You can’t come to the Florida Keys without trying the dessert they’re most famous for. As the official state pie, key lime pie can be found all across the state of Florida. It is made from the tiny key limes grown in the Florida Keys. So on a recent trip to the Florida Keys, I decided I needed to eat key lime pie from breakfast to dinner in my quest to find the best key lime pie in the Florida Keys.
Below I share the results of this quest with you and also tell you about an alternative key lime option that isn’t a pie. It was so good I would come back just to eat another one! So continue reading below to find out what this delicious key lime dessert was.
Plus, I’ll list a bonus place to get amazing key lime pie in Miami, just in case you wish to stop there too. The below list is in order of my favorite key lime pie to my least favorite with bonus options listed below.
Two Main Ways to Make Key Lime Pie
You will find two main styles of key lime pie when you visit the Florida Keys. One is made using a graham cracker crust with optional whipped topping, and the other is made with a traditional pastry crust with a meringue topping. Florida residents hotly debate which way is best.
As a West Coast visitor, I was used to eating key lime pie baked with a graham cracker crust and then optional whipped topping. However, I did try the traditional pastry crust version with meringue topping while I visited the Keys, and I will share with you where that was and my thoughts below.
Best Key Lime Pie in the Florida Keys
Kermit’s Key West Key Lime Shoppe
Kermit’s has been around for over 25 years and is a Key West staple for all things key lime. So it comes as no surprise when I declared their key lime pie to be the best key lime pie I tasted in the Florida Keys!
If you aren’t able to make it to Key West to sample some for yourself, they will even ship it to you! In addition to key lime pie, they also sell key lime candy, jelly, salsa and dressings, bath and body products, and so on. You get the picture. They have tried to use key limes in just about everything!
It may not look like much, but this is one delicious piece of pie!
My Pie Impressions: It had a nice strong key lime flavor and a good graham cracker crust. It is important to me that I can taste the tartness of the key limes, I don’t want a key lime pie that is overly sweet. I also want a nice graham cracker crust, still crunchy, not soggy. If I had to find one thing wrong with it, I felt it’s filling was a little too dense (that’s just if I’m super picky).
Conclusion: Kermit’s Key West Key Lime Shoppe had my vote for the best key lime pie in the Florida keys. Try them on your next visit, you won’t be disappointed!
Kermit’s has two locations in Key West.
Kermit’s Address: 200 Elizabeth St, Key West, FL 33040 or 431 Front St #2, Key West, FL 33040
Key West Key Lime Pie Co
This was my runner up for best key lime pie in the Florida Keys. I loved that you could purchase little mini key lime pies and also that they made their whipped topping fresh. I’m kind of a snob when it comes to store-bought whipped topping, but when I saw them piping the fresh-made whipped topping on their pies, I knew I wanted to try it!
In addition to selling key lime pies, they also offer a key lime pie class where they teach you to make your own mini key lime pie. That sounds like my kind of class!
The freshly piped whipped topping was a nice touch to this mini key lime pie.
My Pie Impressions: The pie filling was nice and creamy. I loved the texture of the filling, however the key lime flavor wasn’t as strong as I prefer it to be. Also, the crust fell apart and was a little too thin; thus, it became slightly soggy. So overall, I did enjoy their pie, but remember, I was on a quest to find the best key lime pie, so I had to nitpick a little to narrow it down.
Key West Key Lime Pie Co Address: 511 Greene St, Key West, FL 33040
Midway Cafe & Coffee Bar
The Midway Cafe & Coffee Bar is an excellent choice for breakfast if you happen to be in or near Islamorada. On this day, I decided I needed to have key lime pie for breakfast (don’t judge me). The Midway Cafe has the traditional key lime pie recipe, and for locals, they might argue that because of this, it is the best key lime pie.
For me, coming from the West Coast, this was my first time having key lime pie baked in a pastry crust and topped with a meringue topping. So, I was a little surprised when I received my pie. However, I do love trying new things, and it was still key lime pie, so I figured you couldn’t go too wrong with it. Plus, I was served some delicious fresh brewed coffee to go along with my pie.
This is the traditional way of making key lime pie using a pastry crust with meringue.
My Pie Impressions: This key lime pie was made in a traditional pastry crust, and served with a thick meringue topping. It was good, as a pie, but not quite what I expected for a key lime pie. The crust was nice and flaky, and they did an excellent job with the meringue. However, the flavor of the key limes was somewhat lost, I feel, due to the taste and thickness of the pastry crust. So, although not my choice for the best key lime pie, I would still recommend you try it since it is the contested “traditional” way to make a key lime pie.
Midway Cafe Address: 80499 Overseas Hwy, Islamorada, FL 33036
Lorelei’s Restaurant & Cabana Bar
Lorelei’s is a wonderful spot to watch the sunset in Islamorada. We had a table next to the water and were able to walk over and watch a small shark swim by and two manatees during the time we sat there for dinner. They also had a live band as well as a magic act. So they are a great place to catch dinner, entertainment, and a sunset if you are in Islamorada.
That being said, their key lime pie was a bit of a let down for me. It is not a traditional key lime pie; it is a frozen key lime pie topped with mango sauce and whipped topping.
View from our table at Lorelei’s.
My Pie Impressions: There was very little lime flavor, and the texture was more like a mousse than pie, perhaps that was because it wasn’t frozen when it was served to me. It was a bit of a let down on my quest for the perfect key lime pie. The atmosphere, waterfront view, and service I received at Lorelei’s, however, was terrific! So skip the key lime pie and enjoy dinner and a sunset here instead.
Lorelei’s Address: 96 Madeira Rd, Islamorada, FL 33036
Tip: No assigned seating here, just show up and pick an empty table.
Best Key Lime Dessert That Wasn’t a Pie
In a category, all their own, are the key lime muffins at Harriette’s Restaurant in Key Largo. These muffins were SO good! They have a delicious tart filling, the muffin itself is fluffy and light, not dense and hockey-puckish like so many muffins can be. It is topped with powdered sugar and tastes oh so good with a cup of coffee.
I know this photo doesn’t show it, but this is the best tasting key lime muffin you’ll ever eat!
I want another one just thinking about it. It might have been one of the best muffins I’ve ever eaten. If I had to choose between a slice of key lime pie or this key lime muffin, I’d choose the muffin. It was that good. Plus, I can make a good key lime pie on my own, I do not know how to make this delectable muffin – but I want to learn!
In addition to Harriette’s amazing muffins, they also have excellent breakfast and coffee. The service was top notch too! I know if I lived in Key Largo, this would be a regular hang out of mine. I also know I would need to run every day to keep the pounds off!
Harriette’s Address: 95710 Overseas Hwy, Key Largo, FL 33037
Delicious Key Lime Pie in Miami
So first things first, if you go to Miami, then you should try Cuban food. Let me just put that out there first off. If you’ve never eaten Cuban food, Versailles Restaurant in Little Havana is a great place to start.
If you happen to be in the area, but don’t want to eat a meal, they also have a bakery adjoining their restaurant where you can purchase all sorts of yummy baked goods made fresh each day. Their key lime pie happens to be really good! It might have tied Kermit’s for my first place position had I been able to do a side by side comparison, although, I still think the flavor of Kermit’s filling is better.
I love palm trees!
My Pie Impressions: It had a fantastic graham cracker crust, it was probably the thickest graham cracker crust I’d ever seen, and the filling had good lime flavor. However, the downside is that the crust may have stolen the show a little from the filling. So that’s where I have to get picky, the crust was so good, that it overpowered the filling just a little.
The food here was also amazing! If you come, I highly recommend–in addition to the key lime pie, that you try their imperial rice dish, you’ll be glad you did!
Versailles Restaurant Address: 3555 SW 8th St, Miami, FL 33135
Key Lime Pie Conclusions
So there you have it. My choice for the best key lime pie in the Florida Keys is Kermit’s Key West Key Lime Shoppe. However, if you happen to be in Miami, check out the bonus key lime pie option there too.
Also, do not miss eating the muffin at Harriette’s Restaurant. I mean, you still need to try the key lime pie at Kermit’s, but also make Harriette’s a stop. You can buy the muffins to go, but I highly recommend you enjoy it with a cup of coffee, then get another for the road.
Okay, now that I am thoroughly craving a key lime pie, I think I will go on a hunt for a muffin recipe.
Happy Pie Hunting!
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