It doesn’t have a name and is famously hard to find, but the No Name Pub in Florida’s southerly Big Pine Key is worth every effort to get there. Considered one of the last vestiges of the “old Florida Keys,” the establishment has been an institution since 1931 when it was founded as a general store and bait and tackle shop for both local fisherman and visitors before a restaurant and pub was tacked on in 1936.
The entrepreneurial owners also added to the establishment’s colourful history by converting the upstairs storage room into a brothel in the late ‘30s, though, “while popular with many, the venture failed after several years as the fishermen were reported to be better looking than the ladies.”
Located on a non-commercial road just off the Overseas Highway (Hwy. 1), bayside in the Lower Keys, today’s more conventional version of the restaurant/pub is a perfect lunch stop along the ribbon-thin Keys route between Marathon and Key West.
Or an ideal place to quench one’s thirst after exploring nearby Bahia Honda State Park or partaking in the endless array of area activities, such as back country kayaking, nature tours and birdwatching. In fact, you’re even liable to see Key deer nibbling lawns in the neighbourhood around the pub.
Drinks are what you’d expect – get a brew from the local Florida Keys Brewing Company if available – and there’s an extensive menu with plenty of local seafood options. But pizza is the house specialty, ranging from Key Shrimp to Caribbean chicken. My choice: the 14-inch Big Royal Pub Pizza.
Visitors can elbow up to the bar in the original building to watch a game, or just marvel at the décor, which consists of thousands of dollars of dangling bills signed by guests and stapled to the walls and ceiling (a description that really doesn’t do justice to the haphazard design scheme), or venture into a more spacious new addition at the back or sit at a picnic table under a sun umbrella on the outdoor patio.
Locals bemoan the popularity of the pub – modern technology has clearly made it easier to find. Nevertheless, the NNP’s eccentric charm remains. As they say in the Keys: “It’s a nice place – if you can find it!” Oh, and don’t forget to get the T-shirt.
The No Name Pub is located at 30832 Watson Blvd. in Big Pine Key and is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
(“Pub Crawl” is an ongoing series in which we reveal some of our favourite public houses, both at home and abroad – and, in the spirit of the establishment, invite you to share with us yours. Send suggestions to baginski@travelindustrytoday.com. Cheers!)
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