Smokin’ Tuna Saloon

Came here for dinner and drinks — even started with their famous smoke tuna dip… Which tasted like a very dry tuna salad. The onion rings were fantastic and their white wine selection was nice. I’d recommend this place for live music and drinks, but not dinner.

Stopped here on Saturday night, thankfully made a reservation, and was seated at a prime spot in the beer garden right in front of the stage. The band did not disappoint. Neither did the smokin tuna and the raw oysters. They were delicious! They did fail to successfully shuck oysters properly, though. The fish and chips however were less than great. The breading was thick and flavorless.
Overall a good experience for the kickoff to a fun night. Stick to the fresh seafood and the beer garden; especially if there’s a band.

Really tasty food. The creamy fish dip, conch chowder and chipotle bean burger were all packed with flavor. Quick service, live music and a relaxed atmosphere. We might stop back before leaving Key West!

This is my favorite music place in Key West, great facility to watch music. Thanks for hosting Song Writers festival, loved it
Eddie our bartender was fun, friendly and was very prompt will all orders.
Good friendly crowd.

The drinks were good, the food was good. however we were stuck sitting in what appeared to be some sort of storage room away from the music, people, and well… everything. we were all alone in this room that had some boxes in it. strange. but at least we were away from the smoke. Felt very strange to go out to eat at a busy time and be secluded in a back room.

My dinner was fabulous and the service was awesome until I tried to use the Unilocal coupon for a free fritter sampler with 2 sandwiches or dinners (we had one of each). Apparently it doesn’t apply to the appetizer portion and no offer for a small discount as a replacement was made. Disappointed in the bait and switch advertising. Too bad, everything else was awesome about this place despite our drunk neighbors.

This place is NOT 4 star worthy. Lunch today was, at best, average. Mahi Mahi was bland and unseasoned and the accompanying onions and peppers were greasy. Why is it so hard to get the basics right? Would not return to this place.

I’ll be the first to admit it– I’m a little snobby about restaurants.
With the disclaimer duly noted, I thought the Smokin’ Tuna was just ok.
The place is cute with a capital Q. Tucked off the rancorous carnival of Duval street. It’s a leafy beer garden with live music.
The disappointment came in the food. Conch fritters were a little rubbery. Maybe that’s how they are supposed to be. I’m not the authority of conch fritters.
The hummus was a garlic bomb.
The grouper sandwich was ok and the fried shrimp tasted like they might have been freezer bag sourced.
It’s a nice bar, but the food is forgettable.

Tuna melt, fish sandwich, and conch fritters were pretty good, if greasy, but late lunch service on the afternoon of 1÷12÷16 was slow and somewhat gruff. It seemed there should have been more than 1 waitress taking care of all the tables. The waitress was very reluctant to honor the Unilocal coupon that the restaurant offered (1 order of conch fritters with 2 sandwiches), arguing that it was for *1* conch fritter — which is absurd. We protested and she ended up compromising and giving us 3 fritters (½ an order). Would have given more stars if not for unfriendly service.

I’ve been to Smokin’ Tuna Saloon two or three times during my visits to Key West, and it’s a very laid-​back and fun bar where you can smoke a cigar and not worry about it.
This is an out-​of-​the-​way sort of bar, even though it’s very close to Duval Street. There are two entrances, and though I’ve never really figured it out, there are one or two bars attached to Smokin’ Tuna Saloon in their inner courtyard. Every time I’ve been here, there has been live music, which is always good.
The drink specials are pretty good here, and there are enough bartenders to deal with the crowds. They also have sports playing, so you can watch that if you want to have a smoke and a drink, even though I don’t really smoke cigars myself.
I’ve always like the vibe here, but it’s not just a regular bar that you pop in for — people will probably be smoking everywhere. Just be aware.

Close to Dueval street, nice open air seating that’s partially under awning. Downside is you can’t avoid the smokers.
Got blackened catch of the day, it was really good. Large portions. Definitely recommend the conch fritters, it is really good!

A great KW establishment. This is not a typical Dive bar. This is a new and nice faculty. Music is great as is the food. One specialty is the white bean soup Well stocked bar and friendly servers. Worth the stop. Have spent many nights here and hope to spend more

Came here for a day trip to key west from Miami. Reasonable prices for alcohol and really great key west food. Both my fiancé and I had their fish sandwich special which came with a huge grilled mahi on white bread and fries or a breaded grouper on white bread. We sat at the bar it was very key west feeling which I love. We also got the conch fritters which were delicious. Matt served us he was great super friendly and helpful with drinks. I hope to come back

As was the case with most places in Key West we just sort of stumbled upon Smokin’ Tuna after searching for some place that was open for lunch. The reviews looked good so we said why not.
The first thing that struck me was that this place seemed to be what places like Margaritaville want to be. Sort of larger beach shack feel, very casual, venue for live music, and a store. However, unlike Margaritaville though, the food here is actually quite good. Now I’m not going to say this was one of our best meals, but for what it was (not fine dining for dinner) it was outstanding!
We started with fired conch fritters, because we got them as a free check in. I hadn’t had this up until this point but I really liked them. They were not super oily as many fried things can get. My husband said the closest thing he could compare these to was hushpuppies (which I don’t think I have ever had either). It came with two dipping sauces. The tartar sauce was ok, but the other sauce was quite good. It wasn’t too seafoody but you could taste the conch. Nice balance of a seafood hater like me.
I did the smokin’ tuna melt for lunch. YUMMM! Again, this wasn’t on the same level as the fancier places we were eating for dinner, but it easily could compete with those places. I love tuna melts. I have since I was a kid. My mom used to come pick me up at pre-​school for lunch and I would have tuna melts and look out at the small lake near her work/​my pre-​school. This tuna melt transported me back to those memories. It was a tuna melt on an entirely new level. It is made with their home smoked tuna. I have never had smoked fish before, but it just added so much to the sandwich. I’ve had many tuna melts, but nothing so good that it transport me back to my childhood like this did.
Our waiter was also really a great guy. When we ordered our second beers I think it was clear we weren’t going to finish our lunch and beers. Without asking he put our beers into souvenir to go cups for us (which I have only ever enjoyed in New Orleans). He also was present enough without being overbearing.
Not sure what this place would be like when they are busy, but it was perfect for us during the off season.
⁸⁷⁄₁₀₀

Nice bartender. Probably a good place for drinking and music after 5:00.
DON’T BOTHER getting the Wasabi Tuna… not a great cut or grade tuna… lunch plate… with onion rings cold.
Also smoked fish was mediocre… at best.
Not a food destination. *actually the two of us got sick. Way to many other options.

The restaurant was great the food was awesome and our waiter was super nice helpful and friendly! If you ever visit it ask for Elena to wait on you! She’s the best.

Stopped in to Smokin Tuna for a later dinner. Opted for the inside seating since I deal with this Florida heat all the time and just have no patience for it anymore. To fulfill my strict conch fritter diet I put myself on everytime I’m in Key West, of course I ordered some as a starter. Overall good, no complaints.
Filled myself up with conch, so I decided on the white bean tuna chili as an entrée. Overestimated and got the bowl instead of the cup. Delicious but spicy! I had to keep asking for refills on my water since the cups are tiny, in which the server would come by with a pitcher and continue to fill my cup up with more ice than water. By the end of the meal I could have filmed Frozen in my cup.
Only compliant being that my friends fries came out cold. Oh and that I didn’t see Kenny Chesney like I was expecting. Otherwise, cute bar with awesome live music tucked away from the tourist traps of Duval. Probably the most decently priced place we have gone to as well. Definitely coming back.

YES! SCORE! I always light up when I hear someone say «Smokin’ Tuna» as a go-​to option when out on the town.
Host to some really incredible local talent such as Caffeine Carl, who you must catch for his amazing guitarist skills, this is a great place to kick back and listen to some terrific music.
Like many Key West establishments, this is an open air bar with outdoor table seating. Quite large in overall size, there is a full menu to order from complete with raw bar.
Our group popped in and Caffeine Carl was on stage with his group. BONUS DAY! (hee hee) We ordered a round of drinks along with the fish dip and chicken wings for the table. NEWS FLASH! My new favorite chicken wing place on the rock. Perfectly cooked, well done but not to the point of being dried up, no fat and clean off the bone. Woo hoo! Pinch me! The fish dip was really good too. Unfortunately I didn’t get any pics of the food. For some reason I am so hungry sometimes, I dive into eating and forget all about the picture part. But fear not! Definitely going back for those wings!
I’LL HAVE A SHOT!: Downside: Plastic cups all around. My lemon drop shot came with the sugar and lemon already mixed and poured into the plastic cup. It was too sweet and just nasty. If they can’t deliver on execution, they should not make this. I’ve learned my lesson and will be sticking with strictly beer from now on.
Unilocal OFFER ALERT: 1 free fritter sampler with 2 sandwiches (haven’t tried this yet.)
SOME TRIVIA: Smokin’ Tuna is the official headquarters of the Annual Songwriter’s Festival that takes place generally the first weekend in May every year. Next event is May 4 – 8, 2016. If you love country music, I would highly recommend a visit during this time. T-​Shirts and gifts are available at the Smokin’ Tuna gift shop. The music genre is mostly country, jazz, blues and mainstream. There is also a web cam available for online viewing on their website.
LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION: This is on Charles Street downtown and can easily be missed if strolling Duval. If you are at Irish Kevin’s, spin around. You will see a little street in front of you (the Red Garter is on the right corner). That is Charles Street. Smokin’ Tuna is down the street on the left side.
Average age range: 35+

Der Smokin’ Tuna Saloon hat uns super gefallen. Das Essen war sehr gut und die Drinks waren ebenfalls nicht schlecht.
Die Location war genial. Es war alles schön dekoriert und sehr gemütlich.
Die Live-​Band war ebenfalls super und wir wollten gar nicht mehr weg.

Cups! So many Cups!
I think while we were in Key West we got about 50 of these cups! I love it!
Great for music. Older crowd. Didn’t try the food, but the drinks were awesome.
The store only seems to be open during the day and maybe dinner time, but not at night. They did open for a few minutes while we were there drinking one night, which was a great idea, but we drunk bought some souvenirs.
I’d recommend this bar to anyone coming to Key West. It’s off Duval, so it’s not as crazy packed as the bars on Duval, but it’s certainly very close. It’s located down the street across from Irish Kevin’s.

We stopped here after someone on the street recommended Smokin’ Tuna Saloon. Smokin’ Tuna is right off of Duval and is all outdoor seating.
We did redeem the Unilocal coupon, which caused some confusion at first. The waitress had no clue what the Unilocal coupon was and I’m even wondering if she knew what Unilocal was. We finally were able to redeem it after she got a manager who told her it was a real offer. The coupon is for a free order of Conch Fritters when you purchase two entrees. The Conch Fritters were probably some of the best I had in Key West. The only problem is you get only 3 and we could have had more!
For dinner both my friend and I order the lobster tail. The lobster tail is a great deal for $ 24 and includes onion rings and coleslaw. The lobster was perfectly cooked and not overdone at all. The onion rings were crispy and not greasy. The only average part of the meal was the coleslaw. My friend decided against the coleslaw and had a side salad instead. They did charge her a dollar more for it, but the side salad did look good.
Smokin’ Tuna was a great experience and I would head back the next time in Key West.