In 2002, Florida Keys restaurateur Bobby Mongelli opened the Hogfish Bar & Grill, a funky Keys-style emporium overlooking the water at Stock Island’s Safe Harbour Marina.
Mac McAnally is to headline the Hogfish Bar & Grill’s 22nd anniversary concert. (Photo by JoNell Modys, Florida Keys News Bureau)
On Saturday, Nov. 30, fans of the iconic spot can celebrate its 22nd anniversary with a free concert starring legendary singer/songwriter Mac McAnally and his musical colleagues.
Since its inception, the thatch-roofed Hogfish has become renowned for its mellow “old Keys” atmosphere and colorful clientele as well as its full bar and menu fare.
Diners and drinkers can sit inside or out, at weathered picnic tables, or overlooking a handful of picturesque houseboats and sailboats moored at the adjacent docks.
Notable patrons over the years have included entertainer and former Key West “favorite son” Jimmy Buffett, other top musicians, congressmen and senators, celebrity chefs and a group Bobby characterizes as “cool people from all over the world.”
What do those “cool people” like about the Hogfish? For one thing, the wonderful food.
The place’s signature dish, as its name implies, is hogfish — a primarily diver-caught fish with a light yet distinctive flavor. A wide variety of other Keys seafood temptations are also served, including a lip-smacking smoked-fish dip.
The undisputed menu star is the sizeable “killer” hogfish sandwich. Enough for two to share, it consists of a generous serving of fresh-caught hogfish topped with melted swiss cheese and sautéed mushrooms and onions — all nestled on a chunk of fresh Cuban bread with a side of crispy fries.
At the renowned Hogfish, the signature dish is … hogfish! Here it’s prepared as a “killer” hogfish sandwich.
“Hogfish is very white, very flaky, with a sweet scallop-like flavor. It’s caught anywhere there are reefs, and it’s a specialty of the Keys,” said Bobby.
While the menu offerings provide satisfying food for the body, the anniversary concert is sure to satisfy the music-loving soul. The entertainment is to begin at 5 p.m., when Keys troubadour Howard Livingston and his Mile Marker 24 Band take the stage.
Scheduled headliners are three members of the late Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band — longtime musical cohorts who are also rightfully famed for their individual careers. These consummate all-stars are singer/songwriter and guitarist McAnally; composer and percussionist Eric Darken; and chart-topping songwriter and performer Scotty Emerick.
And they’re virtually guaranteed to rock the rafters at the proudly ramshackle Hogfish.
While not everyone can be in the Keys for the anniversary concert, everyone can (and should) visit the Hogfish at some point during a sojourn in the island chain. A true locals’ watering hole that’s also beloved by in-the-know visitors, it can be found at 6810 Front St. alongside the lively marina.
The waterfront Hogfish is popular with both island residents and in-the-know visitors.
“It’s an old working waterfront blue-collar bar and restaurant, and people say they love it because they can sit and relax — feel like they’re part of the community or feel like a local,” Bobby explained.
The Safe Harbour Marina section of Stock Island, now home to artist lofts, liveaboard boats and even two shipwreck salvage vessels, also has a rich history.
A ferry that once connected Key West and Havana departed from a dock across from the bar, and local lore says Safe Harbour was a staging area for the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in 1961.
Today, Bobby and his wife Michelle — who he calls “the brains behind my every move” — make sure the Hogfish honors that history while adding its own flavor to the area.
Discover its welcoming atmosphere, colorful setting and great food at the anniversary concert (or any time!). To find out more about the unforgettable emporium, just click here.
