Margaritaville
If you’re searchin’ for your lost shaker of salt, head for the mother ship of Jimmy Buffet’s 25-member hospitality empire, which first set sail right here back in 1985. Yeah, it’s touristy, but so is much of Duval Street, and “wasted away again in Margaritaville” being firmly part of local lore, it’s worth a stop whether you’re a parrot head or not. Food ranges from workmanlike to good—I like the obligatory “Cheeseburger in Paradise” even if I’ve had better—and the menu is unshockingly Florida- and Caribbean-flavored, with the likes of jerk chicken, coconut shrimp, smoked fish spread, and conch fritters (there’s even a gluten-free version of the menu, and vegans make out okay). Of course much of the fun comes from the noisy, music-filled atmosphere and pastiche of Key West architecture and memorabilia (get a load of that mural of The Man Himself sporting that painfully '70s look from the cover of Havana Daydreamin’). When videos of Buffett and others aren’t up on the big screen, there’s usually a live act on the stage right below.
If you’re searchin’ for your lost shaker of salt, head for the mother ship of Jimmy Buffet’s 25-member hospitality empire, which first set sail right here back in 1985. Yeah, it’s touristy, but so is much of Duval Street, and “wasted away again in Margaritaville” being firmly part of local lore, it’s worth a stop whether you’re a parrot head or not. Food ranges from workmanlike to good—I like the obligatory “Cheeseburger in Paradise” even if I’ve had better—and the menu is unshockingly Florida- and Caribbean-flavored, with the likes of jerk chicken, coconut shrimp, smoked fish spread, and conch fritters (there’s even a gluten-free version of the menu, and vegans make out okay). Of course much of the fun comes from the noisy, music-filled atmosphere and pastiche of Key West architecture and memorabilia (get a load of that mural of The Man Himself sporting that painfully '70s look from the cover of Havana Daydreamin’). When videos of Buffett and others aren’t up on the big screen, there’s usually a live act on the stage right below.
Details
Bookstore
Available as paperback
and as e-book.
