About Tavern N Town
Hotel restaurants earn their reputations slowly and lose them quickly, which is why Tavern N Town's sustained excellence at the Key West Marriott Beachside is worth noting. Located just off the Grand Lobby of the Beachside Resort & Residences at 3841 North Roosevelt Boulevard, it has built a following among Key West residents and repeat visitors who understand that this restaurant operates at a level that exceeds its hotel-restaurant context.
The kitchen is led by Executive Chef James Jernigan, whose approach combines international technique with Florida's local larder in ways that feel both composed and relaxed. The wood-fired grill is the kitchen's centerpiece and its philosophical statement: live fire cooking that draws on the same elemental technique that characterizes the best steakhouses and coastal grills, applied to locally sourced seafood and hand-selected meats. The prime rib, prepared with the patience that this cut demands and served with appropriate accompaniments, is the dish that Tavern N Town's admirers mention most consistently.
The seafood program reflects the restaurant's proximity to productive Florida Keys fishing grounds. Fresh local fish, prepared with the clarity of technique that allows the ingredient to announce itself rather than be obscured, forms the backbone of a menu that changes seasonally. Gulf shrimp with the natural sweetness of their Florida provenance. Stone crab claws in season, served cold with mustard sauce in the classic Keys tradition. The Key Lime martini dessert cocktail — a liquid version of the island's most famous dessert — has developed its own devoted following.
Live entertainment from 5pm to 9pm every night distinguishes Tavern N Town from Key West's quieter fine dining rooms. The musicians understand the room and the audience — it adds energy and ambience without overwhelming conversation at the table. The daily 2-for-1 happy hour creates a particularly good value window before 7pm, when the full menu is available at the bar alongside the cocktail program.
With over 2,246 OpenTable reviews maintaining a 4.7-star rating, Tavern N Town has earned a position in Key West's dining hierarchy that no amount of hotel marketing could have manufactured. The excellence is in the execution, which holds its level across the range of occasions — business dinner, anniversary, birthday, solo evening at the bar — that a good hotel restaurant must accommodate.
Best Occasion: Close a Deal
The combination of consistent service, private enough tables for business conversation, and a menu that signals serious culinary investment makes Tavern N Town one of Key West's better choices for a business dinner. The hotel location provides the practical advantage of proximity to the island's conference and event infrastructure. And a 4.7-star OpenTable rating is the kind of track record that means you can bring an important client here with confidence that the kitchen won't have a bad night.