Ricks and Durty Harrys is the best place in KW, while it is in the heart of the action, you don't feel overwhelmed with tourist type folks (full disclosure, I have been going to KW for FF for about 6 years. If you don't know what FF is, check out Fantasyfest.net). Every Fantasy Fest you can find our crew, hanging at Durty Harry's at the tables just under the covers, between the two bars close to the restrooms. RIck's is an all in one pleasure compound - hip hop bar, rock bar, rum bar, NY style pizza joint, tittie bar and a few other bars thrown in for good measure.

Personally, I prefer the downstairs rock area. Typically my visits to Ricks include my wife, and her girlfriends all getting topless on stage with the band. Obviously, a fun time.

Here is a tip - the little bar at Ricks that is just in the compound (directly across from the Pizza parlor) will make you an awsome Greyhound (vodka grapefruit)if they arent busy -fresh squeezed ruby red grapefruit so yummy.

A seriously good time, and great DJ's music, pizza and drinks. The girls at the Red Garter (the strip club part of the compund) unfortunately are not as attractive as most of the girls at the bar. Be warned!

Check it out, overall, my fav place in KW.

By far our most frequented place while here. We came at the end of bike week and the beginning of spring break so there was something new happening here every night. One night was $10 all you can drink till midnight, and keep your cup, Another night was a wet t-shirt contest.This place was packed but if you can go to the top floor and grab a spot either at the railing next to the bar (this is the best view of the stage for events) or at the outside balcony. The balcony overlooks Duval Street and during spring break it is like New Orleans with people throwing beads etc. There is great people watching on the balcony.Ricks is partially an open air bar so in bad weather this may not be the place to go, we did not have bad weather so I am not sure how they work that. The place was packed every time we were there and had high energy level. Rick's did a great job of keeping the energy high all the time varying from contests, events, and just plain old music and dancing.

This place was all about hip-hop happening dancing! Leave the kids at the resort and have a night out with your man! This was a great time of good drinks, loud hip-hop music, and wild crowds. If you are looking for a happening place to go with a mate or to find a mate, this is it!

Rick’s Bar is made up of several different types of clubs. Rick's Down is the bar on the first floor with live entertainment including singers and karaoke. The Crow's Nest is up on the second floor and overlooks the courtyard. Rick's Tree Bar serves only premium drinks. Rick's Upstairs is a nightclub complete with DJs and strobe lights. Durty Harry’s features Rock 'n Roll in its club and The Red Garter is their strip club. It is a great idea on their part because you can get tired of one thing that is going on and just walk up a flight off stairs for a completely different experience. You will definitely have fun at one of the choices here.

Standing on Duval street near Sloppy Joe's (the most famous bar in Key West) amongst hundreds of Spring Breakers, you will hear the hip-hop/dance beats pouring out of Rick's, just begging you to come in and dance. There's a short line to get in and show the bouncer your ID (21 & up only), pay your $5 and make your way up the steep flight of stairs almost directly to the dance floor. The dance floor is PACKED, but you are drawn to it... the music just makes you want to dance. Everyone there is drinking, having a good time, and just out to have fun! There's a bar on the opposite side of the dance floor, but be prepared to push/dance your way through a lot of sweaty bodies to get there! It's easier to turn left at the stairs and go outside...

Once outside, there are two more bars, and it's a little less noisy. There are still tons of people, but at least they can hear you when you say "Excuse me" to get by. The bartenders are nice, but sometimes it's a little hard to get their attention. I can't tell you much about the drinks... I drank mostly bottled beer, which was once dissappointingly lukewarm. Past the outside bars and people is a set of stairs which will take you down to Durty Harry's where there's a live band (mostly belting out 80s rock tunes) and some more people. There's two bathrooms down here, which are sometimes less crowded than the ones inside Rick's. Part of this uncovered outside area overlooks Duval, so if you are taking a breather out here, you can people watch on the street below.

Another place to overlook Duval is on the covered balcony back inside (near the dance floor). This is where you can quickly escape the dance floor if you are on that side and just need some air.

I think from 6 to 11 PM, you can pay $10 to get in for "all you can drink." We never did this, so I can't tell you if it's worth it. They also had the same deal till 1 AM at Club Epoch, down the street for $6, and we heard it was only cheap keg beer and the line was so long at the beer stand, that it wasn't worth it. I can only assume that Rick's had sort of the same deal.

We spent most of the night on the dance floor, dancing with the hundreds of sweaty guys on the wet, dirty floor (be careful not to slip and fall like my friend!). They played mostly current hip-hop (Wyclef, Nelly, Jagged Edge, Shaggy) and some dance-techno (Daft Punk, Zombie Nation, Sonique). We were very happy with most of the music and the people there.