Louie's Backyard

this place is in a great location and has an awesome view but the food is way too overpriced and the staff is rude like the others say!! step it up louie's ! more

When I called to make a reservation they girl was very rude and the wait staff seemed like they had better things to do..the food was ok but over priced more

This place (coverted house) has a wonderful back porch and deck that overlooks the water on the south end of the island.\r \r We went for Sunday brunch in February 2011. The food and service was good. No alcohol until noon - so we waited to order and just took in the view of the water from the upper deck.\r \r My only complaint is that the host wanted to seat us in the full sun on a hot day even though there were other tables with umbrellas or not in the sun. We asked to move and he and our initial waiter seemed miffed. At rfirst I thought we were perhaps being unreasonable, however, it was good to see that as other diners arrived (and he tried to seat them in the sun) they protested as well and moved to other tables. Each time the host seemed miffed - I guess he just does not get it. They need to work on the way the staff interacts with patrons. more

If I could give this restaurant ZERO stars, I would! We were HORRIBLY insulted!!!\r \r To make a VERY long story short, from the moment we arrived to the restaurant, the staff seemed arrogant and rude. We made a reservation for 13 and when we went upstairs, we found two separate round tables. We mentioned to the host/manager (still trying to figure out whether he's the owner) that we thought we'd be seated together, and we were then told that when one makes a reservation for any number of people, you should always ask whether the party will be seated together. We then simply asked whether there was a way the two tables could be pushed together, and we were told he didn't like the way it would make the restaurant look and that he did not appreciate us trying tell him how to run his business..\r \r At that point, we obviously decided it was best for us to leave and when we told the host/manager that we felt it was an inappropriate way to treat patrons, he said our party was not important when he had another 20 people waiting to be seated. While we were walking away, he and other staff members proceeded to call us extremely vulgar and insulting names. It was absolutely the most incredible, offensive, disrespectful and abusive experience at a restaurant any of us had ever experienced!\r \r To sum it up, most of the people in our group have eaten at the best restaurants across the world and have NEVER been treated this way. Because this restaurant is such a tourist trap and knows they will continue to get business, they do not value their customers and simply, DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOU!!!\r \r Needless to say, we, nor anybody we've told our story to will NEVER return to this ungracious, classless and vulgar restaurant, and I am willing to beg you not to either.\r \r Pros: NONE Cons: The staff more

we have always loved going to louies backyard UNTIL new years day 2010. our waiter took my wine glass w/o taking drink orders. when i asked him to bring my wine glass back because i would be drinking wine, he began speaking in a loud tone ""it is the law to card, i need to see your id,"" i said i didn't mind showing him my id at all, but he should have asked me first, before taking my wine glass. long story short, the owner ended up coming over yelling at me ""hunny you look 12!"" which i found EXTREMELY offensive. how dare anyone, let alone the owner, speak about my age/appearance in a negative tone. the bottom line is be careful. the owner is rude and disrespectful. we simply wanted a different waiter - and the owner ends up at our table shrieking about how young i look?beware all women that don't look 21... more

While I don't think the food is as memorable as it was when I first dined there in the early 90's, when you add location and ambience, Louie's Backyard is still on my list of can't miss dining spots in Key West. 2007 broke a string of 10 consecutive years visiting Key West so I can not address the reviews written that year; I can only say we never had a bad or poorly prepared meal nor were we ever treated badly or ignored by the staff. We'll be back in July and dinner at Louie's is top of the list. Pros: Great Location, Right On the Water, Ambience, Service more

The food was good, service(that night anyway) marginal. First it's are you ready, are you ready to order ? then we can't find her when it's time to order. The next door neighbor was grilling outside and the smoke forced us inside as there were no other tables. Not bad, but I think once is enough at Louie's Pros: on the water if you get it Cons: cranky waitress more

If you know Jimmy Buffet's song "Trying to Reason with Hurricane Season", you know about Louie's Backyard! A typical Key West haunt, it is a relaxed, fun place to go. Quieter than many of the places on Duval Street, it is a welcome change! Enjoy! more

Having recently returned from Key West October 18, 2007, I can say with gratitude that Louie's Backyard has defied time and is as great as ever. The last time I dined at Louie's was 20 years ago, shortly after Doug Shook took over as Executive Chef. Being in the restaurant business, Louie's those many years back, seemed like a jewel from the ocean, an oasis from the tourist environment of Duval Street. During this last visit I must have had 5 dinners and 2 lunches simply because no other on the island could deliver such consistently delicious food and gracious service. Each day Chef Shook fillets the freshest fish possible, caught and delivered by his fisherman. There may be fresh grouper served over braised red chard and brought together by a multi-layered vegetable demi-glace, or hog fish served over white chantrelle mushrooms, the lunch and evening ""specials"" are just that, very special. You must try their Bahamian Conch Chowder with Bird Pepper Hot Sauce. I have had other chowders that are OK, but come up short of the complete flavors of Louie's take on this dish. Other dinner entrees that have all been exemplary included Sauteed Veal Sweetbreads as tender as anyone could want; Pan Roasted Young Chicken that was as perfectly cooked as any chicken I have had and served with a melange of Artichokes, Eggpplant, and crist Roasted Fingerling Potatoes. A very special salad, not available outside of tomato season, brings together diced watermelon, heirloom tomatoes, and goat cheese. But it was layered in a circular ring with the goat cheese on the botton, the tomatoes and watermelon on top, placed on a bed of arugula and ""sprikled"" with balsamic jelly, not just the usual balsamic vinaigrette. It was truely inspired. Sevice was exemplary. I was made to feel as though I had walked into my own home. Wait staff were friednly, excited about the food served, and helpfull in every way that I could expect. Coupled with the ocean view, Louie's remains very special indeed. Pros: Very special food, service, wine list, and ambiance by the ocean. Well worth the price. more

As a veterean restaurateur, I am overly understanding of the dificulties of running a restaurant. Five of us went to Louie's Backyard in Key West because I was there years ago and loved it, but when I and another guest at our table of 5 ordered our Shrimp entrees ""Well Done"" because we (the paying guests) just like it that way...I was told by our server ""oh, don't worry they cook it."" Guess what, it came out not ""Well Done."" The server stopped by to ask how our meal was. I said ""not cooked enough"" (but who wants to wait for a sauced entree to be completely re-made while the rest of the table is already eating.) No manager ever stopped by to ask how our meal was. Experience ruined...and a couple hundred dollars wasted. \r \r I Just read another review about Louie's on the web and now I am REALLY GLAD a manager never stopped by our table. Seems a diner from Chicago tried to return an unsatisfactory meal..Diner was told by mgr he couldn't and would have to pay for it...he was told Police would be called...they were, Guest was threatened with arrest if he didn't pay for meal. (I would have comp'd guests meal AND given a free return card...but that's just me, who's made lots of $ in this biz) I asked the concierge at our hotel what is going on at Louie's Backyard. He said they are arrogant and he stopped sending hotel guests there. Restaurant's like Louie's give a bad name to to other restaurants who treat people with respect. Yes, Louie's food is creative, but good food + poor treatment = a bad experience, and there are plenty of other places to get ""a great meal"" in Key West. Pros: Location Cons: Service policies, attitude. more

I am an experienced resaurant critic and I would not usually take the step to write a review like this but if I can save just one person from wasting their time and monay at Louie's Backyard, it will have been worth it. Well, where to start! How about the arrogant hosts and wait staff that assume you know nothing about food or wine. Then let's move on to the food. I went back twice just to make sure I was not getting an off night. It seems as though every night is an off night. The chef can not get the propoer balance of seasoning on any dish I tried. Salads had limp greens. The lamb chops were overdone. The steak was tough and cold. Shrimp was rubbery. Need I go on? I don't know where the good reviews are coming from but I suspect employees? AVOID LOUIE""S!!! Pros: On the water. Cons: It's a terrible place to eat. more

We were glad to wait for our table. The hostess asked us if we would like to sit at the bar to wait or if we would like a table overlooking the ocean while we waited.... Ocean! How beautiful and romantic! We didn't really explore the inside of the restaurant, from what we saw it was really pretty. We spent all our time on the back deck. Actually it's plural.... decks.... multiple levels with pretty little white lights decorating it. When the hostess came to get us for our table we didn't know how she could top our table overlooking the water, but she managed. We sat next to a tree that the deck had been built around, we found it to be very charming. It included the view, sound of the water and was less windy (we were in Key West, who cared about the wind off the water!). Our waiter was great. He seemed a bit cold at first, but once we started joking with him he warmed up really quickly. He took great care of us and was extrememely professional and capable. Our dinner was right up there. Key West has no lack of great food & Louie's not only has the great food but they have that awe inspiring view. Pros: View, service, food Cons: you eventually have to leave more

I love this place! Every time I'm in Key West, I make a point to eat here. Try the Island Cosmo! It's Tasty! The food is always good. The view is incredible! I can't say enough good things about Louie's Backyard! more

I've been to Louie's Backyard many times. I can say that I've never had a bad experience there. I've gone with friends who've raved about it. A few times we couldn't make up our minds about what we wanted to eat, so, we just told our waiter to bring us an appetizer, main course and dessert. Each time our waiter made excellent choices and we enjoyed our meals immensely. Pros: Fantasic Food, Classy, Impeccable Service more

The only nice person we meet was the waiter. Everybody else was quite rude. The food was good but not great. The setting was great though. more

Drinks by the water, dinner in a quaint resturant Louis is a unique dinning experiance, one to enjoy while in Key West Pros: view more

Living on their reputation; not much in the way of innovation over the past three years; but still definitely one of the best spots on the island. more

I love this place first because it is a beautiful retaurant on the inside. The wooden floors alone make this plce unique. The outside is wonderful for a drink or dinner. Plus, the food is very good, fresh and a great menu. Very romantic Pros: good food, romantic, beautiful more

November 12th, 2002 I was married in Key West with a small group of family and friends. It was a great time. The only thing was everyone was there with us...so we ran around with everyone almost all the time. Our last night in Key West was to ourselves and we wanted to go out to eat at a nice restaurant, we had heard about Louie's Backyard. It was so perfect...the sound of the waves the balmy breeze and some of the best food we have ever eaten. That will always be one of my fondest memories with my husband. more

The only thing better than the seared fresh tuna was the view. It just melts in your mouth with its wonderful taste. Pros: great food, great views Cons: slowish service, expensive more