Once a Bordello and Saloon-Two Friends Patio Key West

There has been a bar at the address of Two Friends since before the Great Key West Fire of 1886.

 

This historic Key West icon has been a bordello, saloon, a location for treasure hauls, hurricanes and thousands of unforgettable nights.

 

Don’t forget Key West’s rough and tumble roots were built on the backs of shrimpers, wreckers, the military and more than a few fortune seekers.

 

In 1941 when Two Friends hired Barbara Smith,  she became the first female bartender in Key West. 

 

Back in 1967 Dante Capas bought Two Friends and made it the first bar on the island to serve draft beer: Schlitz. 

 

Mel Fisher, who was a Two Friends regular, was sitting at the bar when he got the call that the first massive treasure haul from the Atocha was on its way. Two treasure filled chests sat on the bar for hours, as locals stopped by to marvel at them,  untouched and unguarded.

 

Almost a 150 years later, amongst the fountains and the roaming chickens, the drinks stay cold, the music stays loud and the stories mostly true, go hand in hand.

 

Of course the food is local seafood dishes, including shrimp, fish, lobster, oysters, conch and crab, including char-grilled steaks and burgers, and their famous Basin Street broiled oysters.

 

The Happy Hour runs from 4-6pm offers discounts on drinks and appetizers. Domestic beers are three bucks while margaritas and frozen rum drinks are just $5.95.