It’s called the No Name Pub, and it’s billed as “a nice place if you can find it.” The quirky eatery lies off the Florida Keys Overseas Highway on Big Pine Key, down a long winding road and just outside an individualistic haven known as No Name Key.
The out-of-the-way location doesn’t keep determined people from discovering the local landmark — or falling in love with its historic “Old Keys” charm, world-class pizza and ramshackle décor that includes interior walls papered with a massive collection of dollar bills.
The Keys shrimp pizza at the No Name Pub heads the list of delicious offerings awaiting diners at the quirky eatery. (Photo by Craig Silva, Big Daddy Kreativ)
What is now the pub first opened as a general store and bait and tackle shop in 1931. In 1936, the owners began serving food; in the late 1930s they opened a brothel in an upstairs storage room.
The restaurant proved more popular than the brothel (no doubt surprising certain ladies eager to earn a few dollars). The latter faded away, while the pub started attracting an ever-larger following.
Amenities in subsequent years included a honky-tonk atmosphere and amusements ranging from pool to less savory games of chance — with more than one supposedly run by the local sheriff.
The pub’s famous pizza was born around 1960, prepared according to a recipe imported by two Italian cooks. The topping-rich creation became such an enduring draw that it’s sometimes modestly promoted as “the best pizza in the known universe.”
You can choose traditional varieties or gourmet delights like a Florida Keys shrimp pizza (a must-have treat — the combination of bubbly, slightly salty cheese and the island chain’s sweet pink shrimp is impossible to resist).
Once you taste the pizza, you’ll understand why the pub has been lauded repeatedly as a casual dining standout in the prestigious Zagat Survey. As the eatery’s nearly 90 years of popularity attest, when great food and a laidback Keys ambiance come together, “no name” is no barrier to success.
With interior walls covered in thousands of dollar bills, the No Name Pub is a “richly” rewarding stop in the Lower Keys.
The place itself may be hard to find, but its website is easy. Visit nonamepub.com for a glimpse of the landmark’s offbeat character, menu highlights and (surprise!) actual address.
FYI, the best way to find it is by turning off the Florida Keys Overseas Highway at mile marker 30.5 bayside and then following the winding road to 30813 Watson Boulevard — but resign yourself to the inevitability of getting lost at least once.
And while you’re lost … explore these fascinating spots.
National Key Deer Refuge, down Key Deer Boulevard off the Overseas Highway at mile marker 30.5 bayside. At first, you might wonder what all the fuss is about. Then you see one — a big-eyed Key deer, no taller than a good-sized Doberman, standing at the roadside in an instant of arrested motion before it scampers away — and just like that, you’re hooked on the graceful critters. The best times to glimpse them are early morning and dusk, and they wander freely in the refuge. The refuge has an informative nature center located at 30587 Overseas Highway on Big Pine.
The Blue Hole, within the Key Deer Refuge down Key Deer Boulevard, again off the highway at mile marker 30.5 bayside. The “hole” was originally a limestone quarry, but today it’s a freshwater habitat for alligators, turtles, fish and wading birds. Spend a few minutes watching wildlife at this secluded oasis, before or after your pizza, and you’ll swear you’ve been transported back in time to the Keys’ early days.
Interested in other spots to explore in the Lower Keys? Just click here.
