Chris R
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ THE BLUE BISTRO: THE BEST FOOD IN MARATHON… AND POSSIBLY THE UNIVERSE ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Located at the Skipjack Resort & Marina tiki bar, AKA: The Place Where Diets Go to Die Happily.
If you come to Marathon and don’t eat here, I’m convinced you either (A) don’t like joy, (B) are allergic to flavor, or (C) got lost and wandered into Key West by accident.
We’ve eaten everywhere in Marathon — every shack, every grill, every place that claims to have “the best XYZ.” Cute. Nice try.
Nothing compares to The Blue Bistro. NOTHING.
This place is running a different culinary universe.
First of all, the cook — I think his name is Art but I also might be completely making that up because after five White Teas the letters on his nametag started doing the cha-cha — is an absolute magician.
Whatever his name actually is, he needs a trophy, a holiday, and maybe his own Food Network show.
Let me break it down:
Greek Salad:
Honestly? One of the best salads ever created by human hands. Zeus himself would abandon Mount Olympus for this thing. It’s so good it made me consider becoming a healthier person for a solid 14 seconds.
Burger:
Fantastic. Ridiculously good. The kind of burger that makes you rethink your whole life and whisper “where have you been all my life” before taking another bite.
Tuna Tacky:
Huge. Delicious. A serving so big and so tasty it should probably come with a warning label: “May cause unstoppable smiling and immediate addiction.”
Meat Platter:
Seasoned like the culinary gods had a meeting and decided, “Let’s flex a little.”
Absolutely spectacular. The kind of dish that makes you want to stand up at your table and slow clap for the cook.
This place is a gem — a shiny, flavorful, hilarious gem in Marathon.
Cheers to the chef who keeps absolutely CRUSHING it every single time. You, sir (or ma’am, or Art… or possibly Not-Art), are a legend.
Now… the bar.
THE TIKI BAR: WHERE TROUBLE IS BORN
If you’re lucky enough to be served by Jason, prepare yourself.
He’s hilarious, he’s a killer bartender, and he WILL play friendly little games with the friends you bring with you.
By “games,” I mean he’ll serve White Teas so dangerously smooth and delicious that you’ll think you’re sipping flavored water — right up until you try to stand up and suddenly forget how knees work.
Every time we go to The Blue Bistro, we end up saying:
“Okay, we’re just getting one drink.”
And every time…
White Teas happen.
White Teas always happen.
And then we wake up the next day wondering why we ordered nachos we don’t remember eating and why someone took a blurry picture of a tiki torch for no reason.
We absolutely LOVE this place.
Our favorite place to eat in Marathon — by far, no contest, not even close.
We can’t wait to go back.
We can’t wait to eat everything again.
We can’t wait to pretend we’re not going to drink too much at the tiki bar… and then do exactly that.
Cheers to The Blue Bistro — the culinary champion of Marathon, the destroyer of diets, and the unofficial sponsor of our White Tea hangovers.
PS: We also have a new cat friend named star who might be just the coolest cat on the planet.
… morePhantom Reefer
The food here is amazing. I never thought a hotel tiki bar would have AMAZING food. The gyros are out of this world, the pizza is like im in Brooklyn NY. And the bar tenders at the tiki bar are just the most amazing, Jason(tattoos, they have 3 Jason’s) always takes care of us at the bar. If you have not been here, you are definitely missing out. Hands down my favorite place in the Florida Keys.
… moreCaptain John
What a hidden gem! I spent time in Greece and been to my share of Greek eateries in NJ & NY and have to say this place has them all beat! Great meat platters, Greek salad and dishes. The fried calamari was 1 of the best I ever had! And the portions are gigantic and prices very reasonable. Nice ambiance if you sit outside by skipjack pool especially when they have entertainment. The service was too notch too. I will patronize them again and again when I return to Marathon…
… moreShawn Christensen
THIS IS THE PLACE! My wife and I stopped in for dinner and drinks by the amazing pool. The bar is very laid back. There was AMAZING service. It is definitely the best place we have been to in the keys. The Bartender Dianna was super friendly and fun. We met the other bartender Jason and they were both so much fun that we decided to have shots! The fish and chips were wonderful! So big it looked like the whole cod! The fries were perfect and the burger was something Jimmy Buffett would sing about. Hats off to the whole crew! I won’t be going anywhere else next time I visit the keys.
… morejoe peverelle
The food was flavorful, could have been a hot meal but a lackluster kinda warmish, we ordered Caesar salad, i swear I had more limp croutons than lettuce! I ordered a Miller lite and got a medalo???? The wait staff was totally disconnected, she didn’t write anything down and it showed . Another couple that was sitting at the other end of the pool side tables were brought the wrong dinner TWICE! The waitstaff brought the little black folder for the bill she gave it to the couple we have never met before and only had pleasant conversation with and it was empty! When I asked for our bill she said she combined it with theirs… the big shock is when we got our bill and paid we then found out it already has a 20% AUTOMATIC TIP! Poor service, poor food, wrong drinks, and a 20% surcharge is ludicrous! The music was pretty good but VOLUME CONTROL IS NEEDED! If the band is playing a conversation is impossible to have. The waitstaff should NEVER do a drop and run with #1 beverages #2 food delivery #3 be so poor with service and get a 20% tip! I’d say avoid here for dinner.
… moreMelanie R
What a wonderful hidden secret! We were not expecting much out this hotel restaurant off the beaten path by Sombrero Beach. We were wowed!!!! Option to sit poolside with live music or inside where they serve the hotel breakfast and right next to the kitchen. We chose inside because it was a cool night. The chef was right there cooking and answering questions from different tables about the wonderful food we were eating. The restaurant has all the Greek favorites, but also something for everyone…including the best batter fried fish my husband ever had, and he’s from Wisconsin. We also had a Gyro and a Greek salad with chicken. Everything was delicious and served beautifully. Plenty of food and all reasonably priced. One of the best meals we have had in the 10 years we’ve been coming to the Keys. The chef was also kind enough to put together a sampling of desserts. You can not go wrong with any of them, though the Milfia was our favorite. We can’t wait to return!!!!
… moreDennis Leonard
Staff is friendly but they need more help. Takes a long time to get a cocktail but food comes out reasonably quick. Food is delicious.
There always seems to be confusion about what you had when you’re ready to pay the bill.
We go there when our favorite band is playing. So most of the time they’re pretty busy. Seems they would anticipate these nights and add additional staff.
A twenty percent gratuity is added to everything.
… moreNicole Lowery
I ordered the gyro which was pretty good. The Greek salad was great too. I got a super strange reaction to wanting to sit inside? But I came for an early dinner and didn’t feel like eating by the pool with the 4 random middle-aged men and karaoke set up. So ultimately I didn’t feel comfortable as a solo diner, but the food was worth the stop.
… moreMolly Harrold
Gianna and her brother in law were the best hosts during our visit to Skipjack. They celebrated our wedding anniversary with us with ouzo and remembered us throughout the week with a smile. They were also kind enough to let my husband and I use the restaurant during the day as a remote office as we tried to finish up before vacation. We can’t thank them enough. And the food – oh my gosh. The fish tacos were fresh, the French fries were hot and well seasoned. The octopus with Greek salad with full fat feta and olives though stole the show. We fully expected to want to eat out around Marathon all week but we kept returning to Blu Bistro because the food was so delicious. Highly recommend for great food, the best staff, live music most nights and delicious drinks!
… moresharleen gonzalez
Pizza was the best in marathon, and the gyro was really good the side Greek salad was ok not enough feta cheese but all and all we will be back to try other dishes.
… more