This oceanfront Florida Keys landmark just reopened after six years and a big renovation
When it opened in the Florida Keys in 1982, the Safari Lounge wasn’t known for its waterfront location or its menu, which consisted of drinks and snacks.
It was known for all the dead animal heads on the wall.
Now, after being closed for six years and a huge renovation, the Islamorada landmark, which was damaged by Hurricane Irma in 2017, has reopened as Oceanside Safari Restaurant and Lounge. The new restaurant has a full menu and waterfront seating — and, while there are no more dead animal heads, there are a few nods to the original concept.
General manager Frank Scottoline said the animal heads came from the original owner, a hunter who went on safari, collected trophies and displayed them on the bar’s walls. (You might have glimpsed the lounge on an episode of the Netflix TV show “Bloodline.”)
“People didn’t know what we meant when we said we were reopening the Safari Lounge,” he said of the spot, which was a neighborhood hangout. “They said, ‘Oh! You’re reopening Dead Animal Bar!’ They called it Dead Animal Bar or DAB. No one actually knew the name Safari Lounge. But when we took over, we wanted to keep the memories.”
This iconic Florida Keys restaurant has reopened after a full renovation. Take a look
When Suntex Marina Investors took over the Caloosa Cove Resort and Marina where the property is located, they installed a new kitchen and equipment, redesigned the bar and dining room, landscaped the private beach and added waterfront seating. The original lounge, Scottoline said, had tinted windows and no outdoor area.
“You may as well have been in an alley,” he said. “There was no view.”
Now, the restaurant seats 90 guests inside and 60 outside, where the tables take in a 180-degree view of the ocean. Right now, the outdoor seats are shaded with umbrellas, but the plan is to build a pergola over all the seats.
The new menu is Keys friendly: “You could say it’s crowd-pleaser food,” Scottoline said. “You’ll find everything you like about the Keys.”
That means homemade smoked fish dip, with applewood-smoked mahi, plus conch fritters and fish tacos. You’ll also find Latin-inspired items like shrimp ceviche and skirt steak churrasco with chimichurri.
Dessert, of course, includes Key lime pie.
The bar will serve up tropical frozen drinks like piña coladas, rum runners, margaritas and something called a Painkiller, made from Pusser’s original rum, pineapple, orange juice, a splash of coconut and nutmeg.
The homage to the Safari’s origins starts at the door, with an elephant kids can sit on (“the perfect selfie spot,” Scottoline said). Look around, and you’ll see leopard spot prints, a giraffe purchased in a store in Miami, a wooden lion.
“It’s the same old charm in a brand new spot,” Scottoline said.
Oceanside Safari Restaurant and Lounge
Where: 73814 Overseas Highway, Islamorada
Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Happy hour 3-6 Monday-Friday.
Reservations: OpenTable or 305-390-4572
More information: www.OceansideSafari.com
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