How to Eat Healthy When Visiting Key West, Florida
Happy Friday, my friends! I hope your week was good and you have great things planned for the weekend. When I wrote this on Monday I was catching up on reality after four glorious days in Key West, Florida. My brother and his partner of twenty-two years were finally able to tie the knot, and let me tell you, those guys know how to get married. Out at sea, on a two level catamaran with their closest friends and family members, at sunset; that's the way to celebrate.
As beautiful and tropical as Key West is, many of the restaurants that I visited are not ahead of the times when it comes to putting a veggie entree on the menu, and it doesn't seem as if non-dairy milk has caught on down there either. There are a few veg restaurants on the island but most places cater to seafood and meat and dairy loving people. No Bueno.
I had to be creative and do a lot of explaining as to what I couldn't eat when I ordered.
The rehearsal dinner was at a beautiful sea side restaurant, our server was lovely, but she didn't really get the whole vegan thing, so I got a plate of gorgeous grilled vegetables soaked in butter. So sad. 🙁 I felt like I was taking communion that night because I ate a lot of bread and drank a lot of wine. My bro kept apologizing, as if it was his fault, of course it wasn't, but still so sweet of him. I have to say that incident made me realize that I have to spell it out when I order so I don't get slipped a dairy mickey.
Other than that, all was good, and we had a wonderful time. And it was so glorious to feel the sunshine and heat after the cold winter and chilly spring in Chicago.
This week I'm not going to share my workout schedule with you because I don't have one to share. I didn't get a lot of running in because it was hot, and I wasn't used to running in the heat and humidity. However, I did do a lot of walking, biking, and swimming, so all wasn't lost. My body probably needed a little break from all of the strict training, and I know that my mind certainly did.
Since eating healthy is just as important as training when you're preparing for a marathon, I'm going to show you what I ate and just how creative I needed to get while eating out.
How to Order Vegan Food in a Non-Vegan Restaurant
Day 1
We arrived in Key West at 6:00 PM and met my brother and his fiance at The Cafe, a vegan friendly restaurant that has really good food.
The Breakfast King and I shared vegan spring rolls and fried Brussels sprouts. Both were amazing. My entree was a kale salad with grilled tofu steaks. Delicious! I also had a glass of sauvignon blanc and water.
Day 2
As always, I began my morning with water.
After a few glasses of water the BK and I ran from one side of the island to the other. It sounds like a big deal, but it wasn't. We ran a total of three miles, but it was so hot and humid that if felt like six.
We ate breakfast at the patio restaurant at our hotel. If you ever get to Key West, The Marker is a fabulous place to stay!
I had a bowl of steel cut oats with a small bowl of mixed blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries. They didn't have non-dairy milk so I just put a little brown sugar in my oats. I learned to like my coffee black on this trip too. I forgot to take a picture so I'm going to share one of my oatmeal pics instead. You get the idea.
After breakfast we shared a double chair next to the pool and soaked up some sunshine until it was time for lunch. I swam quite a bit too so I did get in some exercise.
For lunch we shared an order of guacamole with chips and I had a spinach and kale salad with asparagus, citrus, and sunflower seeds with citrus juice and virgin olive oil. I drank water and a margarita. Hey, I was on vacay!
After lunch we went for a long walk. I brought a big bag of almonds with me so I had a handful of almonds for a snack in the late afternoon and a couple of bottles of water.
This was the night of the rehearsal dinner and our server didn't understand that vegan meant NO animal products, and that butter is made from dairy. She brought me a beautiful plate of grilled vegetables that were drowning in butter. I took one bite and felt horrible that I couldn't eat it. What was really wild was the fact that I used to love the taste of butter, and after not eating it for over two years it tasted horrible to me. I gave the BK my veggies, so he was happy. I literally ate about four pieces of bread, water, and wine.
When we got back to our hotel after a night of karaoke at one of my brother's favorite spots, I dug into a bag of potato chips and drank a big bottle of water. Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do.
Day 3
I woke up and chugged water because I had so much salt the night before. Potato chips.
I had a cup of coffee at the hotel and then we walked over to The Cafe for breakfast, only they don't serve breakfast on week days, so we went to Sarabeth's, an adorable James Beard award winning restaurant with a beautiful outdoor patio. The BK and I started with champagne cocktails, coffee (black because they didn't have non-dairy milk), and water. Instead of going the typical oatmeal route, I ordered off of the sides menu. I had their breakfast potatoes with peppers and sweet onions, a bowl of fresh strawberries, and their jicama slaw. The slaw was AMAZING! It was a medley of jicama, mango, orange, and mint, with citrus juice. I'm going to make it and share it on the blog soon. You're going to love it.
We stopped at Walgreens on our way back to the hotel. Like I said above, my brother was married on a catamaran, and I've been known to get sea sick, so I picked up some natural ginger Dramamine. They had beautiful bananas so I bought a few and ate one for a snack later in the morning. I also drank several bottles of water because we walked a lot.
We had a late lunch at a cute restaurant near the harbor because my brother warned me that there wouldn't be a lot for me to eat on the boat. We shared an order of guacamole and I had a delicious mixed greens salad with corn, cucumbers, tomatoes, and plantain chips. I also had a beer. Again, I was on vacay! 
The wedding was beautiful. Everything was perfect. The weather was gorgeous, the boat was really nice, and the ceremony was so emotional. This is a picture of the happy couple and my mom watching the sunset.
The food was tapas style so I did get to eat quite a bit. I had tons of hummus, veggies, fruit, and crackers. No complaints from me.
Day 4
The day always begins with water, then coffee. I really started to get used to drinking black coffee, it wasn't bad. We had breakfast at the hotel and I went with the steel cut oats and berries again.
We rode bikes to the public beach on the other side of the island and ate lunch at the Southernmost Beach Cafe. It sits right on the sand next to the ocean. I had a delicious veggie sandwich with portobello mushrooms, hummus, pickled onion, red pepper, lettuce, and tomato, and fries. I ate the entire sandwich and about a quarter of the fries. I had a glass of sauvignon blanc and water. After lunch we hung out on the beach for a while and relaxed, then rode the bikes back to the hotel and sat by the pool.
We had a mojito at the pool and it was AWESOME!
We went to dinner with my brother and his husband ♥, my mom, and their close friend. The server was so nice and knew what vegan meant. She had the chef make me a lovely pasta with fresh vegetables.
Time to go home.
The BK, my mom, and I went to The Cafe for breakfast before we drove to the airport. I had water, coffee with soy milk, and a grilled tofu Benedict. It had kale, tomatoes, whole grain bread, and avocado "hollandaise" sauce, and a side of breakfast potatoes.
As you can see, I was able to get my daily allowance of veggies and grains in, but in some cases I had to be really creative so that I didn't eat the same things every day. Ordering off of the sides menu is a great idea because you can construct a meal that suites your tastes.
Overall I ate fifty percent healthy and fifty percent unhealthy. Restaurant food has a lot of salt and oil, which isn't ideal, but if you only eat like that once in a while, and the things you are eating are plant based whole foods, you don't have to feel too bad.
Here are a few more photos of Key West if you're interested. One of my favorite things about the island was that there are roosters roaming everywhere. This cutie pie hung out with my mom and I at the beach one morning. I think he felt safe next to me.
Tell me:
Is your favorite vacation spot somewhere on a beach, a mountain, or in the desert?
What was your most creative dinner put together with sides?
Do us a favor, we want to show the world that plant-based foods are delicious and exciting. So let's connect and share all of this awesomeness with the world. Hop on over to our Facebook page and give it a like, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter, and follow us and share this and other Veganosity recipes on Pinterest. We'd be so grateful if you did. If you like this recipe and can't wait to see what we're going to share next, subscribe to Veganosity. Just fill in the subscription box above our picture in the top right corner of the page. And, Alex and I love hearing from you, please leave a comment and let us know what you think of our recipes.
Lee says
I feel you... I had a family event the other day at a restaurant where they guaranteed my aunt that they would have a veggie option for me (4 months in advance, when she booked the place). In the end, I was served a plate with a sliced tomato and a small mount of arugula on top...that.was.it. And they charged for a regular dish! My aunt kept apologizing too, as if it was her fault! I don't think I will ever go to that restaurant again...
Linda Meyer says
Oh, Lee, that's horrible! What kind of a narrow minded, minimally talented chef can't put together a simple pasta with veggies dish? I would have refused to pay an entree price for that, but that's just me. I can be sassy when I feel cheated. 😉
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
That's sad! I feel like tropical destinations should be all beautiful plant-based food :/ And why would someone DESTROY grilled veggies with butter :O **crying here too!**
At least food isn't the most important thing 😉 Beautiful time, my friend and congrats to you brother!
Linda Meyer says
So true! I was shocked when I took the first, and last, bite and tasted butter. Thank you, my friend. 🙂
Greg @ Full of Beans says
Hi Linda,
Great trip report and it sounds like you managed just fine. I have heard that Key West is just not "with it" yet so Im not surprised you had some issues with getting food. But you got some decent options there, anyway. Congratulations to your brother and "new" husband!
Our fav vacation spot is generally a nice warm sunny beach. We are rather partial to the delightful stretch of beach in the Canaveral National Seashore. Quiet, beautiful, uncrowded, undeveloped - heavenly. But we are headed for Vieques in July so there might be a new fav in our future. 🙂
Love that you made a dinner with sides - thats fabulous. I have done that a few times and I can tell you it almost always includes fries. LOL!
Linda Meyer says
Hi Greg! Thank you, we really enjoyed our short little trip, and I'll pass along your congrats to my brother and his hubby.
Vieques sounds wonderful. I've never been to Puerto Rico, but I've heard it's beautiful. Enjoy!
I actually like making a meal out of the side dishes in restaurants. The servers sometimes look at me like I'm crazy, but that's fine, I am sometimes and I'm not ashamed to admit it. 🙂
JoAnn lakes says
I live here in KW and things are improving here for vegans. It's hard when you don't know the area and find yourself walking or using a bike. If you find yourself in KW again ask them at the Cafe for some help. There's a health food store and cafe, the sugar apple in Old Town. They would be helpful. There's a grocery store next street up from the cafe where you can get nondairy milk and bring it back to your inn. Most places will store it for you. You can use the app 'happy cow' to get some offerings. You have to be creative around here but when I moved here 6 years ago if it wasn't for Amazon.com I would have starved. That being said thank you for coming to our little piece of paradise
Linda Meyer says
Hi JoAnn! First let me say that you're so fortunate to live in such a beautiful and friendly place. I guess I'm spoiled living near a big city because most restaurants offer some sort of dairy free milk options. I was going to buy a carton of Silk at Walgreens but because we were only there for three full days I knew that most of it would go to waste. I loved the Cafe, the food was good and I really liked the vibe. I can't wait to go back and do more exploring. If our stay would have been longer you can bet that I would have done a lot more searching for vegan friendly places. Thanks for your comment. 🙂
JoAnn Lakes says
I'm glad you want to return. If you really want to get away,check our Deer Run Bed and Breakfast on Big Pine Key. It's green and vegan. The prefect get away. (only adults) I know that we have a long way to go down here but when guests come and demand options we get change. Everyone help Key West become vegan friendly!
Linda Meyer says
Deer Run sounds wonderful, JoAnn! Thank you for telling me about it. YES! Vegans, let's band together and make all cities vegan friendly, especially Key West. 🙂
smokeytoes says
I second the Happy Cow recommendation, that website has helped me many a time.
Linda Meyer says
Hi there! Yes, I should have thought of that. Happy Cow is a great resource. Thanks so much. 🙂
Jenn says
Sounds like an amazing trip! Congrats to your brother and his new husband! I learned to drink my coffee black a LONG time ago. I used to put dairy creamer in it long ago, but plant milks and creamers never tasted very good to me in coffee, so I would just leave it out. If you get good coffee, it's so much better black! Congrats on sticking to such a healthy diet! It may have had lots of salt and oil, but it could have been so much worse! 🙂
Linda Meyer says
Thank you, Jenn! I'll pass on the good wishes. 🙂
Thankfully, the hotel's coffee was good, or I would have bought a big container of Silk almond milk at Walgreens and carried it with me-hahaha! Wouldn't that have raised some eyebrow. 🙂
I felt like I did the best that I could do in regards to eating, but I did eat way too much fried food. At least I got it out of my system.
Anjali @ Vegetarian Gastronomy says
I love your posts like this! It's great to see what others eat in a day and I love exploring food in other cities! I try to document mine to some extent, but it's great reading your travel post. Plus, I love key west and haven't been back in ages!!
Linda Meyer says
Thank you, Anjali! I like to hear that because I often think, "why would anyone care what I eat?" 🙂 I'll definitely go back to Key West, I didn't have enough time to see all that there was to see.
Mel @ avirtualvegan.com says
BBQ Unwing Dings made me laugh so much! What a great name!
It sounds like a lovely wedding. What a great location. Eating is always a challenge when we are away from our own kitchens eh? I am off to Hawaii in July and am worrying about the food already. I am such a foodie and not having decent meals makes me hangry! lol
As for holiday locations. I like all three. Beaches, mountains and desert. I love to explore. Somewhere there is a combo of all three would be perfect! lol
Linda Meyer says
Wasn't that funny?! I cracked up when I saw it in the window. My husband and I went to Maui decades ago and it was truly magical. Try and make it to the top of a volcano to watch the sunrise. It's spectacular.
I know what you mean about being hangry. I ripped into that veggie sandwich after a few days of salads. I wish I could just step into the kitchen at restaurants and whip up my own meal-haha!
A beach, mountain, desert location would be heaven. I could sun myself in the morning, ski in the afternoon, and sit around a fire outside in the evening. 🙂
Vegan Heaven says
This looks like such a great trip, Linda! 🙂 I love Key West! I've been there last December and it was absolutely gorgeous. So glad you found so many vegan options.
Linda Meyer says
It's so beautiful and low key. No pun intended. I can't wait to go back.
Aimée / Wallflower Girl says
What a beautiful place! it's hard having to get creative with side dishes sometimes.I usually order some plain pasta with tomato sauce and veg, assuming the pasta is egg-free, if I'm at a loss. However, pretty much all the restaurants in my town have some really amazing vegan options now - it's just travelling that is the problem!
Linda Meyer says
It's so beautiful! Pasta is always my go to, as long as it isn't egg pasta. Most of the restaurants that we went to in KW didn't have pasta on the menu so it wasn't an option. Nevertheless, I ate pretty well. 🙂 Thanks, Aimee.
therawproject says
Ugh, I had a lot of those problems last time we visited in-laws in a remote Florida town, "vegan" salads were topped with cheese even after careful explaining and I was a cheap salad bar date at BBQ places. Good thing for protein bars and smoothie packets! I still love Key West and hope they get with the times soon for veg options, but it looks like you did pretty well considering. Great pictures and so nice that you had an opportunity to soak up some sun. Yes, running in humidity is really hard if you're not used to it!
Linda Meyer says
Alex worked in a restaurant in college and said that the chef only took allergies seriously. She now tells the server that she has a dairy allergy. I'm going to start saying that too. I think some people just think that vegans are annoying and don't listen to us.
It was really hard running because I went from cold to hot in a day. It's finally warm in Chicago so I'm getting used to it fast. 🙂
Natalie says
You did very well finding veg options in seafood land I'd say! Florida is definitely not the most vegan friendly place, but at least there was one vegan restaurant on down there. And coming home with recipe ideas is always good too! I recently had the exact same situation, "Oh I'll just order some broccoli from the sides menu!" and it comes drenched in butter :p What a beautiful trip overall and congrats to your brother!
Linda Meyer says
A few of my readers informed me that there are a few more vegan options in KW. That's so good to hear, next time I'll check them out. Thanks, Natalie! I'll tell him you said so. 🙂
Uma Srinivas says
Sounds like you had good trip 🙂 one of my wish is to visit Florida 🙂 and congrats to your brother!
Every person have threir own concerns about food while traveling. It's nice to know about your trip and how you managed with your food:)
Linda Meyer says
Thank you, Uma! I'll tell him you said so. 🙂
Hauke Fox says
Woaah, how I would love to go for a boat trip right now. I went on one around Barcelona, but that's years ago. Plus those unwing dings made me curious 😀
Linda Meyer says
Barcelona is on my bucket list of places I want to visit. Alex spent many weekends their visiting her friends when she studied in London. She loved it so much.
Vanessa @ VeganFamilyRecipes says
What a wonderful trip, Linda! Looks like you had a really great time! I would have had a margarita too 😉 I also always have a small bag of raw almonds in my purse, just in case hunger strikes and there is no vegan/fruit in sight.
Also congrats on training for a marathon!
Linda Meyer says
Thank you, Vanessa. It was a great trip, although too short. I could have stayed longer. 🙂
Genevieve says
Hello! I am training for a marathon too! 🙂 So far my favorite part about training for something is that it has changed my perspective on food in a really positive way, before a meal I think, "will this help or hinder my next run?" Of course I really like a nice dark chocolate, but I declined it the night before a run because I knew it would keep me up and I wouldn't be able to hop out of bed, put my shoes on and go! That felt really nice....however, I didn't even get out to go running because I was in a new city and didn't have the energy to "be explorative" and find a route for 90 minutes. I should have gone the day before! Live and learn. As for food while traveling....I am studying in Germany right now and they will most likely have a place selling fruit and a bakery selling pretzels that are vegan. Those have become my creative lunch options when hopping from train to train! I've noticed that some vegan foods make me feel actually pretty ill, like you said, a lot of salt and oil. I'm fine with fat, but sometimes it's just too much. It's so possible and actually easy well on the go. Sometimes it means stopping at a grocery store and eating and avocado, raspberries and some hummus on a park bench, other times it means eating a salad when you want something more hearty but they don't offer a vegan option. It's a price I don't mind paying for sleeping great, having a lot of energy and knowing that I'm not contributing to the gross harm done to animals. Thanks for the post!
Linda Meyer says
Hi Genevieve! How exciting to study in Germany. Alex studied for a semester in London and absolutely loved it. Enjoy!
I love that you'll stop at a supermarket and buy an avocado, hummus, and fruit for lunch. Those are my favorite kinds of meals, and so healthy. I totally agree, food will make you feel strong and alive or weak and weary. I'd rather eat healthy foods that make me feel good.
Thanks for the nice comment, and you're welcome. 🙂
Larisa Garpstas says
I am sitting in key west right now.... So funny I got this blog post on my way here. I just enjoyed several vegan plates at "the cafe" located at 509 southward street. We had the Kung pao tofu, udon noodle bowl, gyoza and desserts. My fav was the key lime cheesecake! OH YUM! This is a must place for vegans. It is vegetarian but MANY vegan options. Huge portions! Great prices. Adorable decor.
Linda Meyer says
Hi Larisa! I'm so jealous! We meant to try the vegan key lime cheesecake but we were stuffed from the appetizers and dinner. Enjoy!