The Waterfront Brewery

 

 

I did not expect this to be such a massive venue, but it became immediately clear upon arrival after our early evening walk that they've got it all under one huge roof: a game hall or two, a couple bars, a full on restaurant, and dockside views that even showcase fireworks if you're there on the right night.

That said, as is the case all across the world, the pandemic is affecting service, as it took a good 10-15 minutes for someone to come to the table we were seated at to take our drink orders. Once they did, though, they sent out both food and drinks with urgent expediency.

Both the food and beer were passable to good, if only a bit basic, but it really did come out quite efficiently. Considering the nature of their vibe--more like a brewery centric Dave & Busters--there's a lot of kids romping about with their families in tow, so the menu leans in a very approachable direction, but there are some decent location-appropriate dishes peppered in.

The place is nothing to write home about, but is a nice stop if you're really jonesing for a brewery experience way out in Key West, complete with a fairly solid sports bar selection of TVs.

10/13/21 On tap at the brewery. So yummy after our long walk from ft. Taylor in Key West. Well, not that long of a walk because some folks in a rented golf cart picked us up and drove us back to the water front.

The pretzel sticks..... THE BEST! We tried their hazy and straight IPA. Both really good! We were here at 2pm, so the place was a bit quiet, but the view of the water is awesome.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love this brewery being so close to the waterfront, which I guess makes sense ;)

Most of the brews lean on the lighter, more refreshing side which is expected in a place like Key West.

The brewery seems a little restaurant focused, but the wait staff is great.

Loved the variety of styles and interesting options, like the key lime wheat, was just so refreshing and fantastic.

The food's great too!

Big place, with nice decor and a large (seafood-focused) menu. Draught list was not huge, and was not kept up to date. However, the one in-house brew I enjoyed - Mint Chocolate Collusion imperial stout - was a home run. If the rest of their beers are of this quality, this could be quite the pleasant surprise for a Key West bound craft aficionado.

 

I absolutely LOVED this place and so glad I stumbled upon it. The place is HUGE, it has an arcade and pool table, TV's, huge bar, a ton of seating, the staff is nice, the beers are plentiful and quite tasty. And for the love of humanity, order the pretzel sticks appetizer. Literally best i've ever had anywhere. Do it. Go here.

 

 

For vibe, its a typical brew pub/restaurant - nice bar and plenty of seats. Gets a nice bump for being in Key West right at the water. They have pool tables and some other games. Patio seating or the rooftop bar they are working on will increase the atmosphere. Food was good. In-house beers were just OK - nothing jumped out as outstanding. Guest taps were good, but typical brew pub fare. Some bad reviews on Service, but we were pleased with the attention from the bartender. Wasn't a cheerleader, but attentive and nice.

I wasn't overly impressed with the service with the exception of one bartender. She paid attention to the fact the beer in front of me was not being drank. She corrected this issue quickly. I am however slightly biased on the location due to the fact I miss the grocery store. A very cool hangout though. They cater to everyone's needs quite well.

Rated low mainly due to service....mainly due to one server....so bad (and also ignored us most of the time) that she re-used my glass from Maple Bacon Coffee Porter without even a rinse to fill with a pineapple sour....unreal....know knowledge of serving beers let alone any knowledge at all about craft beer.

 

 

Imported: As fate would have it, I discovered this place on my final visit to Key West. After four years of making the trip down there on a monthly basis, I finally found my home. Unfortunately, this first time will be my last time. I have been hoping and praying for a place like this in the keys during my entire time down here, and there finally is a quality brewery.

The ambiance is pretty awesome. Just a guess here, but I think this place used to be a marina or something. It is right on the water and there are a ton of boats docked out backed. The bar area is so cool. It is large and open and the draft selection mixes some of the best craft beers in the country with the stellar, in house brewed stuff. The IPA and double IPA were outstanding. I also had the blonde and it was solid as well. The happy hour had the beers at $3, and that is unbeatable on the island.

The food was a slight let down, but that wouldn't deter me from coming back. There are pool tables, skee ball, and arcade games in the game room, so my coworker and I played pool for a bit. I cant remember how much it cost but whatever it was, it was very reasonable. The gift shop has a ton of shirts but just about every shirt was sold out of L and XL. There were plenty of XXXXL and XXXS shirts available for those both rotund and emaciated, but nothing for a regular old Joe.

If I ever make it back to Key West, this would be my first stop for sure. The best place on the island to get some local beer and a great atmosphere.

 

 

 

This place is huge! Has a massive bar table seating for food open to the marina and has a whole back area that is essentially a game room with pol tables, air hockey, ski ball, and a couple of video games. They make their beer on site and usually have their milk stout Fat Albert in different variants on tap. When I was there it was chocolate cherry, but before they said it was Chocolate orange and they have had chocolate coconut. Their beer is not bad, but what really is impressive is they have 10-15 guest taps from beers mainly from Florida but elsewhere also that is very nice. If you are in Key West do yourself a favor and stop.