but the star for me was the side of Yuca. I had never tried yuca before and really enjoyed it. It is similar to a potato but the texture and flavor is a little different. I was a big fan. The beans on the side were also some of the best I have ever had, so all around it was a great meal. It was fun to sample another part of Key West history and get a type of food we can’t usually get at home.
Places we didn’t get to:
The Cuban Coffee Queen is a well-known landmark in Key West but we just didn’t make our way there. If you are into coffee I think it is definitely worth checking out.
Mangia Mangia Pasta Cafe: Another place that was on our list but we kept opting for more local cuisines over Italian food since that is something we can get at home, and things like fresh seafood and Cuban food aren’t options we always have. It seems like they have a lot of gluten free pasta choices and the pictures on FMGF are mouth watering.
Final Thoughts
The Florida Keys are such a fun and vibrant place to visit with their crystal blue water, surplus of fun activities, and interesting history. While they aren’t known for being a haven for the gluten free community there definitely are good options for food, even though it may take a little bit of research to find them. Hopefully this list gives you a starting place when it comes to finding safe restaurants in the Keys to enjoy.
Remember to always check with a restaurant and wait staff first before eating somewhere since things in the restaurant industry change all the time and the ingredients, recipe, chefs, or owners could be different now than when we visited. I hope you get to experience the Florida Keys for yourself and can enjoy some wonderful seafood, authentic Cuban, and delightful key lime pie too!
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