Mangrove Mike’s Cafe

Don’t go to the Keys without stoping at Mangrove Mikes for breakfast or lunch! Located on the bay side at MM82 which is the right side if heading south for you non Floridians, lol.
They have a huge breakfast menu with something for everyone from pancakes and waffles, French toast, omelettes and wraps, and eggs served every way imaginable. Different from most restaurants they have a selection of tater tot dishes served Mexican style, bacon and cheese, country gravy or topped with corn beef hash, they’re amazing!
There’s stuff a la carte like fresh grapefruit, fruit salad, variety of toast, bagels and biscuits plus grits and oatmeal.
To wash it all down there’s piping hot fresh coffee of course plus the usual culprits like hot tea, milk, hot chocolate, cappuccino, orange, Apple and grapefruit juices.
This place is super laid back like you’d expect from the keys. It’s definitely a place the locals go but the visitors are welcome. The service is always amazing. Get there before 2pm because after that all you’ll find is a gone fishing sign… they also own lobster crawl which I’ve not yet been to but it’s on the list for our next visit. You’re gonna love it!

We stopped for breakfast on our way to KW and was excited to give it a try, everyone was very friendly. I thought it was a really cute place along the way but the food was disappointing. I ordered the «kitchen sink» tater tot tower and was really disappointed to find hardly any thing in it other than tater tots and green peppers. We would stop again on our way down but I would never order that dish again.

This used to be the best deal in town for breakfast. Lunch specials were superb. Now is over priced for poorer quality food and service. Some of the best dedicated staff is gone. Had been going the last 12 years but moving on after the latest lunch. Options in Islamorada are limited for breakfast so the business will continue. Consider other options though.

I am rating this place not so great because the food was indeed not to great. This was greasy, disgusting food and our waitress was not too happy to serve us. She forgot coffee and then water. I would have rated them one star of not for the lady in the front desk who is quite nice. I understand it is $ place but was shocked with the crappy food we ate and felt sick for almost an hour after.

Great service and the best chocolate chip pancakes. We added whip cream too :). The hash browns weren’t so good so when we come tomorrow I will be trying something else. Service was good, quick. Syrup was warmed up and the staff were friendly. Will definitely be coming back!

I was suggested this place by many locals as a place to go for breakfast. One morning we were up early and decided to head on over and try their breakfast. It’s a cute colorful place, with a very diner mom-​pop feel. The menu was decently extensive and I decided to have the special which was lobster benedict
There was a decent amount of lobster, but the lobster sauce was a tad watery, almost like bisque but slightly too water down, it made the thin– undertoasted muffin soggy. The eggs were poached well.
Hubby got the kitchen sink tatertot tower. Basically sausage cheese mushrooms and cheese on tatertots. He was underwhelmed and his specific comment was «it wasn’t anything special that I couldn’t make myself»
The service was excellent, and they have a ton of sauces for you to try. Everyone is warm and really friendly.
If I was in the area I’d give it another shot but with all the amazing options around Islamorada I’d probably explore the island more.

Solid breakfast place that seemed full of locals (which gave it a bit of credibility).
I had the lobster benedict. Really good and SO lobster-​y. Instead of hollandaise sauce, the dish came with a kind of lobster sauce of some sort (frankly, it seemed like a very thick lobster bisque). The sauce made the dish.
The hash browns were kind of meh. I would have done better to pick something else for a side.

I liked this place. Can’t add much to the reviews. We shared the kitchen sink, fresh oj and really light and fluffy oatmeal. Delicious. We’ll be back.

Great breakfast place that seems to be always packed. We came here on a Wednesday afternoon around 12 and it was full. There is a great selection of food both for breakfast and lunch, the service was great. I got the sink burrito which was yummy, could have used a bit of cheese, although I did not notice it did not come with when I ordered. My wife ordered a breakfast for $ 6.99 had french toast, pancakes, sausage and bacon, really good deal! We will be back when in the keys! Good honest food and great little diner!!!

Stopped in here one morning instead of eating at the resort. We both had the basic breakfast plate that included eggs, toast, bacon and hash browns. No complaints overall and my husband said he loved the crappy diner coffee. It’s become our joke of how he rates out diner coffee. Overall kind servers and fast service. Next door is an art business that you can enter from the restaurant.

We had lunch at this place on our annual Keys vacation. It is more a local place than a touristy place. They had a good selection of breakfast and lunch items.
There are not a lot of tables and the place was busy, so our group of 7 had to split up. Not a big deal. Our waitress was great. Food was good.
I am giving it a 4 instead of 5 because the bread on my sandwich was a little stale, and also they did not have anything on the menu that did not include heavy sauces or fried foods. One person in our group was looking for something healthier and was not able to find something that she wanted.

Server is irritated and annoyed, rushed to order and eat, gift shop is really over priced, when we got our food we were above disappointed, like the food was thrown on the plate, burnt, flavorless.

Great service… Fantastic breakfast… What a great way to start the day! The French toast was to die for! A really cool little art gallery is attached as well

Best breakfast I had while down in the Keys. It looks like a tourist trap from the outside but it’s soooooo darn good! I literally stared at the menu for a good 10 minutes trying to decide. Everything that went by me while I was trying to decide looked incredible. I could’ve eaten the cinnamon apple topping that went on my waffle as a meal in itself. Soooooo delicious! My husband hardly ever eats a sweet breakfast, but he said the coffee cake french toast was to die for. The food came out quick and was reasonably priced. I’ll definitely be back next time I’m in islamorada.

Solid spot for breakfast. We sat at the counter to avoid a ½ hour wait for a table on a very busy Sunday morning. interesting mix of locals and vacationers. Its a well run establishment… but I didn’t get the «keys vibe» some have spoken about. Owner (?) was even helping clearing tables… a real team effort. our waitress was busy and blah. Food is plentiful and quite good. wife had the apple walnut French toast which she enjoyed… I had a sausage and cheese omelet… loaded and delicious. I ordered an orange juice… got a large (not freshly squeezed) for $ 3.79. tourist special? Wife had to ask for more coffee. I sensed the locals got the smiles. outsiders get hustled out quickly.

Beachy Diner! Brunch meets beach. Eggs, pancakes, coffee, with fish on the walls.
These people know how to cook breakfast, and the place has a great atmosphere. I tried the Mangrove Oscar today. Two eggs, spinach, crab meat, on toasted English muffins… Great. I’ve had the pancakes, and once a large omelet, all good.
The atmosphere is old diner. If you are passing by or staying here and need food, stop. It’s a place you should try.

This is a funky little diner that has very good breakfasts. It appears to be patronized a lot by the locals, which is a good sign in the Keys. I really enjoyed the Crab Oscar (which is like a Benedict but with spinach and crab.) Plenty of good fresh crab in this dish. They offer a several unique items, along with the standard breakfast fare. Service was great — couldn’t drink an inch of coffee without it being topped off. Attached to a shop with local art if you are looking for some of that.

Definitely a favorite local spot after being seated it was obvious they don’t depend wholly on the traffic going to or coming back from the Lower Keys. The owners seemed to know everyone by name this also trickled down to the servers. Although I love the local flavor it can be a little frustrating for those of us that are just looking for a good breakfast spot.
Our server was a very young woman who just couldn’t help but engage her friends on the antics of last night or last week. Our extended waits between ordering our drinks, getting our drinks and placing our breakfast order was way to long as busy as the place was I am sure the owners would like the tables turned a little quicker.
— Ham and Cheese Omelet — This was really good although it was cooked on a flat top which tends to thin out the egg and forced the cook to fold it multiple times verses fluffy and light it wasn’t a bad choice but an omelet pan would do wonders for this place.
— Ham Slice — This was a nice slice of quality ham grilled perfectly, very tender and flavorful.
— Scrambled Eggs — Also cooked on a flat top a little dried out for my taste I think fried or poached eggs to order would be a better choice.
— Home Fries and Hash Browns — We had an order of both they were both just okay the home fries were small red potatoes grilled tender no crunch no onions or peppers. The hash browns were marked on both sides but not crispy as ordered if you like more potato verse crispy you will enjoy these.
— Coffee — The coffee is really good I wish they would of had fresh half and half in small chilled pitchers verse the shelf stable food service cups that sit in a bowl on the table just think this would add a lot of value to this place.
To summarize, this is a nice little diner with a lot of hometown feel. I would like to have had more coffee and not had to wait on my check so that’s my issue. I actually walked up to the counter to pay without my check because I didn’t want to interrupt our server’s conversation.

It is what you would definitely would enjoy from a classic diner, it was very traditional, with the food and also full of locals…
You can tell… Which I loved :)
If I see «corned beef hash» on a menu I will have that… So that’s what I did… And it was just average… I think I would’ve loved it better if it was a little different but then again your in the keys… It will be traditional :) and I also love that… But I’m not really sure I would go back and have the same…
PS: besides my mug had lipstick before it touched my lips: O so!!! I might not go back after all :-/

Unfortunately, my phone died shortly after my visit to Mangrove Mike’s, so my photos are gone :(
Mangrove Mike’s is easy to miss if you’re driving by and not looking for it, but what is hidden inside the small, subtle exterior is a plethora of delicious food and kind people. From the moment you step in, you can see the family atmosphere where the locals come in with their family after a youth football game, order some breakfast, and get their Saturday off to a great start. It was definitely refreshing to see and set the mood for Mike’s just right.
I ordered the typical coffee, which was good, and as my meal I ordered *overly long dramatic pause*: The Mangrove Oscar.
The Mangrove Oscar is a twist on the famous Eggs Oscar with Spinach, thick cut Virginia Ham and Poached Eggs, covered in Bearnaise. Now, I am a big fan of Eggs Benedict (and Oscar), ordering them at least once at every breakfast place I frequent, and I must say this is one of the best I have had to date. Let’s explore why, in bullet point format for fun:
— Perfectly poached eggs
— Huge slab of delicious ham
— Blue crab
— Seriously, a LOT of blue crab
— Huge portion
— Great price
— Great hash browns
— Tater Tots. ok, let me elaborate on something, I usually dislike tater tots. People either make them overly greasy so it’s like eating an oil sponge, or they are tasteless. When my girlfriend asked if I wanted to try hers, I was hesitant but I went for it and I was shocked! Tasty, no visible grease or oil, no sponginess — just crispy, flavorful, fried potato heaven! A++
We also ordered a half stack side of chocolate chip pancakes, and they were quite good! The half stack was already large, I can’t imagine ordering a full stack of pancakes or french toast (though, I really really want to).
My only regret about Mangrove Mike’s is that I could ingest no further food.
Stop by if you are near Islamorada for a great breakfast! And make sure to swing by the art gallery next door, their work is wonderful!