The atmosphere makes the whole experience!

Blue Heaven is a wonderful restaurant and very ‘Key West’. Their very low-key atmosphere attracts many locals and tourists. It’s located in Bahama Village. The restaurant has a back yard with a outdoor bar. ou can sit dry under one of the old sails hanging between the trees. In the garden you will meet the chickens and roosters. They are walking around (for example) under your table and chasing at each other. So if you scared of chickens, this isn’t the place for you.

Recommended by many locals we thought it was time to try lunch at the Blue Heaven. Tables were filled (60 %) with locals and tourists. We got a table in the middle of the back yard. Normally I don’t prefer a table in the middle, but this one was fine. The waiter was very friendly and explained the specialty of the day to us. We decided to try something of the regular menu. I had Jamaican Jerk Chicken Sandwich, which are strips of boneless breast tenderized in a 12-herb marinade, served on a bakery fresh bun with lettuce and tomato. It was very good.

As dessert we tried their very special and homemade Key Lime Pie. It was the best we ever had. Sure there are many restaurants with a good piece of Key Lime Pie, but never as good as the Blue Heaven. I can’t explain the taste in words, the only thing I can say: Don’t leave the island, before trying their Key Lime Pie!

The prices are reasonable. We’ve never tried breakfast or diner. That is something we are going to do next time. The staff was very friendly and checked on us at just the right amount. They even filled my empty bottle of water (just before we left), which I bought somewhere else. They let you sit as long as you want, even if you’re finished lunch. It was very nice to relax some more, before exploring the streets of Key West. The only thing I missed at Blue Heaven was some live music. Maybe they only have live music in the weekends, but I’m not sure. The atmosphere makes the whole experience!

The building where Blue Heaven is located used to be a space for gambling and boxing matches hosted by Hemingway. Today, Blue Heaven is a ‘laid back’ restaurant, where the chickens are walking around. The entrance is very invited; you just want to know what’s behind the entrance. This restaurant offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It’s a favorite by locals and tourists.


What’s on the menu?

Just to give you an idea:

Breakfast: Lobster Benedict, Breakfast Tortilla, Breakfast Sandwiches (on a Fresh Kaiser Bun)

Lunch: Jerk Chicken Plate, Locally Caught Fish, Key West Cheese Steak and much more.

Dinner: Caribbean BBQ Shrimp, Yellowtail Snapper, Filet & Shrimp


Hours

Breakfast: 8am - 11:30am
Lunch: Noon - 3pm
Dinner: 6pm - 10:30pm

Ricky's Blue Heaven is in a state of crisis. Apparently the local yokels have decided that dirt floors, wandering chickens, and an overhead rope swing are not compatible with 21st-century health department regulations.

Idiots!

The real issue is the neighbors, who have complained that the Blue Heaven is too much fun, too crowded, and too noisy. Party Poopers!

In reality, like most of Key West (which was founded by ship wreckers - legally licensed pirates), the site of Ricky's Blue Heaven was a whorehouse. And the locals got to watch the goings-on. So if they're mad now, it's because it's not as much fun watching people eating as it was watching them do the horizontal mambo.

On two separate visits, we found the Blue Heaven to have the best food in Key West. Asian/Caribbean/Fusion/Funky menu (sorta hard to describe, actually). And even if it wasn't such a fun place, it would be a culinary treat.

Here are some of the menu items from our 2004 visit (from a purloined menu—don't tell anybody we have it!):

Vegetarian Gumbo Soup—Mildly spicy, with okra, tomatoes, and peppers. Garnished with brown basmati rice.

Caribbean BBQ Shrimp—Seared with garlic, shallots and jerk seasonings, deglazed with Red Stripe Beer and served with basmati rice, black beans, vegetables, and plantains. Served with black skillet corn bread.

Grouper - Rubbed with dry Caribbean spices, seared in a cast iron skillet, served with warmed julienne red onions, half moon cucumbers, lime and honey glaze, with herb potatoes.

They don't take reservations, so get there early and start drinking until your table is ready (and that's another Key West tradition). If it's still open when you get there, they're probably succeeded in persuading or bribing the local officials to let them stay in business. If they're closed, it is a loss to cultured humanity.

Blue Heaven was recommended by one of the owners of the B&B where we stayed. Within walking distance from our B&B, this was my favorite meal of our trip (and we ate out for lunch and dinner for an entire week). The menu offers a wide selection of food, but most of it is Cuban-inspired. I had the vegetable plate, which came with black beans, rice, and cornbread. We ate outside, in a courtyard area, with roosters roaming around freely. The tables are each painted a different color and there are sails hanging to block the sun. The service left something to be desired, but we found this at most restaurants in Key West. The outstanding food made up for the poor service. I would recommend Blue Heaven to anyone heading to Key West.

This was our first stop on our first evening, as it was 1 block from our B&B, and we loved it! It is all outside on sandy ground and a courtyard that is paved with the slate pool table tops from the days the downstairs operated as a billiard hall and ice cream parlour. This 100 year old building has quite a past. A century ago the residents of this house sold spirits to Key West and Florida Keys residents. Through the years the property has hosted cock fighting, gambling and Friday night boxing matches refereed by Ernest Hemingway. There was once a dance hall, a bordello and a playhouse on the second floor.

Today the restaurant is a fun place to spend an evening, too. The bar is like a tiki hut with a straw roof, and there is a nice long rope swing to play on no matter how old you are. While we were there, a group of friends celebrating were swinging between dinner and dessert!

We had a couple of specialty drinks while we waited for a table. They were very good, but must have been more potent than I expected. Whoa! We didn't have reservations, which are only accepted for parties of 10 or more, but waited only about 15 minutes. Dinner was very good, I had the Caribbean BBQ Shrimp and John had the Jerk Chicken. We had a really good time eating here, it was an experience of pure fun, and if you want to you can check out their gift shop on your way out.