Viva Saloon

After we walked around all morning from our hotel to the Southernmost Point, we worked up an appetite. We found our way back on Duval Street and started looking for a restaurant. Unfortunately, most places weren’t open before noon. We then stumbled upon here because the door was open but apparently the kitchen was not open yet. We asked the manager if we can just sat down for a couple of drinks and he happily accommodate us right away.
Even it was before noon, it’s never too early for a beer, especially in Key West. I ordered a beer while my wife and her mom stayed with the same drinks from the night before: the rum runners. Once we started to relaxed a little while enjoying our drinks, we started to like this place. It’s got a nice outside patio area with live music, the decoration of the building was pretty unique and most importantly: it’s pet-​friendly!
After a while, its past noon and we thought we might as well get little something to eat. We looked over the menu for something to nip on. The menu is not really fancy; you can find most menu items in any typical bar. We went ahead and got their buffalo wings. It’s got real good flavors, got a little kick but not real spicy.
One interesting to point out that while I was looking over their menu, I found out that it’s Key West’s most haunted bar! The building where this restaurant is located has a long history. It changed hands many times over the year with one room boarded up for many years. Rumors has it ghosts lurk around freely so watch your steps! I was just glad we visited this place during high noon instead of mid-night…LOL!
Overall we really enjoyed. I really appreciate the manger letting us in even before they were opened for business. The wait staff took really good care both us and our fur babies. We’d definitely come back again the next time we are in town.

Absolutely MUST SEE in Key West if you are looking for a local hangout here in Key West. This is a veteran owned establishment with the nicest owners imaginable. Live music on the patio that can be heard indoors in the bar area everyday of the week.
Thursday nights are trivia nights. Best played in the bar area where it is basically one team of everyone in the bar and the bartender helps you when she can! Really a fun night!
This place is a little warm when sitting inside but that is part of the charm and well, well worth it! Outside patio seating is nice and cool with umbrellas and fans. Tons of drink choices and great service. The food is typical bar food but really good! (fries, onion rings, quesadillas, nachos, tacos, burgers, etc.). They have specials like $ 5 burgers on trivia night.
If you are looking for a place the locals hang out definitly stop in this place. The locals sitting around the bar have great stories of Key West and tips on everything you should see including ft he best places to catch the sunset (they are also a great help on trivia night ;)).
We stopped in every night we were here and will definitly be back!

Best Mexican food in the Keys. Owners are soo sweet and accommodating. Best live music, outdoor seating… perfect. capped best birthday day in the keys.

Live music by Lance Taylor front row and ice cold beer! Great nice server, watching chickens and listening to guitar… Doesn’t get much better than this!
This is a place for relaxing, burgers and beers. There is outdoor seating sun or shade your choice. We are conveniently located to see the music and still able to people watch on the street while watching people feed the baby chicks here on the patio.

We held our welcome party for our wedding here on a Friday night and it was awesome! Daren was beyond accommodating during the planning process and the night of the event. The space was perfect for a big party (we had about 90 people in attendance) — there’s a great outdoor space with games (like corn hole), picnic tables, live music, etc. The indoor space is also large with a big bar. At the end of the night there was karaōke, which was a big hit. We were a bit nervous to have our event here after reading some of the reviews (we’re from NY so we blindly picked this spot), but it couldnt have been better!

First of all. I blame this review on lack of organization. The manager or owner should train and assist their staff. One person has to many tables to wait on and there all over the place. They are working way to hard and very unorganized. If they had some guidance by there manager, it would probably make a big difference. The food was fair. I like nachos with melted cheese not liquid cheese. The person singing did a very nice job. I guess if you were the owner. You might say this is a tourist town. Who cares about repeat customers.

Atmosphere was good. One-​man band was good. Service was awful and the food wasn’t much better. I know the tacos were only $ 1 (Taco Tuesday) but they weren’t even worth that. And, if you want sour cream or salsa, it’s an extra $.50 for each. We had to practically chase down our (unfriendly) server to get the rest of our order and drink refills. We won’t go back.

After reading the Unilocal reviews, I came in here with low expectations. But while they’re nothing fancy, they do what they do with aplomb. We were staying right across the street and in the mood for some one-​dollar-​sign (by Unilocal standards) food and they did not disappoint. We ended up over here a few times during our long weekend.
Yes, this is your typical plastic-​cup well drink patio bar. But their kitchen (of typical bar and Mexican food) is open late, those well drinks are pretty cheap, the service is very friendly, and they had a cellist playing Beatles’ songs on the patio. Who could complain?

Tacos were great. Menu looked ok. Had to ask 2 x to get a soda, however I will let that pass. Great atmosphere and what I read the building has a lot history. Need to spend more than 8! hours in Key West to fully enjoy.

We were a group of 22 people. We were lucky they had a very nice staff, food and prices were good!

There is so much potential here, it just left me hanging: first it has an enormous out door seating area shaded by giant trees, perfect, tables and chairs with benches, good, and some live music that was good, thank god for that otherwise this would be a ZERO.
Service was weak, seems to be a theme in other reviews, short handed, not sure why all the servers didn’t show up on the same day, sounds like another problem exists somewhere.
The bar tender was waiting onus and about 20 other tables and the bar, he was moving fast, too fast, but you can’t blame him for trying.
The food, well, I’m just gonna say, don’t bother, I’m thinking an episode of bar rescue here, it couldn’t possibly get any worse.
So I won’t go again and I wish them all the best.

Would have been a better place to watch football if the old man bartender wasnt wasted at 5:30 on a sunday. This is why it is frowned upon to drink on the job. A paying customer will have to wait until old man river gets his shot first. Lucky for me theres 50 other bars on the same street. Good job buddy you are drunk by sunset and on the clock. Sounds like a win win for you.

Scooting down the street heading home last night, we heard the distinctive sounds of Ross Brown playing at the outside patio area and did an immediate 360°.
Every Friday is now the Funky Friday Happy Hour party with amazing guitar, vocal and percussion talent Ross Brown from 7pm-​10pm. I would follow this guy anywhere (and do — ha!).
Quickly we scurried over to grab a table to see the talent. We ordered a couple drinks with the server who was incredibly nice. The drinks were average and all cocktails served in plastic cups. I ordered a Crown on the rocks, and this fine liquor never seems to have the same flavorful effect when sipped out of plastic. My own fault. I should not had ordered this type of drink here. We also received two shots which also arrived in regular plastic drinking cups, no shot glasses. So lesson learned… stick with beer or basic rum & Coke type drinks here.
Though we did not eat here, I did review a menu to see what they had. It looked a-​okay with the standard bar food fanfare of burgers, wings, tacos and such. I would go back and try their food based off the menu.

Though it’s kind of bare, I actually really enjoyed Viva Saloon for what it’s worth. Any tourists in Key West has to walk by Viva Saloon once in a while, since it’s right on Duval Street.
The doors are always wide open, so all the space itself is not very large, there is an airy feel to the place. The bar was filled with locals the two times I went here, so I take that as a good thing. And I can somewhat see why, because the bartenders were very friendly and the drinks were rather cheap, especially not during happy hour. I think that’s a problem I run into is that happy hour is very popular in Key West, and then drinks skyrocket not during happy hour, and I didn’t feel that Viva Saloon was one of those places who didn’t do that.
I enjoyed my time here, but I did not have any of the food. A good bar crawl destination on Duval!

We got to Key West late. It was midnight island time but still 9 pm our time. We decided to walk down and find a cocktail. We got here where it was pretty slow and seemed to have decent prices and a low key vibe. Had a tasty beverage and enjoyed the light rain. Very nice.

I visited Viva Saloon on a Thursday night in late July. By the time I got to the restaurant it was already after their trivia night, which starts at 7pm every Thursday.
I stopped by and gave this bar a chance because they had a $ 5 special on burgers. The burger was just mediocre at best. I had wanted bacon with it as well, but they were out of bacon.
Viva was also unbearably hot inside, not sure if the AC was broken or if this was a normal thing.
In terms of just food quality I wouldn’t come back. For something like trivia night with a group it would probably be worth coming out to Viva.

Je né conseille même pas!
Oui l’ambiance est cool avec la musique jouée par un orchestre le soir, mais le service n’est vraiment pas bon et pas cool avec les touristes ! Dommage vu qu’ils né vivent que de ça … Mauvaise expérience avec un serveur qui en entendant mon accent français s’est permis de m’ajouter lui même son pourboire sur ma note et en attendait un de plus après ! Pas de chance vivant à Mtl et connaissant les coutumes concernant les tips, j’ai du le remettre à sa place gentiment.
Je trouve ça inadmissible de la part d’un serveur !
Concernant la nourriture un fast-​food serait meilleur! Servi dans des paniers en plastique, vous mangez du gras dégueulasse, des frites trop salées et des boissons où il y a plus de glaçons que de quoi boire !
La plus part des gens à côté de nous, né finissaient même pas leurs verres.
Bref, rien d’extra et il y a sur la même Avenue d’autres restaurants vraiment plus intéressants à découvrir avant celui là!
Un attrape touriste !

Cool smaller hole in the wall restaurant on duval street. The service is kind of lacking. The food came out very slow even though we are the only people here right now. It was good food prepared well and very inexpensive for the area, if you are on a budget I would say this is a good spot otherwise there are much better places.

Service was slow and we ordered hot chicken wings. Waitress was totally awol and my husband had to self serve himself some water with a pitcher at a nearby bar. Eek! Wings were not delicious. 1 cider was 7.00 and not on the menu where most drinks listed on the menu were 3 – 6. Confused…

RJ and I stopped in here while we waited for our reservation somewhere else. We remembered seeing body painting going on in here during Fantasy Fest. The bartender was super friendly and told us a story about how this was one of the oldest bars in KW and her neighbor bought it to save it. We only stayed for one drink but will definitely stop back again. The food coming out looked really delicious!

Love this place! Love taco Tuesday! You order as many as you want, they arrive super fast and the best part… You get to add the fixins’ yourself! They have a taco stations where you add your own cheese, onions, black olives etc!!! They had an outside patio which was very nice. Big screen tv for the games and great drink prices. Try the tatter-​tots with your tacos! Super yum! Going back for Thursday night trivia!!!