The Best Dang Key Lime Pies in South Florida

A Key lime pie-loving local spills the secret on his favorite places to get the region's signature dessert.

As you drive down the Overseas Highway — a 113-mile stretch of U.S. Route 1 that connects Key West to the Florida mainland — bright pastel signs attached to open-air, palm-thatch-roofed restaurants boasting the "best Key lime pie in Keys” are ubiquitous and, perhaps, a bit dizzying for a first-time visitor.

Related: 5 Tips for Making the Perfect Key Lime Pie

While the origins of the dessert are disputed, there is no question that the four-mile-long, one-mile-wide island at the southernmost tip of the continental United States is the Key lime pie capital of the world, with variations abounding. Graham cracker crust is the standard, though some opt for a buttery, shortbread-like base for the filling, which generally consists of sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, and the zest and juice of Key limes. Key limes are crucial as they pack a necessarily more intense punch of acidity than standard limes, and any variation in the filling is more about ratio than ingredients. Finding the right balance of sweetness to match this very specific tart flavor is easier said than done.

Related: In Florida, Debate Over Origins of Key Lime Pie Strikes a Nerve

The greatest point of contention is in the topping, though: meringue or whipped cream? There is no correct answer, only subjective opinion. Ask any local their favorite Key lime pie and you’ll get as many different answers as if you’d asked their favorite Jimmy Buffett song.

Blue Heaven

Arguably the most acclaimed Key lime pie on the island comes from Blue Heaven, where a cartoonishly high mound of meringue gets piled on a comparatively thin layer of filling before receiving a meticulously even golden brown toast on the outside. This is a solid starting point for any visitor, but under no circumstances should it be an ending point.

Related: 5 Prime Key Lime Recipes

Four Marlins

At Four Marlins, an upscale oceanfront restaurant at The Reach resort, you’ll find a sturdier graham cracker base, a slightly thicker filling that strikes that elusive perfect sweet-tart balance, topped with a nearly equal-sized layer of impossibly smooth, zest-infused whipped cream that reinforces the Key lime flavor without adding any extra acidity. This, to me, is a traditional Key lime pie in its purest, most perfect form.

Thai Island

Still, though, there is more to explore, as regional influences from around the globe have made their way to Key West. Thai Island, for example, is a hidden gem waterfront restaurant which locals flock to nightly for owner Phen Futterman’s famous crab rangoons (easily the best I’ve ever had), lobster pad Thai, and Key lime pie with a silky coconut milk sauce that tempers the tartness.

Burdines

It’s also worth the drive about an hour up the Keys to Burdines in Marathon Key for the deep-fried Key lime pie, which is really structured more like a chimichanga: cool Key lime filling wrapped in a tortilla, fried until crisp, and topped with cinnamon sugar. The temperature contrast between the interior and exterior makes this one a truly spiritual experience.

Related: Brûléed Key Lime Tarts

Kermit’s Key Lime Pie Shop

Finally, perhaps this is the most polarizing on the list, but it would be a glaring oversight to not include it: The frozen, chocolate-covered Key lime pie on a stick. Some swear by Kermit's as Key West’s greatest innovation, others see it as a novelty item made for cruise ship passengers stepping out at port between drinks package Margaritas. Whether the chocolate is a welcome addition to the party or an unnecessary interference upon that delicate sweet-tart balance we worked so hard to achieve is for you to decide, but if you’re going to try it, it’s got to be the most iconic version at Kermit’s Key Lime Pie Shop. 

The best strategy? Come down here and try them all. End every meal with a Key lime pie. Grab one between meals. Whatever favorite you decide on, we’ll allow it — judgment isn’t in our nature down here in Key West.

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