Quintessential Dive Bar - Purple Porpoise Key West

I had heard some wild Key West stories about the Purple Porpoise, and after dozens of trips up and down Route 1 on the world’s longest overseas highway,    

I finally decided I was going to be very brave and take the risk to visit the craziest bar ever.

 

This place is what the bars in Key West used to be like.  It feels like a Bahamas bar on some random island.

 

No air conditioning, the AC unit was hit by a FedEx truck back in 1994, the doors are wide open, and it had to be at least 90 degrees inside. 

 

Its on Big Coppit Key.   Part of the lore is that the bar would lay out a rug in the parking lot, so the patrons could sleep it off before driving home. Thus, Big Coppit was once nicknamed “Big Carpet Key”.

 

Let’s just say this isn’t the family pub. This is the local’s best kept secret for price and hole in the wall or roof type bar. 

 

No-frills.   Stop by for cold beer or shots, play pool, skee ball, ping pong, darts, jukebox, engage with stories from the terrrific bartenders. 

 

Wear your tattoos, you’ll fit right in.  Walking through the front door I was greeted with the fantastic aroma of “beer breath”.

 

The rustic decor and laid back vibe and maybe the cheapest drinks in Key West, give you an authentic experience that captures the essence of local culture, charming, unpretentious atmosphere, just mingling with friendly locals. 

 

The wife complained about the cigarette smoke and that everything was sticky. She said the only reason to go there is to take a picture, then take a shower. 

 

Noticed that they use old phone books to hold the bar up, and I kind of loved the place. 

 

The girls are as fine as they come in Key West.  This one chick who was hitting on me, was super hot even though she had propeller marks on her back. and she took off on her boat that was parked in the back.

 

This place is legendary, so give it a try.